BEAN AND FETA DIP
 A delicious side dish to serve with many dippers !
                             [I will tell you the recipes for the dippers in the next post!]

• 400g cannellini beans
• 200g feta cheese
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 tbsp dill, mint or chives [or maybe a mixture of the three!]

1. Drain the beans in a sieve and rinse in cold water. Place in a food processer
2. Peel the garlic then crush or chop finely. Add to the beans
3. Add the feta cheese and lemon juice then blend until smooth
4. Place the mixture into a bowl
5. Chop the herbs and then stir into the dip. DONE!

                                       Don't add salt because feta is very salty!!!!

      SUPER EASY POTATO CROQUETTES!
               A GREAT USE OF LEFTOVER MASHED POTATO AND OLD POTATOES!

• 1kg potatoes
• 100g flour
• 300g dried breadcrumbs
• 4 eggs
• 75g grated Parmesan cheese and 75g grated Pecorino cheese [ you can use most other cheeses but parmesan and pecorino work best]             
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• extra virgin olive oil for frying

1. Unless you have pre-mashed, boil the potatoes till tender. Peel and then mash them.
2. Using your hands, mix the mashed potatoes with the flour, half of the breadcrumbs, eggs, cheese, chopped parsley and a little bit of pepper and salt.
3. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large saucepan. Make croquettes that are oval and like a cylinder, and dredge them in the rest of the breadcrumbs. Cook them a few at a time in the hot oil until golden brown.
4. Place the croquettes on a plate lined with kitchen roll to drain the excess oil. Serve the croquettes hot.
5. And that's it ENJOY!

Tip:

Peel the hot potatoes by holding them with a fork and then peeling them with a knife

                                                

                SATAY-CRACKER-SALAD


INGREDIENTS:
1 TSP FINELY CHOPPED
CORIANDER 

2 HEAPED TSP CRUNCHY                                              
PEANUT BUTTER
1 TSP OIL
4 TSP SWEET CHILLI SAUCE
1 BAG OF MIXED SALAD LEAVES
5 Table Spoons CHOPPED
CORIANDER
10 CRACKERS [RITZ etc.] 

Put the salad and coriander in a bowl. You will use this later. In another bowl mix the peanut butter with 1 tsp of coriander. Then add the oil and sweet chilli sauce, mix until relatively smooth and thin.Taste the sauce, don't add salt the peanut butter and chilli sauce are already very salty. Pour onto your salad and add the crackers. Mix thoroughly so the salad [and crackers] get covered in the delicious sauce. ENJOY

      STUFFED MUSHROOMS

A SUPER EASY MEAL WHICH IS SURE TO GET AN APPLAUSE. SOPHISTICATED YET SO SIMPLE

YOU WILL NEED:
8 BUTTON MUSHROOMS, 20 GRAMS OF BUTTER, 1 TBSP CHOPPED THYME, 2 TBSP CHOPPED WALNUTS, 1 PEAR PEELED AND DICED, 4 GRAMS BLUE CHEESE, ANOTHER SEPERATE 50 GRAMS BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, 3 CLOVES OF MINCED GARLIC, 2 TBSP CHOPPED PARSLEY, 3 TBSP BREAD CRUMBS, 1 TBSP PARMESAN CHEESE [OR A REALLY STRONG CHEDDAR] AND SALT AND PEPPER.

2 LARGE BOWLS ARE NEEDED

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. remove the mushroom stalks and, using a spoon, scoop out the inside of the mushrooms and discard. Heat a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. when hot add the 20g of butter then when melted, add the mushrooms. Turn the mushrooms to cover them in butter. Season the bottoms of the mushrooms with thyme, salt, pepper and then the inside as well, season the same way and turn again. Keep turning until completely seared. Remove and place on a tray. Take a bowl and add the blue cheese, pears and walnuts. season and mix well. In the other bowl mix bread crumbs, the 50g of butter, the garlic, the parsley and the parmesan [or cheddar] cheese, season and mix. Fill four mushrooms with the blue cheese mix and the other four with the bread crumb mix. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven until the tops are a light golden brown. Serve hot.

VEGETARIAN PASTA BOLOGNESE
AN ALL TIME FAVOURITE IS NOW FULL OF MORE VEGGIES AND PERFECT FOR LUNCH

YOU WILL NEED:
1 tablespoon of tomato paste         Go on the national pasta website!
1 carton of passata#                           http://www.ilovepasta.org/
3 sticks of celery
1 green pepper
3 spring onions or 1 white onion
1 large carrot
2 sprigs of thyme or marjoram or 2 teaspoons of dried herbs
   salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of sugar
3 cups of pasta [Depending on amount of people, about a cup each]

Heat 6 and a half cups of water. Pour into a saucepan on a low heat and add a few pinches of salt. when boiling add the pasta , be careful not to splash. Leave for the recommended amount of time. Different types of pasta have different cooking times. While the pasta is cooking pour the passata into a small saucepan on low heat. Stir in the paste. Finely chop the carrot and the celery, then when the passata has warmed through, add them to the sauce. They need to cook for longer so always add first. Finely chop the rest of the vegetables and add to the sauce. Stir and leave to cook the veggies. When the pasta is done, strain and put it back into it's saucepan. Mix some of the left over starchy water from the pasta [about 4 tablespoons] into the sauce. Taste and add salt, pepper, and the sugar 'till it is perfect for you. Take the sauce off the heat and add to the pasta, stir and serve. ENJOY!                            

                                 LOVE FOOD

If you love food and you want some yummy and easy recipes then this is a place for you. Filled with meals and snacks all absolutely scrummy!

GET READY FOR YOUR FIRST RECIPE!

Do you like pesto and want to make it easily at home with minor hassle? Without the traditional expensive ingredients? To make veggies irresistible? Enough questions, here is the recipe:

GOURMET CELERY STICKS IN MINUTES
You will need:     The measurements aren't exact so use your common sense to say how much you                                                            need depending on the occasion.

Rocket#
Garlic
Oil            
Sunflower seeds      
Salt and pepper      
Cheddar                  
Celery or carrot    
AND a blender.
First you plug in your blender and add some rocket [you'll use the rest later]. Then add the peeled garlic, some seeds and a glug of oil. Blend well then add more rocket, seeds, oil and finally some crumbly cheddar. Blitz again it should now be a thick paste. It doesn't matter if it is a bit lumpy but blend again if you wish. Scoop out and place in a bowl add salt, pepper and water to taste. Stir again to make a nice, thick sauce. Put it aside and cut the celery into sticks. Pour the easy  pesto onto the celery and garnish with the remainder of the rocket. ENJOY !!!!!
#Rocket is a peppery salad leaf which is one of  my favourites.