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

Homemade fish fingers with red cabbage, radish & carrot salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g fish

1-2 tsp each of garlic and onion powder (not onion or garlic salt)

¼ cup approx. of LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seeds, almonds) You can use your favourite crumbs here, gluten free crumbs, coconut, sesame seeds etc..

¼ red cabbage- sliced/shredded very fine

2 medium carrots- peeled and grated

6-8 radishes- grated

It's quicker to use the slice and grater attachment on your food processor

mayonnaise, about  1/3 of a cup

Mix the veg and mayo together.

Method

In a food processor, blitz up your fish and powders, until fairly smooth. On a lined baking tray with edges, sprinkle over some of your crumbs to cover the bottom. Put your fish mixture onto the crumbs and press with your hands to form a square or rectangle. Make sure it is right up against the edges. It should be about 1 cm thick of fish. Sprinkle over more crumbs to coat the fish. Cut into fingers and coat the edges if you can. Put in the fridge until you need them. In a large pan heat some ghee/coconut oil and cook on a medium heat 2 minutes each side. Serve up with your salad, some petite tomatoes and avocado and extra mayo to dip your fish fingers in.