Nut-free Pesto

My nut allergy counts out pesto, so I was thrilled to find a recipe that doesn't use nuts! And without the nuts and with no added cheese, it's lower in fat than the standard version, too :-)

Makes: A jar full

Takes: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 can white beans (eg cannellini or haricot) - about 200g

1 clove garlic or 1 tsp garlic puree

60g fresh basil leaves (see notes below)

1/2 tsp salt

100 ml olive oil

black pepper

Method

1. Drain and rinse the beans and put into a food processor with all the other ingredients.
2. Process until smooth, decant into a jar and store in the fridge.

Notes: I have no idea how much basil weighs 60g. I buy a pot of 'growing basil' from the supermarket and use all the leaves from that (and a bit of stalk usually goes in too!) and that seems to work fine.

This keeps in the fridge for a few days. Try not to push it to the back of the fridge and forget about it though as it goes a strange colour after a couple of weeks or so...

Two meals in one: Salmon fried rice

Use the leftovers from the Mediterranean-style roasted salmon and add a few more ingredients to make this dish.

Ingredients

1/2 red pepper
100g baby sweetcorn
100g sugar snap peas
1 tsp olive oil
1 sachet Thai basil and lemon stir-fry sauce
basmati and wild rice (left over from previous day)
50g pak choi or mixed stir-fry leaves
1 salmon fillet (left over from previous day)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp coriander
juice of 1 lime

Method

1. Cut the pepper, baby sweetcorn and sugar snap peas into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil and fry the vegetables for 2 minutes.
2. Add the stir-fry sauce and rice and mix thoroughly then heat for 4 minutes. Stir through the pak choi or stir-fry leaves, flaked salmon and soy sauce, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the coriander and squeeze over the lime juice just before serving.

You can also add a sliced spring onion and/or a few unsalted peanuts at step 3.

Two meals in one: Mediterranean-style roasted salmon

Make this one night and use the leftovers with a few added ingredients to make the next day's meal!

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 5 minutes plus 15 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

few sprigs each of basil, mint and parsley
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 salmon fillets
250g cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
225g basmati and wild rice

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 220oC. Mix the chopped herbs with the lemon zest and 1 tbsp of the olive oil then toss the salmon fillets in the mixture. Place into a roasting tin.
2. Put the tomatoes into the tin and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Roast the salmon and tomatoes for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rice. When rice and salmon are ready, serve two-thirds of the rice with the tomatoes and two of the salmon fillets, drizzling with the juices from the pan.
4. Cool the remaining rice under cold running water. Refrigerate with the cooled salmon fillet.

Very nice as it is, but I'd recommend adding some green vegetables on the side too.

Banana, honey and oat smoothie

Smooth, creamy and filling :-)

Makes: 1 serving
Takes: 1 minute

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
1 heaped tbsp oats
1 tsp honey
some milk

Method

1. Peel the banana and break it into 3 or 4 pieces. Put it into a blender with the oats and honey and add some milk. Blend until smooth.
2. Er.... That's it!

Sorry I can't be more specific about the quantity of milk, I basically just pour it in till it looks about right, but it must be about a cupful. You can use any kind of milk (full-fat or lower-fat cow's milk, soya milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc) - my own preference is for skimmed. A bit more milk will make a slightly thinner smoothie; the way I make it, it turns out the thickness of a McDonald's milkshake!

Aromatic Chicken Curry

This is a full-flavoured curry with a rich sauce, delicious with rice and naan bread :-) (Chipped plate optional!)

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 15 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
3cm piece of fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 ripe tomatoes
2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
150ml (1/4 pint) chicken stock
2 tbsp half-fat creme fraiche
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic, add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Finely grate the ginger and add to the pan with the spices, cooking for a further minute.
3. Chop the tomatoes and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add tomatoes and chicken to the pan with the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
4. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick and rich.
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the creme fraiche, adding salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce can be frozen at the end of step 4. Reheat then add the creme fraiche to serve.
It's easy to increase the quantities (especially if wanting to freeze part of the sauce) but allow extra cooking time.
You can use garlic puree, ginger puree and a couple of tinned tomatoes if preferred.

Keralan-style Prawn Curry

I couldn't find any curry leaves so I just missed them out. I was wary of making the curry too hot so I also used just one chilli and removed the seeds, but that did make a mild sauce so if you like hot curries then you may want to use two chillis and include the seeds. It is more of a fragrant, tasty curry than a burn-your-mouth hot curry though!

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 40 minutes (including cooking time)

Ingredients

2 tbsp mild olive oil
150g shallots
3 cloves garlic or 3 tsp garlic puree
20g fresh root ginger or ginger puree
1-2 fresh green chillis
1 tsp turmeric
small bunch fresh coriander
About 30 curry leaves
200ml vegetable stock
400ml tin of coconut milk
200g green beans
300g large raw peeled prawns

Method

1. Peel and slice the shallots and fry them in 1 tbsp of the oil till softened but not coloured. Peel and slice the garlic and peel and chop the ginger (if not using purees). Slice the chillis, removing the seeds if desired. Remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside for now.
2. Put the shallots, garlic, ginger, chillis, turmeric and coriander stalks into a blender and blitz to a coarse paste.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and fry the curry leaves for 1 minute (if using). Add the curry paste and cook for 3 minutes then add the stock and coconut milk. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Trim the green beans and cut into short pieces. Add to the sauce and cook for 5 minutes, then add the prawns and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. Season and stir in the coriander leaves before serving.

You can make the sauce in advance then bring back to simmering point and add the beans and prawns when ready to eat.
You could also use fillets of white fish, such as cod, instead of the prawns.

Ginger Tiramisu

I love tiramisu but can't cope with caffeine in the evening - not if I want to sleep, anyway! This version is caffeine-free and full of flavour :-)

Makes: 6-8 servings
Takes: 20 minutes + 2 hours chilling time

Ingredients

3 balls ginger from a jar of stem ginger in syrup
4 tbsp syrup from the same jar
250g mascarpone
300 ml double cream
6 tbsp sweet sherry
3 tbsp orange juice
200g gingernut biscuits (approx)

Method

1. Cut the ginger into small cubes and set aside.
2. Beat together the ginger syrup and mascarpone until smooth. Whip the cream till it forms soft peaks then fold into the mascarpone.
3. Mix together the sherry and orange juice in a shallow bowl.
4. Spread one-third of the mascarpone mixture in the bottom of a serving dish. Dip the biscuits into the sherry and orange juice for a few seconds (not too long or they will be soggy) then arrange a layer on top of the mascarpone, breaking the biscuits into pieces to fill in any gaps.
5. Scatter one-third of the chopped ginger over the biscuits then repeat the layers of mascarpone, dipped biscuits and chopped ginger. (You may not need all the biscuits.)
6. Spread the remaining mascarpone over the top and sprinkle over the rest of the ginger pieces. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the flavours have a chance to develop.