Avocado Spread

Ingredients

Avocado……….…..1 (large, ripe and mashed)

Tomato………….….1 (large, finely chopped)
Green chilli….…….1 (finely chopped)
Mayonnaise…….…1 table spoon
English mustard...1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method

• Add the tomato, chilli, mayonnaise, mustard to the avocado paste in a bowl.
• Sprinkle some salt and pepper, mix well.
• Serve as a spread or dip.

Leafy Gnocchi Salad

Ingredients

Gnocchi………………………..250g

Wild rocket leaves…..…….70g
Baby spinach leaves…..….70g
Salad tomatoes…………..…2 (large, roughly chopped) 
Fresh ground pepper……..¼ tea spoon
Olive oil………………………..2 table spoon
Oil to stir fry gnocchi
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, add the gnocchi and stir fried then for 2 min (or as per the instructions on the pack).
• Place the rocket leaves and baby spinach in a salad bowl.
• Top it with tomatoes and then fried gnocchi.
• Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle salt and ground pepper.
• Mix before serving.

Serves: 2

Guacamole

Ingredients

Tomato……………….….….1 (medium, ripe, finely chopped)

Onions…………….….……..½ (medium, finely chopped)

Avocado……………..….....1 (ripe)

Green chilli…………..…...1 (hot, finely chopped)

Lemon juice………….….…1 table spoon

Fresh ground pepper…..¼ tea spoon

Coriander leaves..……….hand full (finely chopped)

Salt to taste

Method

• Scoop the avocado into a bowl and mash it into a paste with a spoon.
• Add all the other ingredients to it and mix well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves, if required and serve with tortilla chips.

Spinach Salad with Goats' Cheese

Ingredients

For the dressing:

Olive oil……………………..….3 table spoon
Malt vinegar………….….…..1 table spoon
Mayonnaise…………………..1 tea spoon
English mustered…………..½ tea spoon 
Basil…..............................¼ tea spoon

For the salad:

Baby spinach…………………60g
Avocado………….……………1 (chopped in 1 inch rectangles)
Cherry tomatoes……………150g (cut in halves) 
Walnuts…………….………….½ cup (roughly broken into halves)  
Goats' cheese…………………100g (crumbled)

Method

For the dressing:

• Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the salad:

• Place the baby spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Top it with avocado, cherry tomatoes, walnuts and goats cheese.
• Drizzle the olive oil dressing on the salad with a spoon.
• Mix and serve.

Serves: 2

Kidney Beans Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

For the rice:

Rice……………….……….…½ cup
Water……………….………..2 cup
Oil…….……………………….1 table spoon
Salt to taste

For the kidney beans:

Kidney beans………….…..½ cup (soaked in 2 cup of water for 5 hrs.)
Onion………………………...1 (small, cut in juliennes)
Tomato……………..…......2 (large, roughly chopped in ½ inch chunks)
Garlic……………..............2 cloves (large, chopped)
Chilli powder…………......½ tea spoon
Garam masala powder…½ tea spoon
Water……………….………..1 cup
Oil to cook
Salt to taste

For the stuffed bell peppers:

Bell peppers…….………...2 (cut vertically into halves)
Salt to taste

Method

For the rice:

• Boil 2 cups of water in a pan along with some salt. Meanwhile place washed rice in a bowl and drizzle 1 table spoon of oil on then and mix. Make sure all the rice grains are coated with oil so that they don’t stick to each other while boiling.
• Add the rice to boiling water and cook until rice is soft. (Do not overcook the rice; the grains should still be firm). Drain the rice and keep aside.

For the kidney beans:

• Add 1 cup of water to the soaked kidney beans and boil them until soft, drain and keep aside.
• Heat some oil in a pan and sauté the garlic for ½ min.
• Add the kidney beans, chilli powder and garam masala, cook for 3 min.
• Now add the tomatoes, cook for 1 min.
• Then add the onion and salt mix well and cook for another 2 min.  Turn off the gas and keep aside.

For the stuffed bell peppers:

• Sprinkle some salt on the cut bell peppers.
• Now using table spoon stuff the bell pepper with 1-1 ½ tablespoon of rice followed by the kidney bean filling just created.
• Place the bell peppers on a non-stick tray.
• Pre-heat the oven on grill mode at 230°C. Place the tray in the oven and grill for 5 min (Make sure they are not over cooked or else they can become too soft and soggy).

Serve hot.

Ginger Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

Closed cup mushroom…250gm (chopped vertically)

Ginger…..….....……….......1 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Garlic……….....……….......1 clove (finely chopped)
Green chilli…………………1 (cut lengthwise)
Tomato……………….........2 (quartered and each quarter cut in half)
French beans……….........75g (with ends cut out)
Onion………………….........1 (small, cut in thick juliennes)
Beef stock cube……..……1 (15g)
Water………………………..3 cups
Salt to taste
Oil to cook

Method

• Heat some oil in a pan. Add the mushrooms; sprinkle some salt and cook with the lid on until they are half cooked.
• Add the ginger, garlic and chillies, mix and cook for 2 min.
• Now adds the tomatoes and French beans, mix and cook with the lid on for 4 min.
• Crush the beef stock cube and add to the pan along with the water and more salt if required. Mix well.
• Simmer the soup for 15 min and then add in the onions. Simmer for more 5 min.
• Serve hot.

Serves: 2

Tomato & Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

Tomato…………….1 (large, finely chopped)

Onions……………..½ (large, finely chopped)
Avocado…………...½ (finely chopped)
Red chilli…………..1 (finely chopped)
Lemon juice………1 table spoon
Olive oil……….……1 table spoon
Salt to taste

Method

• Add the tomato, onion, avocado and red chilli in a bowl.
• Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil on the ingredients.
• Sprinkle some salt and mix well.
• Garnish with mint leaf, if required and serve.

Tomato Feta Salad

Ingredients

Cherry tomatoes………250g

Baby plum tomatoes…250g
Salad tomatoes…………3
Feta Cheese….………….150 g (cut in 1” rectangles)
Green pitted olives……150 g
Fresh basil leaves……..from 3 stems
Olive oil……………………1/6 cup
Fresh ground pepper…¼ tea spoon
Salt to taste

Method

• Cut each cherry and plum tomato in half and collect them in a salad bowl.
• Quarter the salad tomatoes and cut each quarter in 3 pieces. Add them to the bowl as well.
• Now add the olives, feta cheese and the basil leaves (if the leaves are too big, tear them by hand).
• Sprinkle in the salt and ground pepper, and drizzle in the olive oil.
• Mix well.
• Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Serves: 4