Goat’s Cheese, Beetroot and Walnut Salad

This salad will satisfy your hunger while introducing a whole new world of taste possibilities. The goat’s cheese mixes well with the beetroot and the walnuts add some great texture to the meal. It is something that you could eat for lunch, serve as a side dish at a dinner party, or simply eat as a snack while you are playing partypoker or watching a film. This recipe will not take long to make as there is no cooking involved, so read on for a simple, tasty idea that will leave you feeling healthy and positive.

Ingredients:

50g goat’s cheese
2 chopped, cooked beetroot
2 tbsp walnuts
1 large handful lettuce leaves
1 handful fresh p
arsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey

Method:

Chop the walnuts into small pieces, crumble the goat’s cheese and roughly chop the parsley.
Wash the lettuce leaves and rip roughly in half.
Place the lettuce leaves in a large bowl.
Top with the walnuts, beetroot, goat’s cheese and parsley.
In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey together.
Pour this dressing over the salad and serve.

This dish can be varied in many ways. For example, you could use chopped apples instead of beetroot and you could warm up the goat’s cheese to make the dish more decadent. To do this, you will need a whole goat’s cheese with the rind intact. Place it on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake it in the oven for about 6 minutes so that it becomes soft inside. However you choose to make this salad, it will leaving you feeling healthy yet satisfied and it is an impressive dish to serve up to others.

Bakewell Tart

bakewell-tartServe warm with single cream as a dessert or cold at tea time.

1 quantity shortcrust pastry
100 g/4 oz soft margarine or butter
100 g/4 oz light brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
few drops almond essence
25 g/1 oz plain wholemeal flour
50 g/2 oz ground almonds
3 x 15 ml spoons/3 tbsp raspberry or plum jam

Methods:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ gas 6.
  2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and use to line a greased 18 cm/7 inch greased flan dish. Chill while making filling but retain leftover pastry. Cream together the butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs and flavour with a few drops of almond essence. Fold in the flour and ground almonds.
  3. Spread the jam over the pastry base, and spread the almond mixture over it. Roll the remaining pastry and cut out strips 19 x 1 cm/ 7/2 X 1/2 inches. Lay over the flan in a criss-cross pattern and secure the ends to the pastry crust with a little water. Glaze the pastry with milk and bake at the high setting for 5 minutes, the reduce the heat to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes, until golden and firm.

Honey and Lemon Cake

honey-lemon-cake-small200 ml/7 fl oz clear honey
25 oz butter or margarine
175 g/7 oz wholemeal
self-raising flour
pinch salt
1 x5 ml spoon/1 tsp mixed spice
grated rind of 1 large lemon
juice of 11/2 lemons
I egg, beaten
50 g/2 oz light brown sugar

Methods:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ gas 4.
  2. Grease and line the base of a 20 cm/8 inch round tin. Heat together the honey and butter or margarine until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, salt, spice and lemon rind, egg and 3 x 15 ml spoons/3 tbsp lemon juice. Turn the mixture into the tin and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden-brown and a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  3. Turn out onto a wire rack and while still hot, combine the remaining lemon juice and sugar and spoon over the cake top. Leave to cool.

French Beans in Creamy Mustard Sauce

french-bean450 g/1 lb French beans, trimmed
4 X 15 ml spoons/4 tbsp mayonnaise
3 x 15 ml spoons/3 tbsp milk or natural yoghurt
1 x 5 ml spoon/1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 X 5 ml spoon/1 tsp tarragon

Methods:
Cook the beans in slightly salted water until tender, drain. Meanwhile, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small pan and heat through without boiling. Pour the sauce over the beans and serve.

Sesame Carrots with Chives

OT4477450 g/1 lb small carrots
50 g12 oz butter
2 X 15 ml spoons/2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 X 15 ml spoon/1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Methods:

Leave tiny carrots whole, slice larger ones in half lengthwise. Boil in slightly salted water until just tender, drain.

Cook carrots or French beans in 4 x 15 ml spoons/4 tbsp water for about 8 minutes on HIGH, leave to stand for 5 minutes. Melt the butter on HIGH for 1 minute.

Red Cabbage with Apple and Walnuts

marinated-red-cabbage-salad-with-walnuts-and-mandarin-oranges2625 g/11/2 lb red cabbage, shredded
2 large cooking apples, peeled cored and chopped
1 large onion, sliced
50 g12 oz walnut pieces
50 gl2 oz raisins
1 x 15 ml spoon/1 tbsp brown sugar
1 x 5 ml spoon/1 tsp salt
3 x 15 ml spoons/3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2.5 ml/11/2 tsp dry mustard 150 ml/1/4 pint apple juice

Methods:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/325°F/ gas 3.
  2. Mix all the ingredients in a casserole dish. Cover tightly and cook for 11/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is tender.

Grated Courgettes in Orange

IMG_2736_13 courgettes trimmed
juice and rind of 1/2 orange
25 g/1 oz butter
salt and freshly ground black
Pepper

Methods:

Coarsely grate the courgettes into a bowl with a steel grater. Add the orange rind and juice and leave for at least one hour. Heat the butter in a wok or frying-pan and add the courgettes. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until tender, then season to taste.

Okra with Tomatoes

okra2450 g/ 1 lb okra
2 x 15 ml spoons/2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
400 g/1 lb can chopped tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice 1 lemon

Methods:

Wash the okra and wipe off any hair using absorbent paper. Carefully trim off the stems, but do not cut into the okra itself as it releases a sticky fluid when cooking. Heat the oil and gently fry the onion until lightly golden, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the okra, tomatoes, seasoning and lemon juice and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for about 40 minutes, stir occasionally taking care not to damage the okra. When the okra is tender serve hot or cold as a salad.

Crispy Onion Rings

onion-rings4 large onions cut into slices
75 ml/3 fl oz milk
50 g/2 oz plain wholemeal flour
salt and freshly ground black
pepper
oil for deep frying
paprika

Methods:

Separate the onion slices into rings. Place the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dip the onion rings into the milk, then dip in the flour. Fry a few rings at a time in hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden-brown, drain on absorbent paper and keep warm.

Stuffed Spanish Onions

bbq-onions4 Spanish onions
2 mushrooms
1 large tomato, skinned
100 g/4 oz breadcrumbs
1 x 5 ml spoon/1 tsp mixed herbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
25 g/1 oz Cheddar cheese

Methods:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ gas 6.
2. Trim the roots from the onions and peel off the other skin. Add to a pan of boiling water, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from the pan, reserving 4 x 15 ml spoons/4 tbsp cooking water, and allow the onions to cool slightly.
3. Carefully remove of the onion, leaving two or three outer layers intact and place in a food processor with the mushroom, tomato, all but 2 x 15 ml spoons/2 tbsp breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning to taste, blend until a fine mixture is obtained.
4. Stuff back into the centre of the onions. Combine the remaining bread- crumbs and cheese and sprinkle over the top of the onions.
5. Place the onions in an ovenproof dish, pour around the reserved cooking liquid and cover with foil.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes.
7. Remove the cover and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the tops are golden-brown.