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roast cauliflower, chickpea, Dijon and parsley salad
This roast cauliflower chickpea salad recipe perfectly illustrates the importance of balance in flavour and texture and will teach you new techniques for making vegetables the star of the show. Roasted cauliflower is such a handy addition to meals. It has just the right amount of stodge to replace piles of rice and bread with...
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sweet, salty and bright Brussels sprouts
Until relatively recently, I, like most Brits, had a slightly unfair view of the possibilities presented by a Brussels sprout. I also had been spelling them wrong for years, missing the ‘s’ off the end of Brussel. Sorry about that. I know so many people don’t like them and that’s because they’ve only had them...
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carrot and swede (rutabaga) mash
This way of eating carrots has been in my family for generations. I’d put money on this being one of the first foods I ate as a baby as it was on our table with well over half the meals we had each week. My children love it too. We always have it with shepherds...
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spiced nuts – perfect party snackage
When a bar serves freshly roasted spiced nuts along with my cocktail I am in heaven. But more often than not, my cocktail drinking now happens at home with friends. This recipe is inspired the bar snacks I once had at The Union Square Café in New York, it is such an easy recipe to...
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the best guacamole with bacon and seeds
If you thought guacamole couldn’t get any better, have a go at this guacamole with bacon and seeds recipe. I made this last week and my son had eaten almost half of it before I made it to the table with the rest of that night’s dinner. While he may be lacking in restraint, he...
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cabbage salad with dried figs and toasted seeds
I love this salad with tagine and a pile of steamed cous cous, or with roast chicken, steak or salmon. It is a great lunchbox salad as it hangs around really well. The sweetness of the figs makes what is essentially a slaw just a bit more interesting. This is such an easy salad, it...
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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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baked stuffed potatoes
This baked stuffed potatoes is a very simple recipe but is a great, fast dinner. Especially if you plan ahead to have leftover baked potatoes in the fridge. My mum makes these for my boys whenever we arrive back at her house having flown in from California. She makes them a bowl of her lentil...
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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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pancetta, polenta and avocado breakfast
Italian vibes this morning with this pancetta polenta and avocado breakfast. This looks fancy but it took me 10 minutes and was wolfed down by my boys. I taught wet polenta in class last night (recipe below) and had some left over. So I poured it onto a plate before I went to bed and...
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healthy oven fries or chips
Quick translation – in England chips are what Americans call fries. What Americans call (potato) chips are what we call crisps. This recipe is all you need for those days when you are craving french fries but your narcissism is winning out over your hedonism. Because wouldn’t it just be dreamy to eat a plate...
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pesto the most delicious, child-friendly way to eat greens
When I feel we need some more greenery in our diet I reach for pesto. But not the stuff in a jar. I want a hit of fresh, punchy, healthy greens and I’m afraid you won’t get that from the bought stuff. Pesto takes seconds to make and is one of the most useful flavour...
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frozen watermelon
Fastest, most why-didn’t-I-think-of-that recipe ever? I love making homemade frozen ice lollies or Popsicles in the summer but what to do when you don’t have the equipment or energy to make them? Last summer I over-committed to a ginormous watermelon a couple of days before we were heading away from home for the weekend. I...
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all the homemade salad dressings you need
I hope by now you have ditched any store bought dressings that are lurking in your fridge. If not read this then please go and do it pronto. Your taste buds, wallet and health will thank you. Below are my five top homemade salad dressings, once you have them in your recipe bank you won’t...
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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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addictive crunchy chickpeas [garbanzo]
These addictive crunchy chickpeas are my new obsession. Either roast them alongside vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, brussel sprouts are all good). Or follow the recipe below and add them to salads, serve them with drinks or have them as a healthy snack. They add a delicious crunch to pitta and houmus. If you are Stateside you’ll...
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homemade preserved lemons
I’ve said it before, but on of the biggest thrills about living in California for this Brit is the citrus trees in my garden and in my friends’ gardens. I’m always being given bags of amazing lemons, oranges and grapefruits – for FREE! I finish nearly every dish with a squeeze of lemon. And yes some...
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spiced chickpea mash with grilled lamb and pomegranate
I couldn’t resist the piles of pomegranates on sale at the international market yesterday. I’d been re-reading a much-loved old cook book of mine, Casa Moro, and it had got me craving middle eastern combinations of flavours. I already had some local lamb chops in the fridge and some canned chickpeas [garbanzo beans] in the...
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