Cut the broccoli florets, with their thinner stalks attached, off the woody stems and save some of the smaller leaves. Discard the thick stalks and any particularly large and tough-looking leaves.

Dry-roast the sesame seeds and cashew nuts in a dry frying pan. When they suddenly begin to smell really toasted and colour up, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick wok, and add the radishes, spring onions and peppers when it is really hot. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the ginger, chilli and garlic. When the peppers begin to soften, add the broccoli and stir-fry everything for a few more minutes. Add a dash of shoyu or light soy sauce and continue cooking until the broccoli is just beginning to soften- it should retain some crunch. Add the toasted cashews and sesame seeds and stir well. Check the seasoning, and serve.

Put the wild rice in about 150ml (1/4 pint) water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked, about 40-50 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Warm the oil in a heavy-based pan with a lid, and add the onion. When it begins to soften, add the cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper. Add the quinoa and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add 200ml (7fl oz) water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.

Add the pine nuts and check the liquid, adding some more if necessary, and stir. Cook, covered, for 3 minutes, then check again and add the apricots. Stir in the cooked rice and cook, uncovered, until all the liquid has been absorbed- you will need to sit continuously to prevent it sticking. Check the seasoning, adding harissa or chilli sauce if you like. Serve, garnished with mint leaves.

Wild Rice

This is actually the seed of a grass unrelated to ordinary rice, and has a delicious, almost smoky flavour. It also takes longer to cook but can be cooked in advance, even up to a day beforehand. Keep cooked wild rice covered in the fridge if it is going to be some time before you use it.

Soak the cannellini beans overnight. Drain and rinse, and boil them in fresh water for 10 minutes. Drain again and set aside.

Warm the oil in a large pan and brown the onions gently. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and chilli. Cook briefly, stirring to prevent burning, then add the beans and cover with water or vegetable stock to a depth of about 5cm (2in)- you probably need 400-500ml (14-16fl oz). Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the pieces of chilli unless you want a hotter dish. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, paprika, tomato purée and honey. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. The liquid should be well reduced; you may even need to add a little more (and turn the heat down) if it is vanishing too quickly. Alternatively, turn the heat up to reduce it further if you have too much; either way, you should end up with a thick sauce. Check the seasoning and serve.

Handling Chillies

Be very careful not to touch your eyes, and wash your hands immediately after handling chillies. The seeds are the hottest part, so be thorough about removing them, and remember that chillies can vary in strength enormously, even if they come from the same pack or plant.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bring a pan of water to the boil and drop in the whole, unpeeled sweet potato- one weighing 200g (7oz) will take about 35-35 minutes to cook.

Put the olive oil in an ovenproof dish and pop it into the oven. When it is warm, add the squash, onion, fennel and red pepper. Tuck in the garlic and scatter the rosemary leaves over the top. Roast for 15 minutes, give the vegetables a good stir, and return to the over for 10 minutes. Add salt and black pepper, give it a final stir and roast for another few minutes.

Make The Mash

Drain and peel the sweet potato, then mash with a little orange juice (easy go at first and add more if necessary) and lots of black pepper. Remove the vegetables from the pan, fish out the garlic and squeeze the flesh out of the crisp skin into the sweet potato; mash it roughly. Serve with the roasted vegetables and a crisp green salad.

Sweet Potato And Squash

Some varieties can become greyish if peeled before cooking, but take a chance and boil peeled sweet potato pieces for 30 minutes, until soft. Use whatever squash is available, including courgette. Butternut squash is fine, but can be quite sweet- experiment.

Rinse and drain the lentils, checking for any small stones, and put to one side. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan with a lid and cook the onion and garlic until they begin to brown. Add the chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric and paprika and stir well. Stir in the lentils, then squeeze in some lemon juice. Add the cauliflower florets, 150ml (1/4 pint) water or vegetable stock and the desiccated coconut.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Check that there is still some liquid left, adding more if necessary, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the cashews, a little salt, and most of the mint (retain some for a garnish). Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally to prevent the dhal sticking. When the lentils have formed a really thick sauce, check the seasoning and serve immediately, garnished with a few mint leaves and accompanied by a fresh cucumber salad and raw onion rings.

Rinse the rice thoroughly, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook gently for 20 minutes, or until it is done but retains a bit of bite. Rinse roughly and set aside.

Toast the nori until it changes colour and becomes crisp. Crumble it into a dish. Make a sauce by whisking the rice vinegar, shoyu, sesame oil and ginger together. Put the nori and the sauce aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon rapeseed oil in a large non-stick frying pan and add the spring onions, carrot and green pepper. Fry for 5 minutes until they begin to colour, then add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

Break up any lumps in the rice with a fork. Then add the remaining oil and the sesame seeds to the frying pan, stir thoroughly, and add the rice. Now stir continuously, heating the rice thoroughly but ensuring it does not stick, add half the sauce. Season to taste and serve the hot rice immediately, with the toasted nori scattered over the top and the remaining sauce on the side.

Mix The Marinade

Put the shoyu, sesame oil, honey and garlic in a jug and stir thoroughly, then put to one side. Chop the onion into sections so that you have pieces that can be safely skewered without falling off. Seed and chop the pepper into 2.5cm (1 in) chunks, and slice the courgette into rounds.

Toss these, together with the mushrooms, in the marinade. Leave for 1 hour or so.

Preheat the grill. Thread the vegetables on to the skewers, transferring any remaining marinade into a small pan (if you don't have much left, don't worry- use some plain shoyu for dipping instead).

Place the kebabs under the grill or on the barbeque and cook, being careful to turn them regularly. Warm the remaining marinade over a low heat.

Remove the kebabs from the grill or barbeque when the vegetables are beginning to brown nicely and soften, and serve with the marinade or shoyu on the side. The kebabs can be served with brown rice and a green salad made from oriental leaves.

Soak the chickpeas overnight, then drain and rinse. Put them in a saucepan of fresh water, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse again.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan with a lid, and add the onion. When it is beginning to soften and colour, stir in the paprika and turmeric. Add the chicken and stir well to coat with the spices, then cook gently for 2 minutes.

Add the water, lemon juice, garlic and the partly-cooked chickpeas. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered. Check after 10 minutes to make sure the liquid isn't cooking away; turn the heat down further and add more if necessary. Check again after another 15 minutes and test the chicken- it should be almost ready. Check the seasoning, add the olives and some of the mint (if using) and cook for a further 5 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan, then reduce the chickpea liquid by boiling rapidly if it's not thick enough. Once it is, spoon the chickpeas and their sauce onto a plate, arrange the chicken pieces on top and garnish with mint leaves. Serve with a healthy green salad.

Remove as much fat from the steak as possible. Grind lots of black pepper over it, pressing it into the meat. Turn it over and repeat on the other side.

Place a heavy non-stick frying pan or ridged griddle pan over a high heat, and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. While it heats up, make the salads. Put the tomatoes and onion rings in a bowl, pour over the remaining olive oil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Put the salad leaves into another bowl.

When the oil in the pan begins to smoke, add the steak and cook on one side. After a few minutes- how many will depend on the thickness of the steak and how you like it cooked, but it should not be more than 5 minutes- turn it over and then cook the other side.

Serve immediately once the steak is done. Put the tomato salad on the plate with the meat and put the bowl with the salad leaves on the table separately. When you've eaten the steak and the tomato salad, put the leaves on your plate- the remains of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar from the tomatoes and the juices from the steak will make a delicious dressing for them.