Recipes from Deliciously Ella Every Day, by Ella Woodward

PAD THAI

Serves 2

Such a delicious dish, I think it may end up being a favourite recipe for lots of you. It's certainly very popular in my house! It's inspired by a recipe that a friend sent to me; I fell in love with it and adapted it over time to create this version. The sauce is definitely my favourite part, as it's so incredibly rich, with the most amazing array of flavours.

For the noodles:

2 large zucchinis

2 large carrots

100g buckwheat noodles

1 red capsicum, cut into very thin strips

handful of sesame seeds

30g cashew nuts

10g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

For the sauce:

8 tablespoons olive oil

15g bunch of fresh coriander

3 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon tamari

juice of 1 lemon

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Peel the zucchinis, then use a vegetable peeler to peel the flesh into strips around the core. I normally discard the seedy centres, as they're hard to peel. Do the same with the carrots.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Simply place everything into a blender or food processor with nine tablespoons of water and whizz until smooth.

Once the noodles have cooked, drain them and let them cool for a few minutes.

Place the noodles, carrots, courgettes, pepper, sesame seeds and cashews in a large bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix everything together, then sprinkle the mint on top.

Tweak It: For a lighter salad, skip the buckwheat noodles and use an extra courgette and carrot instead.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SLICES

Makes about 16

One of the pricier recipes in the book as it's very nut-heavy, but trust me, it is such a treat. The three layers melt together perfectly like little bites of paradise, with the ideal mix of biscuit, caramel and chocolate, just like a super-healthy, even more delicious version of millionaire's shortbread.

For the base:

150g almonds

125g pecans

400g medjool​ dates, pitted

2 tablespoons almond butter

For the caramel layer:

400g medjool dates, pitted

6 heaped tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the chocolate layer:

100g cacao butter

1 tablespoon almond butter

150g medjool dates, pitted

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)

Start by making the base: simply put the almonds and pecans in a food processor and blend for about one minute until a grainy flour forms, then add the dates and almond butter and blend again until the mix becomes nice and sticky. Transfer the mix to the bottom of a baking tin lined with baking parchment (mine is 31cm x 21cm x 6cm), pushing it down firmly with a spatula. Place the tray in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Next make the caramel layer. To do this simply put all the ingredients into the food processor with 120ml of water and blend until smooth and creamy, then pour onto the base layer and put the tray back into the freezer for 30-40 minutes, so it becomes firm enough to pour on the chocolate layer.

Finally make the chocolate layer. Place the cacao butter in a saucepan and melt on a low heat with the almond butter. Once they've melted, pour into the food processor with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

After the caramel has become solid, spread the chocolate layer on top, then place the tray back into the freezer and freeze for about two hours.

Store the whole sheet in the freezer. Take them out and leave at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, to let them warm up a little, then cut them into 16 slices to serve.