Broccoli Salad

For lunch I have just enjoyed a delicious broccoli salad loosely based on Jamie Olivers Cowboy Salad (minus the bacon and much less fat in the dressing) - basically take a head of broccoli and cut into nicely sized florets(not too big) and blanch in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Add 1 chopped tomato, and several chopped spring onions to the broccoli. I then added a can of smoked chicken breast, but you could add tuna, tofu, or any other protein of your choice that's healthy. Even Weight Watchers chicken bacon would be really good in this. I then made a dressing of 1/2 clove crushed garlic, salt and pepper, 1 tsp Dijon mustard. 3 tbs wine vinegar, and 1 t oil. Mix it all together and you have a healthy salad lunch for two.

Chocolate Brownie Heaven

These are really good, much nicer than chocolate cake, and can be piled up nicely on plates at dinner or birthday parties. Instead of birthday cake, pile these up and spike with birthday candles. There are never any leftovers. Do not bake these if you are on a diet, they are evil!

Ingredients

340g dark chocolate

255g unsalted butter

3 medium eggs

255g dark muscovado sugar

110g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

100g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 170C and butter and line a 23cm cake tin. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a bowl, over a pan of hot water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Whisk the eggs and slowly add the sugar. Beat in the chocolate mixture and gently fold in the flour and chocolate buttons. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35 minutes until the surface is set but a skewer comes out with a little of the mixture clinging to it. Remove and cool slightly before placing on a wire rack to cool. Cut into pieces and keep in a tin or in the fridge. I find these easier to separate if you slice them up then put them in the fridge for a couple of hours before separating them, as they can be quite delicate.

Boysenberry and Apple Strudel

Tomorrow night we have decided to only have desserts for dinner because we can. As this isn't 'best practise' when it comes to parenting, I was trying to think of a recipe that might contain fruit and protein, that might be 'almost healthy'. Then the word 'strudel' popped into my mind. No, it is not healthy, but it is good, and if you're only going to eat desserts then why not have your favourites. It does contain fruit and ricotta cheese which is healthy, just ignore the sugar and butter parts of the recipe. If you want a truly healthy dessert, try freezing banana and strawberry bite size pieces. Blend these with a little yoghurt/milk until it reaches ice-cream consistency. The end result is sugar free ice cream which can be lactose free if you use soy milk or yoghurt.

Anyway, back to the strudel...

75g butter
90ml light muscovado sugar
3 egg yolks
1 lemon, grated rind only
¼ tsp nutmeg, grated
250g ricotta cheese
8 large sheets filo pastry
200g boysenberries
2 apples, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp sliced almonds
icing sugar, for dusting
To serve créme fraîche


Preheat the oven to 190C. Soften 15g of the butter. Place it in a bowl and beat in the sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon rind, nutmeg and ricotta. Set aside. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Working quickly, place a sheet of filo on a piece of greaseproof and brush generously with the melted butter. Put a second sheet on top and repeat the process. Continue until all the filo has been buttered and layered. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the filo pastry and spread until it covers the pastry - leave a border around the edge. Scatter over the apples and boysenberries. Fold in the filo border and use the greaseproof paper to carefully roll up the strudel. Grease a baking sheet with butter and place the strudel on top. Scatter the almonds over the top. Bake the strudel for 35-40 minutes until golden and crisp. Dust with icing sugar and serve with créme fraîche.

Simply Sushi Salad

This was such an obvious combination to put into a salad, I don't know why I never though of it before especially considering that I eat sushi as often as possible. Tastes like sushi but without all the fuss of rolling it (although that is something I really enjoy but only when I'm in the mood). My 5 year old won't usually eat salads, but has now changed his mind. I will have him eating greek salads by the end of the summer.

Sushi Salad

2 cups basmati rice

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2.5cm piece ginger finely chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce (tamari, kikomen)

3-5 chillis finely chopped(optional)

3/4 cup rice wine vinegar

8 nori sheets cut into small strips

150g smoked salmon

1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/2 bag baby spinach leaves

1 avocado (optional)

Cook rice according to packet instructions. Heat sesame oil in pan and fry garlic, ginger and a dash of soy sauce for a couple of minutes. Put rice in bowl, and pour over the aromatics, left over soy sauce and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and mix together garnishing with chopped avocado. Would also be lovely with garlic prawns, roast peppers or cucumber.

Crunchie Munchies

These delicious bicuits take me back to my childhood. Growing up in Africa these were a staple pantry item, but I'd actually completely forgotten about them until I stumbled across this recipe, baked them for my kids, and then started having flashbacks to friends birthday parties around swimming pools eating crunchies and sipping kool aid.

Crunchies

Grease a 20cm x 30cm baking dish

Mix together the following ingredients in a mixing bowl

90g flour
180g oats
125g dessicated coconut
pinch salt
125g sugar
2.5ml cinnamon
125g melted butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
5ml bicarbonate of soda
30ml milk

Press into baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees

Cut into squares

Bella Biscotti

I love biscotti especially with a cup of real coffee or accompanying a chocolate mousse. This recipe is so easy, and is much tastier than the variety you get in coffee shops. I have included milk chocolate in this instance as I am baking them for children, but you can add different flavour chocolates like dark, or white, you can roll the biscotti mix in the kneading stage in a tablespoon of instant espresso powder for a coffee flavour, or add nuts like almonds.

Biscotti

1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup of castor sugar
60g butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
250g slab milk chocolate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Mix the flour, baking powder and castor sugar
Cut in the melted butter
Beat the eggs and vanilla
Add to the flour butter mix to make a dough
Sprinkle flour on clean work surface
Knead the dough lightly before flattening dough on surface an inch thick
Chop the chocolate in 1cm square pieces and push into flattened dough
Roll the dough into a sausage shape approx 30cm long
Place on greased pan and flatten with the back of a spoon
Sprinkle top with castor sugar and bake for 30 minutes
Cut log into slices 1cm thick
Place slices on a greased baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes
Allow to cool before indulging in one or two or the whole lot

The Perfect Party Dip

Today my son turned 5 and out of the vast quantities of weird and wonderful foods that arrived on the party table for 50 adults and children - this ended up being my favourite. I must confess I didn't take this photo, I found it on the interweb to give a good idea as to what the finished product looks like, but it will be replaced soon when next I make my favourite party dip.

This dip works really well with anything from celery/carrot sticks to plain crackers or pita strips and still tastes great hours after it's been removed from the oven.

1 big fat round loaf of bread(white or brown)

1 bag frozen spinach defrosted and drained

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp curry powder

2 tubs cream cheese

2 onions finely chopped

3 spring onions finely chopped

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup mayonaisse

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cut the top off the loaf of bread(as in a lid that you will place back on top when cooking the bread) and scoop out the inside soft bits leaving the crust to form a shell. Mix all the remaining ingredients and spoon into the loaf. Place the lid on top and bake for 2 hours. Serve warm with your favourite dipping vegetables/breads/crackers.