California Style Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 fresh red chili, or yellow chili

bunch fresh baby spinach

1/2 red onion

1/2 red pepper

 bunch of fresh coriander

 bunch of fresh mint

1/4 ripe mango

1 lime

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 ripe avocado

50 g feta cheese

1 punnet cress

2 skinless chicken breasts or skinless and boneless chicken tights

 teaspoon smoked paprika

pinch of nutmeg 

olive oil

4 tablespoons fat-free yogurt

salt&pepper

*

This recipe is copied from Jamie Oliver; she saw it on his 15 minutes meals show and had to try it out immediately. It is her new summer favorite, absolute must to try! Put the quinoa into the pan and generously cover with boiling water and cook until soft. Put the chili, spinach, coriander (reserving a few leaves) into blender with some olive oil and lime, tear in the top leafy half of the mint, then blitz until finely chopped. On a large sheet of baking paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika and nutmeg. Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken. Put into the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, turning after 3 or 4 minutes, until blackened and cooked through or roast it in oven oil free on the baking paper.

Peel and cut the mango into chunks. Once cooked, drain the quinoa and rinse under the cold tap, then drain well again and tip on to a serving board or platter. Toss with the blitzed spinach mixture, season with salt and pepper and dash of extra lime juice and olive oil if needed.

Sprinkle the mango chunks and peppers over the quinoa along with some chopped red onion, halve and de-stone the avocado, then use a teaspoon to scoop curls of it over the salad. Slice up the chicken and add to the salad; crumble over the feta cheese, scatter over the remaining coriander leaves and water cress. Finish of with a few spoons of white yogurt.

Bon Appetit!

Asian Style Pulled Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 small roasted chicken or 2 roasted chicken legs

1/3 red cabbage, cored and finely sliced

1 carrot, grated or finely shredded

1/2 spring onion, finely sliced on the diagonal

1/2 red chili, halved and thinly sliced

Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, including stalks

Handful fresh baby spinach 

2 heaped tbsp roasted salted peanuts

Dressing

1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 teaspoon ginger syrup

juice from half a lime

salt&pepper

*

She got inspired by a recipe found on BBC food website which she wanted to try out immediately as it sounded like a perfect meal to eat in early summer days. She roasted a whole chicken for about 70 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius seasoned by salt, ground pepper, nutmeg and paprika with knob of butter and water by herself but one can of course buy the chicken already roasted. The boyfriend helped to pull the meat and shred it. Prepare the dressing by simply whisking all the ingredients together. She extra-roasted the peanuts and the already pulled chicken meat as well to make it a bit crispier, but this is an alternative step. Cut your vegetables, mix with dressing and set aside on a plate. Add fresh coriander, sprinkle with peanuts, chilies and chicken meat. Alternatively serve with bread, noodles or rice as per your preference.

Bon Appetit!

Freekeh Salad With Lamb Sausage

Ingredients:

150 g freekeh

4 lamb sausages

1/2 courgette

3 grilled pickled red peppers, cut into stripes

Handful roasted almonds

bunch of fresh parsley. chopped finely

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of cumin seeds

salt & pepper

*

Freekeh or farik is a cereal food made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. It is an ancient Arabian, super-nutritious, low in fat, high in protein and fiber food that is digested slowly. This was her first attempt to cook with this old-new super-food and the salad came out really tasty. Cook freekeh until soft with a pinch of  salt in a saucepan. Meanwhile fry the sausages on a frying pan, add a bit of olive oil, courgette and cook until al-dente and sausages are done. Add the freekeh and stir altogether adding cut slices of red pepper, roasted almonds and all the seasoning.  Super easy.

Bon Appetit!

Bulgur Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 pack of halloumi cheese

150 g cooked bulgur

1 bigger sweet potato

3 grilled pickled red peppers, cut into stripes

bunch of fresh rocket leaves 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of turmeric

salt & pepper

*

Delicious vegetarian meal perfect as a healthy lunch option that she saw on YouTube and had to try straight away. Boil the sweet potato and cook the bulgur with a pinch of salt until soft separately. Once the sweet potato is cooked, cut it into cubes, place on a hot plate, sprinkle with olive oil, season with nutmeg and turmeric, do the same with the halloumi cheese which you cut into thick slices. Grill both for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Once the potato and halloumi ready, add it to the rest of the ingredients, season with salt, pepper, lime and olive oil, mix and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Asian Style Salad with Salmon

Ingredients:

1/2 ciabatta or stale bread

300 g cooked or baked salmon fillets

leftover salmon skin (optional)

bunch of green beans, cooked

1/2 cucumber, cored and sliced

bunch of radishes, sliced

2 gem lettuces

1 apple - gala or pink lady type

1/2 fresh red chili pepper

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp ginger syrup

1 teaspoon ginger paste or fresh grounded ginger

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce

salt

*

She saw this salad on cooking show with Jamie Oliver and immediately wanted to try it out. It came out delicious and even the boyfriend approved even though he is not a salad lover and doesn't usually eat the skin. Start up by preparing your croutons. Rip the bread into large rustic croutons or chop into 2 cm chunks, drizzle with olive oil and place on a tray in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until golden and crispy (if you’ve got any salmon skin left over, pop it in with the croutons to crisp up). Bake your salmon fillets along if you don't have it cooked already.  Meanwhile, boil the beans in a pan of boiling salted water for around 6 minutes if using fresh, or just a couple of minutes if using frozen, until tender. Drain and allow to cool for a minute. Peel the ginger and finely grate into a bowl with the chili. Add the sesame oil or alternatively olive oil, vinegar, ginger syrup and soy sauce, mix together and put to one side. Halve the cucumber length-ways, scrape out the watery core, then dice, halve the radishes, cut the lettuces into erratic chunks, finely slice the apples on a mandolin or by hand using really good knife skills, and put it all into a nice serving bowl with the crispy croutons and salmon skin (if using). Add the beans to the salad and flake in the salmon. Drizzle the dressing over everything, toss together really well, and serve straight away. Serve with extra bread if you like.

Bon Appetit!

Spring Salad

Ingredients:

1 soft boiled egg

1 pack of baby asparagus spears

Handful fresh blackberries

50 g soft type goat's cheese

 Bunch of fresh salad leaves, baby spinach or similar

Bunch of fresh water cress

Bunch of fresh dandelion salad leaves

Bunch of edible flowers

Dressing:

4 tbsp mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 a small grapefruit

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

salt&pepper

*

 Spring time was here again and as the weather outside did not really look too springy, she decided to bring some spring to their kitchen at least. This was a very simple dish to prepare that looked just fabulous. The combination of blackberries and soft goat's cheese was delicious. Boil the egg, cook the baby asparagus spears al dente and place them in a bowl with ice cold water so they don't loose their color. Prepare your dressing and style all ingredients on a plate.

Bon Appetit!

CousCous With Lamb Sausage And Mint Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous

4-6 lamb meat sausages

100 g canned chickpea

8 dried dates, sliced

Bunch of fresh baby spinach leaves

1 cup white yogurt

bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely

pinch of dried out chicken bouillon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of chili powder

pinch of curry powder

cumin seeds, grounded

salt&pepper

*

Such a great couscous alternative. Put couscous into a bowl with the sliced dates, pinch of nutmeg, chili and curry powder, grounded cumin seeds, salt, pepper and dried out chicken bouillon. Pour over boiling hot water, cover with a lid and let rise and soften. Meanwhile start to fry the lamb sausages. No need to use any oil for frying. At the end throw in chickpeas and  heat it up on the oil from the lamb sausages with a pinch of nutmeg. Prepare yogurt sauce by simply mixing finely chopped mint leaves and parsley leaves with the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Place sausages on a plate, put couscous on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves, top with chickpeas. Serve with the yogurt sauce..

Bon Appetit!

Udon Noodles With Asparagus and Beef Strips

Ingredients:

250 g lean beef fillet

1 small pack fresh asparagus

8 radishes 

1/2 pack udon noodles 

Sauce:

60 ml soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp sesame oil 

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, rasped 

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, plain or smoked 

salt&pepper 

*

For those who like to experiment with Asian cuisine, this may be a simple and tasty meal to try out.

Start out by cooking the asparagus al dente. Cut the radish and cooked asparagus and put into a bowl. Put the udon noodles into sauce pan with salted boiling water and cook until soft, this should take about 8-10 minutes. Drain the water and let cool off. Prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients together. Put noodles into the bowl with prepared vegetables and add the sauce. Stir together.

Now the main focus is on the beef meat that should be tender and a bit pink inside. To ensure the best result, take the steak out of the fridge a minimum of 15 minutes before cooking. Brush both sides of the steak with olive oil, season the steak with sea salt & black pepper to taste, place the steak into the pan, try to avoid turning the steak too much. Ideally, you should only flip it once. Don't poke it with a fork or knife as it will put holes in it and allow the juices to seep out. When your steak is cooked, take it from the pan and place on a warmed plate or wrap in aluminium foil, allow the steak to rest for about 4 minutes. Cut into slices and place onto noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bon Appetit!

Quinoa Salad With Grapefruit, Goat's Cheese And Wasabi Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooked

1/2 grapefruit, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 pear, cut into cubes

75 g semi-soft goat's cheese eg. Chavroux Tendre Bûche 

Handful fresh rocket 

Bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Dressing:

1 tbsp yogurt mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi paste

1 tbsp maple syrup 

dash of fresh lemon juice 

salt&pepper 

*

Trying new things and experimenting is always fun. She found this recipe in Allerhande magazine and couldn't wait to cook it. This salad was easy and fast to make, surprising in combination of ingredients and very tasty. Cook quinoa as per instructions on the packaging. Set aside and let cool off. Prepare wasabi mayonnaise simply by mixing and whisking all ingredients together, It should not be runny. Peel and cut grapefruit and pear. Mix together with fresh rocket and finely chopped mint leaves along with quinoa. Top up with the goat's cheese and garnish with wasabi mayonnaise. 

Bon Appetit!