Recipe - Simple Herb and Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 6 large potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1⁄2 lemons, juice of
• 3⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup mint
• 1/2 cup parsley

Method

1. Boil the potatoes
2. Immediately drain potatoes of any liquid
3. Add all the ingredients, except herbs and stir, carefully,
4. When the salad has cooled a bit, add the herbs.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature

Recipe - Cumin & Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients

• 500g butternut pumpkin, seeded, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, skin on
• 2 tablespoons yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander

Method

1. Combine lemon juice, oil and cumin
2. Toss the pumpkin and garlic cloves through the mixture
3. Place the coated pumpkin and garlic on a baking tray, and bake for 30 mins or until a fork goes easily through the pumpkin and garlic
4. Cool the pumpkin completely
5. Place pumpkin mixture and yoghurt in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
6. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in coriander. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to cool.

Recipe - Baked Feta Cheese with Olives and Lemon

Ingredients

• 200g sheep's milk feta (sold in the brine)
• 1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 large lemon
• 1 - 2 cups mixed olives
• 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
• A few coarse grindings of black pepper

Instructions

1. Set oven to 180C
2. Put the feta in a gratin dish or other small ovenproof dish that you will also serve out of. You can also use 2 small dishes/cut the feta in half laterally
3. Pour the olive oil into the dish, followed by the lemon juice. Arrange the olives around the cheese, with the rosemary.
4. Quarter the squeezed lemon half and throw that in as well. 
5. Sprinkle the red and black pepper over all.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. I loosely laid a sheet of foil over mine. You can finish under the broiler if you like for a little charring effect.
7. Serve hot with toasted bread.

Note: I took this pic of before they went into the oven. Thank goodness because as soon as they came out we dived straight in!

Source

Recipe - Vegan & Vegetarian Lentil Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 800g canned chopped tomatoes
• 410g can brown lentils
• Pasta to serve 4

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, thyme, tomato paste, tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Bring to the boil and season with salt and black pepper. Turn the heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes, add the lentils and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water according to packet instructions. Drain and toss with sauce.

Recipe - Gigantes with tomatoes and greens

Ingredients

• 500g dried gigantes beans or butter beans, soaked overnight
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 350g/12oz chard or spinach, washed
• small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• small handful fresh mint, chopped

Method

1. Drain the beans, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 1½-2 hours until the beans are just tender.
2. Gently soften the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes. When soft, stir in the paprika, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, 100ml/3½fl oz water, salt and pepper.
3. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the chard and take off the heat.
4. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C
5. When the beans are cooked, drain them and mix with the tomato and chard sauce, adding a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped herbs.
6. Transfer the beans to a casserole pan, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 35–40 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce thickened and bubbling. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

N.B I took a shortcut and used 3 x 400g cans of cannellini beans. All that mean was starting at step 2 and adding the beans 5 mins after you add the tomatoes.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gigantes_with_tomatoes_47546

Recipe - Pizza with Potato and Rosemary

INGREDIENTS

• Wholemeal pita bread
• Baking spray
• 6 tablespoons pizza sauce (option to make your own – see http://peckishbyzoerenee.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/recipe-healthy-pizza-with-tuna-spinach.html  and just do the steps that combine passata, garlic and onion)
• 1 large potato very thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• Handful rocket
• ½ a lemon
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• Tasty cheese and parmesan to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Spread pizza sauce over the pita base
3. Lay pieces of potato over the top
4. Combine the rosemary, garlic cloves and olive oil (option is use mini blender) then brush over the potato
5. Season to taste
6. Spray the edges with the cooking spray so they don’t burn
7. Place in oven. When nearly cooked, take out and sprinkle over Tasty cheese and parmesan to taste. Return and cook until cheese is browned
8. Remove, slice, place rocket on top, squeeze over lemon and eat.