Happy cooking!
Love Meggan
Sundried Tomatoe Pesto on Pasta
Meggan: Generally speaking, I’m not mad on pasta, but this dish deserves my praises! It is the most amazing pasta dish I’ve ever had and it’s just perfect to serve to a group of friends or enemies – both will love you for it! Quick and easy to prepare; if you’ve heard yourself say, “I just never have the time to cook,” then this one’s for you!
Ingredients:
¾ cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained
¾ cup pitted black olives
1 packed cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
250g pasta per serving
Instructions:
Put the pasta in a pot of cold water, add salt and a teaspoon of olive oil and bring to the boil. Boil for however long you need to until the pasta is either soft or, if you prefer, el dente (slightly chewy to the bite). Whilst the pasta is on the go, chop up the sun dried tomatoes and parsley and mix them with all the other ingredients in a large bowl. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and then mix it in with everything else. Done!
I love it as it is, but if you wish to, you can add any or all of the following: steamed green beans, cauliflower, chopped fresh tomatoes, goat or fetta cheese grated.
Delicious Stewed Fruit
Meggan: This combination of warmed up fruits is simply delicious and wonderfully warming in the winter time. Also, the vitamins and minerals contained in the fruits are great for keeping the immune system strong during the winter months.
Ingredients:
2 organic pears
2 organic apples
½ banana
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp finely grated ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dark brown sugar (or maple syrup)
2 cups water
6 prunes (high in nutrients, especially iron)
A sprinkling of flaked almonds (high in minerals and protein)
A handful of red currents, raisins or blue berries (optional – high in antioxidants)
¼ cup desiccated coconut
Instructions:
De-core and chop up the fresh fruits. Place them, along with all the other ingredients, in a large pot and cook on low until the fruit is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Serves 4
Roasted Nuts
Ingredients:
I cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 cup pepitas or rough chopped almonds
¼ cup tamari or shoyu
Instructions:
Heat a heavy based fry pan on the stove top until hot. When the pan is very hot, throw in the seeds and nuts. Stir them with a wooden spoon often but not constantly. When they are starting to brown evenly, turn off the heat and splash in the shoyu. Keep stirring until the seeds are well coated and most of the moisture has evaporated. Serve hot, or allow to cool and store in tan airtight container.
Tasty Lentil Soup
Meggan: That’s the thing with lentils – depending on the type, there are certain spices which are preferable to cook them in, and you’ve got to know your stuff. I find that pink lentils are the easiest and quickest to prepare and cook, so I tend to use them far more often than any other. And they don’t need to be soaked, you can just rinse them through in cold water and then they’re ready to go!
Ingredients:
150g red lentils (high in protein)
A pinch of bicarbonate soda (optional)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large tomatoes (high in Vitamin C)
1 tablespoon freshly chopped ginger (excellent for preventing and alleviating the effects of influenza)
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon hing (asfodia)
¼ teaspoon tumeric powder
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
1 medium sized lemon
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons of ghee
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves
Instructions:
Wash and rinse the lentils and keep them aside. Put some olive oil in a pot and turn the heat on high. Once the oil starts getting hot, add the freshly chopped ginger and mustard seeds and wait for the mustard seeds to start popping. (Be careful when they start to pop, as they have a tendency to pop out of the pan). Then add the chopped tomatoes, hing (asfodia), cumin seeds, tumeric powder, salt, cumin powder and coriander powder and stir it all up. Once the tomatoes begin to look a bit mushy, then add the lentils and 3 cups of water and let it cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. I often add more water as I’m cooking; it just depends on how liquid you like it.
Once the lentils are cooked (soft and mushy is the sign), squeeze in the fresh lemon juice, add two tablespoons of ghee and mix it all up with a large spoon. Serve with bread and butter.
Serves 2
Blackberrry banana smoothie
Ingredients:
I banana
6 cashew nuts
10 blackberries
½ tsp cinnamon
2 spoons fullcream plain yogurt
Milk
Instructions:
There's really nothing to it. Just put all the ingredients into a blender and blend!
Pumpkin Mango and Mint Salad
Meggan: This combination of foods is utterly fantastic, both savoury and refreshing at the same time. The almost opposite flavours of savoury tahini and sweet mango and pumpkin are most complementary and the mint gives it that extra-fresh zing. What’s more, it’s so easy to make and once made will, I assure you, become a regular feature on your food menu. This is just the best gift to someone who doesn’t have a huge amount of time to make the tastiest dish ever - send this one to all your friends! Oh yes, and don’t be surprised if it’s a real conversation stopper - the best food creates a room full of silence!
Ingredients:
Rocket
Lettuce
Mango
Cashews
Pumpkin
Greek fetta
Avocado
Sprouts
Fresh coriander
Fresh mint
Tahini
Instructions:
You don’t need to peel the pumpkin, coz there’s so much goodness in the skin that you don’t want to miss out on – just chop it into 5mm thin slices, (maths is not my strong point). about the size of a sliced carrot, and then place it on a tray, either covered in olive oil or ghee, and grill in the oven on high until it changes to a browny colour. Then turn it over with a fork and let the same happen on the other side. Whilst this is happening, slice the mango and fetta cheese into cubes, the avocado into long thick strips, and chop up the coriander. There’s no need to chop the mint up – just pick the leaves off the stem and toss them into the bowl along with all the other ingredients, except the tahini. Toss the salad and then right at the end pour the tahini lightly over the top and serve.
