Chinese new year/17 recipes

Wildly popular with the vegetarian community, a Gazpacho is a chilled dish that over the years has had so many versions and interpretations making its way into our kitchens, recipe books and cooking shows. It’s the smoky flavour of this recipe that takes it to a whole new level – making it equally delicious served warmed or chilled. Don’t be intimidated by the need of smoking equipment, you can achieve similar results in your oven. And the addition of sweet apple? What a souper idea, yes please!

We’ve made this vegan version of a very popular British dish for British Food Fortnight, but of course, it’s tasty all year round. Kidney beans are high in both protein, fibre and slow-release carbs which keep blood sugar levels from spiking. Some other bean benefits are vitamin K1 – important for blood coagulation, folate – more commonly known as folic acid which is important during pregnancy – you could say – healthy eggs for healthy eggs!

These easy to make, no-bake truffle treats are so delicious and full of nutrition. They make the perfect after dinner sweet treat, and the best part about this recipe is they keep in the freezer so you can just take them out as and when you need them. We love the combination of bananas and almonds, we discovered it recently while making my new ice-cream recipe, so this sweet snack has soon become a new favourite of ours. The ingredients in this recipe are all wholesome and all have anti-aging benefits, so if you’re looking to turn back the clock this is a fail safe as it’s full of magnesium (nuts, seeds and banana) probiotics (cacao) and polyphenols (cacao). If you find it difficult to blend the dates in your food processor a good tip is to soak them in hot water for a few minutes first which should soften them.

Acorn squash baked with maple syrup.

Ever wonder how to cook a New York Strip? During winter you can try cooking a steak indoors in the oven without a grill and Mark Kranenburg will show you the process of preparing a steak in the oven in this episode of Steak University TV.

This is my favorite recipe for tacos with a mixture of New Mexican Cuisine as well as other ethnic recipes.

Pumpkin recipes are blowing up Pinterest this year, more than I remember seeing before. I love the put-pumpkin-in-everything craze as much as anyone, but this year I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. Maybe because it started too early, before I was even thinking about pumpkins. Maybe because I’ve had pumpkins on my porch for almost 2 months and I’ve yet to actually cut one open. Either way, I’m late to this game. If you’re not all pumpkin-ed out yet, you may enjoy this recipe for chocolate pumpkin bread. It’s free of nuts, dairy, gluten and all grains. As far as sweet breads go, this one is as healthy as it gets.

A soup which is a combination of Mediterranean garlic soups with a 17th century East European fava beans soup. Quite good.

Celebrate 60 years of the Queen on the throne with a refreshing Jubilee Fizz, available at Dirty Martini. With a concoction of summer flavours and ingredients, including the Queen’s favourite tipple, gin, this cocktail is a mouth-watering drink to kick start the celebrations ahead.

Try something new for soup with this delicious recipe that will become your family's favorite.

Try something new in the morning with this drink that has a buttery taste which is sure to perk you up in the morning.

This spicy dish uses the fiery flavor of habanero peppers to keep you reaching for the glass of water and hungry for more!

Give the traditional pumpkin bread a new twist by adding some freshly grated lemon zest and freshly squeezed orange juice. They add some deliciously citrus taste to the moist pumpkin bread. Be sure to make enough, because everyone will ask for a second slice.

In Bangladesh, cabbage is usually available in the market during the winter season, as are tomatoes, peas and carrots. So this dish appears quite frequently at Bengali dinner tables during the winter. In the markets where such vegetables are available year round, banda is a popular standard.

World Egg Day is celebrated every year on the second Friday in October and this “eggcellent” form of protein is a great way to mark the day. These eggs are tucked securely in their nests and full of lots of things to make your body happy. Eggs are full of protein to keep your body running smoother and more efficiently. They also promote healthy brain development. The sweet potatoes have many vitamins and minerals that your body needs, like vitamin B6, vitamins C and D, iron and potassium. Sweet potatoes and the chickpeas, both, help to regulate blood sugar. They also control heart disease by lowering blood pressure and controlling your heart rate. Chickpeas are one of the oldest known eaten crops in the world. They are primary in the diets of some of the healthiest regions of the world. Boosting your immune system is also one of the many benefits of adding chickpeas to your daily menu. Chickpeas are a great food when you are trying to lose weight because they make you feel full for longer periods of time and boost your body’s natural digestion processes. So, no matter what your personal health objectives are, these snacks will have you flying from your nest and on your way to achieving your goals.

Cabbage and Daikon Kim Chee recipe