Naomi Sherman

Rice and beans can sound bland and uninteresting, but this dish is anything but. Cooking the rice in the rich savoury broth means maximum flavour is absorbed, creating a delicious and filling dish that can be served as a side or a main.

This dish might be the best-baked beans you’ve ever eaten. Hearty and full of flavour with a sweet, tangy finish, these beans can be served as a delicious meal on toast or as a side dish. They are eaten as a snacking dip in Spain as well, scooped up with some crusty bread.

My favourite flavour combinations are mushroom and goat’s cheese, mushroom and thyme, thyme and garlic or mushroom and garlic … so I added all of these amazing flavours to my famous pizza base and created a new family favourite.

This sticky and sweet chicken is truly finger-licking good. You can throw this together in the morning and leave it to marinate in the fridge all day. It’s a quick, easy and super-delicious dish to cook on the barbecue.

Sweet, fresh corn is grilled until it has a hint of char and then slathered in a spicy, creamy, cheesy sauce in this nod to a popular Mexican street food.

Nothing pairs as beautifully as grilled steak with a fresh and tangy chimichurri. In researching flavour bases, I came across the classic Argentinean combination of sazon spice rub and chimichurri, so I based my rub on the traditional sazon. The main spice in sazon is achiote powder, or ground annatto seeds, but this is not readily available here. Instead, I’ve substituted it with the recommended combination of sweet paprika and turmeric.

This dessert has simple yet complex flavours. Soft, pillowy silken tofu is warmed and sliced into slivers which are then drenched in a sticky, sweet, spiced syrup that is to die for.

Crispy pastry encloses delicious veg-packed filling that tastes so incredibly satisfying that nobody will even notice there is no meat.

Packed full of delicious flavours and textures, this stir-fry is a quick and easy meat-free meal on those busy nights. Made with a few fresh veggies from the supermarket and pantry items, it’s a great addition to the menu roster.

Perfect for a quick dinner the kids will love, this sweet and tangy stir-fry has none of the usual heat. You can mix and match your stir-fry vegetables to suit what you have on hand or what your family prefers.

There are two sure-fire ways to make vegetables better. You can bake them, or you can coat them with cheese. Here, I’ve combined the two to make a dish where the sweetly softened leeks are bathed in a creamy cheese sauce until you have a tray of pure joy. You may want to keep the whole pan for yourself.

The ultimate in comfort food, this dish combines golden-brown chicken with luscious leeks and deeply delicious mushrooms in a rich and creamy sauce. Serve with silky mashed potato and eat curled up in front of a good movie.