Not exactly health food, but if you fancy a quick tortilla without having to cook potatoes, you can substitute these shoestring ones. You can also leave out the onions if you want this to be extra quick. There are several versions of potato crisp/chip tortillas out there, including one that was apparently made famous by Ferran Adrià, but I find that the potato straws stay a bit crunchier after cooking, which I like.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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This version of slaw uses courgette instead of cabbage, and it includes spring onion. I’m told that substituting the onion with a grated granny smith apple is also nice (will try that one soon). The dressing is a variation of salsa az, without garlic and with a splash of soy sauce added, but obviously you can play around with flavours. I used to use my grater to make slaw but recently tried my spiralizer instead and actually like the texture better, and the courgette doesn’t need blotting as it does after grating.
Ingredients and Instructions below…
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So the first (and to be honest ONLY) time I previously had labneh was on a visit to Ronda in July 2012 and stayed at a small guesthouse run by a Lebanese woman called Anahid. She prepared breakfast for us which included fresh coffee and toasted rolls, gorgeous tomatoes with basil and olive oil… and labneh! I was so taken with it that I vowed to make it some day. And well, better late than never. 🙂
The inspiration came when I recently bought a Melitta coffee cone, as I remembered it was very handy for straining yoghurt when I used to make tzatziki back in Toronto and thought it would also be perfect for making labneh. I have since heard from friends on Instagram that paper towels in a colander @panepanna or a bra cup (!!!) @sledpress work just as well as the more standard cheesecloth method, but I like my little coffee cone. Labneh is excellent sliced and served on toast, and is especially delicious with fresh tomatoes, but I’m sure you will also find other uses for it.
Ingredients & Instructions below…
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So it’s another “fridge forage” lunch, this time using up a couple of courgettes and potatoes that needed eating. It’s fast and easy and you can play around with the ingredients (obviously leave out the bacon for a vegetarian option). Really nice comfort food for a cold rainy November day.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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I was about to make hummus today and then remembered that I had some feta cheese. So I ended up making a “fridge forage” garbanzo bean salad and it turned out very well. It’s great on its own, or as a side dish. Also handy because you can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge (up to two days). It’s also something you can play with, changing ingredients here and there (see below). Nice summer dinner option.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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It’s been ages – possibly years! – since I made guacamole. But seeing all those fresh avocados and tomatoes at the market lately inspired me to try it again. The first time I didn’t have any cilantro or limes (used lemon juice instead), which turned out pretty good. But the cilantro and lime juice really do transform it into something special. I haven’t put measurements for the seasoning – just taste as you go until you get the balance you like. You can also add greek yoghurt (or sour cream) to make a creamier guacamole. Serve it as a dip for tortilla corn chips, inside a warm flour tortilla or pita bread, with basmati rice… or just on its own.
Ingredients and instructions below…
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I can’t believe I’ve never made this most traditional dish before now, and it all came about because Kerstin @MsMarmitelover asked if I had a recipe for espinacas con garbanzos. And well, I could have found all kinds of recipes that sounded good, but knowing Kerstin, she would want a tried and tested one. So when my friend Fede @Lerele sent me a photo of a recipe on Twitter and said it was the best spinach he’s ever had… well I had to try it.
The first time I made this I didn’t quite have all the right ingredients. Rather than a large bunch of fresh spinach I had baby spinach leaves, and instead of garbanzos cooked in a puchero I just had some in a jar. Also, I only had fresh bread from the bakery, not the day-old stuff the recipe called for. But it still turned out great. I’ve since made it a few times with mostly the “proper” ingreadients. The recipe below is Fede’s recipe, with a few of my own adjustments. Another modification was using my little blender since I don’t have a mortar and pestle. And it was even better a couple of hours later once it had cooled off – amazing flavour. I have to say that Fede was right – great recipe.
Ingredients and instructions below…
Been a bit obsessed with adding fresh cilantro to things lately and so a couple of weeks ago I tried it in my basic hummus recipe and it was great. Later it struck me that it would be EVEN BETTER with lime juice instead of lemon… and it was! I wasn’t sure whether to include the stems or just use the cilantro leaves – in the end I opted for the latter. It’s super delicious and so versatile. Yesterday I had it with salt & pepper chicken fried in olive oil and basmati rice, today I’m planning to have some with crudité. And of course it would be great with corn chips.
If you want really super creamy hummus consider peeling the garbanzos. To be honest this is something I would never have considered myself until I accidently discovered an easy way to peel them in just a few minutes. Check out cripsy crunchy garbanzos for the method.
Recipe and ingredients below…
I tried my hand at making cauliflower “rice” today. No, I’m not 5:2ing (don’t get me started on that nonsense) but I’ve seen this mentioned so much on the ‘net lately – and I love cauliflower and am always looking for new low-carb options – so I thought I’d try it out. It seems the main problem people encounter when making this is that the cauliflower ends up mushy. So I took the precaution of letting the cauliflower thoroughly dry on a tea towel before chopping it up. You can see the instructions below…
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Got inspired this morning when I saw this Instagram pic by Ellie, co-owner of the Pear Café in Bristol. Hers were a much “healthier” version. I went for more of a traditional burger thing, first making two cheeseburgers with tomato, lettuce and onion, mayo and dijon. The other two I topped with fried onions and served with a soya-mayo (just mayonnaise with some soy sauce added). Both types were fabulous, served on freshly grill-toasted artisanal molletes (a soft Spanish bread roll), though in retrospect I realised I should have made eight smaller burgers from this recipe, which I did on my next try. Also the second time I added fresh cilantro – made all the difference. Very filling, super delicious.
Ingredients and instructions below…