Poppy says: “Mmmm, yes please – a lovely, nutty satay curry. I love a good nut. The peanuts in this dish make for a delicious savoury curry that proves a satay doesn’t just have to be a chicken on a stick. Cook this up for your veggie friends and the meat-eaters won’t be complaining either.”

Serves 4

2–3 hours on high/6 hours on low

Ingredients

• 1 vegetable stock cube, plus extra if needed
• 200ml boiling water
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm dice
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 lime, zested and juiced 
• 1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained 
• 400ml full-fat coconut milk
• 150g peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons runny honey
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 150g kale, stems removed and sliced
• salt and black pepper

To serve:

• thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and julienned
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced

Method

First, dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water. Then add it to the bowl of your slow cooker with everything else except the kale.

Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper and stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on high for 2–3 hours or on low for 6 hours, until the sweet potato is completely tender. When the timer has 15 minutes left, stir in the kale.

Once the curry is cooked, taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed. If you prefer curry a little more loose, stir in more stock to your preferred consistency.

Divide the curry between four bowls and scatter over the ginger, spring onions, coriander and chillies.

My suggestions

This curry is delicious served with simply steamed white rice.

I love having some extra salted peanuts on top of my satay curry for a bit more of a crunch. Toss them in some curry powder and roast off in a hot oven (about 200°C/180°C fan) for 15–20 minutes with a drizzle of oil (or use your air fryer at 200°C for 7–10 minutes), then roughly chop them and sprinkle them over the finished curry.

Poppy says: “Whether it’s smothered over nachos, served with fluffy rice or filling a taco shell, this veggie chilli is a delicious way to change up the everyday weekly dinners and try something new. Top tip with chilli: always make too much, so you can have it three different ways throughout the week.”

Serves 4

4 hours on high

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, sliced 
• 300g closed-cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons chipotle paste
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 tablespoon red miso paste
• 1 teaspoon dark brown soft sugar
• 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
• 1 x 400g can of plum tomatoes
• 2 x 400g cans of butter beans, drained
• 150ml strong black coffee
• 20g 70% dark chocolate (optional)
• large handful of coriander, leaves roughly chopped
• salt and black pepper

Method

Add all the ingredients except the chocolate and coriander to the bowl of your slow cooker, then stir everything together and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Put the lid on and cook on high for 4 hours, until rich and tender.

Stir in the chocolate (if using), then taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve scattered with coriander and your accompaniments of choice.

My suggestions

Serve this up with steamed rice, warmed tortillas, quick pickled veg, grated cheddar, soured cream, toasted walnuts (trust me on this one) and a zingy cabbage slaw.

Dark chocolate is a great addition to a chilli, whether it be veggie, turkey or beef. It adds that extra bit of richness but doesn’t make it taste ‘chocolate-y’. Miso is also something you want to keep at hand, as it packs a punch of umami whenever you need it.

Don’t feel limited to using butter beans in this chilli – if you have a can of kidney beans in the back of the cupboard from 2016 that you’ve never known what to do with, then this is the perfect time to whip them out. Maybe check the use-by date, though.

Poppy says: “When I went through my vegetarian era, paneer was my go-to… for everything. It’s a delicious, squeaky-type cheese that can withstand a lot of cooking. It’s still very much a staple in my house – and I hope this recipe will make sure it’s one in yours, too.”

Serves 4

4 hours on high

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced 
• 4 fat garlic cloves, grated or crushed
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm slices
• thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated (or peeled and julienned or finely chopped)
• 1–2 green chillies, thinly sliced (or 1–2 teaspoons chilli flakes) 
• 450g paneer, cut into 2–2.5cm dice
• 25g butter, cubed
• 1 x 600g jar of passata 
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar 
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
• 150ml single cream
• 1 lime, juiced
• 150–200g spinach 
• small handful of coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• salt and black pepper

Method

Add the onion, garlic, peppers, ginger, chillies, paneer, butter, passata, tomato purée, sugar, garam masala and cumin seeds to the bowl of your slow cooker. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours, until the veg are completely tender and the paneer is pleasantly soft, but hasn’t completely fallen apart.

Stir in the cream, lime juice, spinach and coriander stalks, until the spinach has wilted. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Divide the curry between four bowls and scatter over the coriander leaves.

My suggestions

Make sure you cut your paneer into big enough chunks so that it doesn’t completely fall apart when you cook it.

I love this served with steamed coriander rice, and a flaky bread like a paratha to swipe up all of that sauce. Some extra sliced chilli is good, too, if you fancy.

If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can substitute the paneer for firm tofu and use a plant-based single cream.