Aubergine & chickpea stew

December 8, 2017November 2, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 7 Comments

Why does everyone need to see me before Christmas? It’s not like I’m going to spontaneously combust in the New Year. It’s only a few days into December and already I’m in such a constant state of hangovery I could cry – and then I did…
“… it’s because you weren’t paying attention and now look what you’ve done!” The customer behind me pointed to the box of eggs that had fallen off the conveyor belt and smashed all over the floor.
“Why should I pay attention? It’s not a test!” I said as I attempted to scrape up raw egg with my bare hands into a 5p plastic bag… “and besides, they’re not even YOUR eggs, they’re MINE, so why do you care?”
“I care because now someone has to come and clean up YOUR mess, simply because you weren’t paying attention,” he spat angrily down at me.
“SO??!!! It’s not like I’m running around Waitrose throwing eggs about the place you grumpy old sod.”
“Would you like me to get you another box of eggs madam?” asked the rather bored looking cashier.
“No, no, it’s fine,” I say angrily brushing my hair back from my face, forgetting my hand was coated in raw egg. “I’m worried if you do, this man might murder me… ” The man didn’t murder me, but he looked like he was about to – especially when I wished him a Merry Christmas on my departure.
Feeling smug, I got into my car and rang Jamie, ready to have a good old rant but, as soon as he answered the phone, something peculiar happened. I started squeaking and sobbing down the phone, about the mean egg man in Waitrose.

Anyway, enough about eggs – I broke mine, so this aubergine and chickpea stew is eggless. With warm cinnamon and spicy undertones, this stew is definitely one to curl up on the sofa with on a cold winter’s eve.

EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER
Psst… Christmas just came early. Want a variety of delicious extra virgin olive oils delivered direct to your door all year round? Well now’s your chance. For a limited time only, I’m offering you an exclusive 25% off your first quarter when you adopt an olive tree with Pomora. Just enter the discount code CRFXMAS25 at the check out and you’ll receive a quarterly shipment of 3x250ml tins of oil from your tree, alternating between plain and flavoured oils from one of our award winning growers, so what are you waiting for? Treat yourself or someone you love this Christmas with Pomora.

Aubergine & chickpea stew
Serves 4 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 1 hr / V Vn Gf Df ❄
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 white onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato puree
2 aubergines, cut into large chunks
6 medium sized tomatoes, cut into eighths or 1 tin of good quality chopped tomatoes
1 can tinned chickpeas, drained
500ml vegetable stock, I use Knorr stock pots
3 bay leaves
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried parsley
100ml *vegan red wine
To serve
Handful of fresh mint leaves
Greek or dairy free yogurt (optional)
Drizzle of Pomora extra virgin olive oil
Serve with crusty bread or couscous

Method

Finely chop the onion and the garlic and add them to a large cooking pot with a teaspoon of oil. Over a medium heat, sweat the onions, garlic and salt for around 5 mins or until softened (if the onions are getting a little too much colour, add a dash of water to the pot to help them to steam).
Add the cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika and cinnamon before giving it a good stir. Add a little water to the mix if it’s looking a little dry and cook for 2 mins.
Add the tomato puree and the wine and cook until most of the wine has absorbed before adding the tomatoes, stock, aubergine, chickpeas, bay leaves and dried parsley. Give it a good mix and season to taste. Bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer, pop the lid on a jar and cook for 15 mins stirring occasionally. After 15 mins, remove thew lid and continue to cook for a further 15 mins. Meanwhile, use this time to prepare your chosen accompaniment – I like to serve it with couscous or with a loaf of crusty bread on warmer days and mashed potato on colder ones.
Take the stew off the heat and carefully pick out the bay leaves. Divide into bowls along your chosen accompaniment, a generously sprinkle of fresh mint and a dollop of yogurt (optional). Drizzle with extra virgin love oil 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 Vn– Vegan Gf– Gluten free Df– Dairy free ❄– Cool fully before 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.

Goats cheese & onion sausage rolls

November 27, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I’ve actually never made sausage rolls before, they always seemed like so much effort, which I guess they are. I mean, you have to buy some puff pasty and wrap sausages in it… Okay so not hard at all. That being said, I wanted to jazz up my sausage rolls – not by actually making my own veggie sausages of course (ain’t nobody got time for that) but I thought I could just throw some caramelised onions and goats cheese at the problem? Hey, don’t be like that, have you ever tried making your own veggie sausages? Of course you haven’t… Oh you have? Well you’re weird and clearly have too much time on your hands.
Anyway, for those of you who have lives, just buy a pack of your favourite veggie sausages and enjoy them rolled up with sweet sticky onions, soft creamy goats cheese and buttery puff pastry. Scrummy.

Goats cheese & caramelised onion mini sausage rolls
Makes 18 / Hands on time 40 mins / Total time 1 hr / V
You’ll need: One large or two baking trays and a couple of sheets of baking paper
6 Cauldron Cumberland vegetarian sausages
320g puff pastry, I use Jus-Rol
125g vegetarian soft goats cheese
1 egg, beaten
For the caramelised onions
Knob of unsalted butter
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard to serve (optional)

TIP: If you can’t be bothered to make your own caramelised onions, shop bought onion chutney will work just as well and shave off 25 minutes of the prep time.

Method
1. Start by making the caramelised onions. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and melt a generous knob of butter. Add the sliced onions and cook for 10-15 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Once soft, add the sugar and the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes. Take off the heat and put the onions to one side.
2. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°fan/400F/gas mark 6. Roll out your puff pastry into a large rectangle shape (long enough to fit three sausages top to toe (see pic below). Place three sausages on the left side and the other three on the right, leaving plenty of room around them for filling. Using a sharp knife cut down the centre of the pastry and then brush the inside edge of each strip with beaten egg.
3. Spoon an even amount of caramelised onions (or shop bought onion chutney) on the inside edge of the sausages, followed by an even-ish layer of goats cheese (don’t worry about being too perfect, messy sausage rolls taste excellent).
4. So here’s the slightly tricky part. Take the inside edge (the inside you brushed with egg) fold it over the filling and the sausages and secure it to the pastry on the other side by squashing it down with your fingers. It will leave quite a messy seem, so roll your giant sausage roll over so that the seem is now on the bottom. Repeat with the other half, leaving you with two giant sausage rolls.
5. Score each giant sausage roll with a sharp knife creating a mini baguette effect and then divide each sausage roll into 9 (this is easier than it looks, you know there are three sausages in each roll, so before diving them up, feel for each sausage with your fingers and then focus on cutting each sausage into three). Don’t worry if they look a little squished and man-handled, they’re going to puff up beautifully in the oven. Also, if some of your filling spills out, just push it back in as best you can, doesn’t matter if they leak a little. Repeat this process with the other giant sausage roll until you have 18 mini rolls. (If you’re feeling frisky, why not try baking the two giant sausage rolls intact? I haven’t done it but it sounds like a pretty great idea if you ask me… Just a thought).
6. Anyway, brush each mini sausage roll with more beaten egg and transfer them to a couple of lined baking trays. Pop them in the oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, leave them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking trays before transferring them to a cooling rack. Leave to cool or eat warm with a dap of Dijon mustard.

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

Eggy crumpets

November 20, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

I never let myself buy crumpets because I have no control. If I know they’re in the house (and I always do, because I do the food shopping) I’ll smell them out and eat them all. Toasted and obscenely buttered, I like my crumpets slathered in Marmite, slathered in raspberry jam, slathered in hummus, slathered in melted cheese (although you can’t really slather cheese but basically, there’s a lot of slathering going on) and before I know it, they’re all gone.
This is what happened last week. Like a moth to a flame, I allowed the crumpets to get inside my head and into my shopping basket. ‘But they were only 70p!’ I kept reciting to myself and, ‘They’re not just crumpets, they’re sourdough crumpets.’
Anyway, long story short, I scoffed the lot (standard) but this time I was left wanting. I hadn’t had enough, the craving wasn’t going away, was I destined to turn into a mad crumpet guzzler? Was one crumpet ever going to be enough ever again? So I went and bought more (well they were only 70p) and I decided to break the cycle and create something different with them… just after I ate a couple more with cheese and Marmite and a couple with jam and butter.
So ladies and gentleman, it’s my pleasure to introduce to you the long awaited eggy crumpet (the crowd goes wild). Submerged in egg, fried with butter and topped with fresh avocado, the eggy crumpet is a serious breakfast contender… Although butter and jam is still pretty great.

EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER
Psst… Christmas just came early. Want a variety of delicious extra virgin olive oils delivered direct to your door all year round? Well now’s your chance! For a limited time only, I’m offering you an exclusive 25% off your first quarter when you adopt an olive tree with Pomora. Just enter the discount code CRFXMAS25 at the check out and you’ll receive a quarterly shipment of 3x250ml tins of oil from your tree, alternating between plain and flavoured oils from one of our award winning growers, so what are you waiting for? Treat yourself or someone you love this Christmas with Pomora.

Eggy crumpets
Serves 2 or a greedy 1 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V
2 crumpets
2 eggs, beaten
½ a chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
Knob of unsalted butter
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
30g vegetarian cheddar, grated (optional)

Method
1. Start by finely chopping and deseeding the chilli. In a large shallow bowl, whisk the 2 eggs with a fork until combined. Season well with salt and pepper and then add the freshly chopped chilli and grated cheese (if using).
2. Insert your crumpets into the eggy mixture and push down to allow the crumpet to absorb as much of the egg as possible. Turn over with a fork and push down again until the crumpets are fully coated.
3. On a medium to high heat, melt a generous knob of butter in a large frying pan until the butter starts to turn a golden colour. Tip your crumpets into the pan and pour over the remaining egg mixture. Push down on the crumpets with the back of a spatular and cook for about a minute or until the egg starts to set around the crumpets. Move the crumpets around the pan with the spatular to coat them in the remaining butter before flipping over. Give them another squash with the spatular and fry for a further couple of minutes on the other side.
4. Meanwhile roughly chop your coriander and peel and slice your avocado. Take the crumpets off the heat and slide onto plates. Serve each crumpet topped with sliced avocado, a sprinkle of fresh coriander and a good crack of salt and pepper. Delicious.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Breakfast burrito

September 12, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 5 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I really can’t afford to waste food, especially after giving all my money to my new letting agent. £950 in non-refundable holding deposit and admin fees, not to mention 2 months rent upfront, greedy bastards… Admittedly, that was over a month ago now but I’m still living off beans. In fact, I’ve eaten so many beans this past month, I’m one bean away from hysterically hurling cans of beans out my lovely new kitchen window shouting ‘FLY MY PRETTIES, FLY!’
But then I found a can of black eyed beans in the cupboard and with about 30p in my purse what’s a girl to do? So I defrosted some wraps and made these rather jazzy breakfast burritos, olé! I actually love this recipe because not only did it feed me and Jamie for breakfast but it makes enough beany filling for two lunch wraps, beans for everyone! Simply replace the scrambled eggs for a few slices of baked sweet potato and add a bit of salad. Waste not want not.

TIP 1: I always pop a big sweet potato in my shopping basket. Pre-baked they make a cheap yet brilliant last minute addition to salads and wraps. (Preheat an oven to 220°C /180°C fan/gas mark 6. Carefully score a sweet potato with a sharp knife along the skin and insert into the centre. Withdraw carefully and cover in foil. Pop in the oven for 40-50 minutes (depending on the size of the potato, bigger potatoes will need longer). Once soft, leave to cool before putting in the fridge. Slice off bits as required and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
TIP 2: Tortilla’s freeze really well wrapped in cling film for up to 3 months.
TIP 3: This recipe makes quite a lot of bean mixture, perfect for making lunch wraps. Simply replace the scrambled egg with slices of baked sweet potato and salad.

Breakfast burrito
Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 minutes / Total time 20 mins / V🌶
1 tsp olive oil
2 tortilla wraps
½ red onion, sliced
Small red pepper, sliced
1 can black eyed beans or black beans, rinsed and drained
½ can of sweetcorn, drained
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chipotle paste (use less if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 eggs
Garnish
28g vegetarian cheddar, grated
2 spring onions, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
½ a lime cut into 4 wedges
Low fat greek yogurt (optional)

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Wrap up two tortilla’s in foil and put to one side.
2. In a large saucepan or cooking pot, add the sliced onion and the red peppers to a tsp of oil. Cook on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes or until softened (add a dash of water to help them steam if they’re starting to look a little brown).
3. Add 2 teaspoons of chipotle paste and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika to the mix and give it a good stir. Add the drained black eyed beans and half a can of sweet corn and mix well. Season well with salt and pepper, add another dash or water and turn down the heat to medium low and cover with a lid.
4. Chop the spring onions and slice the tomato, avocado and quarter half a lime. Grate the cheese and put it all to one side.
5. Put a medium sized saucepan on a high heat with a knob of butter. Once the butter has melted and starts to fizz, add two eggs. Mix quickly with a spoon to scramble and season with with salt and pepper (this is how I make scrambled eggs, with no milk and on a high heat, it’s very quick and they still resemble eggs afterward, not mush).
6. Pop your tortillas in the oven for about a minute to warm them up. Uncover the bean picture and take off the heat. Put your warm tortilla on a plate and cover with a spoonful of the bean mixture, scrambled egg and top with your chosen garnish. Finally season with salt and pepper, wrap up and enjoy.

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 🌶– Spicy