All posts tagged: mint

Beetroot & Lentil Salad with Goat’s Cheese Dressing

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This ‘go to’ salad is perfect for a super quick lunch and is substantial too, so will keep you full through the afternoon, but it doesn’t end there!! It makes a great vegetarian starter and could be served as one of a selection of salads for a larger meal.  Why not spoon some into a container when you want to take lunch on the go!  It’s so quick to make and for a great short-cut, I often use the little pouches of cooked organic beetroot you can buy, they’re such a good stand-by, just be sure not to pick up pickled beetroot by mistake! The goat’s cheese dressing is so delicious, you don’t need to keep it just for this recipe.  With the warmer weather and longer days our thoughts change to summer foods, lighter dishes and the anticipation of all the new seasons produce that spring and summer can bring. Try the dressing on barbecued or griddled vegetables, such as aubergine, peppers and courgettes. It would make a perfect accompaniment to steamed or barbecued asparagus, look out for fresh British asparagus coming into season …

Breakfast Crumble Bars & Herbal Infusion

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What a great way to start the day! ‘It’s like having pudding for breakfast!’  This recipe is so beneficial for maintaining and supporting digestive health and they certainly pack a punch!! Read on after the recipe to find the health benefits.  I’ve paired the Crumble Bars with a herbal infusion (‘tea’) containing a soothing blend of herbs, also great for hydrating the gut. Certainly not exclusive to breakfast you can enjoy these crumble bars anytime.  A perfect mid morning or afternoon snack, great as a pudding or you could even wrap one up for a packed lunch or as a great healthy snack for the children to take to school. If you need to follow a gluten free diet just make sure to use gluten free oats. Makes 9 pieces 3 eating apples 1tsp ground cinnamon 6 Medjool dates, pitted, about 100g total weight 75g coconut oil 3tbsp maple syrup 100g ground almonds 100g rolled oats 50g pumpkin seeds 50g sunflower seeds 50g ground flaxseeds salt Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Wash, quarter, core and coarsely grate the …

Lime & Coriander Salmon Salad

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This colourful salad is just perfect as a light summer lunch or supper. Packed with gorgeous flavours based on the traditional dish, Ceviche, from Latin America, where fish is marinated in lime juice and flavoured with chilli. Here, the salmon is cooked, flavoured with lime rind and combined with cucumber, avocado, pepper, red onion and fresh herbs, resulting in an amazingly refreshing dish. A glass of crisp white or rosé wine on the side, finishes this off beautifully!! If you’d like a non-alcoholic drink, try adding slices of lime and sprigs of mint to a jug of iced water, its deliciously fresh!! This recipe was developed as the lunchtime dish for a day’s menu  supporting the heart and circulatory system. Read on for details as to how each ingredient can benefit the body. Serves 2   2 salmon fillets grated rind and juice of 2 limes sea salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cucumber 1 red pepper ½ red onion 1 ripe avocado 1 red chilli 1tbsp olive oil 4tbsp chopped fresh coriander 1tbsp chopped …

Roasted Strawberries (& Figs)

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Not a throw back to summer but rather an attempt to make it last longer! My aim with this recipe was to try to jazz up some end of season strawberries that are beginning to lose their flavour and colour, then I noticed a couple of ripe figs in the garden. Now I’m not usually very lucky at timing picking the figs as most of them get eaten by birds and insects before I realise they’re ripe! But having picked them I was determined they weren’t going to sit on the fruit bowl, so they became the perfect addition to the strawberries in this recipe, adding some valuable fibre too. This is completely optional so please don’t go hunting around for figs to include here as the recipe is perfect with just strawberries. I think the whole family was amazed by the result of roasting the strawberries for such a short time. The secret ingredient, a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar, helps to caramelise the juices into a rich syrup and adds an amazing flavour. There is no …

Broad Bean & Radish Salad

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This summery salad is so deliciously fresh, using broad beans and radishes which are in plentiful supply at this time of year. I love broad beans, although I do remember a time when the little shrivelled grey offerings on my school dinner plate quickly got pushed to the side!  When I discovered the transformation a broad bean takes on when popped out of its outer rubbery shell, it took on a whole new life. Firstly the colour is so amazing, a vibrant lime green, the texture, smooth and tender, and the taste is so good. I generally use them in salads rather than as a vegetable accompaniment. I love the process of popping them out of the pods, opening each one to discover the beans nestled inside the fur linings, but then I am a bit of a softy! Removing the outer skin once cooked is also a great family job, especially when they ping across the work surface! The only disappointment with broad beans is the yield. A 500g bag full of broad bean …

Minted Pineapple with ‘Bounty’ Yogurt!

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This recipe was a very happy discovery one evening whilst having dinner with the family and it’s so easy and so delicious I had to share it with you! I had a lovely fresh pineapple I wanted to use, but decided I needed to make a little more effort than just slicing it up!  Mint makes a perfect partner, so the thinly sliced pineapple was jazzed up with a sprinkling of chopped fresh mint!  Delicious!  Coconut and pineapple are also great match, so with a spoonful of coconut yogurt on the side, there it was, an instant fresh and delicious dessert!  The chocolate shavings were a later addition as I recreated it for a quick dessert when family visited at the weekend.  It was perfect after a Sunday roast! It has to be one of the quickest, freshest, most delicious desserts ever and it really is so easy to make. Perfect after a heavier meal or a summer barbecue and it would make a great mid morning snack.  If you’re trying to be good and not succumb to chocolate then it is still a deliciously …