Rice Salad

350gr. basmati or jasmine rice

700 ml. boiling water
2 dessertspoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
50 g.prepared spinach leaves
8 spring onions, including the green tops
2 heaped teaspoons chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, tarragon)
grated rind of 1/2 lemonFor the dressing:1 teaspoon rock salt
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil

Heat the oil in a pan, stir in the rice, then pour in the boiling water or stock. Add the salt, stir once and allow it to come back to the boil. Cover, then reduce the heat to give a bare simmer. Cook gently for 40-50 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender.Next chop up the spinach leaves and spring onions very finely, and fork into the rice along with the herbs and grated lemon rind. Cover the pan with a folded cloth and leave aside for 10 minutes.Make the dressing by crushing the salt, peppercorns and garlic together with a pestle and mortar. Add the mustard, vinegar and olive oil, the shake the whole lot together in a screw-top jar. Tip the salad ingredients into a bowl, pour the dressing all over and fluff it with a skewer. Serve the salad warm or cold.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course and Delia Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course.

Bon Appetite!

salads again...

Foodlover's Potato Salad

3 medium russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds total)

1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional olive oil,

if necessary 1 pound good-quality hot dogs,

pierced 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes whole until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature. Peel and cut potatoes into bite-size pieces, discarding potato skins.Put the hot dogs into a hot grill pan and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool the hot dogs to room temperature, then cut them crosswise into bite-size pieces.Toss the potatoes, parsley, basil, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season the potato salad with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the hot dogs to the salad and toss. Season to taste, adding additional olive oil if the salad seems too dry. Serve the salad at room temperature.

Bon Appetite!

salads, salads, salads

Winter Crunch Salad:

1 x 170g ready to bake garlic bread

2 heads of chicory

2 celery sticks, cut into thin diagonal slices

1 bunch of radishes, trimmed and quartered

50g/2oz shelled walnuts or pecans, toasted & chopped

2 red skinned eating apples: cored, slim wedges

175g/6 oz stilton cheese

4-5 tbsp honey & mustard dressing

- Pre-heat the oven and cook the garlic bread

- Separate chicory into leaves and toss in a large bowl with the celery, radishes, nuts and apples.

- Crumble the stilton in large chunks over the top

- Cut half the garlic bread into the marked slices. Cut the remainder into chunks and toss into the salad with as much dressing as you like!

- Serve with the slices of garlic bread on the side

Bon appetite!

happy breakfast recipies

Banana Walnut Pancakes

serves 3

1 c + 1 T white flour

1/4 c ground flax seed or flax meal

2 T sugar2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 T mild flavored oil (rice bran, canola, grapeseed)

1/2 c water

3/4 c milk (replace with soy milk if vegan)

1/2 t vanilla

1 (about 3/4 cup) chopped and mushed up ripe banana

1/4-1/2 c chopped toasted walnuts

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. In small bowl, combine liquid ingredients and add to the dry, mix well. Heat griddle or large skillet to medium heat. Using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, cook on one side until bubbly, then flip and cook until done. Top with toasted walnuts.

bon appetite.

two basic dips

Garlic Guacamole



2 ripe small Hass avocados
1 lemon, juiced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
tortilla chips, for dipping
Cut avocados in half around the pit. Separate the halves. Pop out pit with spoon, then scoop flesh of avocados into a bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the avocados. Squeeze the juice with the lemon halves facing cut-side up, allowing the juice to spill down over the sides of the lemon into the bowl. This method keeps the seeds in the lemon and out of the guacamole. Add garlic, jalapeno, tomato, onion and salt to the bowl. Mash and mix the ingredients into a chunky dip using a fork. Serve with tortilla

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
2 turns of the pan
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup half-and- half or heavy cream
1 can (15 ounces) artichoke hearts in water,
drained and coarsely chopped
2 boxes, 10 ounces each, chopped spinach,
defrosted and squeezed dry in kitchen towel
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian 4 cheese blend
(provolone, Parmesan, mozzarella and Asiago)
available in 10-ounce pouches on the dairy aisle of your market
Salt and pepper
1 round loaf crusty bread:





top removed and cubed,bottom hollowed out to use as serving bowl 1 loaf multigrain or whole wheat baguette, sliced at bakery/bread counter in market To a medium saucepot preheated over moderate heat, add about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream. Add butter to oil. When butter melts, add garlic and onions to the pot. Sprinkle in thyme leaves. Saute 2 minutes, add chopped red pepper. Saute mixture a minute more. Sprinkle in flour, stir to coat vegetables. Cook flour 1 minute. Whisk in wine and reduce by half. Whisk in stock and thicken sauce 1 minute. Stir in half-and-half or cream. When sauce returns to a bubble, add artichokes, spinach and cheeses. Keep stirring until cheeses melt and sauce is well combined. Add salt and pepper and adjust seasonings, to your taste. Pour dip into hollow bread bowl on serving platter and surround with sliced multi or whole grain bread for dipping. Reserve extra dip to warm and refill as necessary. Cut up bread bowl when baguette slices are gone the bowl is the best part as it absorbs juices from the dip.







bon appetite.