Classic Greek Salad

Nothing reminds me of being on holiday more than a Greek salad.

Me and my little sister went to Greece twice with our parents when we were teenagers.  The first time we went, we stayed in a self-catering apartment.  Mum and Dad kept the food simple and stuck to salads or bread and cheese but it was lovely (don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with all inclusive but you end up eating too much just to eat what on offer!!).

When I eat Greek salad it takes me straight back to those precious memories of warm evenings on the balcony feasting on Greek salad with crusty bread.  Happy memories.
The ingredients are simple and you can just throw it all together.  No skill involved but you get the most fantastic and refreshing salad.  My recipe listed below is what a ‘classic’ Greek salad includes.

Salmon and Tomato Linguine

This week has been so busy that we’ve barely had time to stop and think.  The positive is that the weekend is upon you before you know it but the negative – your exhausted.

When I’m meal planning, I always take my week into account.  If its a busy one, I need to have meals that allow me to cook with speed, eat, get ready and leave, so the last thing I want to be doing is spending an hour and a half making something complicated.  Instead I have healthy quick meals that take about 20 minutes to bring together but are full of good things.

My salmon and tomato linguine is just that – a quick fix meal that tastes great and is good for you too.  Who knew a couple of simple ingredients could create such a combination of flavours.

Summery Spinach, Feta and Tomato Quiche

Yes summer is coming to an end but that doesn’t mean we have to skip to warming stews straight away – right?  So I’m sharing a summery quiche today.

‘All Good Things’ Pasta

The whole point of this pasta dish was to create some comfort food that you could feel happy eating because you know it’s full of all good things and it doesn’t taste boring, there are layers, colours and textures.

I chose a meat to boost the protein content.  Turkey also happens to be lower in calories too.  To add even more protein I added soybeans, which also increase the fibre content.  Along with broccoli a popular health food filled with vitamins and minerals and butternut squash which is known as a heart-friendly ingredient.   Finally tomatoes filled with vitamins and minerals.

So as I say, all good things – so there’s absolutely no guilt involved.

If you do want to feel a little guilty:

On experimenting, there are some alternatives that could be added to this pasta dish.  I liked a couple of teaspoons of pesto drizzled over the top along with some grilled halloumi.  Both these ‘extras’ added something to the meal but if you need to be eating light go without or only have a small amount!

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‘All Good Things’ Pasta

 

Ingredients

Serves 4

300 g pasta

1 onion (diced)

1 clove (diced)

1 pepper (diced)

100 g cherry/plum tomatoes (halved)

250 g butternut squash (cubed)

375 g turkey steak (diced)

100 g soybeans

 

Method

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.  Using a steam basket, cook the butternut squash for 12 minutes.  Add the broccoli halfway through.  Cook the soy beans according to instructions or as I did (from frozen boil for 6 minutes).

Fry the onion and garlic together in a large saucepan.  When these have softened add the peppers and tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the diced turkey and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the cooked squash, broccoli, soy beans and pasta and fold the ingredients through.

Serve.

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Did you love my ‘All Good Things’ Pasta?

Leave a comment below or upload your pictures on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #mrswallscooks

Mushroom Risotto with Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes

Some turn to chocolate. Some turn to a drink. I will always turn to a big plate of carbohydrates. This week I definetely needed a pick up on Friday night after work.  Risotto is a northen Italian rice dish cooked into the most amazing creamy broth you could imagine; and the key to the creaminess?  Stir and stir until you can’t stir anymore…  this recipe is definetely a gem.

Prawn and Chorizo Linguine

My new favourite pasta dish.  This is quick, easy and superbly tasty.  Prawns and chorizo are a match made in heaven and adding in the lime juice at the end finished it off.  It tasted better than restaurant food and it took me fifteen minutes.  Who would have thought.

Vegetarian Lasagne – with a difference

On Wednesday evening, I enjoyed a veggie lasagne with a difference in the company of my sister and her boyfriend.  I really love cooking for others; especially something they have never tried before.  I think that lots of people think they don’t have the time to cook homemade meals every day because of their busy lifestyle but  I do feel though that with careful meal planning, you can create interesting, healthy food simply and quickly without much wastage.

Needless to say they enjoyed it, as did Ross.  The peppers in this meal add a good flavour (I’ve never tried roasted peppers out of a jar) and I also added 100 g  feta in the middle layer to give it a little extra flavour (cooking doesn’t have rules, you can put anything you fancy in!).

This is an all vegetarian meal full of goodness and the spinach on top really contrasts with the veggies hidden underneath.

Butternut Squash – my versatile favourite

I love butternut squash. It’s good for you, it’s tasty and most of all… versatile.  I love looking into what you can make with just the one ingredient and butternut squash seems to go with lots of different (surprising) ingredients.

They work so well as a healthy alternative to chips.  I always liked sweet potato chips but butternut squash work so well AND are considerably lower in carbohydrates.

I have a new firm favourite recipe to use up my leftover butternut squash though in the form of a butternut squash, spinach and feta filo pie.  Its as easy as frying off an onion and garlic.  Add to a pie dish with cubed up butternut squash and roast in the oven at about 200 degrees until the butternut squash is softened (this should take about 20 – 30 minutes).  To your pie dish add your wilted and cubed feta.  Cover the top of the ingredients with the filo pastry, scrunching it up to create an interesting top for your pie.  Bake in the oven until the pie contents are bubbling and your pastry is golden brown.  Simple. I can honestly say that every ingredient in this pie works together like magic!

What about steaming butternut squash, roasting cherry tomatoes and frying off some chorizo?  Then adding to spaghetti.  These simple ingredients create an amazing flavour combination.

I also tried a amazing salad with cooked quinoa, butternut squash and broccoli. Add some feta and balsamic  vinegar. Wow.

It goes to prove you can take something simple and make something extraordinary.