Sunday 24 July 2011

Non-alcoholic cocktails

Toothless shark
250ml orange juice
25ml lime juice
dash of grenadine
Blend the orange and lime together.
Separately pour the grenadine into
a serving glass.Add the orange and lime
Do not stir before serving.
Grapefruit mohito
6 mint leaves
250ml grapefruit  juice
dash of honey
Put some mint leaves in the bottom
of a glass,then fill 2 thirds with crushed ice.
Stir 2 tbsp of grapfruit juice with the honey until
honey is dissolved.Put the dissolved honey and
the grapefruit juice in a shaker and shake with ice.Strain into the glass.
Shirley temple
174ml ginger ale
25ml grenadine
25ml lime juice
maraschino cherry
orange slice
Pour ingredients over ice in a tall glass.
Decorate with cherry and orange slice.
Virgin mary
175ml tomato juice
dash lemon juice
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 drops tabasco sauce
Fill  a large glass with ice.Add tomato juice,
then the rest of ingredients.Stir and garnish
with a wedge of lime.
Banana strawberry shake
1/2lb strawberries
1 frozen banana
125ml plain yoghurt
125ml milk
Blend all together till smooth.

Chicken wraps

4 skinless chicken fillets
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 garlic clove,crushed
200g pot tzatziki dip
1 pack tortilla wraps
100g rocket

Cut the chicken into strips.Put the lemon juice,olive oil,oregano and garlic in a dish and mix.Add the chicken and coat.Chill in the fridge for 30 min,stirring well after 15 min.Remove the chicken form the marinade.Cook in a griddle/bbq until cooked through,turning occasionally.Set aside for 5 min.Warm the wraps and place the chicken,rocket and tzatziki in and serve.

BBQ Food For Veggies

Stuffed mushrooms
Brush each mushroom with oil and BBQ ,round-side down,until the bases are cooked through and juices start to run.Transfer to a foil plate.Top with a little of your favourite cheese,then BBQ until the cheese melts.Top each one with a sprig of thyme and serve.

Ciabatta stacks

Slice 2 aubergines and 2 jumbo mushrooms.Quarter and deseed 1 red and 1 yellow pepper.Brush all the veg with oil BBQ until soft,then season.Slice 2 large tomatoes.Split 4 ciabatta rolls and BBQ both sides.Fill with the veg and some rocket.

BBQ-Chilli corn on the cob

Mix 150g softened salted butter with the grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime,1 tbsp chopped thyme and 1 red chilli,deseeded and finely chopped.Shape into a sausage,wrap in clingfilm,chill and then slice.BBQ the corn cob for 20 min,then top with the lime and chilli butter.

Monday 18 July 2011

Kids magical recipe-Under the sea Mr Crab dinner

1 med baking potato
a couple of dried pasta bows
just under 1/4 small red cabbage,shredded
1 carrot
2 olives,pitted
1 sugar snap pea
2 mange tout
1 tbsp milk
20g cheese,grated
small handful rocket

Pierce the potato skin several times and cook in the microwave until soft.Then put in oven for 20min to crisp up.Leave to cool.Meanwhile,simmer the pasta and cabbage in enough water to cover for 6-8 min.Strain and reserve water.Make eyes from thin carrot sticks poked into the olives.Prepare claws by cutting equal-sized strands of cabbage.Make the mouth by cutting into the sugar snap pea to reveal the 'teeth'.For the fish ,use scissors to snip into a mange tout to create the tail and use snips of olives for the eyes.Slice off the top from the potato and spoon out all the flesh.Mash in a pan on the hob with the milk,cheese and 10tsp of cabbage water until it turns purple and is re-heated.Spoon the mash back into the potato skin and assemble the face.Use the pasta bow for a tie and rocket for seaweed.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Patatas bravas

500g potatoes
300g tomato sauce
1tsp tabasco sauce
1 chilli pepper
1tbsp olive oil
1tsp wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes till soft with skins on in salted water.When the potatoes are soft,leave to cool at room temperature.Then peel and cut into uniformly-sized chunks.Fry the potatoes in a pan with hot oil for 3 min until they brown lightly.
To make the salsa brava,mix together in a saucepan the tomato sauce,chilli pepper,a little tabasco,olive oil,vinegar and salt and pepper.Bring to the boil and set aside.Take the potatoes out the pan,drain well and serve accompanied by the salsa brava.

Gammon with nectarines

4 gammon steaks
4tbsp olive oil
2tbsp cider vingar
1tsp coarse grain mustard
1tsp clear honey
2 large nectarines
70g pack wild rocket

Preheat the grill.Snip the rind offthe gammon steaks and grill for 10-14 min,turning occasionally.
Whisk together the oil,vinegar,mustard and honey and season with pepper.Halve and stone the nectarines,then slice them thinly using a potatoe peeler or cut them into thin wedges.Toss in the dressing.
Serve the gammon steaks with the nectarine slices and rocket leaves.

Thursday 7 July 2011

One for the kids-Lettuce boats

50g/2oz sliced cooked chicken
3 tbsp drained,tinned sweetcorn
1 spring onion
2 tbsp mayo
1 lemon
4-6 baby gem lettuce leaves

Tear the chicken into little shreds using your fingers.put in a bowl.Mix in the sweetcorn,sliced spring onion,and mayo,plus a little pepper to taste.Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir.Spoon the filling into nice curly,boat-shaped lettuce leaves.Make a sail from a napkin and a cocktail stick.

Monday 4 July 2011

Salmon pasta with mushrooms and broccoli

1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions,peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic,peeled and finely chopped
200g mushrooms,sliced
2 x 105g tins skinless and boneless pink salmon
500g pasta shapes
1/2 x 1kg frozen broccoli florets

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions until soft adding the garlic for the last min.Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 5 min, until golden brown.Drain salmon and stir in.Heat through for 1 min.
Meanwhile cook pasta.Cook broccoli in a pan of boiling water for 3 min,then drain.When cooled  roughly slice.Drain pasta and stir through the salmon sauce and broccoil.Serve immediately.

Nectarines and goat's cheese salad

250g goat's cheese,crumbled
4 nectarines,halved,stoned and sliced into pieces
100g mixed salad leaves
1/4tsp dijon mustard
2tbsp red wine vinegar
4tbsp walnut oil
1/2tsp caster sugar

Whisk the walnut oil,wine vinegar,mustard and sugar together and season with a little pepper.Toss  the leaves with the nectarines and cheese.Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Aldi's Banana Ghosts

500g Greek Yogurt 100g Desiccated Coconut 25g Milk Chocolate Chips 4 Large Bananas (firm, not overly ripe) Method Peel the bananas and cut i...