Dinners Homemade hummus

Purée a drained 400g tin of chickpeas (or the leftover cooked chickpeas from your chana dal recipe, below) in a food processor with 1 clove of garlic and enough water to make a thick, creamy texture. Add 1 tbsp tahini if you have it. Season with salt, pepper, chilli sauce and lemon juice. Serve in a shallow bowl drizzled with olive oil.

Fridge-leftovers minestrone, to serve four

The quantities for this are very loose: chop 1 onion, 2 sticks of celery and a carrot into pea-sized chunks and fry in olive oil until tender. Add a tin of plum tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, along with 500ml water or stock and any odds and ends of hard herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf), chopped potatoes, cooked beans or lentils, or other chopped vegetables such as cabbage or beetroot. Simmer until tender, taste and season well. At this point you can add some broken up spaghetti and simmer again until cooked, as well as tender vegetables like spinach or broccoli. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, grated cheese if you have it, and chopped soft herbs like parsley, coriander, basil or dill.

Spicy tofu, to serve four

Cut 500g silken tofu into cubes (any tofu left in the packet will be used in the chana dal dish below). Half-fill a bowl with boiling water and add in the tofu; leave to one side. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan then add 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger and 2 tbsp grated garlic. Stir for 10 seconds then add 2 tbsp tomato purée and a dash of chilli sauce. Cook for another minute, then lift the tofu out of the water with a slotted spoon and add to the pan, along with 300ml water or turkey stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, then mix 2 tsp cornflour (or flour) with 2 tbsp water and stir this gently into the pan. Cook until thickened (another 5 minutes), then serve scattered with thinly sliced spring onions, alongside brown rice, steamed pak choi or other greens sprinkled with soy sauce.

Chana dal with spiced cauliflower and spinach, to serve four

Put 500g rinsed chana dal (split chickpeas) in a pan with 1.25 litres water, two 5mm slices of fresh ginger and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.

Scoop out a quarter of the chickpeas with a little of their liquid. Store these in

the fridge or freezer to make homemade hummus.

To the rest of the chickpeas in the pan add 1 tsp ground turmeric and 400ml coconut milk. Simmer for a further 30 minutes. Season well with salt.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, and ¼ tsp chilli powder or a dash of chilli sauce. Sizzle until fragrant and then tip over the dal and serve.

For the spiced cauliflower, heat 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large pan. Add 1 tbsp grated ginger and 1 tbsp grated garlic. Stir, then add 2 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp ground turmeric. Add the florets from a whole cauliflower and 300g defrosted frozen leaf spinach, along with any tofu left over from making the spicy tofu. Toss to coat well then cover and cook until tender. Serve with a few ripped mint leaves or chopped coriander; some flatbreads to accompany (such as those made for the turkey tzatziki wraps) would be good.

Braised red cabbage with lentils and devilled chicken livers, to serve four

Slice half a red cabbage and 1 red onion finely. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and a crushed clove of garlic. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and 100ml water or wine (red or white). Cover and cook very gently for an hour, until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the livers. Trim 400g organic chicken livers, cutting off any greenish bits. Toss in 2 tbsp flour mixed with ½ tsp salt, lots of ground pepper and 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli flakes if you have them. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan and cook 3 sliced onions and a slice of red chilli until the onion is browned and caramelised, about 20 minutes. Add 500g cooked lentils, stir well and season, then tip into a bowl to keep warm. Melt 2 tbsp butter in the same pan. Add the livers and cook until browned on the outside but still pink inside.

When the cabbage is tender, raise the heat and boil off any excess liquid. Season and stir in the chopped green tops of some spring onions. Divide the lentils between 4 warmed plates and top with the livers. Add 2 tbsp water, a splash of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan the livers cooked in and give a good stir; pour this over the livers and serve with a scattering of parsley if you have it, and a dollop of yoghurt.