Keep a batch of this delicious dip in the fridge and eat with crudités.

Ingredients:

1 bulb garlic
2 x 400g tins chickpeas in water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sweet Spanish smoked paprika
Lemon juice to taste
Sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F

Wrap the whole unpeeled garlic bulb in foil and roast in the preheated oven until soft (approximately 20-30 minutes, depending upon the size).

Place the chickpeas, olive oil and smoked paprika in the bowl of a food processor. Unwrap the garlic bulb and use a sharp serrated knife to trim off the pointed end, leaving the root end intact. Squeeze the roasted flesh from the bulb into the food processor, discarding the skin. Blend until smooth, then season to taste with lemon juice, salt (if using) and pepper.

See also: Why garlic is so good for you.

Needs to be prepared 8 hours in advance of serving, and just takes a couple of minutes to warm up…

Cook the quinoa for 15-20 minutes in water. While cooking, chop up 1 red pepper, ½ chilli, spring onion, clove of garlic, coriander, and 1 sweet potato.

Boil and mash the sweet potato, and lightly saute the other ingredients for 2-3 mins.

Soak 3 sheets of organic gelatine (make sure it has no animal products – some surprisingly do) in cold water. Add to the hot sweet potato, mix with the quinoa and the sauteed vegetables, put in little moulds and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Then dust with a little soya flour and lightly steam fry.

Also see:  Garlic – why it’s so good for you and how to prepare and eat it

This is a wonderful wintry salad that has a beautiful combination of colours and contrasting flavours and textures.

This is definitely a good way to eat salad in the winter. Another advantage is that it can be made in advance – just leave it in a cool place ready to eat later on.

Serves 6

½ red cabbage, cut in quarters and very finely sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 cooked beetroot (optional), cut in wedges
3 spring onions very finely sliced or ½ red onion, very finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon, to taste
4 tbsp olive oil

Begin by chopping the onion and then leave it to soak in a little cold water for a few minutes. Drain well.

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage with the lemon and olive oil, add salt and pepper stirring well to make sure it is thoroughly covered with dressing. Add the finely chopped herbs and onion and mix well, correct the seasonings. Scatter the beetroot and tomatoes and toss lightly. Taste again and serve.

This recipe is from Natalie Savona’s ‘Wonderfoods’ and is a slightly healthier version of the traditional dauphinoise, which is usually made with potatoes and lashings of cream.  Natalie is one of the regular nutritionists on in:spa retreats.

Serves 4

300g Jerusalem artichokes
300g celeriac, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
200ml vegetable or chicken stock
200ml soured cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
Handful of grated gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade or gas mark 4.

The Jerusalem artichokes need to be scrubbed and thinly sliced.

Layer the Jerusalem artichokes, celeriac and onion in a shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the garlic. Mix the stock with the soured cream, season with pepper and nutmeg and beat in the egg. Gently pour this mixture over the vegetables and top with the cheese.

Bake for around 40 minutes. Check whether the vegetables are cooked through after about 30 minutes by poking a skewer in the middle. Serve hot!

A great starter…

Slice 2 aubergine, 2 courgettes, 1 red, yellow, orange, green pepper, 4 cloves of garlic.

Peel and quarter 4 red onions. Mix in a bowl with juice of 2 lemons, freshly chopped basil and a little extra virgin olive oil. Leave for 1 hour.

Then simply chargrill, grill, oven bake, or you can even use a breville sandwich maker. This is great as a starter. Or, as a cold salad, just add artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and olives. Sounds yummy!?

Delicious for numerous occasions!

Rice wrapper rolls – we recommend the Blue Dragon brand available in supermarkets.

For the filling:

1 grated carrot
1 grated courgette
grated white cabbage (1/4 cabbage)
handful of powdered roasted blanched almonds
chinese 5 spice powder (1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon ginger powder
some chopped fresh coriander
rice noodles – cooked in boiling water for approx 2 minutes

For the dipping sauce:

tamari
chopped chives
chopped red chilli

Mix all the filling ingredients together. Place the rice paper in warm water for approximately 1 minute or until soft. Put the filling ingredients in the centre of the rice paper circle, fold in the sides and roll up. Serve with a dipping sauce of tamari with finely chopped chives, and chopped chilli.

A favourite on our Morocco holidays.

Ingredients:

Sliced red onion
Sliced large chunks of peppers
Sliced sweet potatoes
Sliced carrots (lengthways)
Sliced courgettes (lengthways)
White cabbage chopped into chunks
Teaspoon of black pepper
Teaspoon of chilli powder
Tablespoon of cumin
2 cloves of chopped garlic
Chopped bunch of parsley and coriander
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 sliced lemon

Scatter the sliced onions at the base of the tagine/saucepan and cover with the spices and olive oil. Build up the tagine by placing the vegetables on top of each other in layers. Scatter with more parsley and coriander. Put the cover on the tagine and cook slowly on a low heat for approximately 30-45 minutes.