Chocolate I hear you say! This vibrant black chickpea, squash and pepper salad is a bold, flavour‑packed dish that brings colour and depth to any table. Sweet roasted squash, charred peppers and nutty black chickpeas create a hearty base, while a silky chocolate chilli dressing adds an irresistible mix of warmth, richness and subtle heat. Perfect as a nourishing lunch or a standout side, this salad celebrates big flavours, plant‑based protein and seasonal vegetables in one striking bowl.
Black chickpea, squash and pepper salad with chocolate chilli dressing
Roasted beetroot, lentil and pickled chilli salad
It’s autumn so it’s time to celebrate bold seasonal flavours with this roasted beetroot, lentil and pickled chilli salad. Sweet roasted beetroot pairs beautifully with earthy lentils and sharp, zesty chillies for a refreshing, satisfying bowl that’s ideal for quick weeknight meals. lunches or even as a side for meats and fish.
Creamy Mushroom and Carlin Pea Soup with Tahini and Miso
This creamy mushroom and carlin pea soup with tahini and miso is a rich, savoury bowl packed with deep umami flavour. Earthy mushrooms blend with nutty carlin peas for a hearty, protein‑boosted base, while tahini adds silky creaminess and miso brings a subtle, salty depth. It’s an easy, nourishing soup that’s perfect for autumn and easily adapted to be fully vegan.
Flemish hutsepot with potatoes and white beans
Flemish refers to the a specific group of Dutch dialects native to Flanders a northern Dutch speaking region of Belgium. Hutsepot means ‘mixed pot, and that’s exactly the spirit of the dish: simple ingredients cooked together so their flavours meld into something greater. My hutsepot with potatoes and white beans has a warm, golden colour, dotted with chunks of vegetables. It’s thick enough to mound on a spoon, but still brothy enough to feel like a stew.
Courgette and chickpeas with preserved lemon and mint
Courgettes and chickpeas with preserved lemon and mint, a dish that feels both refreshing and deeply satisfying, it can me used as a side, part of a mezze or simply eaten on it’s own. Mediterranean at heart with a north African edge.
Lentejas con Calabaza, Spanish Lentil Stew with Butternut Squash, Cumin, and Smoked Paprika
Lentils are a fundamental part of the Spanish cuisine, here the lentils are paired with butternut squash, cumin and smoked paprika for an easy, earthy and nourishing weeknight meal.
KAFERBOHNEN SALAD
A simple and delicious traditional recipe from the state of Styria in Austria. Scarlet runner beans are used and cooked from dried, but they can easily be substituted for butter beans. This basic recipe can easily be enhanced by adding tomatoes, sweetcorn, green beans or boiled egg.
Antiguan Spiced Black Bean Cakes
This is the first recipe from my first ever series where I’m making a bean recipe from every country I have visited so far in my life.
First up and we are off to the sunny Caribbean to enjoy some Antiguan Spiced Black Bean cakes.
Poor mans potatoes, patatas a lo pobre
This classic Spanish dish is utterly delicious and addictive, one of my favourite potato dishes to make. This can be served on it’s own, with a fried egg, jamon or as a side dish to accompany any meat or fish dish.
Serves 2-3 either as a main or a side.
Spicy Southwestern Garbanzo Beans or Chickpeas to us
This was a recipe from an old American cook book that I have adapted to suit my taste which is for it to be more spicy and less sweet, this dish is quite addictive and can be served hot or room temperature, serve with rice, pickles, flatbreads, on toast or just on their own with a spoon