Broad Bean and Pecorino Salad

Another one from good food magazine. I just tend to make this up a portion at a time, it tastes lovely and fresh and summery, and if you use frozen broad beans instead of fresh it's very quick too.

Recipe

Lemony Rice and Peas

A good standby, this one - I had everything in the cupboard except some spring onions which can easily be obtained on the way home from work. I didn't bother with the coriander because I didn't have any fresh, but it was still lovely. I also used small tins of lentils and chickpeas and made a half portion, as there blatantly aren't 10 of me!

Recipe link

Lentil, Spinach and walnut salad

400g tin brown lentils
4 spring onions, finely chopped
125g cherry tomatoes, halved
60g walnut pieces
1/2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
100g baby spinach

Heat the lentils in a little water, drain and mix with the spring onions, cherry tomatoes and walnuts.

Mix the dressing ingredients together, and mix into the lentil mixture.

Make a bed of spinach leaves and put the lentil mixture on top. Serve.

Serves 2

New potato and asparagus salad

Serves 4

450g new potatoes, halved lengthways
175g french beans
225g asparagus spears
175g sugar snap peas
85g rocket
grated parmesan
4 tbsp garlic vinegar (or white wine vinegar with some added garlic)
120g pesto

Mix the garlic vinegar and pesto, chill.

Boil a big pan of water. Add the potatoes for 6 minutes, the french beans for another 2 and the asparagus and sugar snap peas for another 2 after that. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Mix the veg with the rocket and dressing, tss together, season and serve sprinkled with cheese

Fennel, red pepper and chickpea salad

I'm on a roll with Good Food recipes. For lunch I had this warm(ish) salad, and really enjoyed it. Fennel is one of those things that I've only been introduced to via the veg box, and this is probably one of the nicest things I've made it with so far. You can never beat chickpeas, red pepper and red onion either, to be fair.

Grilled Halloumi with Cous Cous

One from the BBC Good Food website today.

I'm still searching for new ways to eat broccoli, and I love love love halloumi, so I decided to try this. The calories are a bit on the high side, but I've done a 20 mile run this morning so I guess that I've burned them off. I used half the cheese and cous cous, with all the veg, and it made loads.

I do love halloumi...

Fennel and Carrot Salad

1/2 fennel, thinly sliced
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Mix the grated fennel, carrot and lemon juice. Heat the oil and add the poppy seeds til they start to pop, then pour over the salad.

I added some chunks of goats cheese to add a bit of protein as I was having this on its own rather than as a side dish.

Beetroot and Quinoa Tabbouleh

This is another Rose Elliott recipe, and basically consists of lovely soft onions with balsamic vinegar, raw grated beetroot, cooked quinoa and a bit of lemon juice all stirred together. Lovely, simple and quick.

Root veg salad

1 small carrot, coarsely grated
1 small parsnip, coarsely grated
small chunk celeriac, coarsely grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp black mustard seeds
15g walnut chunks
15g raisins
40g hard goats cheese

Combine the root veg. Heat the olive oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start popping, tip over the veg, add the walnuts, raisins and cheese, mix and serve.

Serves 1.

Warm pumpkin, beetroot and alfafa salad

75g brown rice
3 beetroot
400g butternut squash
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
50g alfafa sprouts
spinach

Heat the oven to 200c. Wrap the beetroot loosely with foil and roast for 45 minutes. At some point cook the rice and set it aside.

Peel the squash and scrape out the seeds. Cut it into chunks and put on a baking tray. Sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp oil and the cumin seeds, add the garlic and roast with the beetroot for 30 minutes.

Remove the veg, peel and chop the beetroot. Peel the garlic cloves. Mash one of them with the rest of the olive oil and red wine vinegar to make a dressing and season.

Put the rice, roast veg and remaining garlic cloves in a big bowl and mix together. Add the alfafa sprouts and stir in. Serve on a bed of baby spinach leaves. (The leaves from the beetroot would have been better, but mine didn't come with any).

Serves 2

Carrot and Courgette Salad

1 courgette
3 carrots
1 orange
1tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper

Grate the carrots and courgette. Grate the rind of the orange and juice it, then mix together with the olive oil. Season, and pour over the carrots and courgette, marinate for 15 minutes.

Serves 2 - 3