It’s funny how I hate frozen peas but love fresh ones. Shelling peas always reminds me of being a kid and I’d eat more peas than would go in the bowl for mum. Sweet, crisp and light, they were perfect in this spring inspired salad with spicy radish, creamy potato, rich buttery leeks and a creamy, zingy,[read more…]
In warmer weather I love to make salads for meals and as I’m a bit of a pasta fan, I whipped up a pasta salad the other day with only a few simple, on-hand ingredients and it was really satisfying in that healthy, yet hearty pasta way; I loved the crunch of the raw vegies and walnuts[read more…]
I always feel kind of old fashioned thrifty when I use up leftover things as I did a while back with this dish, especially when they make up delicious, fried potato cakey things .. and despite the crispy appearance of these spicy little patties served with a garlicky, creamy sauce, they’re super healthy. My sweet potato mash is also[read more…]
I’ve wanted to make these for ages! I love chickpeas and I also love snacky things like chips and nuts to have with cocktails and thought these would be a healthier option. These little morsels were nutty, spicy and crispy not too long out of the oven and I really enjoyed them. So give them a go! [read more…]
I see a lot of recipes for sweet potato vegie burgers around so thought I’d give them a go. I roasted/sautéed the sweet potato and onion first as it gives a lovely caramelised flavour however apart from that, these are so easy to put together, they’re well worth it. I loved the sweet and spicy taste[read more…]
I love using maple syrup for savoury things and it goes particularly well with spicy, chilli based dishes. Instead of using traditional kidney beans for this spicy, Mexican dish, I thought I’d use black beans and some maple chilli roast sweet potato to add another flavour. I love the crispy sweet, caramelised potato with creamy avocado[read more…]
I’ve made no secret in the past of my liking for Mexican food so I thought I’d throw some Mexican inspired ingredients on top of a pizza base and it was delicious – easy, yet spicy, crunchy and full of flavours and textures. This rustic pizza has it all; spicy beans, corn, creamy avocado, zesty sour[read more…]
Erin from Keep Left very kindly contacted me recently to ask if I might like to participate in Bakers Delight’s current campaign to develop a lunch recipe using my choice of their lovely, freshly made bread. My immediate thought was the ciabatta because I love it, however I also really wanted to make something healthy and fresh, using some late summer produce, so[read more…]
A few years back I decided to try my hand at poaching eggs. So my boyfriend at the time and I found a site which said to bring a frypan of water to a simmer, add some vinegar, swirl with a knife to form a whirlpool effect for one minute then slowly crack the eggs into the[read more…]
This simple French dish is one of my favourite things to make. I’ve learned not to skimp on the oil and also, that the vegetables need to be cooked down really well on a slowish but longer heat, to encourage intensity of flavour, sweetness and also for a soft, silky texture. And this dish is even better the next day as[read more…]
I realise poor little cauliflower isn’t the most popular vegetable in the bunch (compared to say, the sexy avocado and frilly, trendy kale it must feel quite lonely), but we should all be eating more of it according to doctors and experts in these things. And less of the fun stuff. Also cauliflower allegedly has negative calories! Can this[read more…]
I love the creamy texture and coconut flavour of this soup combined with sweet pumpkin and carrots and only a handful of other ingredients. It’s gorgeous sprinkled with chopped pistachios and a toasted cheese sandwich on the side .. a perfect Saturday lunch on a cold day. A swirl of Greek yoghurt wouldn’t go astray either[read more…]
I based this on your basic chickpea hummus but added baked sweet potato and a teeny bit of chilli. It seems I’ve always eaten hummus and tzatziki, I sometimes make these dips from scratch and sometimes buy them ready made, either way they’ve made up a large part of my lunches over the past 15 years or so. Seeing as[read more…]
A spontaneous dish I made initially to use up the rest of the broccoli in the crisper and have made quite a few times since. This rustic dish was lovely with simple ingredients; the freshness of broccoli, a subtle hit of chilli, some crunchy nuts and salty Parmesan, all piled up in a bowl invitingly. I served ours with avocado because[read more…]
I don’t eat enough of this healthy vegie. The other day I roasted some cauliflower florets with lemon, chilli and pine nuts and it was delicious; slightly sweet and spicy with a nutty crunch, and not at all like the cauliflower mornay some of us might remember from being kids.
I make massive pots of this amazing soup every autumn/winter without fail; in fact I decided to buy a huge pot to accommodate it because the first time I made it, I didn’t have a saucepan big enough and had to make it in two. Over the years, I’ve made it my own by adding different[read more…]
This is one of those refrigerator pasta dishes (stuff left over in your crisper) I made a while back when cherry toms were still nice, which turned out so tasty, it’ll now be a regular dish in warmer weather. The lemony, garlicky mushrooms, sweet cherry tomatoes and peppery rocket were a lovely combination and so full of natural, healthy,[read more…]
I really enjoyed this cosy, spicy-sweet curry with classic spices, creamy sweet potato, nutty chick peas and fresh kale. Confession: I cheated and used a bit of curry powder. I realise it’s a bit 1980s, how-your-nanna-used-to-make-curry, using curry powder, but I find it adds a rounded, warm sweetness and works really well with the other spices, a couple of which are in[read more…]
I couldn’t resist buying these from my organic grocer; they looked so cool. I thought I’d show them off in all their funky 70s purple glory and just roast them in a bit of rosemary, sea salt, garlic and olive oil. I left the garlic in their skins as garlic is lovely this way, sweet and creamy when you remove[read more…]
Here’s a fresh, delicate, little salad we had the other day and both loved. The peppery rocket, sweet, crisp pears and grapes, crunchy walnuts and creamy, salty Parmesan went so well together with the subtly sweet and tangy dressing.
I’m always on the lookout for tasty zucchini recipes, as I love it’s crisp freshness. When I saw a recipe for zucchini pasta in a magazine years ago, I thought it looked perfect for a healthy, weekday meal so I adapted it by adding some new flavours. I have lots of those actually. Does anyone else have a heap[read more…]
I do love a classic potato salad. I’ve always enjoyed zesty, creamy ones so didn’t add anything to sweeten it up – if you prefer a sweeter salad, just replace some of the sour cream with mayonnaise. I make this recipe every summer and it’s a great combination of creamy and fresh with extra virgin olive[read more…]
I don’t often make my own pizza base. Sheer laziness I suspect but you know, I really enjoy kneading dough, it’s quite therapeutic and satisfying. I felt like a bit of energetic kneading recently so I whipped up a simple pizza from scratch, using seasonal vegetables – the best kind. Roast vegetables are so sweet[read more…]
I pretty much live for this dish in summer. Diced colourful cherry tomatoes or halved or vine ripened tomatoes, juice squeezed out, finely diced, with roughly sliced fresh basil, a bit of finely chopped spicy red onion (not too much if you don’t like things too oniony), a splash of sweet yet tart balsamic vinegar and fruity extra virgin[read more…]
I made a rustic (read: messy, I tried to place the vegetables in neat little rows but gave up) gratin tonight for dinner. Classic summer produce with olive oil, seasoning, some herbs and a good cheese – when baked, this has a lovely, herby oil on the base of the pan which you have to[read more…]
I’ve come to realise I really enjoy the change of seasons even more than the actual seasons themselves. You know, that first hint of coolness in the air signalling Autumn, or after a long, coldish winter you walk outside and have to take your jumper off because it’s too warm and you can smell spring, feeling the[read more…]
This is such a calming, simple, fresh soup recipe by Beth from allrecipes.com. Well, I mean, soup is calming isn’t it? It’s difficult to eat soup in a excited way unlike say, fried chicken or pizza for example where crumbs tend to fly everywhere. This soup is especially therapeutic though. This is the type of soup you[read more…]
I love this pasta dish. It’s my go-to recipe when my loved ones or I need a quick pick-me-up, comforting meal. It’s quite rich and satisfying and you don’t need a huge amount. It’s best with long pasta; either linguine or spaghetti. You can add as much or little garlic as you like. My other[read more…]
One of the simplest, healthiest and low carb meals. A mushroom omelet made with sliced sauteed Swiss browns and greens dressed with homemade French dressing. Sometimes I add slow roasted cherry tomatoes with the mushrooms to fill the omelet and they add a lovely sweetness. There were around 4 ingredients used for lunch today and it was lovely (all it was missing[read more…]
I love this spicy, healthy dish I adapted from Limes and Lycopene. It tastes even better if you leave it in the fridge for a few hours (or even a couple of days) before serving. If you want to step it up a bit, add around 60mls of coconut milk in the last 5 minutes of simmering.
