Green Avocado Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Very simple, fresh and green – perfect for a summer salad, or when you need a no fuss side salad that’s good at any time of the year.

salad2

Ingredients:
1 bag of baby spinach leaves – washed and spun dry
½ cup of pumpkin seeds
1 ripe avocado skinned and sliced
Parmesan or any other hard cheese

Optional dressing:
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the dressing and gently toss the spinach, avocado and seeds in the serving, lightly coat with the dressing and use a peeler to shave the cheese over the salad. Serve immediately.

Caramel Corn

The perfect food for a rainy Saturday afternoon with a movie

popcorn2

I normally make buttered, salted popcorn, but for an extra special treat, I made this crunchy caramel corn which is slow cooked in the oven to form a sweet, buttery shell around the popcorn. I used some gourmet blue corn I found when out shopping one day and used my hot air popper to pop the corn. If you don’t have one, you can pop your corn the old fashioned way in a heavy bottomed pan, or buy microwave popcorn and pop it that way.

Ingredients:
¾ cup of unpopped popping corn (one large handful!)
4 tbs butter
½ cup light brown sugar – packed
Pinch of salt

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees C/300 degrees F

Spread out the popped corn evenly over a non-stick baking sheet pan, or a buttered baking tin. You may need to use two baking trays if you don’t have a large one.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the butter, sugar and salt and bring to the boil until the caramel is golden.

Carefully pour the very hot caramel mixture over the corn and use a spatula to toss to coat. Spread the corn out again evenly and bake for 40 minutes, turning it every 10 minutes to ensure it is completely coated in a shell of crunchy caramel.

When it is ready, keep the children away from it and leave to cool before it is devoured!

You can also add peanuts, cashews or brazil nuts to the corn.

corn bowl

Summer Vegetable and Goats Cheese Wellington

Super easy to make – summer vegetables and goats cheese encased in puff pastry.  A tasty and filling lunch dish, that is good hot or cold and served with lots of salad.

Roast Veg parcel

Ingredients:
1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into large chunks
2 small courgettes/zucchini, halved lengthways and cut into chunks
2 red onions, cut into wedges
1tbs dried oregano
1 pack of chestnut/cremini mushrooms, chopped
½ clove garlic microplaned (optional)
Small bag of baby spinach, washed and spun dry
1 tbs Thyme leaves, chopped
Goat cheese, such as chevre, roughly broken up into crumbles
Puff pastry – either home made or shop bought and rolled into a rectangle
1 tbs butter
1tbs olive oil
1tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Egg and a little milk for brushing

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C

Roasted veg

Toss the peppers, courgettes and onions in half the olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper and roast until tender and the edges starting to brown. This will take around 30 minutes. Leave to cool

In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms on a medium heat in the butter and olive oil with the garlic until golden. Remove and using the same pan, add the spinach and sauté for another minute or two until wilted and leave to cool.

Place the puff pastry onto a lined baking sheet and cut thick strips around the edge, leaving the centre intact.

Mix together all the vegetables and thyme and place onto the pastry, topping with the goats cheese.

Brush the strips with a little of the egg wash and fold over the ends first and then alternate side strips until the filling is encased. Cover with cling film and chill for an hour or overnight if you are making ahead.

When you are ready to bake, brush the egg wash all over the pastry and bake for around 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.

Roasted veg parcel sice