Mexican Style salad
1 large avocado
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chilli powder
8 large crisp lettuce leaves
400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, cut into rings
4 firm tomatoes
1 green or red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
125g grated cheese
A little paprika
Method
Halve, stone, peel and mash the avocado, mix with lemon juice, garlic, oil, vinegar and season with salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste.
Lay lettuce leaves on four plates, then layer the beans, onion, tomatoes, pepper and cheese on top, ending with a big spoonful of avocado and a sprinkling of paprika.
Serve with wholemeal tortillas.
Mediterranean Fish Stew
4 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
50g pitted black olives, halved
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Mediterranean seasoning
400g can chopped tomatoes
200ml vegetable stock
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 bulb of fennel, chopped
1 bunch salad onions, cut into 1cm slices
260g pack cod fillets, cut into chunks
200g Salmon fillets, cut into chunks
Handful of fresh basil form a large pot, roughly torn
Heat a little oil in a large pan. Add the peppers and fennel. Place the canned and fresh tomatoes in with the olives, garlic, Mediterranean seasoning and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add with the salad onions, then cook for a further 3 minutes.
2. Add the fish and cook, covered, for 1-2 minutes until just cooked through, then season and add the basil. Serve with crusty bread
Moroccan, chickpea and aubergine casserole
This colourful casserole is good with couscous or rice and a green salad. It can be eaten hot or cold with crusty bread.
2 large onions, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 aubergines, cut into chunky pieces
2 x 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
125g raisins
2 x 400g chopped tomatoes, cans
850ml water or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry the chopped onions in the oil in a large saucepan, covered, for 10 minutes over a gently heat.
Stir in the cumin, coriander and cinnamon, cook for a few seconds. Stir in the aubergines, chickpeas, raisins, tomatoes and water or stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer, half covered for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the mixture has thickened.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Breakfast Omelette
This omelette makes a tasty alternative to a breakfast fry-up and could even be served as a light or main meal with the Rainbow or green salad.
2 eggs
2 tablespoon milk
30g Cheddar Cheese, grated
A knob of unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
For the filling:
2 rashers of bacon, de-rinded
1 tomato, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil
60g mushrooms, sliced
Whisk the eggs and milk together in a jug. Add the cheese and stir into the eggs mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the bacon into cubes.
Place the frying pan over a medium heat and fry the bacon for 3 minutes or until cooked completely. Tip the bacon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Heat the oil and fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for a further 1 minute. Put the mushroom and tomato onto a plate and add the bacon.
Melt the butter in the pan. Pour in the egg so that it covers the base of the pan. Cook the egg on a medium heat until the edges begin to cook and set.
Using a spatula push the cooked egg into the centre of the pan. The uncooked egg will run to the sides. Repeat until all the egg is cooked.
Spoon the filling to one half of the omelette and gently flip the unfilled half over the top.