Roasted warm vegetable salad with basil crème fraiche vinaigrette

Ingredients

600g sweet potato and potato-you can use a mix or just 1. Keep the skin on and chop to a 1 cm dice.

1 large broccoli, cut into florets

½ large cauliflower, cut into florets

300g green beans, top and tailed

Method

This is the timeline because the veg takes different times.

In an oven tray toss the potato/sweet potato in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast this at 200 c fan forced for 20 minutes. In another roasting tray toss the broccoli and cauliflower in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Then put the broccoli and cauliflower in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.

Throw the beans on top of the sweet potato and give them a toss through the oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast a further 15 minutes. Everything should now be cooked at the same time.

You can serve hot if you like but I served mine as a warm salad.

Add your protein, I had mine veg and did hard boiled eggs and pan fried haloumi. If you want vegan you can heat some lentils, chickpeas or cannellini beans.

So the sweet potato takes 45 minutes. The broc/cauli take 25 minutes and the beans take 15 minutes.

Basil, crème fraiche vinaigrette

Juice of 1 lemon

A handful of basil leaves

1 small clove of garlic

1 tbsp crème fraiche- or you can use sour cream or cream, or just use oil

2 tbsp mild tasting olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

Pulse in a food processor until combined, Taste and adjust your seasonings.

Or finely chop the basil and garlic and mix by hand.

Cajun chicken, chickpea and avocado salad with lemon and chive crème fraiche dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g chicken breast or thigh ( I always do extra to have for lunches)

1 x 400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

180g bag of mixed lettuce- You can use cos lettuce, rocket, baby spinach, chopped kale or coleslaw, whatever you like!

2 tomatoes, diced

2 lebanese cucumber, diced

1 small red onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced thinly

1 avocado, diced

1 portion of crème fraiche dressing (below)

Cajun spice mix (recipe below)

Method

Slice your chicken into 4 or so pieces and then rub some of the spice on both sides. It is up to you how much you would like to use. Heat a pan with a little oil and cook 4 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the middle. At the end of cooking put in your chickpeas and heat through for 2 minutes.

To serve place your lettuce mix, tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado onto 4 plates. Top with chicken and your crème fraiche dressing.

Crème fraiche, lemon and chive dressing

Ingredients

¼ cup of crème fraiche- or you can use sour cream

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped chives

½ tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Method
Mix together well. Add a little water to make a nice dressing consistency.

Cajun spice mix

Ingredients

¾ tsp salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp chili powder (or to taste)

Method

Using a spice grinder or similar and grind to a powder. Keep in an airtight container.

Use to rub on beef, pork, chicken, fish and prawns

Corn fritters

Makes 8-10

Ingredients

The kernels from 3 cobs of cooked corn, this should be about 2 cups. You can use frozen corn that has been defrosted or canned corn. Whatever suits you.

¾ -1 cup of rice flour

2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup of milk

Method

Mix the corn, salt and pepper, eggs, baking powder and ½ a cup of the rice flour, mix well. Add more flour as needed the mixture needs to be really thick.

In a large pan heat a little oil. Spoon your mix in, about 4-5cm in diameter. Cook on a medium heat until golden brown underneath, then turn over and cook the other side. They don’t take long!

You can make these the night before and just heat in the morning. They are good in a child’s lunch box.

This is your basic mix- this to add to the mix include grated zucchini, diced red capsicum (which is what I used in there) diced mushrooms or other cooked vegetables like sweet potato, broccoli, grated haloumi, herbs like chives, parsley, basil. You can add jalapenos, diced olives, sundried tomato, cooked diced bacon…so many thing you can do here!

To serve you can do bacon, avocado and tomato. Just cook your bacon and tomato together in the pan. You can top with smoked salmon, sweet chilli sauce and sour cream. Top with poached, fried or scrambled egg and wilted spinach.

With your mix just remember that whatever you add it may have a higher water content which will make the mix more watery- when you are ready to cook you need the consistency to be really thick, if it’s not just add more rice flour. Easy as.

corn and capsicum fritters with smoked salmon, sweet chilli sauce and sour cream

With bacon, avocado and tomato

Prawn and avocado rice paper rolls

Makes 16

Ingredients

125g dried vermicelli noodles, I have used brown rice vermicelli-find in the noodle section at the supermarket- cooked according to instructions, then rinse with cold water.

400g cooked prawns- count how many and divide by 16 to work how many to put in each one

1 carrot, cut in half to get 2 short pieces and then cut into matchstick size

1 lebanese cucumber, sliced lengthwise, scoop the seeds out with a teaspoon, and then slice thinly

½ red capsicum, sliced thinly

If you have some lettuce to use up you can shred a few leaves and add this in the veg mix

1 avocado, sliced

Mint leaves- about 3-4 for each roll. You could also use thai basil.

2 packs of rice paper- find in the Asian section at the supermarket

Dipping sauce is sweet chili sauce, lime juice and fish sauce.

Use approx. 1 lime, 2 tbsp sweet chilli and about 1-2 tsp fish sauce. Please taste and adjust according to your liking.

Method

Mix the noodles and vegetables together.

In a large frying pan put in some warm water.

Take 1 rice paper roll and dip in cover with water for about 5-10 seconds until flexible. If you leave to long it will end up breaking.

Place the rice paper on a clean board and near the bottom end of your paper put 3-4 prawns, a slice of avocado and a small handful of your noodle mix/veg and 3-4 mint leaves.

Fold like a burrito. Fold the bottom in, and then both sides and then roll up.

Serve with Thai dipping sauce.

Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber crackers

A  whole lebanese cucumber, ends trimmed, then lay it down and slice the edge of the cucumber so the edge is straight, repeat so you end up with a rectangle with no round edges. Then slice to form “crackers”

Lay down and lay on a slice of cream cheese, smoked salmon. You can garnish with some diced tomato or sprouts, If you are dairy free use avocado in place of cheese. You can use brie or camembert as well.

You can use dill, capers, sliced hardboiled egg slices, chicken, tuna/mayo, prawns, beef, grated carrot, diced capsicum. You can do cucumber rounds as a nibble or 2 slices as a sandwich. Great for kids lunch boxes.

Quesadilla’s

Makes 4 flatbreads

Ingredients

Filling of your choice

Spelt flatbreads/tortilla wraps

200g spelt flour

Good grind of salt

1 tbsp melted ghee/olive oil

About 60ml water approx.

Put the flour, salt and ghee in a bowl and enough water to form a dough. Knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Divide into 4 even balls and roll out each one into very thin circles. Cook in a dry pan for 1 minute each side. You will see the flatbread lighten in color and bubble up a little. Take out flatbread and put your filling on one half, such as cheese and corn, chicken cheese and kidney beans, cheese and vegetable etc… fold over to form a semi circle and put in a pan and toast each side until golden brown, or until cheese has melted. Serve with mashed avocado, salsa, sour cream etc..