Open spinach & mushroom lasagne

August 28, 2017February 13, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Seriously, why have I never thought about making this before? It’s elegant and sophisticated but only takes 20 minutes. Perfect for a date night meal in for two… Although mine ended up being a date night meal in for one — Jamie was out with his friend watching the Arsenal game yesterday. His loss… and Arsenal’s – four nil to Liverpool apparently.
Anyway, I’ll be making it again for Jamie soon because it was pretty special and there was something a little sad about me eating it on my own. It’s the sort of dish you want the person you’ve made it for, to roll their eyes into the back of their head and start groaning incomprehensible sex noises at you… So maybe don’t make it for your mum. Just kidding, it’s not THAT good but the thing that makes this dish, isn’t the garlicky mushrooms or the perfect paring of spinach and ricotta, it’s the truffle oil and capers. Truffle oil can be quite a rich, overpowering flavour but team it with fresh, zingy capers and it balances out nicely. Now you’ll have to excuse me, I have a very hungover boyfriend who needs my attention and an urgent fondant fancy.

Open spinach & mushroom lasagne
Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins / V
3 sheets of fresh pasta, cut in half to make 6 squares
250g chestnut mushrooms, de-stalked and roughly sliced
260g spinach leaves
3 tsp Pomora extra virgin truffle oil
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs (the bigger the better, as you’ll need to fish them out of the mixture later)
150g vegetarian ricotta*
vegetarian Italian hard cheese or Parmesan* shavings to serve
2 tsp capers

TIP: Wrap up any fresh pasta sheets you don’t use and freeze. Use within 3 months and defrost thoroughly before use.

Method
1. Take the fresh lasagne sheets and cut them in half creating 6 squares. Place in a saucepan and put to one side and pre-boil a kettle ready for later.
2. De-stalk and roughly chop the mushrooms and put to one side. In a large saucepan or cooking pot add a tsp of Pomora truffle oil, the crushed garlic and the fresh thyme. Cook on a medium to high heat for one minute before adding the mushrooms (if it gets a bit hot, add a dash of water to prevent from burning). Sweat for 5 more minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium.
3. Once the mushrooms start to soften, add the spinach in handfuls of two. Mix in and allow to wilt before adding more handfuls. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Meanwhile, use this time to shave your Italian hard cheese. Once all the spinach has wilted, season again with salt and pepper and give it a good mix. Take off the heat and put the lid on to keep warm.
4. Boil the lasagne sheets in a saucepan for 3-4 minutes and then drain. Drizzle with a little bit of truffle oil and mix carefully with a spoon to prevent the sheets sticking together.
5. Assemble your lasagne by placing one sheet of pasta on each plate and top with a teaspoon of ricotta. Uncover the mushroom mixture and discard the thyme stalks (you my notice a bit of liquid at the bottom of the pot, to prevent the lasagne becoming too wet, use a slotted spoon). Top each lasagne sheet with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture. Add another layer of pasta, a teaspoon of ricotta and yet another spoon of the mushroom mixture. Top with the final pasta layer, a good dollop of ricotta and the last bit of the mushroom mixture.
6. Finally top with a teaspoon of capers, cheese shavings, a good drizzle of truffle oil and a 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.

*Ricotta is traditionally made with animal rennet but you can get vegetarian varieties. UK supermarket home brands tend to be, click here.
* Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable.

Fragrant coconut soup

July 26, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 5 Comments

Something very strange and mystifying has happened, I’ve joined a gym. No longer happy with my soft fleshy physique, I’ve decided to take action. Over the past year, I’ve actually managed to lose a stone through healthy eating, stress and gastroenteritis (good old gastroenteritis) so I’m pretty happy. However, with weight-loss does not come toning my friends, so my body is literally a load of flesh wrapped around some bones, not a muscle in sight.
The final straw came when I recently attempted to do a press up, just the one. I lowered myself down pretty successfully but when it came to coming back up, it simply didn’t happen. So I just lay there grunting and cursing my weak upper body, my face squished into the carpet. ‘Well this is a new low’ I remember thinking along with ‘I really should hoover’.
So I joined a gym, bought a little padlock for my locker, a cool looking water bottle and decided I would go everyday for the rest of my life. First of all though, I’d have to get through my stupid induction, (sigh) can’t we just skip it? While we’re at it, can’t we just skip to my body looking like Jennifer Aniston’s please? Gym inductions are stupid. I don’t need a gym induction to strut around and pretend like I know how to use everything, that’s what everyone else does right? Anyway regardless, I went to my induction and got well and truly broken.
“Can’t you just show me how to use the machines ‘in theory’ and I’ll do it myself next time?”
“No” said my induction master (that’s what they’re called these days) “You learn by doing not watching, now give me another ten.”
“Ten??!!!” When did ten become a thing?
Forty minutes later I emerge very pink, breathless and appear to have lost the ability to move both my arms and my legs. So this is what being fit feels like? Poor Jennifer Aniston.
Anyway enough of that, lets talk about this rather lovely coconut soup I created to keep those love handles at bay. I adore Thai green curry but after a long day at work, I tend to just want something quick and easy but with similar flavours. This is it. Enjoy!

Fragrant coconut soup
Serves 2 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 30 mins / V Vn Df
2 cans light coconut milk
1 vegetable stock pot, I use Knorr
2 sticks of lemon grass, bashed (I use a rolling pin)
½ white onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
1 medium sized red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 knob of ginger, roughly grated
2 tsp caster sugar
28g bunch coriander, chopped
145g nest of rice noodles
2 tsp red miso paste or light soy sauce
5 chestnut mushrooms, roughly sliced
2 bulbs of pak choy, roughly chopped
3 Chinese leaves or a handful for kale, roughly chopped
Juice of a lime

Method
1. In a large saucepan, add the 2 cans of coconut milk, vegetable stock cube or pot, chopped onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, bashed lemongrass and sugar. Roughly chop the coriander stalks (saving the leaves) and add to the coconut milk. Give it a good stir and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook your rice noodles in small saucepan according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and cover in a stream of cold water until completely cold (this will stop the noodles from continuing to cook). Drain again and divide the noodles into two large soup bowls. Put to one side.
3. Turn your attention back to the soup and give it a quick stir. Roughly chop the remaining coriander leaves, Chinese leaves, pak choy and mushrooms.
4. After 15 minutes your soup should be well infused and fragrant. Over a large bowl, carefully pour your soup through a sieve. Discard the contents of the sieve and pour the remaining soup back into your saucepan.
5. Stir through 2 tsp of red miso paste and add the pak choy, mushrooms and Chinese leaf. Give it a good stir and cook on a medium heat for a few minutes or until the veg is tender. Take the saucepan off the heat, squeeze over the lime juice and stir. Finally, ladle over the cooked noodles and top with fresh coriander. Devour.

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 Df– Dairy free

Spanakopita parcels

July 17, 2017August 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 8 Comments

I totally forgot how much I like to eat raw filo pastry dipped in butter. I know it’s a bit wrong but then again, my boss likes to drink double cream from the carton. No judgment.
Anyway, for those of you who don’t know what spanakopita is, it’s a Greek pastry made of buttery layers of filo, stuffed with a spinach and feta filling – drool. My friend Philippa’s been nagging me to make these for years but alas, the occasion has never quite presented itself, until now.
With a big charity event on the horizon and Jamie’s nan’s 82nd birthday that same weekend, I thought this is it, it’s time. So I dramatically whisked myself off to Waitrose (sorry Sainsbury’s, you ain’t near my work) and bought a giant bag of frozen spinach (which I then proceeded to defrosted on my lap, on the 390 bus home).
Back at chez Camden, I did a spot of research and came to the conclusion that these beggars, were potentially tricky little customers. So as usual, I chucked all my bamboozling research in the metaphorical bin and decided to wing it. Luckily for me and everyone else at Party on the Pitch, they turned out to be rather delightful – as was the party itself.
Every year, this marvellous family music festival takes place in Southam Warwickshire, to help raise money for motor neurone disease. Jamie’s Uncle Simon, tragically died of this degenerative disease back in 2011, but before he died, he was determined to raise awareness and £1,000,000 to help find a cure. Party on the Pitch, is just one of the ways in which money is being raised in Simon’s honour. If you’re feeling charitable, then a little donation can go a long way. Click here to find out more and to make a donation. Thank you.

Spanakopita parcels
Makes 12 / Hands on time 45 mins / Total time 1 hr + defrosting time / V ❄
500g frozen spinach, defrosted
½ white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 spring onions, finely chopped
Small handful of dill, chopped
Small handful of parsley, chopped
300g vegetarian feta
4 sheets of fresh Filo pastry cut into 6 squares (24 in total). I used jus-roll filo sheets 270g
50g unsalted butter

Method
1. Start by defrosting your frozen spinach in colander over a bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to thaw – this can take a few hours or sometimes even half a day. Once thawed, discard any excess water and place a quarter of the spinach in a sieve over a sink. Using the back of a spoon, squish the spinach down as much as you can to remove any remaining moisture before placing in a large bowl. Repeat this until you have no spinach left to squeeze.
2. Finely chop the onion, spring onions, dill, parsley and the garlic before adding to the spinach. Season generously with salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Using your hands, crumble in the feta and mix well. Put to one side.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the butter over a low heat until melted. Put to one side. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan /400°F/gas mark 6.
4. On a clean surface, lay out the filo and cut into 24 squares 6 inches squared – roughly the size of a photograph (I put 2 sheets of filo one on top of the other and divided it roughly into 6 using a sharp knife. I then repeat this process giving me 24 squares of filo).
5. On a chopping board, take a square of filo and brush it with melted butter right to the edges. Lay the second square on top creating a star shape (see images below). Scoop a heaped tablespoon of spinach mix and place it in the centre (don’t be tempted to over fill your parcels, you want to be left with plenty of filo to play with). Brush with yet more butter right to the edges and carefully bring the corners together and pinch the top firmly to seal in the filling. Filo is very delicate and will tear so don’t worry if it does, just scrunch it and seal the parcels as best you can – they’re not supposed to look perfect. Place on a lined baking tray and repeat until you have 12 filo parcels – prepare for your hands to get very buttery.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 mins. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on their baking trays for 5 mins. Transfer carefully to a cooling rack and leave to cool for a further 5 mins. Serve warm or cool completely and refrigerate.

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.

Mexican mixed bean lasagne

July 11, 2017January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Why I ever think drinking on a Sunday is a good idea is beyond me. To cut a long story short, Jamie and I went for a roast and I drank a bottle of wine. Next thing I know, I’m lying on my bed, fully clothed and surrounded by mini Toffee Crisp wrappers, popcorn and there’s a half eaten cheese toastie upon my person. My laptop’s open on the bed and is playing endless episodes of Ru Paul’s Drag Race (I love Netflix). So all in all, a very successful Sunday.
Although the fun never lasts, I was so horribly hungover at work today that I’m pretty sure I needed medical assistance. When I finally got to the hospital (to see my mum who is currently having chemo) I was stunned nobody took any notice of my condition, savages.
Anyway, enough about my life, lets talk about my new flat… What? It’s exciting and I feel like sharing! So yes, Jamie and I are officially the new renters of a one bedroom flat in sunny Archway. It has a roof terrace and everything so now I can buy plants and accidentally neglect them like everyone else in North London.
So let’s celebrate with this this rather tasty tortilla lasagne (which I’m sure I will be making with tomatoes I grow on my new roof terrace) okay I’ll stop it now. This recipe is actually one I wrote for Families First Magazine’s July/August issue (out now). They trust me to write recipes for them sometimes which is nice, they clearly have impeccable taste.

Mexican mixed bean lasagne
Serves 6 / Hands on time 1 hr / Total time 1 hr 30 mins / V ❄🌶
You’ll need: A deep ovenproof dish (roughly 10 inches wide)
Sauce
1 tsp of olive oil
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 tbs tomato purée
2 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 cans chopped tomatoes
500ml vegetable stock, I use Knorr
2 handfuls of fresh coriander, chopped
Filling
1 can black eyed beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can of sweetcorn, drained
100g vegetarian cheddar, grated
100g vegetarian feta, crumbled
6 medium tortillas

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Chop the onion and the yellow pepper and add them to a large saucepan with a tsp of oil. Cover with the lid and allow to sweat on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until soft.
2. Stir in the smoked paprika and chilli flakes and continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Add the tomato purée, chopped coriander, canned tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Give it a good stir, season well with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat and let the sauce reduce for around 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, drain the beans and the sweetcorn and pour into a large bowl. Crumble in half of the feta and half of the grated cheese and stir well. Once your tomato sauce has reduced, take off the heat and put to one side.
4. Grease a large, oven proof, dish with oil and place 2 tortillas in the bottom (Don’t worry if they overlap). Top with about a third of tomato sauce and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle over half the bean and cheese mixture, before laying 2 more tortillas on top. Add another layer of sauce, the rest of the bean and cheese mixture and top with the final 2 tortillas. Spread the top with the last of the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining feta and cheddar.
5. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the top is lovely and brown. Remove from the oven and let the lasagne rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a simple salad, sour cream and a couple of jalapeño’s.

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
❄– One cooked and fully cooled, the lasagne is suitable for home freezing. Defrost thoroughly before reheating and consumer within 3 months.

Mushroom katsu curry

July 6, 2017January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Katsu curry doesn’t have to be made with chicken you know, a chestnut mushroom rolled in breadcrumbs can do just as well… I think… Not that I’ve ever tried chicken. Well I did once, I ate a chicken burger from New York Chicken & Ribs in Letchworth Garden City when I was 15 but I was so drunk, I don’t remember what it tasted like. Probably pretty good considering anything fried and greasy tastes amazing when you’re inebriated.
Anyway, realising chicken katsu curry is in fact vegetarian, (minus the chicken on course) I decided to give it a go. It’s not that hard to make but it can be a bit of a faff, so I tend to make double the sauce and freeze the rest for later. This means that when I’m feeling lazy, (which is a lot) I can forget the breaded mushrooms altogether and simple pour the silky sauce over some roasted butternut squash, it’s divine and a little less fiddly. However, if you’ve never tried katsu curry, then I highly recommend you start with this mushroom version, it’s well worth getting your hands a bit messy for.
Unlike an Indian curry, Japanese curry is a bit sweeter, not as spicy but has just enough chilli to warm through you as you eat it. Perfect for people afraid of a bit of heat (like my mum). Enjoy, or as they say in Japan 楽しんで… (I think).

Mushroom katsu curry
Serves 2 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 1 hour 10 mins / V Df ❄
Sauce
1 tbs sunflower or vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tbs plain flour
1 tbs medium curry powder
600ml vegetable stock, I use Knorr
1 tbs reduced salt soy sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tsp honey
½ tsp garam masala
Mushrooms
Rapeseed spray oil (see tip below)
8 large chestnut mushrooms
2 handfuls Pako breadcrumbs
2 medium eggs, beaten
Salad dressing
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce,
1 tsp rice vinegar
sprinkle of sesame seeds
To serve
250g sushi rice and salad leaves

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 oven to 200C°/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. If making sushi rice do this first and follow the packet instructions. To make the sauce, fry the chopped onion and whole garlic cloves in the oil in a large saucepan, on a medium heat, for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped carrots, give it a stir and put the lid on. Continue to sweat for a further 10 minutes.
2. Add the plain flour and the curry powder and cook for a minute, stirring continually. Add the stock in a slow steady stream and continue to stir (this avoids any lumps). Add the bay leaf, soy sauce and honey and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork and pour out a generous amount of pako breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Spray a large oven tray with oil and pull the storks out of the mushrooms. Take each mushroom and dip it in the beaten egg. Once covered, roll it in the pako breadcrumbs until well coated and place on the oiled baking tray. Repeat this process until all your mushrooms are covered. Spray with oil and put in the oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.
4. Add the garam masala to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Give the curry a stir and take off the heat. Pass the curry through a sieve using a wooden spoon to help force it though. (If you prefer a chunkier sauce, don’t bother sieving it but remember to remove the bay leaf. Or if you like a smooth but thick sauce, sieve it but add the vegetables back in (minus the bay leaf) and blend with a hand blender). Pour into a new pan and heat on a low heat to keep the sauce warm until your mushrooms are ready.
5. If making a salad, mix the dressing ingredients together and dress 2 handfuls of mixed leaves in a bowl.
6. Remove the mushrooms carefully from the oven and serve on top of the curry sauce, accompanied with sushi rice and salad.

TIP: To make the sushi rice into domes, simply spoon sushi rice into a tea cup and mold to the cup by pushing down with a spoon. Turn out onto a plate.

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
❄– The curry sauce is suitable for home freezing. Keep up to 3 months

Roasted vegetable couscous with goats cheese & harissa

June 19, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Why I thought it was a good idea to roast vegetables on the hottest day of the year, in my tiny 2 bedroom flat is beyond me but I’ve never claimed to be the smartest tool in the box… Hang on that doesn’t sound right. Why would a tool need to be smart? Let’s check Google…
Right so it’s the ‘sharpest’ tool in the box. Think I’ve just proved my point.
Anyway, my mum used to make a Delia Smith recipe similar to this one, she even managed to dig the book out for me to look at but the recipe was so long I got bored and walked off. I mean it’s hardly rocket science is it? Make some couscous, roast some veg, top with cheese, BOOM! Come on Delia sort it out, I don’t have 9 hours to make my dinner. Actually I should be nice to Delia, she launched Sainsbury’s Magazine back in 1993 who currently employ me, so I should stop talking now. Love you Delia, you da best!

Roasted vegetable couscous with goats cheese & harissa
Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 1 hour 10 mins / V
250g couscous
350ml vegetable stock, I use Knorr
½ red onion, peeled and roughly sliced
1 medium aubergine, cut into chunks
5 baby leeks or 1 regular roughly chopped
Handful cherry tomatoes, roughly 10
200g butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into chunks (I buy it already peeled and chopped)
1 red pepper, sliced
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tbs olive oil
150g vegetarian firm goats cheese
Handful fresh basil, chopped
Harrissa dressing
Juice of a lemon
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp harrissa paste

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Measure out your couscous and pour into a large bowl. Pour over the vegetable stock, making sure all the couscous is covered. Cover the bowl with cling film and put to one side.
2. Roughly chop the aubergine, red onion, red pepper and butternut squash and put into a large roasting tray. Scatter with a handful of cherry tomatoes, whole baby leeks and the peeled and bashed garlic cloves. Add the olive oil and give it a good mix until the vegetables are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make your dressing by combining the juice of a lemon, harrissa paste, honey, extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put to one side.
4. By now your couscous should be nice and soft. Uncover the bowl and using a fork, scrape across the top to start loosening it. Keep the pressure light and keep scraping until you get to the bottom of the bowl and your couscous looks light and fluffy. Put to one side.
5. After half an hour, carefully remove your veg from the oven, give it a bit of a shake and pop back in for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop a handful of basil leaves and cut your goats cheese into chunks and put to one side.
6. Once your veg is roasted, remove from the oven but leave the oven on. Carefully scoop out the veg and pop it onto a plate. Then in the same baking tray, spread out the couscous and top evenly with the roasted vegetables. Scatter with goats cheese and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Serve topped with fresh basil and good drizzle of Harissa dressing.

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

Easy overnight oats

June 5, 2017September 28, 2025 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Lets all pretend to be Deliciously Ella for a day and make some overnight oats shall we? Now I know Ella didn’t invent overnight oats but I can picture her making them more than anyone else in the world. I can see her now, pouring oats, seeds and nuts out of individual Kilner jars and covering them with homemade almond milk, before gliding upstairs to bed in her silk pyjamas and White Company socks. She closes her bedroom door before quietly sobbing over the fact she can’t have a Domino’s. I mean she literally can’t, there isn’t a single thing on that menu that poor girl can eat. This in turn, has made me a lot more humble about eating pizza ‘I’m doing this for you Ella’ I think, as I stuff a large slice into my face. Delicious.
But we’re not having pizza today folks, although I did last week, thus the need for a healthy breakfast. So lets totes eat some oats (see what I did there) and save up all our delicious calories for pizza, cakes, pies and Percy Pigs (veggie ones of course).

This post is dedicated to all those who lost their lives last Saturday night in the London Bridge terror attack. My heart goes out to their friends and families.

Easy overnight oats
Serves 1 / Hands on time 5 mins / Total time 5 mins + chilling / V Vn Df
50g oats
1 tbs cashews
1 tbs pumpkin seeds
1 tbs flaxseed mill (optional)
175ml coconut milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs maple syrup
1 passion fruit, seeds scraped out
Handful of fresh berries
Lemon wedge

Method
1. Measure out 50g of oats and add to an airtight tupperware container with a lid. Add 1 tbs of flaxseed mill, cashews and pumpkin seeds and give it a quick stir.
2. Add the coconut milk, a Tbs of maple syrup and a quarter tsp of vanilla essence. Give it a quick stir and then pour over the oats. Give it another good stir with a spoon, making sure all the oats are covered. Pop the lid on and refrigerate overnight.
3. Spoon into a bowl, top with passion fruit, berries and a squeeze of lemon.

High protein version
Serves 1 / Hands on time 5 mins / Total time 5 mins + chilling / V Vn Df
25g oats
15g cashews
15g pumpkin seeds
10g flaxseed mill
1 tsp chai seeds
30g frozen mixed berries
100ml milk (I use oat milk but any you like)
1 tsp maple syrup
Put all above ingredients in a container and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with Greek yogurt and your choice of nut butter for an extra protein hit.

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 Df– Dairy free

Homemade salad boxes

May 15, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I spend a fortune on salad boxes. At least twice a week, I find myself at a salad buffet, filling up a teeny-tiny plastic tupperware box that I could frankly make myself for half the price.
“That will be £6.50 please” says a skinny girl with dreadlocks.
“£6.50? But I only got a small box?!” I blurt out.
“Yeah but you pay by weight” she says, looking me up and down. What the hell did she mean by that? She snatches my tenner our of my hand and replaces it with a few pound coins.
Have I just been robbed and insulted? When did we start paying for things by weight? No salad should ever cost more than a fiver, no matter how much it weighs or how much halloumi you manage to cram in it.
I look down disappointedly at my little box, for something so small, it really is rather heavy (the girl may have had a point). It looks visibly stressed, all angry and shmooshed pressed up against the plastic. Sorry salad, I feel like I’ve killed you.
Anyway I tip it out onto a plate and scoff the lot at my desk and as usual, it’s under seasoned, underwhelming and disappointing.
Well no more! I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own buffet style salad, minus the disappointment.
I find the key to building a good salad box is to keep it simple but a bit exotic. Treat yourself to a few of your deli favourites, add a bit of roasted veg, a sprinkle of seeds and you’re good to go. Take that dreadlock girl! You’re not getting you’re hands on my £6.50 this week.

How to build your salad:
2 handfuls of leaves: If buying a bag of salad I would stick to either rocket, watercress or spinach, they last longer than the mixed varieties. I tend to buy baby gem or just a regular lettuce and chop it up as I need it. It’s cheaper and can last up to a week.

1 handful of vegetables: Here are a few ideas I like that are quick and easy to make yourself. You only need to pick one of these… Baked sweet potato/butternut squash, minted new potatoes, roasted carrots with dill and lemon (see recipe) mixed roasted vegetables, tomato and onion salad (see recipe), roasted peppers. Feeling lazy? Then shop bought deli artichokes or even jarred peppers such as Karats Roasted Red Peppers are delicious and a great substitute.

Pick your star: Mine is nearly always cheese, 50g of either feta, mozzarella, goats cheese or halloumi. For a more substation lunch though, I like to also include either a boiled eggs (hard boiled these can last up to a week in the fridge), half an avocado or even quorn. (If you eat meat this is your chance to add a bit of cooked chicken or fish).

Make it hearty with 2 tablespoons of… Couscous, brown rice, five bean salad (see recipe) quinoa, pasta salad (see recipe). You don’t need to make much of this, 100g should be enough for the week.

A sprinkle of crunch: This is optional but I always like to sprinkle my salads with either pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, croutons or pomegranate seeds to give it some bite.

Carbs: I literally can’t eat a salad without at least a little bit of bread. I like a mini pitta, a small brown flat bread or even a couple of oat cakes.

Dress is up: 1 tablespoon of either homemade dressing (see recipe) shop bought dressing, humous, zatziki or even a good drizzle of chilli sauce.

Extra acidity: Again this is optional but I always think a salad is greatly improved by acidity, tang and bit of heat. I always include a few olives, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and some sort of pickle, whether is be a couple of pickled onions, gherkins, pickled chillies or jalapeños.

So there you have it! The building blocks to make your very own buffet salad without the buffet. Here are a few of my favourite staples to get you started…

Roasted carrots with dill and lemon dressing:
Preheat an oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Peel and chop two large carrots and pop them on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray them with spray oil. Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes before giving them a quick turn with a spatular. Continue to cook for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile chop a small handful of dill and make the dressing by combining 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once the carrots are roasted leave to cool fully. Once cool, tip the carrots into a bowl and stir in the dressing and the chopped dill. Put in an airtight container and keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Five been salad:
I literally buy a can Napolina Five Beans, strain them and give them a quick rinse (not too much or you’ll lose the flavour as they are slightly spiced). I then add a finely chopped stick of celery and that’s it! Pop in an air tight container and use within 3 days.

Cucumber, feta and olive salad:
Peel and chop half a cucumber and pop it into a bowl with a sprinkle of salt. Roughly chop a large handful of black pitted olives (roughly 80g) and add this to the cucumber. Crumble over half a pack of feta cheese (around 100g) and give it all a good mix. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tomato and onion salad:
Slice 2 tomatoes along with a few slices of peeled red onion. Season well with salt and black pepper and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. (This is so easy that you don’t even really need to pre-prepare it, you could just chop them up in the morning if you have time before work.)

Whole baked sweet potato: Preheat an oven to 220°C (180°C fan). Carefully score a sweet potato with a sharp knife along the skin and insert into the centre. Withdraw the knife and pop in the oven for 40 minutes turning half way through. Leave to cool before cutting up and adding to salads. Wrap in foil and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Pesto pasta salad: Cook 50g wholewheat pasta according to instructions. Once cooked, drain and cool with a stream of cold water before returning it back into the saucepan. Cover with cold water and leave to cool. Drain again. Stir through a tablespoon of your favourite pesto (I like Sacla’s Chargrilled Aubergine). Transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate for 3 days.

Dressing: I like to keep it simple when it comes to salad dressing so I tend to stick to honey and mustard, I find it also goes with almost any salad. For a single salad I would use 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar and mix together in a small ramekin. Add a quarter teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a drizzle of honey. Season with salt and pepper and stir again until combined. Sometimes I even add a teaspoon of humous to make a creamier more indulgent dressing.

Lunch boxes:
If you ever needed an excuse to buy some snazzy Tupperware then surely this is it. I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Tupperware but this is my current favourite by Box Appetit, I have two of the same box, one in pink and one in green and I use them all the time. Happy lunching everyone!

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.

Spicy Thai salad

May 8, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 5 Comments

Have I mentioned that I once booked a month long trip to Thailand drunk? Well I did. Feeling sick and like I’d swallowed an ash tray, I remember my eyes squinting at about 8 confirmation emails about my trip. Trip? What trip?… Oh dear.
I scroll down one of the emails confused and dizzy, where the hell am I supposed to be going? Thailand it seems. To do what? Work with turtles. Okay, well that doesn’t sound too bad, now what’s that number? Is that a reference number? Oh wait, there’s a symbol in front of it, is that a pound sign?… £2,800… TWO THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS!!!
After I’d finished being sick, I came to the conclusion that it could have been a lot worse. A ‘turtle’ project, could very easily have been a ‘lion’ project and I’m the kind of person who would totally get mauled by a lion.
So anyway, eight months later, off I went to Thailand to save the turtles. Not sure how many I actually saved, only saw a couple but I did get a very nice tan and ate lots of lovely Thai food. I was lucky enough to have all my meals cooked for me by an elderly Thai woman called Pah Nii. Most days, she’d make me a papaya salad that consisted of shredded unripe papaya, chilli, garlic, peanuts and lime. Finding an unripe papaya in London though was always going to be tricky, so instead, I’ve substituted it for raw courgette, which has a similar texture. It’s not quite as good as Pah-Nii’s, but it’s close. Enjoy!

Spicy Thai salad
Serves 2 / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 15 mins / V🌶
You’ll need: Pestle and mortar
For the salad
2 medium courgettes, grated (or a large green papaya)
Handful of green beans, cut into quarters
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs dry roasted peanuts
1 lime cut into quarters
For the dressing
1 garlic clove, peeled
½ medium red chilli, seeds in (less if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 tbs dry roasted peanuts
2 tbs lime juice
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp light brown sugar

Method
1. Grate the 2 courgettes and put in a large bowl, along with the chopped tomatoes and the green beans. Mix and put to one side.
2. In a pestle and mortar, mash together the chilli and the garlic with a good pinch of salt (no need to pre-chop these, mashing will combine into a paste). Keep mashing and bashing for a few minutes until you have a paste. Add a tbs of peanuts and continue to mash for another minute (it’s okay if the paste is a bit grainy).
3. Add the sugar, a tbs of soy sauce and 2 tbs of lime juice to the paste and continue to mash until incorporated.
4. Roughly chop the dry roasted peanuts and add them to the courgettes and give the salad a stir. Pour over the dressing and stir again until well dressed. Pour onto plates and serve with limes wedges.

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

Itsu Vegetable Fusion Gyoza, 300g, £3.50…

April 23, 2017April 23, 2017 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Itsu Vegetable Fusion Gyoza, 300g, £3.50… Well it’s about time! I absolutely love vegetable gyoza, I frequently go out of my way to walk to Itsu on my lunch break to get their dumplings melt (a miso broth with vegetable dumplings and melted parmesan cheese) but what about when I’m at home? I mean lets be honest, life’s too short to make your own Japanese dumplings. I have occasionally walked to China Town to see if I can pick up some pre-made
veggie ones, but I always leave empty handed and bamboozled by all the Japanese labels. Finding vegetable gyoza is never the problem, finding vegetable gyoza that’s genuinely vegetarian is. But then Itsu came along and now I can buy a pack of 20 genuinely vegetarian gyoza for £3.50, yes Itsu!

Soba noodle miso bowl with ramen egg and vegetable gyoza

They now live in my freezer ready to throw into one of my many noodle soup creations, click here for a bit of bento inspo. I buy my dumplings from Waitrose but I think Tesco do them as well. Itsu Vegetable Fusion Gyoza, 300g, £3.50
(This is not an advert. All products featured in the section are products I genuinely use and like. No money has exchanged hands (unfortunately for me).