Shepherd’s pie with turmeric mash

October 26, 2015January 25, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

It always annoys me when people call a vegetarian shepherd’s pie a ‘shepherdless’ pie. It’s not like the meat equivalent has real shepherd’s in it. It’s stupid. Anyway, admittedly I haven’t made this pie for a while, but the weather’s being a wet bum-hole and I’m cold, so let’s mash and eat some potatoes.
This pie is easy to make but a bit more time consuming than I remember, so avoid making it after a stressful day at the office, like I did. Best to make it on a Sunday and eat the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week.
Oh and if you fancy watching a video of a cute owl getting stroked then click here. No reason, it’s just a bit lovely isn’t it. Enjoy!… I wish I had a pet owl.

Shepherd’s pie with turmeric mash
Serves 6 / Hands on time 1 hr / Total time 1 hr 20 mins / V ❄
You’ll need: A medium oven-proof dish around 22cm x 28cm
Filling
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
500g Quorn mince,
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
¼ chilli flakes
200ml vegetarian red wine
500ml vegetable stock, I use Knorr
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 handfuls of red lentils
1 tsp Marmite (optional)
Mash
800g white potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 tbs of semi-skimmed milk
knob of butter
Steamed vegetables and vegetarian gravy to serve

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6.
2. Sweat the onions in the rapeseed oil for 5 mins until they start to soften (add a dash of water to help them steam). Add the garlic, chilli, carrots and the Quorn (refrigerated or frozen). Cook for a further 5 mins before adding the wine, stock, kidney beans, lentils and Marmite (optional). Bring to the boil and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook for 45 mins, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes and boil them in salted water in a large saucepan for around 25 mins. Once soft, drain the potatoes and return to the pan but off the heat. Add a generous knob of butter, milk and start mashing with a masher. Once roughly mashed, add the turmeric along with generous pinch of salt and pepper and continue to mash. Add more butter and milk as required until you have a creamy yet firm mash. Put to one side.
4. Spoon the pie filling into a casserole dish and top generously with the mashed potato. Run a fork over the top of the mash to rough it up a bit and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven for 20 mins. Remove from the oven and put the grill on a medium to high heat. Remove the foil and grill the top of the pie for about 5 minutes to give the top a nice brown crunchy top (optional).
6. Serve with steamed seasonal vegetables and gravy.

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 once cooled. Consume within 3 months

Stuffed goats cheese figs with honey & lemon salad

October 17, 2015January 25, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Ordinarily I’m not a fan of fruit in savoury dishes – a raisin has no business being in a salad. However, I’m going to let the humble fig off this time, provided it’s teamed with goats cheese. Also, let’s be honest about figs, we all know they resemble a lady’s ‘rude area’. But they’re delicious, so stop laughing and stuff them with goats cheese.
Speaking of a lady’s ‘rude area’, my gorgeous best friend Rosie has just pushed a baby out of hers. Hooray! I’ve been crowned (yes crowned) godmother – which surely deserves a bit of a lactose induced tummy ache. I wonder if my crown is in the post yet? Must be… Welcome to the world baby Logan, have some goats cheese – babies love goats cheese.

Stuffed goats cheese figs with honey & lemon salad
Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 25 mins / V Gf
8 figs
120g soft vegetarian goats cheese
8 fresh rosemary sprigs
Extra virgin olive oil
Salad
2 handfuls of salad leaves
¼ cucumber, skinned and peeled
¼ lemon, zested
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Handful of toasted pine nuts
Dressing
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp runny honey
Lemon wedges to serve (optional)

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. Slice the figs from the top to about halfway down in a cross – be careful not to cut too far down or you’ll cut your fig in half. Pinch the bottom of each fig gently to open the fig slightly.
2. Place the figs on a baking tray and roughly divide your goats cheese into eighths and stuff each fig with cheese using your fingers. Stuff a rosemary sprig into each, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20 mins.
3. Meanwhile, mix the leaves, cucumber, red onion and lemon zest in a bowl. Season with a bit of salt and put to one side. To make the dressing, simply mix the ingredients together until well combined.
4. In a small frying pan, toast the pine nuts on a medium to high heat until golden brown – keep them moving or they’ll burn. Add to the salad along with the dressing.
5. Remove the figs from the oven, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and honey and serve with the salad and a lemon wedge.

Logan, me and Rosie... And yes, Logan and I are wearing matching outfits — Logan, me and Rosie… And yes, Logan and I are wearing matching outfits

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 Gf– Gluten free

Spiced pumpkin muffins

October 13, 2015January 25, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Fancy doing something sweet with a pumpkin that isn’t pumpkin pie? Pumpkin pie is a horrible, wet disappointment – much like Bestival. Call yourself a dessert? You should be ashamed of yourself!
Anyway, if you decide you can be bothered to wrestle a pumpkin, then why not grate it and put it in some muffins? That’s what I did.

Spiced pumpkin muffins
Makes 10 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 40 mins / V
3 large eggs
175ml rapeseed oil
175g light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g pumpkin or butternut squash, grated
100g crushed pecans for
80g sultanas
175g self-raising flour
2 tsp cinnamon + extra for dusting
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking powder
Topping
200g cream cheese
125g icing sugar

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. Beat the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract for 5 mins in a large bowl. Add the grated pumpkin, crushed pecans, sultanas and give it a good mix. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger and the baking powder straight into the mixture and fold until combined. Spoon into muffin cases and bake for 20 mins.
2. Cool the muffins on a rack before attempting to frost. Make the frosting by mixing the cream cheese and icing sugar together. ice the muffins and decorate with pecans and a dusting of cinnamon.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

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

Lentil & pumpkin soup

October 13, 2015January 25, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Pumpkin & Lentil Soup

Let’s all buy pumpkins and spend hours angrily peeling, deseeding and chopping them. YAY!… Okay, so pumpkins are a pain in the arse, but we all know we’re gonna end up putting one in our basket – until we realise it’s too heavy so try and get a trolley but can’t, because you don’t have a pound, so instead throw it on the floor, and walk out the shop.

If you did however manage to purchase a pumpkin, then why not make a delicious soup with it? Don’t mind if I do.

Lentil & pumpkin soup
Serves 4 / Takes 20 mins / Total time 40 mins / V Gf*
You’ll need: A hand blender or food processor
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes
3 garlic cloves, crushed
800g pumpkin, de-seeded, peeled and chopped
Small handful fresh thyme leaves
500ml gluten-free vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr
1 can of low-fat coconut milk
3 handfuls red lentils
Garnish
2 handfuls pumpkin seeds
4 tbsp of Greek yogurt

Method
1. Add a tsp of oil to a large heavy bottomed pot and sweat the chopped onion on a medium heat until soft. Add the chilli, garlic, pumpkin, 2tbsp of water and the thyme leaves.
2. Continue to cook for a further 5 mins before adding the stock, coconut milk and lentils. Season well with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 20 mins.
3. Meanwhile, heat a small non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat and toast the pumpkin seeds for a couple of minutes.
4. Take the soup off the heat and blend with a hand blender or food processor. Serve topped with the toasted pumpkin seeds and a dollop of yoghurt.

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.
*Gf – I use Knorr vegetable stock pots because they are gluten free but other stock pots/cubes may not be.

Roasted aubergine & tomato linguine with mozzarella

October 4, 2015January 28, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 5 Comments

Why does linguine taste so much better than spaghetti? Surely it’s just flat spaghetti right? Anyway, after feeling a bit sniffly last week, I was craving something comforting but healthy – so I came up with this recipe. It was actually a bit rubbish at first and wasn’t going to plan – it looked dry and disappointing. So, I bullied my rather ill boyfriend to run to the shops and get me an emergency can of tomatoes. He did and whilst he was out I found 2 cans in the cupboard… Oops. Anyway, a splash of wine and can of tinned tomatoes later, I emerged from the kitchen victorious. Don’t worry, I gave Jamie an extra big portion for his trouble but still felt bad, so I made it for him again at the weekend. He really loves this pasta so I hope you do too. Bon appetite!

Roasted aubergine & tomato linguine with mozzarella
Serves 4 / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 1 hour / V
1 aubergine, cut into strips
Cherry tomatoes (18 approx)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
¼ tsp chilli flakes
1 tbs rapeseed or olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tbs tomato purée
2 tbs vegetarian red wine
240g linguine
2 handfuls of black olives in brine, roughly chopped
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn
2 balls vegetarian mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil to serve

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6.
2. Cut the aubergine into strips and place in a large baking tray. Slice half the cherry tomatoes in half and simply spear the rest with your knife. Add the cherry tomatoes to the aubergines along with the peeled and bashed garlic cloves. Mix in a tbs of olive oil, sprinkle with the chilli flakes and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Bake in the oven for 20 mis before taking out and giving it a shake. Return to the oven for a further 20 mins.
4. Remove again but this time add the can of tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and the red wine. Mix together and return to the oven for the last 10 mins.
5. Meanwhile, put the linguine in boiling salted watered cook according to packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, roughly chop the olives, the basil and tear the mozzarella into chunks.
6. Drain the pasta, toss it straight into the baking tray of sauce. Mix it well before adding the olives, basil and mozzarella. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and good crack of salt and pepper.

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

Summer salsa bites

October 1, 2015January 26, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Okay so not very Portuguese but I made these on holiday in Portugal – as you may have guessed, I don’t have a pool in my Camden flat… Or any sun for that matter. Anyway, I seem to only ever make this salsa in Portugal, partly because my best friends Philippa insists on it, and partly because it’s lovely and refreshing. So between drinking buckets of cheap local wine and pushing each other in the pool, not only did I remember the recipe for these little blighters but I managed to make them too…. Twice in fact – Philippa can be very demanding. Now, I know it’s not the weather for summer salsa but guess what, it wasn’t all that sunny in Portugal and we still ate it, so you can too. It’s really easy but a bit time consuming. You need to let the salsa cook down and then you need to chill it. Best to make it on a lazy Sunday when you have time, it’s worth the effort though – even if you do gobble them all up in under 5 minutes like we did.

Summer salsa bites
Makes 400ml / Hands on time 10-15 mins / Total time 1 hr 30 mins + chilling / V
12 tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
½ red chilli, de-seeded and diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sea salt flakes
Black pepper
Melba toast to serve (optional)
Vegetarian feta to garnish (optional)

Method
1. De-seed the tomatoes and finely chop along with the peppers and the red chilli. Add to a medium sized saucepan along with the garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of pepper.
2. Give it a good mix, cover and cook on a low heat for 1hr. Once cooked, pour through a colander to drain off any excess liquid and leave to cool.
3. Once at room temperature, refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve cold on Melba toast and topped with crumbled feta. Keep refrigerated and use within 5 days.

My best mate Philippa stuffing one in her mouth

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

Cashew rainbow slaw

September 19, 2015January 26, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 2 Comments

Hey guess what? I went on holiday to a magical land called Bath. I climbed some trees, ate some fudge, saw a life sized sculpture of a minotaur (horrible), met a herd of unfriendly sheep, went to Jane Austin’s house, snuck into some old churches and dressed like a Victorian milk maid. So, pretty standard holiday but I’m sorry if you feel neglected my dears. I’m back now so you can dry those weeping eyes – sorry for my use of the word ‘weeping’, it was unnecessary. Please click here for your apology present that has nothing whatsoever to do with anything.

Anyway, let’s move swiftly on to the all mighty SLAW! Over the past few months, I’ve indulged in my fair share of coleslaw, but now barbecue season is over and I’ve been left a little traumatised. Coleslaw is certainly something I enjoy eating but not watching other people eat. Perhaps I’ve just seen one too many grannies with coleslaw gathered in the corners of their crinkly old mouths, but I crave something a little fresher and less mayonnaise-y. So, lucky for us, I came up with this recipe. It’s a nod to the humble coleslaw but the toasted cashews and ginger give it a warmer and slightly more Autumnal feel than the wet sloppy white stuff. Enjoy!

Cashew rainbow slaw
Serves 4 as a side / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins / V Vn Gf Df
You’ll need: A large non-stick frying pan
200g toasted cashew nuts
½ small red cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Knob ginger, grated
1 tbs cider vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs runny honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 lime, juiced
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp sea salt flakes

Method
1. Start by putting a large non-stick saucepan over a medium to high heat. Once hot, toast the cashews for a few minutes keeping them moving in the pan until they’re golden. Put to one side.
2. Thinly slice the cabbage , dice the pepper, grate the carrot and chop the coriander. Add them to a large bowl along with the cooled cashews. Stir until combined well.
3. To make the dressing add the grated ginger and the crushed garlic to a small bowl. Mix in the sesame oil, cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, lime juice, chilli flakes and salt.
4. Pour the dressing over the slaw, mix well and serve.

Minotaur (in case you don't know what one looks like... horrible!) — Minotaur (in case you don’t know what one looks like… horrible!)

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 Gf – Gluten free. Df – Dairy free.

Smoky tomato & chickpea soup

August 31, 2015January 26, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I couldn’t be bothered to leave the house yesterday, so decided to invent a soup out of the bits I already had in the fridge. This is what happened…

“Oh, I only have half an onion… Why do I have so many cans of butter beans? I don’t even like butter beans!… Oh wait, I have chick peas, yes! I swear I had some cumin?! No? REALLY?! Shit!… Oh wait, smoked paprika, that could be interesting… Maybe with some sweet potato?… No wait, they’re Isabelle’s… Half a bag of spinach could work though with some tinned tomatoes maybe? Yes, a smoky tomato chickpea broth… Hope I have some cheese… YES! Right, sorted, lets do it…

Smoky tomato & chickpea soup
Serves 2 / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 35 mins / V Vn Gf* Df
1 tsp rapeseed oil
½ an onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbs tomato purée
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
½ tsp smoked paprika
500ml vegetable stock*, I use Knorr
100g spinach
Handful grated vegetarian cheese to serve (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil to serve

Method
1. In a medium sized saucepan, sweat the onions and garlic together in the oil over a medium heat. Put the lid on and allow to sweat for 10 mins.
2. Add the tomato puree, smoked paprika and cook for a further 2 mins before adding the tinned tomatoes and seasoning well with salt and pepper. Give it at good stir, add the stock and bring to the boil before reducing down and simmering for 15 mins
3. Add the drained chickpeas with the spinach and cook for a further 5 mins.
4. Serve topped with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling of cheese (optional).

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– Vegans forgo the cheese Df– Make dairy free by leaving out the cheese
Gf– I use Knorr vegetable stock pots because they are gluten free but other stock pots/cubes may not be. Always check the label.
❄ Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Big brunch bruschetta

August 30, 2015January 26, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

When I was sixteen, I was sacked from McDonald’s. It was a rather unceremonious sacking, but remarkably, landed me my next job making coffee in a local coffee shop. I say ‘coffee shop’ but it was more of an American Diner serving real American milkshakes and Reese’s Pieces cheesecakes. It was the most exciting thing to have happened to Letchworth Garden City, like ever. Admittedly that wasn’t hard – Letchworth was, and still is where people go to die. Anyway, that’s why Caffeine was such a breath of fresh air in that stale, powdery old town. The council got rid of Caffeine eventually of course (bastards) but I still miss it, even after all these years.

Anyway, we used to make this gorgeous bruschetta which, to be fair, wasn’t anything like any Italian bruschetta I’d ever had. It’s the US version, so naturally it’s three times the size and covered in cheese, but it’s SO GOOD! This wasn’t just my favourite, it was my dad’s too. He used to come in and order it alongside a small cappuccino that he would nurse for at least 2 hours. Good times… Feel a bit sad now. Enjoy!

Big brunch bruschetta
Serves 2 / hands on time 20 mins / total time 30 min / V
250g mixed ripe tomatoes
1 garlic clove, peeled
Handful of fresh basil
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 ball vegetarian mozzarella
2 thick slices of bread (I recommend, sourdough)
1-2 tbs balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7.
2. Start by halving the tomatoes and scooping out the seeds (if using cherry tomatoes there is no need to scoop out the seeds). Slice into strips (again, not if you’re using cherry tomatoes) and put in a bowl along with a good crack of pepper and salt. Add a handful of chopped basil along with 1-2 tbs of balsamic vinegar (if using good quality balsamic vinegar, use just 1 tbs as it is stronger than regular supermarket balsamic). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and put to one side.
3. Lightly toast the bread in a toaster before rubbing the surface of each slice with a raw, peeled garlic clove. Top with sliced avocado and thinly sliced mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper, place on a baking tray before cooking in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Once the cheese has melted, finish the slices under the grill to allow the cheese to go nice and brown (optional). Slide onto plates and top with the balsamic tomatoes. Serve with an extra dash of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of 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.

V– Vegetarian

Homemade Hobnobs

August 26, 2015January 27, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Shall we have some more treats? Yes, I think we should. I only have a wedding in two weeks that I need to lose at least four stone for but that should be fine. Worst comes to the worst, I can always chop my leg off, a leg surely must weigh about 4 stone. Maybe I shouldn’t have made biscuits after all but it’s too late for that – I’ve already eaten five.
I actually learnt to make these oaty biscuits at school but haven’t made them for about ten years, I stumbled across the recipe the other day. I managed to make them out of ingredients I found in the back of my cupboard. This has literally never happened to me before and probably never will again, I never have everything I need to make anything in this life.
Anyway, I love these biscuits because they’re short and buttery but not too sweet. If you have a sweet tooth though, feel free to dip them in melted chocolate for a more indulgent biscuit… Kind of wish I’d done that now. Enjoy!

Homemade Hobnobs (oat biscuits)
Makes 12-14 biscuits / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 30 mins / V ❄
You’ll need: Baking paper, rolling pin, biscuit cutter or anything else use can use (I use a mug)
100g softened unsalted butter
100g demerara sugar
50g plain flour
160g rolled oats
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 egg yolks
Pinch of sea salt flakes

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ 350°F/gas mark 4. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and put to one side.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg yolks. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Turn the mixture out onto a large piece of baking paper. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out the mixture to around half a centimetre. Cut the biscuits out with your chosen cutter and place on a lined baking tray. Once you’ve cut out all the biscuits, gather up the mixture and roll out again and cut out more biscuits. Sprinkle each biscuit with a pinch of Demerara sugar and bake in the oven for 10-12 mins.
4. Cool for 5 mins on the trays before transferring the biscuits to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

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 biscuits are suitable for home freezing. Wrap individually in clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before consuming.