Salted chocolate granola bars

November 13, 2017March 6, 2023 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

I was becoming a bit bored of granola for breakfast so I decided to make granola bars instead (basically the same thing, but with added chocolate and more sugar – how very nutritious). They’re basically a fruit and nut flapjack laced with salted dark chocolate, coconut and golden syrup. I mean, what’s not to like? To be honest, they’re nowhere near as calorific as they could be, but even if they were, who cares? It’s six weeks until Christmas and there’s not a bikini in sight. So dig out the elasticated trousers and stock up on Tums because the build up to Christmas has officially started, with elevenses.
I’ve made two versions, the first is a fruity and chocolatey version and the second a nuttier oats concoction. Both have the same method just different ingredients.

Salted chocolate granola bars
Makes 10-12 bars/ Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 35 mins / V ❄
DRY:
150g mixed nuts and dried fruit, I used Sainsbury’s SO Organic Fruit & Nut Mix
4 tbs desiccated coconut
30g mixed seeds
120g rolled oats
30g puffed rice cereal
½ tsp sea salt flakes
70g dark chocolate, I use Green & Black’s.
WET:
50g soft brown sugar (or any sugar you have)
100g Golden Syrup
75g unsalted butter

Nutty granola bars
Makes 10-12 bars/ Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 35 mins / V ❄
DRY:
150g mixed nuts
3 tbs desiccated coconut
1 tbs pumpkin seeds
1 tbs sunflower seeds
125g rolled oats
½ tsp sea salt flakes
WET:
50g soft brown of muscovado sugar
50g honey
1 tbs maple syrup
50g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C/300°F/gas mark 3.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and put to one side (I like to keep my nuts whole but if you prefer smaller pieces, then roughly chop them before adding them to the mix).
3. In a small saucepan over a low heat, melt all the wet ingredients together until combined. 4. Pour the warm sweet butter over the dry mixture and stir until evenly coated.
5. Line a baking dish with baking paper and grease the sides with a little butter. Pour in the mixture and spread to the edges using the back of a spoon and pat down firmly.
6. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
7. Once cooked, cool fully in the dish before turning out and cutting into bars.
8. Wrap individually in baking paper and store in the freezer. Defrost when needed –although they taste pretty great frozen.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian ❄– Suitable for home freezing. Wrap bars individually in a few layers of cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.

Korean bibimbap

November 7, 2017November 2, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Why do mice seem to follow me everywhere I go? I’m like the modern day Pied Piper, but instead of a pipe, I have a jar of pickled carrots. I didn’t even know mice liked Korean food, let alone pickled carrots but, while I was cooking recently, I spotted one staring up at me from the kitchen floor with his horrible little beady eyes. And as quick as he came he was gone, like a thief in the night.

‘JAMIEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ I screamed, waiting for my gallant boyfriend to come in and deal with the wee beasty. Not likely. Jamie hurried out of the bedroom before swiftly turning on his heel and retreating at the mere mention of the word ‘mouse’. So much for my knight in shining armour.

So I set about emptying the cupboards, pulling out drawers and hoovering every nook and cranny before coming to the conclusion that my little guest was simply passing through. He probably lives downstairs with my neighbour – she’s a dusty old drunk who loves living in squalor so they’re probably best friends.

Anyway, so then we ate our Bibimbap in peace – after I coaxed Jamie out of the bedroom, that is. He hates mice, despite having a lot in common with them. For a start, they’re both nocturnal, love eating junk food and watching South Park.

Anyway, back to bibimbap. I’ve been a bit obsessed with Korean food ever since Kimchee opened near my old office on New Oxford Street. Relatively new to Korean food, I was astonished at the vegetarian selection; delicious tofu salads, sushi rolls, steamed rice bowls with marinated tofu and pickled vegetables, err – yum! But then I moved away so had to take matters into my own hands. My favourite Korean dish is bibimbap, a mixed rice dish served with gochujang (a type of red chilli paste) with a mixture of steamed and pickled vegetables and topped with a fried egg. It’s delicious, so if you’re feeling frisky, give it a go.

Korean bibimbap
Serves 2 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 30 mins + pickling / V Df🌶
Pickled carrots
150g carrots, peeled into ribbons (I used baby rainbow carrots)
100ml of water
100ml of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbs white sugar
Bibimbap
120g basmati rice, I use Tilda wholegrain basmati with quinoa
100g mixed exotic mushrooms or mushrooms of your choice
4 handfuls of spinach
1 bulb of pak choy, sliced
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 spring onions, chopped
½ pack of smoked tofu, sliced
2 eggs
Black sesame seeds to serve (optional)
Dressing
2 tsp gochujang or Sriracha (gochujang is a fermented soybean chilli paste, it can be tricky to find though so Sriracha works just as well which is available in most supermarkets)
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs light soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
Big pinch of sugar

Method
1. Peel the carrots and then peel into ribbons and put to one side. If you’re not pickling your carrots you can ignore this next step.
2. In small saucepan, heat the sugar, water, rice vinegar and salt on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Put your carrot ribbons into an appropriately sized Tupperware or jar and pour over the pickling liquid. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (although overnight is preferable). These will keep in the fridge for up to four days and will taste better and the longer you leave them.
3. In a medium sized saucepan pour boiling water over 120g of basmati rice. Bring to the boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile start cooking the mushrooms by frying them gently on a medium to low heat in a tsp of sesame oil and a tsp of soy sauce. Keep an eye on your mushrooms whilst you start cooking the greens in a separate pan. Add a little water if they start looking a little too hot. Once cooked you can turn the heat right down.
5. In a separate saucepan with a lid, sweat down 4 handfuls of spinach and pak choy in 1 tsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of soy sauce until wilted. Once cooked, move the greens to one side of the pan and topple the mushrooms into the other. Turn off the heat under both pans and cover with a lid to keep warm.
6. Roughly chop the spring onions and slice the smoked tofu and put to one side as you make the dressing. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and put to one side.
7. By now your rice should be cooked, take off the heat and drain well with a sieve before returning back to the pan. Pop the lid on. Fry your eggs in a bit of oil until cooked how you like them (I used my mushroom pan but feel free to use a fresh clean one if you prefer.)
8. Fork through your rice keeping it nice and loose and divide into two bowls. Spoon over a bit of dressing and top with the egg. Arrange the vegetables, tofu and pickles around the side and sprinkle the egg with sesame seeds and top with the remaining dressing and serve.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Df– Dairy free 🌶– Spicy

Stout & chocolate graveyard cake

October 31, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

For someone who hates Halloween as much as I do, I’ve baked a pretty good cake for it. Today is the office Halloween Bake Off to help raise money for Mind, a charity that provides advice and support to anyone experiencing mental health issues.
So in the name of charity, Halloween and I have put our differences aside to create this (dare I say it) rather pretty graveyard cake. So let’s enjoy this stupid, nonsensical day and raise some dosh by eating loads of cake… The things I do for charity.

Psst… If you like the look of this cake but don’t want all the bells and whistles, then click here for my regular Guinness Chocolate Cake recipe.

Stout & chocolate graveyard cake
Serves 8-10 / Hands on time 45 mins / Total time 1 hr 30 mins + decorating / V ❄
You’ll need: A stand up mixer or electric whisk and a 9 inch round cake tin
250ml Guinness stout
60g cocoa powder, I use Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder
350g golden caster sugar
250g unsalted butter
150ml buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
280g plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
Cream cheese frosting
250g cream cheese
250g icing sugar
200ml whipping cream
Decorations
1 packet of Oreos, crushed
8 rich tea finger biscuits
200g Green & Black’s Organic White Chocolate, melted
1 black icing pen
1 small paint brush (optional, although I find a paint brush handy if the icing pen is too thick)
A few sprigs of thyme

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 and line a 9-inch round tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
2. Pop the Guinness and butter on a low heat in a large saucepan until melted. This could take 5-10 minutes, so use this time to measure and prepare the rest of the ingredients. Once the butter has melted, give it a good stir and take off the heat. Tip in 350g of golden caster sugar and 60g of cocoa powder and beat until combined with a hand whisk.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla and the buttermilk together with a fork then whisk them into the warm mixture using your hand whisk. (You can use an electric and whisk if you prefer but be careful not to over whisk the mixture). By now the mixture should look lovely and glossy.
4. Sieve 280g of plain flour, 2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt, straight into the mixture. Whisk for a final time until combined and the lumps reduced (don’t try and work out all of the lumps out, just whisk until smooth-ish for not longer than a few minutes).
5. Pour the mixture, into your tin and bake for 45 minutes. Leave to cool fully in the tin. (The cake might be raised in the middle when you take it out the oven but as it cools, it tends to level out.)
6. To make the cream cheese frosting you will need either a stand alone mixer or hand whisk. In a big bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth and then sieve in all of the icing sugar. Whisk until fully combined before adding the whipping cream. Whisk on a high speed for 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is thick and spreadable.
7. Turn the cake out and carefully, using a large knife, slice the cake horizontally as even as you can, giving you two large disks. Spread an even layer of buttercream on the bottom layer, before topping with the other disk to create a sandwich (this bit is optional, if you’d rather not have any layers, then simply jump to step 8.
8. Using a spatular or palette knife, carefully spread the remaining buttercream over the whole cake, including the sides as evenly as you can. Put to one side.
9. Pop your Oreos in a sealable plastic bag and give them a good crunching with a rolling pin. Keep working the rolling pin over the Oreos until you have a good soil texture. Sprinkle the soil over the cake and pat down slightly with your hand, making sure they stick to the buttercream.
10. Melt the 200g of white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Meanwhile, line a Tupperware with foil and put to one side. Once melted, carefully dip in your rich tea biscuits one at a time, leaving a quarter of the biscuits uncoated (this is the part you’re holding). Once you have an even coating of chocolate front and back, pop the biscuit in the Tupperware by lean it against the side keeping it upright. Repeat with the other 7 biscuits and make sure they don’t touch each other in the Tupperware. Put the biscuits in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or until the chocolate has fully set.
11. Pull each biscuit away from the foil (there’ll be a small chocolate indent on the back of each biscuit but as it’s at the back no one will notice). One by one, pipe on the words RIP onto the front of each biscuit using your icing pen or your pain brush, dipped in a pool of your icing pen. On a chopping board remove the quarter of the biscuit without the chocolate on using a sharp knife and then submerge your gravestone into the cake. Repeat until you have the desired number of graves.
12. Finally, cut several thyme storks and submerge them next to a few graves on top of the cake and Bobs your uncle, you’ve just made my stout and chocolate graveyard cake.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian ❄– Once cooled, wrap individual slices in a few layers of clingfilm and freeze. Consume within 3 months.

Mushroom stuffed butternut squash

October 30, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I know it’s Halloween tomorrow, but I just couldn’t face wrestling with a pumpkin last night – sometimes life’s too short. I also loathe Halloween. I hate stupid fake spider webs, food that looks like eyeballs or severed fingers and the colour orange, aka, the most unattractive colour in the whole colour spectrum. So, feeling rebellious, I walked straight past all the pumpkins and other Halloween tat in Waitrose, and made a beeline for the butternut squash. Stuffed with garlicky mushrooms and topped with melted cheese and toasted hazelnuts, this makes for the perfect Halloween feast, whether you’re dressed up as Pennywise or not.

Mushroom stuffed butternut squash with toasted hazelnuts
Serves 4 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 1 hr 35 mins / Gf
1 large butternut squash, de-seeded and halved
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
4 tsp Pomora extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of rosemary
120g vegetarian Emmental or Raclette*
6 small portobello or large chestnut mushrooms
Handful of hazelnuts
Rapeseed oil spray
Watercress to serve (optional)

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Give the outside of your squash a quick wash and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice your butternut squash in half lengthways (I find it easier to do this in stages. I stand the squash upright and slice downwards to about a quarter, I then turn it upside down and to this again. I keep repeating these steps until I meet in the middle).
2. Scrape out the seeds and discard. Crush one of the garlic cloves and split between the two halves. Add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil to each half and combine with the crushed garlic. Brush the garlic and the oil over the squash flesh evenly. Curl up a sprig of rosemary into each butternut squash hollow and season well with salt and pepper. Pop on a baking tray and bake in the oven until the flesh has softened, between 45mins and 1 hour (depending on how big your squash is).
3. Carefully remove your squash from the oven and discard the rosemary sprigs (keep the oven on). Making sure you leave a 1cm thick layer of flesh still attached to the skin, so the squash holds its shape, use a spoon and a fork to rough up and scoop out the flesh. Distribute the roughed up flesh evenly across the whole squash and spread out that lovely rosemary flavour.
4. Immerse 3 appropriately sized mushrooms into the soft flesh of each squash half. If it all feels a bit full, remove some of the flesh (I ate a couple of spoonfuls of mine). Crush the other two garlic cloves and distribute evenly across all 6 mushrooms. Spread the garlic over each mushrooms, season well with salt and pepper and drizzle a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil across each squash. Top each squash with three slices of cheese before baking in the oven for a further 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile crush a handful of hazelnuts in a bag using a rolling pin on a hard surface. In a small saucepan on a medium to high heat, add a few sprays of oil and toast the hazelnuts until light brown and aromatic.
6. Finally, remove your squash from the oven, carefully cut in half and serve topped with toasted hazelnuts and a good handful of watercress.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

Gf –Gluten free
*Raclette to my knowledge is not a vegetarian cheese.

Pea and basil soup

October 24, 2017March 3, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Peas… I don’t like em. I don’t like their horrible little skins that get stuck in my teeth and I don’t like how they pop and spill their nasty sweet juice into my mouth. I don’t like how they get all dented and weird for no apparent reason and I don’t like their presence in a veggie burger.
However, there’s no denying that peas (as shrivelled and horrible as they are) are very nutritious. High in vitamin C, folate and (rather surprisingly) protein – keeping you fuller for longer. So, in an attempt to conquer my lifelong pea aversion, I’ve blended them up with loads of basil and cream and the results were actually rather pea-leasing… Oh come on, I had to.

Pea & basil soup
Serves 4 / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 25 minutes / Gf ❄
You’ll need: A food processor or hand blender
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
500g frozen peas
1 litre of vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
200g broccoli, roughly chopped
40g vegetarian Italian hard cheese or *Parmesan, grated
Juice of half a lemon
30g fresh basil leaves
3 tbs Greek yogurt or single cream
To serve
Pomora extra virgin olive oil
Pea shoots to serve (if you’re feeling fancy)

Method
1. In a large saucepan or pot, sweat the onions in a tsp of oil until softened. Add the frozen peas, broccoli, vegetable stock and season to taste.
2. Bring to the boil before turning down the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until smooth.
3. Add the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, a large handful of basil leaves and the grated cheese. Blitz again until fully combined. Taste and add more seasoning if required.
4. Serve immediately topped with pea shoots, a drizzle of single cream and extra virgin olive oil.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

Gf– Gluten free ❄– Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.
* Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable.

Smoky veggie sausage hot pot

October 17, 2017November 2, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 6 Comments

I’m as confused as a hedgehog who forgot to go into hibernation, what the hell is going on with the weather? It’s supposed to be October! One day it’s 24°C and the next it’s 12°C – which is highly inconvenient as I’ve just packed away all my summer clothes and replaced them with woolly jumpers, tights and bobble hats. So thanks global warming. I’m now that sweaty lady on the bus, swaddled in wool and scowling at anyone in a sundress. Anyway, that will teach me not to check the weather.
Right so, sausage hot pot. My mum makes a cracking sausage hot pot so hopefully this is up to her exemplary standards. Hearty, wholesome and full of beans, this hot pot will warm your boots/flip flops – weather permitting.

Smoky veggie sausage hot pot
Serves 4 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 1 hr / V Vn ❄
1 tsp of olive oil
8 vegan sausages, I use Couldron vegetarian Cumberland sausages
1/2 tsp salt
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small leek, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato purée
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tins plum tomatoes
200ml vegan vegetable stock, I use half a Knorr stock pot
100ml vegan red wine*
1 tin red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tin cannellini beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Marmite (optional)
Handful of chopped parsley
Drizzle of Pomora extra virgin olive oil
Serve with crusty bread or mashed potato (optional)

Method
1. On a baking tray lined with baking paper, cook the sausages in an oven as per the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large casserole dish, sweat the chopped onions down in the oil along with the leek, salt and garlic. Add a little water to help them steam and cooked for 5 mins until slightly softened. Add 2 tsp of smoked paprika along with a tbs of tomato puree, stir and cook for a further 2 mins before adding the wine. Up the heat and allow to reduce for 5 mins.
3. Remove the sausages once cooked and put to one side.
4. Once the wine has absorbed, add the tinned tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Using your spoon, break up the plum tomatoes a bit, give it all a good stir, up the heat and bring to the boil. Once the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut into quarters (or leave them whole) and add the drained beans. Stir in the Marmite, dried oregano and season with black pepper to taste.
5. Bring to the boil before turning down the heat and simmering for 20 mins uncovered, stirring occasionally.
6. Take off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Leave to stand for 5 mins before dividing into bowls, drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and serve with crusty bread or mash.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Vn – Vegan 🌶– Spicy ❄– Suitable for home freezing. Consume within 3 months.
*Most wines are unfortunately not vegetarian or vegan, due to products used in the ‘fining’ process. Wine makers are also under no obligation to disclose if they have used animal products on the label. Vegetarian and vegan wines are available in most supermarkets.

Peanut butter cookies

October 9, 2017September 12, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I don’t often bake cookies, mainly because I end up scoffing them all but on this occasion, that wasn’t an option. I made these for a Macmillan coffee morning at work so only ate 2… Okay 5… Okay 6 but that still left 20 to sell so don’t make me feel bad… Okay so then I ate 4 more at the coffee morning but I paid £5 for those so they don’t count.
This is why I tend not to bake cookies… or cakes… or bread… or sticky toffee pudding… or garlic butter, (not that you bake garlic butter) mmm, garlic butter. I recently polished off a whole ramekin of garlic butter with one dough ball to my boyfriends utter disgust.
In any case, when I’m not busy embarrassing my other half in Pizza Express, you’ll find me in the kitchen creating recipes (usually healthy ones) so I love the opportunity to basically spoon a whole jar of peanut butter into something. Soft, chewy and incredible moorish (as we have already established) these cookies are more cakey in texture and sweet without being sickly (explains how I managed to eat ten of them). Enjoy!

Peanut butter cookies
Makes 24-26 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 40 mins plus cooling / V ❄
You’ll need: Stand mixer or hand mixer
180g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
180g smooth peanut butter (you can use crunchy if you prefer)
1 medium egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
260g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt flakes

TIP: This recipe is easily halved and makes 14 cookies. If making half the dough, use a hand whisk instead of a standing mixer and whisk an egg in a separate bowl and add half (roughly 2 tablespoons).

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Beat the softened butter in a bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, using the beater attachment until smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spoon, add 200g of golden caster sugar and beat again until combined and fluffy.
2. Scrape down the sides again before adding 180g of smooth peanut butter (you can use crunchy if you prefer). Beat again until combined. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla essence and the egg. Beat until fully incorporated.
3. Add 260g self raising flour, a generous pinch of salt and mix again slowly at first to prevent flour flying everywhere. As the mixture combines, up the speed until fully incorporated. You should be left with a smooth dough.
4. Cook the cookies in two batches – I tend to bake half and freeze half for another day (see below for freezing instructions).

To freeze: Roll the cookie dough into a sausage and wrap well in clingfilm. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost the dough fully before using.

Using your hands, take a small handful of dough and roll into a ball roughly the size of a quails egg – you should be able to fit 12-14 cookies on the 2 lined baking trays. Place each ball on the baking tray at least 5cm apart to prevent them bleeding into each other.
5. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern before sprinkling over a small amount of sea salt over the cookies. Bake in the oven, on the middle shelf, for 10-12 mins. You want your cookies to brown ever so slightly around the edges but still be quite light in colour (this keeps them soft and chewy). If you prefer a crunchier biscuit, bake them a few minutes longer.
6. Leave to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes before carefully transferring onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving. Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian ❄– The cookie dough is suitable for home freezing. Roll the cookie dough into a sausage and wrap well in clingfilm. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost the dough fully before using.

My avocado on toast

October 2, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 8 Comments

I’m not going to tell you how to make avocado on toast but I am going to tell you my current favourite breakfast combo. I make this most Saturday mornings for me and Jamie, I love it and I think he likes it – he could always make his own breakfast but that has literally never happened.

Rub a piece of toast with a raw garlic clove and top with half a smashed avocado seasoned with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, pumpkin seeds and a good drizzle of Pomora extra virgin olive oil. Top with two rashers of vegetarian bacon – I rarely eat meat substitutes but I do like veggie bacon every now and again. Finish with a fried egg (I like the gorgeous orange yolked Clarence Court eggs) and enjoy your weekend… I know it’s Monday but we can dream.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian

Pad see ew

September 25, 2017March 10, 2023 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Pad see what? Pad say who?… Pad see ew (or pad si-io) is a popular stir fried noodle dish in Thailand made with egg, dark soy sauce and vegetables. I practically lived off this dish after accidentally marooning myself on a remote Thai island. When I say ‘accidentally’ I don’t mean I took a wrong turn and ended up shipwrecked like Tom Hanks. I mean, I accidentally (and very drunkly) booked a month of volunteer work saving turtles on Koh Phra Thong. Not really sure how many turtles I saved but I did eat lots of amazing Thai food and this was my favourite… How has it taken me 3 years to finally make it? I guess the one I order from Deliveroo is pretty good, but I can’t have Deliveroo everyday, I’m not Kanye West.
Click here for one of my other Thai recipes and to read more about my Thai shenanigans.

Pad see ew
Serves 1 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 25 mins / V Df
You’ll need: A wok
100g Thai flat rice noodles (I got mine from an Asian supermarket but you can get them in some supermarkets such as Waitrose)
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs dark soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp sugar
Small carrot, peeled and sliced
75g tender-stem broccoli (small handful)
Handful of chopped greens (kale, spring greens or pak choi)
1 egg

Method
1. Cook the flat rice noodles according to the package instructions before draining and rinsing throughly in cold water. Put to one side.
2. Slice 2 garlic cloves and peel and slice the carrot into thin rounds. Half the tender-stem broccoli and slice the greens.
3. Put your wok on a medium to high heat and add 1 tsp of sesame oil. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute before adding the noodles and the vegetables. Give it a good quick stir and pour over 1 tbs of light soy sauce, 1 tbs of dark soy sauce and sprinkle with half a teaspoon of sugar.
4. Keep the contents of the wok moving and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Don’t worry if the mixture sticks to the wok a bit, you want a sticky, slightly charred flavour. Continue to stir vigorously and chip away at any sticky bits – if however it’s sticking too much, add a dash of water to help it loosen.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked, move them to one side of the pan and crack the egg into the other, leave for a few seconds to set slightly and then mix into the rest of the noodles until evenly distributed and cooked.
6. Turn out onto a bowl and devour immediately.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Df– Dairy free

Mushroom steak with chips & béarnaise

September 18, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

If you’re vegetarian then chances are, you’ve never had béarnaise sauce. Despite béarnaise sauce actually being vegetarian, it almost never comes with anything vegetarian, always steak. I’ve attempted to try it before but more often than not, I’m pipped to the post when whoever I’m with, has already stuck a big forkful of steak into it, leaving the béarnaise swimming with meat juices. No thanks.
However, last week I finally got my chance. Jamie ordered a steak and invited me to dunk a chip into his béarnaise before it went all steaky. It. Was. Amazing! A bit like hollandaise, it was rich and buttery but had a slight tarragon flavour which I have to admit, isn’t my favourite herb but was pleasantly surprised. Delicious! But how do I make this magical sauce? Turns out, with great difficulty. My problem is, I’m too lazy to spend an hour making just a sauce, so attempted to make my own quicker version. 12 eggs and 450g of butter later, I finally got it right so here it is! Jamie loved it too, which for quite a hardened carnivore, is really saying something!

Mushroom steak with chips & béarnaise
Serves 2 / Hands on time 50 mins / Total time 1 hour 10 mins / V
You’ll need: A blender
Rapeseed spray oil (see tip below)
2 large baking potatoes, cut into chips
4 portobello mushrooms, de-stalked
150ml vegetable stock, I like to use half a Knorr stock pot
1 tsp Marmite
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mirin
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
For the Béarnaise sauce
Small handful tarragon leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 shallot, peeled and diced
4 egg yolks
150g butter
Pinch turmeric
Leaves to serve (optional)

TIP: Buy an empty spray bottle and fill it with your favourite cooking oil – I use rapeseed oil. This distributes the oil evenly over food and is a great way of cutting calories when roasting or frying as you don’t need to use as much.

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Slice the baking potatoes into thick chip shapes (I leave the skins on but you can peel them if you like). Lie them flat on a baking tray and spray well with oil. Give them a toss, spray them again and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
2. After 20 minutes give the chips a bit of a shake, another spritz of oil and bake for a further 25 minutes. This is a good time to start the mushrooms.
3. De-stalk the mushrooms and put to one side. In a jug, combine the vegetable stock, garlic, Marmite, mirin, balsamic vinegar and the fresh thyme leaves. Mix with a fork and pour into a large saucepan with a lid. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat down to a simmer. Carefully immerse the mushrooms into the broth (don’t worry if it’s a bit snug, they’ll soften). Put the lid on and turn your attention to the béarnaise.
4. Blitz the eggs yolks, shallot and white wine vinegar in a blender until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper, a pinch of turmeric and a handful of tarragon leaves. Blitz again and put to one side.
5. In a small saucepan on a medium to low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, take off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Turn the blender on for a third time and slowly pour the butter into the sauce remembering to leave any white solids of butter in the pan.
6. Uncover the mushrooms and flip them over carefully, cover again with the lid and turn the heat right down. Continue to cook for a further 5 minutes. Pour the béarnaise sauce into a small clean saucepan and gently heat through stirring all the time (don’t let the sauce get too hot, you only want to warm it through.
7. Once the chips are cooked, uncover the mushrooms and lift out onto plates. Add a handful of chips and pour the béarnaise into small jugs or ramekins. Serve with salad leaves.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian