Happy Food cook book recipes: From griddled chilli pineapple to one pot curry

Bettina Campolucci Bordi changed her approach to eating after being diagnosed with polycystic ovaries and endometriosis. Now, she follows a gluten-free diet raising awareness of coeliac disease, among others, for a heather and happier life

A gluten-free diet need not be restrictive and dull (Nassima Rothacker)

One pot curry in a hurry

Have you had a long day at work? Do you just want to chuck everything into a pot and let it cook itself? Then this is the dish for you. By the time you have put on your comfies and slippers this creamy, indulgent one-pot curry will be ready to be eaten.

Serves two

2tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1tbsp good-quality yellow curry spice mix, plus more if required
1 carrot, chopped into small pieces
½ aubergine, chopped into small pieces
1 potato, chopped into small pieces
45g dried red lentils
400ml coconut milk
1tbsp peanut butter
Big handful of spinach
Big bunch of basil
Salt and pepper, to taste

To serve

Pomegranate seeds
Chopped peanuts
Squeeze of lime
Coriander leaves
Edible flowers (optional)

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil and gently fry the shallot and garlic until transparent. Then add the curry spice mix, carrot, aubergine and potato and fry for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the lentils followed by the coconut milk and simmer over low heat, covered, for 25 minutes.

Remove the lid, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt or more spice mix, add a dollop of peanut butter and stir in a handful of spinach and basil. I also love to scatter over pomegranate seeds and peanuts for extra crunch and give it a final squeeze of lime to cut through the creaminess of the curry, then throw over a few coriander leaves and edible flowers, to add some colour.

Tip: curries are great when cooked in bigger batches – often they taste even better the next day because the flavours have had a chance to marry.

(Nassima Rothacker)

Hazelnut crust pizza and peppery rocket

I love a good pizza. But it’s one of the big no-nos when going gluten-free. I have made this at countless retreats and on many occasions at home. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Serves two to four

For the pizza base

210g gluten-free flour 
30g hazelnuts, ground in a coffee grinder or food processor
375ml water 
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
½tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

For the toppings

4tbsp pumpkin seed pesto (see below)
1 red onion, sliced
25g chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red pepper, sliced
½ yellow pepper, sliced
Pink Himalayan salt and black pepper, to taste

To serve

Basil
Rocket
Drizzle of olive oil
Micro herbs (optional)
Macadamia ricotta (see below), optional, but recommended for special occasions

Pizza base

Preheat the oven to 200C. Add all the pizza base ingredients to a bowl and mix well. The mixture will be quite runny, almost like a cake batter. Don’t worry, it’s meant to be that way. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and drizzle a very small amount of olive oil on the bottom. Pour the pizza batter into the tray and make sure you have a thin, even layer.

Topping

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes until the the dough has solidified. Once it has, take it out of the oven and it’s ready to be pimped up with toppings. I love this base with a layer of the pumpkin seed pesto and scatterings of red onion, sun-dried tomato, cherry tomatoes and peppers. Add your toppings and put the pizza back in the oven for another 15 minutes until it reaches the desired crispness.

Just before serving, scatter a good helping of basil, rocket and extra drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. If you have some macadamia ricotta ready-made, add some nice dollops of it on top, too.

Tip: you can pre-make the pizza base. Get to the stage where you cooked the base in the oven, then wrap it up in greaseproof paper or cling film and freeze until you need it. All you need to do when you feel like pizza is top it off with your favourite toppings and pop it into the oven.

Pumpkin seed pesto

Pesto is one of my favourite fridge staples – it lasts forever, tastes good on anything and is super easy to make. This particular recipe is made with pumpkin seeds and was developed for clients with nut allergies. Personally, I think pumpkin seeds have a great depth of flavour and bring some fantastic nutritional value to the table. It has even been approved by my full-blooded Italian father in-law.

Makes 1 x 250g jar

250ml olive oil, plus extra for sealing
120g pumpkin seeds 
Bunch of basil (30g)
1 garlic clove, peeled
½tbsp each salt and black pepper

Simply add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz until you have a lovely pesto.

You can choose to blend until smooth or to a chunkier consistency, if you prefer.

Tip: the fantastic thing about this recipe is that it will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks. When you put it into a clean storage jar, make sure you cover the top of the mixture with a good layer of oil, as it serves as a natural preservative. One centimetre above the pesto is more than enough.

Macadamia ricotta

Creamy, indulgent and the closest you are ever going to get taste-wise to a ricotta cheese. Once made it lasts for a good week. It is really versatile because there are endless flavour options and it can be used in many different recipes.

Makes 1 x 500g jar

280g macadamia nuts
160ml water
½ probiotic capsule
Pinch of salt

Start by soaking the macadamia nuts for two hours by putting them in a bowl and covering with water.

Drain the nuts and tip them into a blender along with the water and probiotic and blitz until you get a smooth texture. As this is a ricotta-style cheese the texture can be slightly bitty, which I personally love. If you are doing this in a high-speed blender, make sure not to overheat the mixture as this will kill off the probiotics.

Once blended, transfer to a clean glass or plastic container. Do not use a metal one as the mixture won’t ferment. Leave the container outside the fridge for 24 hours with a tea towel or muslin cloth on top so that the mixture can breathe. After 24 hours your mixture will be slightly fizzy and bubbly. Place a proper top on and leave in the fridge until you need it. It will last for up to seven days in the fridge.

Tip: this is a great fridge basic. Dairy is the hardest food group to replace both taste-wise and on a comfort level. Many of my clients suffer from dairy intolerances and this has been a lifesaver in terms of being able to add some comfort back into your diet.

(Nassima Rothacker)

Griddled chilli pineapple, mixed greens and marie rose

I am a huge Marie Rose fan, and also a big fan of a good sweet-and-sour combination. Eaten on its own or as part of a big feast this salad usually goes down a treat. It helps that it looks pretty too.

Serves four

440g quinoa
1tbsp olive oil

For the griddled pineapple

½ pineapple
1tbsp olive oil
Sprinkle of red chilli flakes
Salt, to taste

For the marie rose

150g plant yoghurt
2tbsp lemon juice
½tsp sweet paprika
Black pepper, to taste

To serve

2 baby gem lettuces
Mixed greens and herbs
2 avocados, stoned and cut into quarters
Griddled pineapple

Chop the pineapple into slices and marinate with olive oil and sprinkles of chilli while you cook the quinoa. Cook the quinoa following the packet instructions. Once cooked, set aside to cool. Once cool, add some olive oil to a medium pan and fry the quinoa until crispy.

Turn the heat to medium and dry out the grains, stirring to move them about the pan. Once all the moisture has evaporated, continue cooking the quinoa until it has turned a nutty brown and starts to “pop” – this will take about 10 minutes. Stir every so often to stop the quinoa burning.

Griddle the pineapple in a really hot griddle pan until you get pretty charred marks and the slices are caramelised. Set aside until you are ready to put your salad together.

Place all the marie rose ingredients in a blender and blitz until well combined and you have a beautiful smooth, plant-based mayo.

Put the salad together. Start with the toasted quinoa, then the baby gem, mixed greens, herbs and avocado. Top off with the griddled pineapple and dollop over the creamy marie rose. Serve as it is or with some steamed rice, quinoa or buckwheat on the side.

Happy Food: Fast, Fresh, Simple Vegan by Bettina Campolucci Bordi (Hardie Grant, £20)