Best Mac Cheese

1. boil pasta
   
2. In rapeseed oil, fry medium diced red onion
3. Season with S'nP'
4. Add 1 clove garlic; crushed
5. Add 1T butter,when caramalised
6. Add 1T plain flour and cook the roux
7. Add combination of semi-skimmed and soya milk
8. Add 1 bayleaf and peppercorns crushed
9. Add 1 t English mustard
10. Stir continuosly and bring to the boil
11. Stir on gentle heat until it starts to thicken
12. Take off the heat and add 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
13. Place drained pasta in baking dish; optional(can add tuna and or sweetcorn)
14. Pour over cheese sauce, top with (breadcrumbs and) cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 180dgrees C.

Raita : yogurt and cucumber dip

Raita

Raita is a healthy spiced yogurt and cucumber companion to cool hot curries but works equally well as a dip. My secret ingredient is dry roasted sesame and cumin seeds-now you all know it;).

Ingredients:

• 1 pot of organic yogurt
• 5-6 inches or half of an organic cucumber grated coarsely (non organic may have a waxy coating on the nutritious skin)
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 t sea salt to your taste
• 1/2 to 3/4 t freshly ground black pepper to your taste
• 1/2 to 3/4 garam masala
• 1/4 to 1/2 t smoked paprika
  
• 1/2 to 3/4 t each sesame and cumin seeds
• 1 T chopped green herb of your choice: for authentic raita add coriander, for a Greek edge add mint, chives or just add parsley( a clove of crushed garlic and 2 T parsley turn it into a good sauce to go with fritters)
• for decoration a sprinkle of red chili powder or smoked paprika or cayenne, garam masala, black pepper, sesame and cumin seeds and 2-3 coriander leaves.

Method:

1. Place a dry frying pan on gas and let it get hot.
2. Add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds into the hot pan and toss the pan around to brown the seeds without burning. They will start to pop.
3. Empty the seeds into a clean dry plate and allow to cool, while you prepare the yogurt.
4. Grate the cumber
   
5. Empty yogurt into a bowl and whisk
   
6. Add the cumber and mix
7. Add the salt, pepper, garam masala, paprika, cumin and sesame seeds(reserve a few for decorating the top).
   
8. Add the chopped coriander
9. Transfer to your serving dish and decorate the top with a sprinkling of

• garam masala
• black pepper
• paprika
• sesame seeds
• cumin seeds
• a sprig of coriander

Serve with roti, pitta, tortillas, poppadoms, carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli trees .............

Further variations:
The cucumber can be diced instead of grated. Also you can try adding cubed avocado, cubed tomatoes and spring onions. This trio is a great combination when served with curries!

Quick Coleslaw

The main work needed here is just shredding. In the past I have used the shredder on a food processor but find that the result is not the desired crispy coleslaw. Besides, I'd much rather wash a sharp knife and a chopping board rather than the whole hulla baloo that goes with the afore mentioned gadget. So the combination that works for me is:

Shred:

• 1/2 pointed cabbadge
• 1/2 red onion or 3-4 spring onions
  

Grate:

• 3-5 carrots
• 1 small apple

Combine, season and add 2-3T of good quality organic mayonaise. I used:



If you are out of mayo, you could be super healthy and use yogurt with a dash of maple syrup and 1 crused clove of garlic.

If you want to make it more special you could add a combination of:

• pecans
• walnuts
• toasted almonds
• pine nuts
• chopped apricots(none of those orange sulphur dioxide zapped radioactive ones!)
• raisins and the like(currants,sultanas...)
  
• pomegrante seeds
• dates
  

Much tastier and nutrient rich than the plastic wrapped tubs!

Ratatouille

I must use up the vegetables that lurk at the back of the fridge threatening to go off. A news report this week about the amount of waste in domestic kitchens sent me running to the forgotten corners of my fridge. I found that the ingredients needing imminent care spelt out ratatouille! I find the quickest way to make this dish is to oven roast. I used:

• 1 aubergine
• 1 yellow pepper and green pepper
• 3-4 leeks
• 2-3 spring onions(usually I use red onions)
• 1/2 a tin of plum tomatoes (usually I may add 1 tin, but I used up what was open)
• 2-3 fresh tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of rosemary from the garden:)

I chopped all the veg to roughly the same size and placed in a large plastic food bag. Next I added a glug of olive oil, sea salt(adjust if adding tamari too), pepper,balsamic vinegar, chille and ginger sauce and 1 fresh green chillie halved.

Gave a good shake in the bag to combine and placed in a rectangle deep baking dish. I added the tinned tomatoes at this stage and covered with foil and placed in oven with baking potatoes. 180C for about an hour(time taken for spuds).
I removed the foil for the last 15 mins of cooking time.

I served this with Baked pots and salad but will use the left overs with pasta.

Quick Aduki Bean Chillie

My husband insisted I make a record of this recipe-he 's got to really like it to do this so what better place than on here. So here it is:

In hot combi of rapeseed and Olive oil add
1 t sesame seed
about 0.5-1 t each crushed (in PnM) cumin and coriander seeds
1 t grated nutmeg
1 t dried oregano
When all this sizzles add
1 diced onion
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
1 T grated ginger
chopped green chillie to taste( either chuck a whole one severed in the middle-mild option or 1 t chopped-hotter)
1 std packet of fine green beans cut into pea sized pieces
cook for about 5 mins and then add
3-4 T frozen sweetcorn (ofcourse fresh would only add to the taste!)
Add 3/4 -1 can of tinned tomatoes
cook for about 5 mins and then add
1 tin aduki beans drained
Cook for about 5 min
add 1 t garam masala ot taco seasoning
add fresh or frozen green coriander
Serve with tortilla chips and salad or used mixture in wraps and bake with a tomatoe sauce and grated cheese on top.

Quick Healthy Lunch-when it was lunch time 30 mins ago!!

Add to bowl:

1 stick cubed celery
2 ripe diced tomatoes
Handful of cooked sweetcorn(I boil it with the pasta)
2 handfuls of cooked spelt pasta
1 small tin of Tuna( I use Charles Basset-Thon Blanc-very tasty worth the extra pennies)
Drizzle of Olive oil and Tamari soya sauce
Freshly ground Black pepper

And Mix!
I served it with carrot and celery batons.