Pumpkin & Pesto Salad

Pumpkin & Pesto Salad

For this recipe, I use a pesto called Barilla iPesti alla Genovese, but any basil pesto works well.

You can also add pasta to this recipe as well.

Ingredients

-1/2 butternut pumpkin, chopped in large chunks,
-Olive oil, a drizzle
-3/4 cup of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), dry toasted
-2 or 3 handfuls of spinach & beet leaves
-2 tbsp pesto sauce
-Parmasan, salt & peper to taste

Method

1) Preheat oven to 200°C
2) Spread out pumpkin on a roasting tray & drizzle with olive oil
3) Roast pumpkin for 30-40 mins, until golden and soft
4) Allow to slightly cool
5) Mix pumpkin and remaining ingredients together. Yum.

Sweet Potato chips

Sweet Potato chips 

Dip these bad boys in some herbed mayo, or sweet chilli & sour cream!

Ingredients
1 sweet potato
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mixed herbs

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180 ° c
2) Peel the sweet potato.  Cut in half width ways, then cut in half length ways, then cut into 6ths or 8ths length ways to create long chips.
3) Place in baking tray, drizzle over oil, and sprinkle over herbs, then mix to cover.
4) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until chips are cooked through.

Serve with sour cream or mayonnaise, with sweet chilli sauce. Alternatively, serve as a side with a salad.

Poached Eggs on Rye with Melted Spinach & Beet Leaves, and Mushrooms

Poached Eggs on Rye with Melted Spinach & Beet Leaves, and Mushrooms

Ingredients

Water
A dash of Vinegar
2 x Eggs
1 x Tsp Olive oil

1 x Clove of garlic
2 x Mushrooms, finely sliced
A handful of Spinach & beet Leaves
2 x Slices of Rye Bread,
Salt & Cracked Pepper, to taste
Parmesan

Method

1)  In a small pan, heat olive oil. Fry Mushrooms until softened. Chuck in the leaves and fry until melted. Add pepper or salt to taste.

2) Meanwhile, fill a small fry pan with water about 2 cm high. Add a dash of Vinegar. Heat the pan of water on medium low to a small rolling boil.

3) With a spoon or spatula, stir the pan of water in a circular motion to create a slight whirlpool. 

4) Crack the eggs into the middle of the whirlpool.

5) While the eggs are cooking, toast the rye bread. 

6) Spoon the mushrooms and melted leaves onto the rye.

7) Once the egg whites are no longer translucent and the eggs are cooked, use a spatula with draining holes to spoon them out of the water. If the tops of the eggs haven't cooked, lower the temperature of the stove and place a lid on the fry pan.

8) Place the eggs on top of the mushrooms and leaves on the rye.

9) Serve with Parmesan, cracked pepper and salt.

Quinoa Fruit & Nut Salad

Quinoa Fruit & Nut Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa & brown rice cooked to package instructions with stock cube and thyme
1/3 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, ect.)
1/3 cup dried fruit (cranberries, sultanas, diced apricot!, ect)
A few handfuls of spinach
1/2 lemon feshly squeezed
2 Tbsp olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Parsley to taste

Method:

1) Use any desired combination of fruit and nuts, for example cranberry and pecan, or apricot and almond

2) Mix together in a bowl and enjoy.