Creamy Blue Cheese and Cucumber Salad

This super simple cucumber salad is punctuated with small cubes of blue cheese, giving it a creamy, strong flavour. If you don’t like the strength of blue cheese, it may be better for you to use something like a mild feta instead.

Ingredient List:
2 cucumbers
1 small onion
1 tsp. salt
250ml soured cream
75g blue cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. freshly chopped dill
1 tbsp. caster sugar
Pinch pepper

Directions:
1) Peel the cucumber, cut in half and then scoop out the seeds. Slice into half moons, then sprinkle with salt. Leave for half an hour.

2) Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion. Mix with the soured cream, vinegar, dill, caster sugar and pepper. Gently stir in the cheese.

3) Pat the cucumber dry and then stir into the dressing. Refrigerate for half an hour before serving.

Source: Cucumber Recipes.

Mint and Ricotta Pesto

Mint is an unusual ingredient to use in pesto as it can be quite strong, but it lends a wonderful freshness to pesto. It also makes the pesto a great ingredient for serving with meat such as lamb or beef – why not try stirring a few tbsp. of the pesto into your favourite meat casserole.

Ingredients List:
6 tomatoes
20 basil leaves
10 mint leaves
2 cloves of garlic
50g pine nuts
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. fresh ricotta cheese
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

Directions:
1) Seed and dice the tomatoes.

2) Place the tomatoes, basil leaves, mint leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth.

3) Season well with black pepper.

Source: Pesto Recipes.

Thai Beef and Peanut Curry

This tasty curry is chock full of flavour but is a real doddle to prepare. The beef comes out tender and delicious, and the addition of some crunchy peanuts towards the end of cooking adds a saltiness and different texture to the dish. Serve over jasmine rice.

Ingredients List:
2 potatoes
1 onion
600g beef stewing steak
1 tin coconut milk
3 cloves of garlic
400g tin coconut milk
4 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp. curry powder
3 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
3 tbsp. brown sugar
300ml beef stock
75g peanuts
50g butter

Directions:
Coarsely chop the onion and chop the potatoes into large chunks. Place into slow cooker.

Mince the garlic cloves. Cut the steak into chunks.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the beef and garlic together until browned on all sides. Add the beef and garlic to the slow cooker, leaving the cooking juices behind.

Return the pan to a medium heat. Stir the peanut butter, curry powder and coconut milk into the pan and cook until melted together. Add to the slow cooker.

Turn the slow cooker onto low and stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar and beef stock.

Cook on low for four to six hours, adding the peanuts half an hour before the end of cooking.

Source: Beef Recipe.

Spanish Lentils

Try cooking lentils in a Spanish style rather than the usual Asian style by frying them in chorizo, garlic and shallots before simmering them in red wine. The dish is then freshened up with some herbs, making it perfect for serving with something meaty, such as pork sausage or chicken thighs.

Ingredients:
250g dried Puy lentils
1 410g tin chickpeas
150ml red wine
100g chorizo
6 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 red pepper
Handful chopped fresh coriander
Handful chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Finely chop the shallots, chop and deseed the pepper and mince the garlic cloves. Slice the chorizo.

2. Bring the stock to a simmer and then add the lentils and simmer for twenty minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat half of the oil to a frying pan and fry the chorizo for five minutes. Once it has released some of its oil, add the shallots, garlic and pepper and fry for another 6-8 minutes until the pepper and shallots begin to soften.

4. Add the paprika and fry for one minute, then add the cooked drained lentils. Drain the chickpeas and add these, and then stir in the rest of the olive oil.

5. Add the wine and simmer until it has almost all evaporated. Once it is at this stage, season the dish well with salt and pepper and then stir in the freshly chopped herbs.

Source: Lentil Recipes.

Fried Trout and Mushrooms with Lime

Ingredient List:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds trout fillets
¼ cup milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
¼ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 limes, cut into wedges

Method:
1) Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high.

2) Place trout in a large bowl; top with milk and turn to coat. Place flour in a separate medium bowl; add trout and turn to coat, shaking off excess flour.

3) Place trout in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a serving platter and cover.

4) In a separate medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring. Continue cooking until mushroom liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5) Add parsley and seasonings to taste to mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, stirring. Spoon mixture over trout; surround with lime wedges and serve.

Source: Trout Recipes.

Vegetable Nut Loaf

This yummy nut loaf is absolutely full of vegetables, making it great for serving to any reluctant children. The combination of walnuts and sunflower seeds is an unusual but tasty one, packing the loaf full of fibre. Serve the loaf with a spicy marinara sauce for extra flavour.

Ingredient List:
300g grated carrots
200g chopped celery
2 small onions, chopped
75g mushrooms
1 small green pepper
5 eggs
175g wholemeal breadcrumbs
75g chopped walnuts
45g sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Directions:
1) Prepare a loaf tin with non-stick cooking spray and greaseproof paper.

2) Finely chop the onion, mushrooms and pepper together so that they are all roughly the same size.

3) Heat the butter in a pan until foaming. Fry the onion, mushrooms and pepper until softened. Combine with the carrots, celery, eggs, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, salt and pepper, basil and oregano. Once completely combined, stir in the breadcrumbs.

4) Press the mixture into the tin and bake in a 180C oven for 1 hour, until completely cooked through.

Source: Nut Roast Recipes.

Chocolate Dipped Apples

These tasty chocolate dipped apples are very commonly found around the shops in autumn, but they’re incredibly easy to make yourself and they’re great fun to do with the kids! This apple recipe calls for sugar coated chocolates and roasted peanuts, but feel free to cover the apples in any of your favourite sweets.

Ingredients List:
12 dessert apples
12 wooden skewers
1kg plain chocolate
75g roasted peanuts
75g sugar coated chocolate drops

Directions:
1) Wash and dry the apples and then impale them on the skewers.

2) Finely chop the peanuts and place them into a bowl.

3) Place the chocolate drops into a separate bowl.

4) Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or in a double boiler over a low heat until fully melted.

5) Dip the apples into the melted chocolate, making sure to fully cover the apple, before dipping into chocolate drops and the peanuts.

6) Place the apples apple side down onto some greaseproof paper to set.

Italian Leek Pizza Muffins

These muffins serve two or three people as a main course and four people as a starter. You could also add a slice of plum tomato to each muffin or you could use cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella.

Ingredients List:
250g leeks
4 savory muffins
4 slices ham, prosciutto if you can get it, cut in half
100g mozzarella
4 tbsp. fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Finely chop the basil leaves. Cut the mozzarella into slices and then finely shred the leeks. Cut the muffins in half.

2) Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the leeks over a relatively high heat for up to ten minutes with some salt and pepper until they’re softened.

3) Meanwhile, put the muffins under the grill so that they can toast.

4) Top each muffin half with the leeks, and then divide the basil between the muffins. Top each muffin with a half of a slice of ham and some mozzarella.

5) Put the muffins back under the grill until the cheese melts and browns, then sprinkle with some pepper before serving.

Source: Leek Recipe.

Prawn and Sesame Stir Fry

This flavourful and fresh stir fry would be perfect with either a zingy salad or some steamed rice.

Ingredient List:
500g prawns, peeled and deveined
250g sugar snap peas
175ml chicken stock
1 red pepper
3 spring onions
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. corn flour
3 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
1 garlic clove
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ground ginger

Directions:
1) Finely chop the spring onions and prepare the pepper by getting rid of the seeds and pith, then chop it finely. Mince the garlic clove.

2) Put the prawns, ginger, cayenne pepper, sesame seeds and minced garlic clove into a plastic bag and put the bag into the fridge to marinade for an hour or so.

3) When you’re ready to cook, heat the sesame oil in a wok and stir fry the pepper and spring onions for three to four minutes.

4) Add the teriyaki sauce, then add the sugar snap peas and the prawns and cook for a further four minutes or until the prawns are just cooked.

5) Mix the corn flour with the chicken stock until smooth. Pour it into the stir fry and cook until the sauce boils, then remove from the heat and serve.

Source: Stir Fry Recipes.

Haddock with a Lemon Sauce

Traditionally, lemon is a fantastic flavour that works well with all sorts of fish. Serve this lemon haddock with some buttered new potatoes.

Ingredients List:
300ml fish stock
2 bay leaves
Peppercorns
1 egg
Sprigs of dill
4 haddock fillets
1 lemon
2 tsp. arrowroot

Method of Preparation:
1) Zest the lemon and then cut it in two and squeeze all the juice from it.

2) Place the stock, lemon zest, bay leaves, peppercorns and sprigs of dill into a saucepan and bring the liquid to a simmer. Place the haddock fillets into the liquor and cook them for around 8 minutes or until flaking and tender.

3) Drain the stock and reserve 150ml of it.

4) Mix the lemon juice and the arrowroot in a saucepan, stirring all the time until combined and thickened. Add the stock in to the mixture, very slowly, stirring all the time until smooth and thickened.

5) Whisk the egg in a jug and then pour it into the sauce mixture very slowly, whisking constantly for around 4 minutes to prevent the egg from curdling. Once thickened, pour the sauce over the fish fillets.

Source: Haddock Recipes.