Sometimes I can’t be bothered to cook an extravagant meal, so I always fall back on salads. They are quick, delicious and good for you. So I see that as a win, win, win! This particular salad is my way of doing a chicken caesar. The dressing is much easier than making your own from scratch.

I made 2 large salads

Chicken Marinate

300 grams chicken tenderloins

1-2 garlic sliced

2 sprigs rosemary

1/4 cup wine, I used a rose but It is nicer with a white.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon of sumac

1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Salad Ingredients

icebery lettuce, use as much as you need per person

spinach leaves, again use a much as you think you need.

1 cucumber sliced

cherry tomatoes

2-3 boiled eggs

50 grams feta

avocado sliced

Dressing

1/4 cup of whole egg mayonnaise

1 teaspoon seeded mustard

1 garlic crushed

1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, or lemon juice.

Method

1. Put all the ingredients for the chicken marinade together, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for a couple hours.

2. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together, place it in the fridge till needed.

3. hard boil eggs and also place them in the fridge till needed.

4. Char-grill the chicken, add salt and pepper while cooking. Set it aside to rest a little, just so it isn’t too hot to add to the salad. Then assemble the salad ingredients, and spoon the dressing over generously.

This is a quick and super tasty pasta to make. I love pasta it is very comforting, and it’s great to just shove into a bowl, sit in front of the television and stuff your face!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

500 grams of whatever pasta you like, I used farfalle

300 grams chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size chunks

1/3 cup white wine

2 teaspoons powdered chicken stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

*parsley pesto

50 grams feta

Method

1. Boil a large pot of water. Make the pasta using the instructions on the pack.

2. Heat a pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the chopped chicken, and fry until almost cooked then add the dry chicken stock and continue to brown. Add the wine and stir until it has all evaporated.

3. Add the pesto to the chicken and mix well. If you need to thin it a little add some of the pasta water. Then stir it through the farfalle.

4. Serve with feta crumbled over the top.

* Parsley Pesto posted in Dips and Salsa, or Mains.

I have wanted to try this pesto for a while now. I have a massive tree of parsley growing in my backyard so I had no excuse not to try this dish now!

Ingredients

1 bunch parsley

2 cloves garlic

50 grams pine nuts, lightly toasted

1/4 cup parmesan

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

Method

1. Blend the parsley until it is crushed, then add the rest of the ingredients.

2. I added a little water because it was too thick, just to make it a better consistency. I didn’t want to add more oil as I thought it would be too oily, but if you want to you can of coarse!

I made this loaf and also 6 cupcakes, for tea time!

Cake Batter

2 carrots grated

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of mixed spice or allspice

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup golden syrup

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1 orange

100 grams of nuts, I used almonds and pistachio’s,roughly chopped. Set some aside for the topping.

Spiced Icing

100 grams cream cheese

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

Method

1. Sift the flours, baking powder, and spice into a large bowl.

2. Beat the eggs and add the brown sugar, oil, golden syrup, vanilla and zest and whisk until the brown sugar has dissolved. Takes about 1 minute.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the flour bowl. Mix very lightly but not completely. Then add the carrots and nuts and mix well.

4. Pour into the prepared cake tins and bake at 170c for the mini muffins, about 20 minutes, and about 45 minutes for the loaf.

5. Mix the icing ingredients together and spread onto the mini muffins. Top with nuts.

These are so easy. I love the fact you can just assemble them and place the lot straight into an oven. You can cook a smaller batch and then freeze the rest to have on hand…so easy!

Makes about 25

Ingredients

500 grams lamb mince

1 cup breadcrumbs

100 grams of  feta

1 tablespoon olive oil

zest of 1 small lemon

1 tablespoon of fresh oregano

1 tablespoon of fresh mint

1 teaspoon sumac

2 garlic grated

2 egg

Assemble all the ingredients together and form balls about 1-2 tablespoons worth.

Bake them in a 200c oven for about 15-20 minutes. Delicious with tzatziki.

Ingredients

3-4 potatoes boiled and mashed

2 garlic crushed

2/3 cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice

salt and pepper, use white pepper if you don’t want black flecks

Method

1. Beat the potatoes with a mixer until very smooth, about 5 minutes.

2. Then add the rest of the ingredients and beat until combined. Serve, with a splash of olive oil on top.

This dip is best made the day before and kept in the fridge until needed.

Ingredients

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

1 large potato cooked and mashed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sumac

salt and pepper, you can use white pepper if you don’t want little black flecks through the dip.

Method

Mix all the ingredients, but the sumac, in a bowl. Sprinkle the sumac on top of the dip.

I think there is nothing more soothing or comforting than an oozy risotto. You can put whatever you like in them and they are so easy to make.

Risotto ingredients

1 onion chopped roughly

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 sprigs of rosemary chopped fine

1 cup risotto rice

1/3 cup white wine

chicken stock about 2-3 cups keep on the stove on low temperature.

1 cup pumpkin cubed and roasted in the oven till tender.

1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

oil and butter to fry

Salad ingredients

1 cup of loose leaf spinach

60 grams feta cheese

1-2 tablespoons of pistachio nuts, lightly toasted in pan.

Method

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil and knob of butter, until they are soft but not coloured. Then add the rosemary.

2. Add the rice and stir really well to coat all the grains. They will go sort of opaque. Then add the wine and stir until it has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

3. Start to add the stock about 1/2 cup at a time. Stirring well, until it is evaporated. Have the heat on low, so not to burn the bottom. Keep adding the stock until the rice is cooked al-dente. It should have just a little bite to it.

4. Turn the heat off, add the parmesan and pumpkin, then place to the side with the lid on it to rest the risotto. This will make it oozy.

5. Mix the salad ingredients together, in a bowl. Plate up the risotto, place the salad on top, sprinkle with a little olive oil.

You can have whatever vegetable combination, or meat you like. You don’t even have to add meat, it is such a tasty dish.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 onion sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 piece of fresh chopped ginger, about a tablespoon

1 carrot, diced

chili add as many as you like,

1-2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

270 ml can coconut cream

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon of fish sauce

2 teaspoons of palm sugar, just use brown sugar if you don’t have palm

400 grams chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

your vegetable of choice, I used broccoli (it was in the fridge), but I prefer to use green beans, or snow peas.

1/2 bunch of coriander, washed really well, and chopped roughly. Keep the stems aside from the leaves.

Method

1. Place the oil in a pan to heat and add the onions, garlic, carrot, chili, the stems from the coriander and the ginger. Fry them until they get a little colour. Then add the curry paste and fry until fragrant.

2.  Then add the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce and stir. Then add the peanut butter and coconut cream.

3. Next add the chicken. Add a little water, about 1/3 cup to simmer the mixture. The turn it down low and simmer until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes.

4. Add your vegetable of choice and the coriander, reserve some to sprinkle on top of the curry, and simmer until the vegetable is cooked. About 10 minutes.

serve the curry with rice.

Stuffed vegetables, or Gemista  in greek, is one of my favourite dishes to make and eat. I love squishing the mixture and stuffing the vegetable. Today I have only used capsicums, but you can use as many different vegetables as you want.

Makes about 5-6 halves or you can keep them whole.

For the filling

500 grams lamb mince, you can use whatever mince you like

1 brown onion

2 garlic cloves

100 grams feta

1/4 cup semi dried tomatoes

1/4 cup medium grain rice

1/2 cup tomato sugo, crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch of mixed herbs, mint, oregano and parsley chopped roughly

salt and pepper to taste

Assembling the mixture

1. Fry the onion and garlic off in a little olive oil, just soften them do not add colour, they will taste bitter if you colour them. This stops the onion taking over the mixture when you go to bake the gemista. Let the onions and garlic cool slightly before adding to the mince mixture.

2. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix.

3. Preheat your oven to about 180c. Fill your vegetables, and place them into a large baking dish. Drizzle the capsicums with a little olive oil. Then pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the baking  dish. Cover with foil.

4. Bake them in the oven for about 1 hour, and then take the foil off. Then continue to bake until golden, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.