Grilling and BBQ
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a summer party menu for friends
One of the questions I get asked most is for ideas for party food. I do this for a job so I’m always pulling together menus but I know that for a lot of people, having friends over can feel stressful and expensive. So I’m sharing a summer party menu to help. Now I’ve got...
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Orange, fennel, olive and caper salad
This easy orange, fennel, olive and caper salad brings zing and brightness to the table. The salt of the olives and capers balances the sweetness of the orange. This should really be made no earlier than 30 minutes before eating. If you want to get ahead, you can segment the orange earlier in the day...
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Roast chilli and black pepper pineapple
This roasted pineapple dessert is so easy and inexpensive to make and is a real crowd-pleaser. It can be made ahead and re-heated in the oven or even in a foil packet on the BBQ. Buy some good vanilla or coconut ice cream and open a bottle of rum and you’re sorted. The last time...
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Middle Eastern chicken with green tahini sauce and lemon roast potatoes.
In my twenties I could often be found on the Edgeware Road in London late at night, scoffing Middle Eastern food. The combination of char-grilled chicken, citrusy herbs, chilli, and sesame sauce remains one of the flavour combinations I most lust-after. This Middle Eastern chicken is a great summer recipe as it is delicious fresh...
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roasted cauliflower salad two ways
I love the bulk that roasted cauliflower adds to a meal. Most children and adult cauli-phobes find that they enjoy cauliflower and broccoli (its greener cousin) when it is roasted rather than steamed or boiled. That’s because roasting vegetables intensifies their natural sweetness by forcing the moisture out. These two salads are hearty enough as...
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Slaw the easiest way to max out your veg intake and brighten your meals
I can’t believe it has taken me this long to add a slaw recipe to my site. Although I did make this video a couple of years back. It is probably the side dish I reach for most, and often becomes the base of my lunch or dinner. I think the reason I’ve never added...
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lemon, garlic and rosemary courgettes
First up, a courgette and a zucchini are the same thing. We Brits took the French name and the Americans took the Italian name. Given the romantic languages we use to describe this vegetable it isn’t the one we get most excited about. It doesn’t have the sweetness of corn, or the usefulness of tomato...
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black bean burgers
These protein-packed black bean burgers are one of our favourite meat-free Monday dinners. They pass the carnivore and suspicious child test with flying colours, but I love them because they’re healthy and easy to make, and give me the satisfaction of noshing a burger whilst feeling smugly virtuous. I always keep canned black beans in...
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chickpea salad with feta, herb and lemon
The most delicious chickpea salad with feta, herb and lemon First things first, the star of the show in this chickpea salad is, clearly chickpeas but if that is throwing you, they are known as garbanzo beans in the US. Now everyone is clear on that, let’s talk about why you need to make this...
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green herb sauce – ‘so good you should bottle it’
I made this green herb sauce for a client this week and it blew her and her family away. So much so that she said I should bottle it to make my fortune! The thing is, it is too fresh to bottle so I’m sharing it with you here instead. You’re welcome. All the ways...
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three-way pea salad with feta and lemon
I posted this pea salad with feta and lemon on Instagram and Facebook a few weeks ago and everyone went crazy for it. So I wanted to immortalise it here, given that we all get memory like goldfish on social media. This recipe is a great one for packed lunches as it hangs around well....
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grilled corn and kale salad with warm chili, rosemary, lemon and garlic dressing
If you have the bbq or grill going you may as well cook some sides at the same time. This grilled corn and kale salad recipe makes the most of the abundance of fresh corn when it is in season. The sweetness of the corn balances out the kale and the fact the kale is...
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marinades and kebabs (or kabobs!)
Kebabs (or kabobs if you are in America) are a great thing to make for a bbq (or grill in the US). They make a small amount of meat go a long way and often cook much faster than a big slab of meat. You also get a better ratio of crunchy outside to soft...
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the new salad rules
If you want to step up your salad making read on as I’ve pulled together my top salad rules. Think of them as building blocks – when you’re making a salad check that you have the right elements to make it a perfectly rounded and balanced dish. Before long this will become instinctive. Until then,...
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moorish carrot, avocado and sesame salad
Last week I was asked to supply some healthy food for the opening party of a fabulous new barre and group-cycling studio near me, The Dailey Method, Willow Glen. I wanted a salad that would hang around well and that would suit their healthy clientele’s dietary needs. Oh and because the studio’s brand colours are...
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grilled green beans
On hot summer days I try to avoid using the oven. Our house gets so hot that the thought of adding extra heat is too much. That means we do most of our cooking outside on the bbq. That’s the grill for American readers. I was very confused when I moved here from England and...
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a Brit burger that has won over the Americans with a secret ingredient
I was told when we moved here that it would be very brave for a Brit like me to make homemade burgers for Americans. I guess it is a bit like and American living in England serving up fish and chips or roast beef and Yorkshire puds. Anyway I wasn’t put off, and if anything...
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a salmon burger and a little black dress
I love burgers but usually default to my favorite beef burger recipe when we’re grilling outside. A non-beef eating friend came over on Memorial day so I had an excuse to try out a couple of recipes so she wouldn’t feel left out. I settled on one from Gwyneth’s new book but, as always, I couldn’t...
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