All posts filed under: Main courses

Mozzarella, Parma Ham & Mango Salad

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I’ve been making this salad for a while now and I’m so pleased its become a family favourite. Its the easiest salad to put together and is really packed full of delicious flavours. This is one of those recipes that look like you’ve spent ages in the kitchen but with a few great ingredients you can serve something amazing really quickly! I find a good plateful of the salad is enough for me but would usually serve it with a big bowl of pesto pasta to fill up the family!  It would also make a perfect summer lunch served with crusty bread or a good gluten free alternative such as a herby quinoa salad. I’ve chosen to use Parma ham but any other Prosciutto (Italian cured air-dried ham) would be great too. I’ve used one of my favourite ingredients, dried chilli flakes, in this recipe, I find the children enjoy a small amount but you could just sprinkle half the salad with chilli and let them tuck into the the chilli free half! You can vary the quantities depending …

Quinoa, Feta & Pomegranate Salad

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This has quickly become my go to salad!!  I love it.  Although I have to admit that I wasn’t too keen the first time I  cooked quinoa, but with some experimenting I discovered a great way to cook it and how to pack lots of flavour into it!  This recipe really ticks every box, it’s packed with protein, bursting with flavour and with the sparkly red pomegranate seeds, is gorgeous to look at!  A healthy substantial meal, perfect all year round. I’ve always loved roasting vegetables, it brings out the natural sweetness and intensifies their flavour.  The ingredients list may look long but this is one of those recipes where you can play around with the flavours a little and substitute the vegetables you like, whats in season or what you have available in the fridge or garden. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do! If you’re in a real hurry there are some ready cooked pouches of quinoa available in the supermarkets, but check the ingredients as they can have a lot …

Pea and Watercress Soup

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 As the Spring temperature took a sudden dip I found myself wanting a warming bowl of soup. Not a thick, stand your spoon up in it, winter vegetable soup but a lighter, fresher one.  This Pea & Watercress soup is like Spring in a bowl! Not only is the colour amazing but the flavours are intense too.  It may seem like an awful lot of peas, but as well as giving the soup a great flavour they also act as a thickener.  The watercress then adds a lovely light peppery flavour on top. This really is so quick and easy to make and the soup only contains three ingredients! A bowl of this will make a huge boost to your daily vegetable intake, the peas adding a great source of protein and the watercress is packed full of amazing vitamins and minerals.  A perfect lunch, starter or pour into a flask for a healthy packed lunch.  If you have time then do make the seed topping as it gives a great crunchy contrast.  Sprinkle them on …

Thai Pesto

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I fell in love with this the first time I made it and I’ve been experimenting with the flavours ever since!  I wanted to create something to pep up a piece of roasted salmon and vegetables and this does it perfectly.  It has a subtle warmth from the chilli balanced with the fragrance of the herbs, it not only tastes good but smells amazing too!  I’ve tried the Thai Pesto with steamed courgette noodles and sautéed prawns, stir fried courgette and carrot noodles with mushrooms and its also perfect with a piece of grilled chicken, simply stirred into some pasta or spooned on top of some rustic tomato soup.  The uses really are endless.  Adding spinach to the pesto also helps increase your vegetable intake and as its raw you really get all the goodness from it!  So simple I promise it only takes about 10mins to make!  This works really well in a food processor but if you’ve got a nutri bullet or similar you’ll have it whizzed together in a flash, just add the oil and lime juice …

Spiralized Vegetable Noodles

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This seems to be one of the latest buzz foods so I had to have a go to see what all the fuss was about!  Not being able to eat regular pasta and not a big fan of the high sugar gluten free alternatives I’m often slightly stumped over what to have for that quick midweek supper so I wanted to see if spiralized vegetable noodles would be a suitable option. Well I’m now converted!  I was given a handheld spiralizer, a bit like an oversized pencil sharpener and set about making some courgette noodles.  Its amazing how long a length of noodle you can make!  I stir fried my first batch in a little coconut oil and had them with a homemade pesto.  Not the most photogenic result but it tasted good.  The second batch I steamed for about 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally with a spaghetti spoon.  These noodles kept their gorgeous green colour and still retained a little bit of crunch.  I served them with sautéed prawns and my Thai Pesto, well suddenly my super quick mid …