Chocolate Marble Cake

Serves 4
Ingredients
225g Butter
225g Caster sugar
4 Eggs
225g Self-raising flour
3 Tablespoons milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centgrade. Grease a ring cake tin..
2. Put the butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour and milk into a food processor and whizz for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
3. Place half of the mixture into a bowl. Stir the cocoa powder into the mxture in the bowl. Place the vanilla extract into the mixture in the food processor and whizz until the vanilla has been mixed in.
4. Take 2 spoons and use them to alternately dollop the chocolate and vanilla cake mixes into the tin. When all of the mixture hs been used up, take a skewer and swirl it around the mixture i the tin a few times to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge of the tin so you can turn it out onto a cooling rack easier, after you have turned it out, leave the cake to cool.

Perfect Rice

Method
1 Mug
Rice, rinsed
Water
1 Dessertspoon turmeric (optional)

Method

1. Take an appropriate sized mug, depending on your appetite and how many people you need to feed (the rice will approximately triple in size), and fill it with rice. Pour the rice into a large saucepan. Fill the same mug with water and pour into the pan, then repeat (Ratio of 2:1, Rice:water). If desired, add turmeric to make the rice yellow-gold.
2. Bring the rice to the boil. Take the rice to a simmer for about 10 minutes, by which time the water will have boiled off and there will only be rice left in the pan.
3. Remove from the heat and serve.

Blueberry Smoothie

Serves 4
Ingredients
350g Frozen Blueberries
2 Bananas, broken into pieces
300ml Apple juice
1 Pear, cored and chopped

Method

1. Tip all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
2. Serve cold and refreshing.

Macaroni Cheese

This is the most delicious macaroni cheese i have ever tasted.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Slice of wholemeal bread, cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons Butter, plus 1 Tablespoon melted
350g Macaroni or Penne pasta
1 Teaspoon garlic paste
1 Teaspoon thai spices paste (available from most supermarkets)
3 Tablespoons Plain flour
500ml Milk
300g Cheddar cheese

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Spread the chunks of bread over a small baking tray, drizzle with the melted butter and season to taste. Bake for 6 minutes until crisp, then set aside.
2. Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less than stated on the pack. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic paste and thai paste, then cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and whisk it into the butter. Gradually whisk in the flour and a pinch of salt until you bet a lump free sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking constantly until thickened. Take off the heat, then stir in the cheddar, leaving a handful for later.
3. Rinse the pasta, then pour into a large ovenproof dish. Stir the cheesy sauce into the pasta. Scatter over the bread, remaining cheddar and pepper to taste. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Emily's Tasty Daal Curry

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Onion
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon ginger powder
1 Teaspoon chilli powder
1 Red pepper, deseeded
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Rapeseed oil
1 Teaspoon curry powder
1 Teaspoon turmeric
½ Teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 Teaspoon mustard seeds
650g Precooked puy lentils (I suggest 1x400g tin and 1x250g ready-to-eat packet)
1x400ml Tin coconut milk
50g Baby spinach, plus extra to serve
1 Large mug of rice
Poppadoms or Naan bread, to serve

Method

1. Halve the onion and the red pepper and place in a food processor, along with the garlic powder, ginger powder, chilli powder and ground coriander. Blitz until roughly chopped, and leave to the side.
2. Pour the rice into a large pan with the two times the amount of water as rice (in a ratio of 2:1, water to rice) and bring to a low boil.
3. Heat the rapeseed oil on a high heat. Add the curry powder then wait 30-45 seconds becore adding the turmeric, the repeat the process with the fenugreek and mustard seeds. Wait until you can hear the mustard seeds popping in the pan, and then pour in the pepper and onion mixture from the blender and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Place the puy lentils in the pan and mix into the mixture. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and stir everything together, ensure that the curry has been brought up to the boil, then take down to the simmer until pretty much all of the water in the rice has boiled down. Then take the curry off the heat.
5. Rinse the rice in a colainder to get rid of all of the sticky starch. Then stir in the spinach to the Daal curry, ensuring it is thoroughly mixed in.
6. Serve the rice with the curry with a pinch of spinach on the top, serve with the naan or poppadoms.

Quinoa Salad with Grilled Halloumi

Serves 4, with a vegetable side dish
Ingredients
1 Red onion
1 Jar of sliced roast peppers in oil
200g Quinoa
500ml Vegetable stock
Handful curly leaved parsley, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Zest and juice of a lemon
250g Pack halloumi cheese, chopped into 12 slices

Method

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil from the roast peppers in a medium saucepanon a medium-high heat. Cook the onion and a handful of the peppers for a few minutes, then add the quinoa. Add the stock, cover and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, mix the lemon zest and juice with the parsley and oil. This will be the dressing.
3. Heat a griddle pan on a medium-high heat, cook the halloumi on both sides until the slices are golden and crisp.
4. Serve the quinoa salad with the halloumi and the dressing poured all over it.

Cranberry and Raspberry Smoothie

Serves 4
Ingredients
200ml Cranberry juice
175g Frozen rasperries
100ml Milk
100ml Natural yoghurt

Method

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Serve in a jug with ice.