This recipe is inspired by my very inspiring friend Philippa whom I actually met through this whole food-blogging thing.  Philippa serves it over pasta and roasted pumpkin.  I like it in my favorite sandwich.  I believe Philippa adds a squirt of lemon juice.  I like a lot of garlic.  How do you like it?

2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put everything into a high-speed blender or food processor and pulse on low until well combined but not pureed.  This defies the usual pesto instructions of drizzling in the oil and also creates a chunkier pesto.  Keep in the fridge.

Adapted from whitelotus.org, this is a great winter warmer that’s truly a fiesta in your mouth.  Use Ancho or Pasilla chilies instead of the California ones if you prefer more fuego.

3 dried California chilies
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, finely sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 16-oz bag frozen corn kernels
3 cups water
Juice of half a lemon
A handful of cilantro/coriander, chopped
4 corn tortillas
1 ripe Hass avocado, de-seeded and chopped
Salad sprouts

Rinse chilies and soak in one cup of hot water for a half hour.  Slit the chilies in half and run them under the tap to remove the seeds.  Reserve the soaking water.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a pot, then add the onions, celery, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt.  Sautee for about five minutes.  Add the water and soaking water to the pot along with the tomatoes, chilies, and corn.  Simmer for five minutes, turn off the heat, and squeeze in the lemon juice.  Stir in the cilantro.

Cut corn tortillas into strips and bake on a cookie sheet at 350F for about eight minutes or until golden.  To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with the tortilla strips, avocado, and sprouts.

With no eggs, no sugar, and no dairy, this dessert makes more room for what really matters.

For the crust:

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
3/4 cup porridge oats
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash sea salt
1/4 cup sunflower oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup

For the filling:
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup cornstarch (cornflour in the UK)
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (so much better than ready-ground)
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread nuts over a baking pan. Toast for 7-10 minutes on middle shelf until starting to brown.
2. Combine pecans, oats, flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and dash salt. Whisk together oil and 3 tablespoons maple syrup, and mix into dry ingredients to form a dough. Press mixture into an 8-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes, and set aside to cool.
3. Whiz almond milk and cornstarch in a blender until dissolved, about 15 seconds. Add pumpkin, 1/4 cup maple syrup, agave nectar, ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and cloves; blend until smooth. Pour filling into crust.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the outside inch of the filling is set. Cool on wire rack, then chill until set – preferably overnight (if you can keep yourself away from it for that long).

These are the real deal: the frijoles negros I grew up on in Miami – the kind my family always has bubbling away on the stove in preparation for any feast, even Thanksgiving. This recipe has all kinds of quirks and special touches passed down from my grandmother and vetted by both my mother and aunt, so try it first as it is and then adapt as you will.

1 lb dried black beans, preferably Goya
1 large onion
1 large red bell pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 large ripe tomato or two plum ones, de-seeded and chopped
3/4 cup pitted Spanish olives with pimentos
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Rinse the beans and cover them with water in a lidded pot.  Add a quarter of the onion, a quarter of the bell pepper, two of the garlic cloves, and the bay leaf.  Soak for at least seven hours.

Leave the beans in the soaking water and put the pot over high heat.  When the water boils, reduce heat to keep the beans at a fervent simmer for about an hour, until they are soft.  You may need to keep adding water so that the beans are covered.

Meanwhile, make the “sofrito”: chop the rest of the onion, bell pepper, and garlic cloves and add them to the olive oil in a skillet.  Mix in the spices and cook on medium heat until onions are soft but not brown.  Add the mixture to the beans along with the salt, tomato, and olives.  Continue cooking the beans for about another 1/2 hour (uncovered), stirring frequently until they are thick and very soft.  Use the back of a wooden spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the mixture even more.

When beans are done and your house smells like Havana, take the frijoles off the heat and stir in the vinegar.  Serve alongside white rice and plantains.

The key here is frozen blueberries.  No point trying to have them any other way – they taste like popsicles and provide the perfect foil for the creamy banana.  For this reason, always have a steady stream on hand.  Wash and freeze ‘em yourself during the summer months or resort to the bagged ones in the supermarket freezer section the rest of the year.

1 very ripe Fair Trade banana, sliced
Handful of strawberries, hulled and quartered
Handful of frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Heap everything into a bowl and eat morning after morning.  Optional mix-ins: a couple of soaked nuts, a glug of almond milk, or any other fruit in season – blackberries are especially good.  But don’t mess with those blueberries.

Once you blend the pears you’ll see them start to darken into a beautiful deep amber color.  I’m sure you could store this in the fridge for a few days, but mine never lasts more than a few minutes before it’s gone.

4 ripe pears, halved and stems removed
generous dash of cinnamon
a good sprinkle of goji berries

Put the pears in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until lusciously smooth.  Scrape into a bowl, top with cinnamon and scatter over the goji berries.

An easy recipe that always manages to wow company.  Feel free to substitute seasonal vegetables for the green peas. Sweet potato and spinach work very well here.

4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon root ginger, minced
2 teaspoons mild korma powder
75 g lentils (chana dahl)
400 ml vegetable stock (I use Marigold Vegan Bouillon)
2 tablespoons vegetarian curry paste
1 cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 50 g sachet creamed coconut
1 cup green peas
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro/coriander
Juice of half a lemon

Melt half of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger and korma powder and fry for about five minutes. Add the lentils, stir well and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes (lentils should be tender). Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a fry pan. Add the curry paste and fry gently for 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stir-fry another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the coconut cream and cauliflower to the lentils and return to the boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the green peas, cilantro/coriander and lemon juice. Heat through for 3 minutes and serve over brown basmati.

2 zucchini/courgettes, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons raw tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

Blend everything in a high-speed blender or food processor.  Keeps for up to three days in a sealed container in the fridge.

Half an apple
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon hemp flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
Dash sea salt
Coconut oil

Set a non-stick pan over low to medium heat. Core and grate the apple, and put it in the blender (peel and all) with the water, baking soda and ground flax seed; then whiz on high speed until frothy.  Combine flours, baking powder, spices, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and blend gently with a fork; just a few quick strokes will do so the pancakes will turn out as fluffy as they should.

Lightly oil a non-stick pan with coconut oil, then drop enough batter in to make a pancake shape.  When the top starts to bubble, flip and cook on the other side.  Continue with remaining batter, stacking cooked pancakes on a paper towel.   Drizzle with agave or maple syrup.

The color of this yummy number reminds me of a t-shirt I had when I was a little girl in the 70s that read “anything boys can do, girls can do better.”

1 ripe Fairtrade banana
1 kiwi, tough ends removed
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
Small piece of fresh ginger
1 cup filtered water

Put everything into a blender and whizz until smooth.