Ginger and apple cake with honeyed pecans

As I think I've mentioned before, vegan puds are the greatest challenge for me. I pinched this recipe from a good American blogger who clearly knows her stuff because it turned out really well. The icing is very sweet and needs refrigerating to make it go anything like solid but everyone claimed to enjoy it. Icing was made out of soya butter, vegan soft cheese and icing sugar.  It's very like a carrot cake but using (home-grown) apples which keeps it moist and prevents the sponge itself being too sweet. It felt like a good pudding for Halloween and Autumntime.

Baked gnocchi with fried mushrooms, smoked tofu and crispy sage

Very seasonal and very delicious were the comments from my diner. Big meaty favours jumped out of this quite humble dish that was very interesting to eat in terms of flavours and textures. Baking gnocchi was an idea I stole from Nigella a few years ago - I think nicer than the slimey boiled versions and perfect for he who loves something crispy!

Squash and chickpea filo tart

Ripped out of the Times magazine this recipe was a massive hit. The pictures show the cooking process which was two phase - the filling then the filo pastry but it wasn't at all tricky. I will definitely make this again for friends as it feeds 4. I liked it with a simple green salad with added pomegranate seeds.

Skate wing with capers and kale

A classic where you flour the fish then add capers, lemon and parsley at the end of the cooking process, leaving you with a very moreish, piquant sauce. I've always loved skate but watch out as it does go off much quicker than other fish so buy it and eat it fast. 

Lemon sole with quinoa, tomatoes and a lime and ginger sauce

This recipe is a great example of how easy and quick fish is to cook. Probably took 10mins or so from start to finish. The nutribullet whizzed the sauce for me and the quinoa was pre-cooked. Before this year a dish like this wouldn't have excited me, but I think the more you cook and eat fish the more you love it.

Sweet potato, beetroot hummous and a green salad

One of the things I love about cooking vegan food is how much it lends itself to creativity. When you pare back the ingredients so much, it forces you to turn simple things into something wonderfully tasty. Like this very easy supper... Potato, chickpeas and salad was made into a seriously punchy plate of food. You've just gotta know which store cupboard ingredients to throw at it. Everyday hummous got fennel and beetroot, sweet potato got rosemary, some warming spices and spring onions and the old salad got a classic French dressing. Frying some of the tamari seeds on with some coriander lifted it even more. When you aren't spending money on meat and cheese which are expensive you can afford to get a good variety of fresh herbs, seeds, nuts, spices etc to lift everyday veg into something really special.

Japanese broth with udon and rainbow veg

This was such a wholesome, zingy bowl of goodness. Harry ate his in half the time that I did which just shows how much he loved it. The mixed seeds on top were fried with a dash of tamari which gives them a very savoury, marmitey taste. Great one if you have a cold to blow it away!

Sizzling Moroccan prawns

Jamie Oliver's recipes are always reliable,  delicious and modern. I cooked this fab dish for Harry's birthday supper. Prawns were Sainsbury's frozen Taste the Difference and were excellent. A very pretty looking plate too!

Sesame tuna with swiss chard, rice noodles and a spicy sauce

Harry declared this restaurant-level grub. It was very very good but I did make the spicy sauce MEGA hot 😡. With thanks again to the Itsu cookbook and the magic ingredient that is silken tofu!

Beetroot falafels with coriander mayo

Best best vegan snackie lunch with added seeds and rocket in toasted pitta. Mayo made with my best new creamy ingredient substitute... Silken tofu

Squash, smoke tofu and quinoa with a zingy herb sauce

For quick salads boosted with carbs I love to use merchant gourmet pulse packs and this one used their quinoa mixed grains. I also roasted a squash, fried courgettes and made a green herby sauce from the brilliant Itsu cookbook (thanks to my sister Alice).

Salmon with brown rice, fried courgette and crispy kale with a miso dressing

Using ingredients bought in our local organic farm, this dish was so tasty and wholesome. Oven crisping kale is our best way of eating this super healthy green.