Winter salad

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and halved
½ pillow pack mixed rocket and spinach (about 60-80gms)
Handful of watercress, torn
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
10cm cucumber, julienned
40gm herbed croutons

1 Tblsp capers, finely chopped
2 Tblsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tblsp red wine (if you have)

Method
Arrange the spinach, rocket and watercress in the base of a large salad bowl.
Scatter over the tomato halves and the cucumber.

For the dressing, mix together the capers, lemon juice, oil and wine.
Pour over the salad, and toss well to combine.

Scatter over the croutons and arrange the eggs around the edge of the bowl.

I served this with cold boiled new potatoes in their skins.

Leek cobbler

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quickish

Ingredients
300gm leeks, trimmed and sliced
4-6 courgettes, sliced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 green apple, grated
400ml veg stock

100gm cake flour
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
Salt
1 Tblsp olive oil
75gm natural fat free yoghurt

Method
Combine the flour, oil, yoghurt, thyme leaves and a little salt to form the pastry.

Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the leeks, courgettes and carrot for a few minutes until the leek starts to soften.
Add the stock and simmer for ten minutes.

Stir through the peas and grated apple.
Tip into a sprayed/greased casserole dish.

Roll or press the pastry to about 1cm thickness.
Cut out pastry rounds and place on top of the veg and ham mix.

Bake at 200°C for 20 – 25 minutes until the pastry rounds are browned and the vegetables are bubbling.

Serve with plain boiled potatoes, if you wish.

Spicy spinach and chickpeas

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
300gm potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 x ±410gm tin chopped tomatoes and onion
1 x ±410gm tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
250gm spinach, roughly chopped
2 sprigs Vietnamese coriander, leaves chopped
1 tsp each: ground coriander, paprika, turmeric, chilli
1 Tblsp cumin seeds

4 whole wheat naan breads
Fat free natural yoghurt

Method
Put the potatoes on to cook in lightly salted boiling water.
Drain when tender, and keep warm.

Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric and chilli powder until fragrant.
Add the chopped tomato and onion mix.
Add the chickpeas.
Allow to come to the boil, and simmer for five minutes.

Add the potatoes.
Add the spinach and chopped Vietnamese coriander.
Keep turning until the spinach has wilted.
Warm the naan breads.

Serve the Spicy spinach and chickpeas in bowls.
Accompany with warm naan breads, natural yoghurt and chutney.

Broccoli and asparagus pesto pasta

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
240gm pasta (I used farfalle)

250gm broccoli, broken into florets
150gm green asparagus, cut into 3cm lengths
3Tblsp pesto
250gm fat free smooth cottage cheese
4Tblsp pine nuts
16 cherry tomatoes, halved

Method
Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water.
Drain when al dente, reserving about 3Tblsp of the cooking water.

Steam, microwave or boil the broccoli and asparagus.
Drain and keep warm.

Stir the pesto through the cottage cheese.
Put the pasta, reserved liquid, tomato halves and cheese/ pesto mix back in the pan.
Reheat very gently. (Cottage cheese tends to separate when it gets too hot.)

Serve garnished with the pine nuts, and a salad on the side.


This is just as good cold, so you can use leftovers for a packed lunch that needs no heating.
I thought, after I had made this, that I could have dropped the asparagus and broccoli into the same pan as the pasta, and saved on the washing up!

Curried chickpeas and spinach

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
I large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tblsp Patak’s Rogan Josh curry paste
2 tsp chopped root ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
1 x ±400gm tin chopped tomatoes
2 x ±400gm tins chickpeas, rinsed and drained
250ml vegetable stock
400gm baby spinach, roughly chopped
3 Tblsp chopped fresh coriander
4 naan breads

Method
Spray a large saucepan with non-stick cooking spray.

Dry fry the onion and garlic until the onion starts to soften.
Add the curry paste, ginger, cumin and turmeric and stir well.

Add the chilli and red pepper, the tomatoes and stock.
Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the spinach a little at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Stir in the chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes more to heat through.
Stir through the chopped coriander.

Serve the curry with warm naan breads and mango chutney.

Green stir fry

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
300gm green asparagus spears cut into 3cm lengths
1 green pepper, cut in chunks
200gm frozen green beans
2 sticks celery, sliced
150gm button mushrooms, sliced
150gm spinach, chopped
1 tsp grated ginger root
1 Tblsp sesame seeds

240gm rice

Method
Cook the rice in lightly salted boiling water until it is tender.
Drain and keep warm.

Spray a wok with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the onion and celery until they soften.
Add the ginger, mushrooms, and green pepper .
Lastly add the spinach and green beans.
Give it all a good stir to combine.
Continue stir frying until the spinach wilts.

Serve the vegetables over the rice.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Home-made pesto pasta

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
250gm whole wheat spaghetti
Large bunch spinach. coarsely chopped

2 Tblsp toasted pine nuts
1 Tblsp Olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tblsp water
1 (±30gm) pack rocket , roughly chopped

Freshly grated parmesan

Method
First, make the pesto:
Using a liquidizer or hand-held blitzer, grind the rocket, oil, garlic and water to a rough paste.
Add the pine nuts and blend to finish off the pesto.

Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water until it is al dente.
Drain, reserving 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
Return the pasta to the saucepan with the reserved liquid.
Add the spinach, a handful at a time, and allow it to wilt.
Now add the pesto and give everything a good stir to combine.

Serve the pasta with grated parmesan and a crispy fresh salad.

Creamy mushroom pasta

Serves 4 : Easy : Quick

Ingredients
300gm button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, sliced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 x ±340ml can ‘lite’ evaporated milk
2 Tblsp maizena mixed to a paste with a little water
2 Tblsp chopped parsley

400gm ribbon pasta

Method
Put the pasta on to cook in lightly salted boiling water.
Drain, once cooked, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, spray a saucepan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and chilli.
Continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Pour in the milk and heat until it starts to bubble.
Gradually add the maizena paste, stirring all the time.
Once the sauce has thickened, stir through the parsley.

Serve the mushroom sauce over the pasta, with a mixed salad on the side

Cannellini pizza

Serves 4 : Easy : Quick

Ingredients
4 naan breads

1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
4 Tblsp passata
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
120gm low fat mozzarella, grated

Dried oregano

Method
Preheat oven to 200ºc.
Spray a large baking tray with non-stick cooking spray.

Spread the passata on the naan breads.
Space the naan breads on the baking tray.

Top with onion and pepper slices.
Pile on the cannellini beans.
Sprinkle with the cheese.

Finish with a pinch of oregano.

Bake at 200ºc for 15 minutes until bubbling and browned.

Serve with a crispy fresh salad.

Minestrone a la Genoa

Serves 4 : Easy : Quick

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 large carrots, scrubbed and sliced
250gm green beans (I used frozen)
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small cabbage, shredded
350ml tomato juice (I blitz a can of chopped tomatoes)
80gm small pasta shells
1 litre hot vegetable stock

2 x ±350gm cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 small loaf olive Ciabatta

Method
Put all the vegetables into a large saucepan as you prepare them.
Add the stock, tomato juice and pasta shells.
Simmer for 20 minutes, by which time the vegetables and pasta will be al dente.

Add the cannellini beans.
Allow to heat through thoroughly.

Ladle into individual bowls and serve with Ciabatta bread.