Red Rice Salad

September 20, 2016September 14, 2017 / thuddirect / Leave a comment

Red rice has a lovely wholesome and nutty flavour, not to mention and fabulous colour. It’s combined with beetroot, rocket and delicious dressing in this tasty salad.

Serves 2

Ingredients: 1 and a half beetroot, 1-2 carrots, 2 runner beans, 1 spring onion, handful of rocket, small bunch of curly parsley and flat parsley and 1-2 shallots depending on size.

Larder: 200g red rice or mixture of puy lentils and red rice, 1 tsp honey, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, juice of ½ a lemon,

(optional extras: 50g feta, grilled fish or chicken, stock cube).

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Cook the rice with 600ml of water or stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for approx 30 mins.
Make the dressing. Combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, a pinch of salt and finely minced shallots in the salad bowl, whisk to combine, adjust proportions to taste.
Finely slice the spring onion and chop both kinds of parsley. Add to salad bowl and mix.
Peel and grate the beetroot and carrot. Add to the salad bowl.
Slice runner beans on the diagonal into 2cm pieces and when rice nearly ready, add them to the rice for the last 3 or so minutes of cooking. When rice cooked, drain any remaining water.
Add to the salad bowl. Mix in the rocket and if using, crumble in the feta.
Serve with optional grilled chicken or fish.

Warm Fig Salad

August 16, 2016September 11, 2017 / thuddirect / 1 Comment

Serves 2

Ingredients: 2 figs, 1 head of chicory, 1 purple carrot, 1 orange carrot, smal handful of walnuts (allergen), small handful of chopped coriander, small handful of chopped mint.

Larder: 150g Puy lentils, 2 tsp honey, 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, pinch of salt, (optional extra: 50g goats cheese, 2 slices of bacon chopped into bits).

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Start cooking the Puy lentils/rice or a mixture of the two according to packet instructions.
Quarter the figs, peel and chop the carrots into 1cm chunks and place both in a roasting dish. Drizzle with a glug of olive oil and 2 tsp honey. Place in the oven and roast while you prepare the rest of the salad for 15-20 minutes until softening and caramelising.
Make a dressing by whisking together 4 tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Cut the cheese into pieces, chop mint and coriander leaves and walnuts in small pieces.
Break the chicory leaves from their core and slice the larger leaves in half, length ways. If using, cook the bacon pieces.
On two plates make piles of salad starting with lentils, chicory, walnuts, coriander, mint and cheese, followed by the roasted carrots and figs and optional bacon. Pour over the dressing and serve.

Rainbow Summer Salad

August 2, 2016August 8, 2016 / thuddirect / Leave a comment

Ingredients: 100g tomatoes, 1 baby cucumber, 5 radishes, 15g lovage, 15g parsley, 1 spring onion, 3 baby peppers.

Larder: 400g tin of chickpeas or butter beans, 4 tbsp olive oil, juice of half a lemon, ½ tsp salt, (optional 160g tin of tuna and pita bread).

Instructions:

Slice the spring onion and radishes. Chop the pepper into 1cm chunks. Quarter the tomatoes, quarter the cucumber lengthways and then cut into 1cm chunks. Finely chop the lovage and parsley.
Combine all the chopped veg and greens in a salad bowl. Drain, rinse and add the tin of chickpeas or butter beans.
Make a dressing: whisk together the oil, lemon juice and ½ tsp salt and mix into the salad.
Drain the tin of tuna and divide the salad and tuna between 2 plates.
Serve salad with toasted pita bread or crusty bread and eat up!

Asian Noodle Salad

July 19, 2016May 4, 2017 / thuddirect / 1 Comment

Get chopping with this delicious, fresh Asian inspired noodle salad.

Ingredients: 1 romero pepper, 2 carrots, 1/2 a beetroot, 200g mouli/daikon, 1 spring onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2-1 chilli, small bunch of coriander.

Larder: 175g egg noodles, ¼ C vegetable oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, Juice of ½ a lime, 2 tsp honey (optional extra: prawns and sesame seeds).

Instructions:

Deseed the chilli and then finely slice the chilli, garlic clove and spring onion. Cook in a small saucepan on med to high hear with the vegetable oil for about 3 minutes. Don’t allow to burn.
Cook the egg noodles for 4 minutes, drain and return to the pan. Pour over the chilli oil, toss and let stand.
Julienne the pepper, mouli, beetroot and carrot. To julienne your veggies, peel them if needed, and then cut into very thin planks, place the planks on top of each other and then slice the planks to create batons as close to matchstick size as possible.
Chop the coriander.
In a small bowl or glass whisk together lime, soy sauce and honey.
Mix sauce through the noodles and then add the veg and coriander.
Serve in bowls and garnish with sesame seeds.