I have been doing quite a bit of recipe improvisation lately. That is – not following a recipe when making something new, but just using what I know to make up new dishes. I must admit, it’s quite exciting not quite knowing how something may turn out, but oh so satisfying when something like this is the result!

I used all fresh and delicious ingredients and a few staples such as broccoli, tomato, soy sauce, and chilli. This was super easy for a mid-week dinner and high in omega-3 thanks to my friend the salmon fillet.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 2 Salmon fillets
• handful of sugar snap peas
• handful of broccoli
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 1 large tomato, seeds removed and chopped
• ½ avocado, sliced
• small handful of parsley, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Spring onions, sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced

Method:

1. Marinate salmon in soy sauce and lemon juice for 20 minutes, then grill to your preference.
2. Blanch the broccoli and sugar snap peas for 1 minute in boiling water, then refresh under cold water and shake to dry.
3. Combine with rest of salad ingredients.
4. Make dressing with soy sauce, spring onions, chilli and lemon juice and toss with salad.
5. Serve with salmon on side.

As soon as I saw a recipe for oatmeal ricotta hotcakes in the June newsletter from the Healthy Chef I knew they would be perfect for a Sunday brekkie. I simply love the Healthy Chef! Her recipes are always so tasty, yet nutritious and delicious! I am a big believer of being able to make variations to recipes to make them healthier and the Healthy Chef is always right on!

These hotcakes are gluten free , low GI and high in protein. I wish I could have this for brekkie every morning…in fact I think they will become a regular weekend breakfast! And with the gorgeous British strawberries we are getting now, they are the BEST!

Makes 2 large hotcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (125g) ricotta
• 30 ml (1/8 cup) milk (I used soya light)
• 1 free range / organic eggs
• 1/2 cup (45g) rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon linseed or pumpkin seeds (I left this out)
• 0% fat Greek yoghurt
• chopped up strawberries and bananas to serve

Method:

1. Combine ricotta, milk, egg, oats, and baking powder then leave for at least 1 hour to soak, however overnight is best.
2. Add a little extra milk if the batter looks a bit thick.
3. Cook in a non stick pan over medium heat for 3 minutes
   each side.
4. Sprinkle with seeds and rolled oats before turning over (if using).
5. Serve with Greek yoghurt, strawberries, banana and a little honey.
6. Enjoy.

I have such a back-log of recipes to make! It was my birthday recently and I received a bunch of new cookbooks including Yotam Ottolenghi’s new one ‘Plenty’ which is just gold! But as I had a few random veggies in the fridge and we are waiting for our first delivery of a fruit and veg box, I wanted to try and use up as much as I could.

I made this salad up myself after reading a recipe for a giant couscous and aubergine side salad in an issue of BBC Good Food mag. I made a few amendments and bulked it up a bit to make a main dish for 2 that was the perfect way to kick off National Vegetarian Week (in the UK).

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) is the annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle. Celebrated by the Vegetarian Society since 1992, the Week is now an established event that gets bigger and better every year.

I love how simple vegetarian dishes can be so tasty. This one is definitely one to make again!

Ingredients:

• 1 aubergine, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150g cherry tomatoes (but you can use more)
• half a red onion, sliced
• 150g quinoa
• juice from 1 lemon
• 150g feta
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• handful basil leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C/Gas 6
2. Place the slices of aubergine in a roasting tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 15 minutes
3. Season the cherry tomatoes and red onion, and add to the roasting dish for a further 10 minutes
4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions
5. Combine the lemon juice with 1 tbsp of olive oil for the dressing
6. Place the spinach leaves in a bowl and toss with half the dressing
7. Add the quinoa to the spinach bowl and toss with the remaining dressing.
8. Carefully stir through the roasted veggies, crumbled feta and chopped basil leaves

I have been living in London for over two years now and my older sister has been talking about Petersham Nurseries as a foodies delight for most of that time. Now while my sis doesn’t share the same cooking passion as Anita and myself, she does appreciate a tasty meal. And believe me, this cute little cafe at the back of a garden centre was gold!

The nursery is in Richmond and encourages visitors to travel by bike, public transport, or foot in an effort to reduce the impact to the grounds caused by cars. So this requires a bit more effort than just jumping in a car. Not that we have one anyway, but I think it complements the whole ‘one with the earth’ vibe out there!

The cafe itself is out the back of the nursery so requires a leisurely stroll through the plants, garden furniture and pretty candles. My mind was purely on the food though. No surprises there.

Aussie Skye Gyngell heads up the kitchen. She is so talented and has such good taste as evidenced by her menus and cookbooks.

We settled into antique furniture and didn’t think twice about ordering the Rose Prosecco. The menu changes every week at the cafe based on what’s in season so even though you can check the website that week, you could still be in store for a menu surprise…something that usually makes me nervous, but in this case I was happy all round!

My tomato, cucumber and bread soup was amazing. So fresh and light it had me dreaming of the Med. Even though it was a ‘soup’, it was mostly veggies and a small amount of broth, which made this even better. I may even attempt to re-create this some time.

My grilled seam bream with artichokes, white beans and romesco was a delight. It seems like such simple cooking, yet so flavoursome and special. I just love it when you make a good menu choice!

The other ‘no red meat’ option was a chicken breast with saffron and tomato. I think I am missing some key ingredients but I did have a taste of this and it was delish.

Of course we made sure we had room for dessert and again, my choice was right on the money. A gooey chocolate tart that was pure decadence. It was served with jersey cream but didn’t need it.

My dining companions has the Italian apricots (which have a special name which I have forgotten) with a thick lemon clotted cream.

There is also a tea house behind the cafe that sells an assortment of cakes which of course I had to check out, and while I claimed I would be able to do cake as well, I had clearly over-estimated! We caught a cab home and enjoyed a nap. Ahhhh the life!

The cafe at Petersham nurseries serves lunch Wednesday - Sunday from 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm. Reservations are essential and taken one month before (020 8605 3627 or  020 8605 3627).

Find them at on Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7AG.

I love a dish that combines a bunch of different veggies and this dish hits the spot. I spotted this recipe by Teresa Cutter (The Healthy Chef) in an edition of Fitness First magazine that is distributed in Australia for members. In case you missed it, I am obsessed with Teresa's recipes from both her website, and her 80/20 diet book. Teresa's recipe uses just asparagus but I added a layer of red peppers. Next time I think I will throw in some corn kernels but the possibilities are endless! You can check out Teresa's web site here.

I can't even remember the last time I had a lasagne made with pasta sheets. Besides being a carb dodger, I have never found anywhere that does a good veggie lasagne and by good I mean uses lots of veggies rather than just the standard spinach and cheese. This is such a good idea to use thinly sliced zucchini/courgettes as the 'pasta'. I think this will become a regular dish for us as it's very similar to a veggie bake.

Time it takes: 1 hour

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 125g fine asparagus, trimmed 
• 1 red pepper/capsicum, sliced into batons
• 2 medium sized zucchini/courgettes 
• fresh basil leaves, some sliced for the napolitana sauce
• black pepper 
• 200g cottage cheese or low fat ricotta 
• 2 spring onion, sliced 
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 
• 2 egg whites 
• 20g grated Parmesan
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

Method: 

1. Boil a large pot of water and blanch the asparagus and peppers for 1 minute then drain well. 
2. Slice the zucchini thinly on a mandolin lengthways (this is your pasta replacement.) 
3. Scoop the cottage cheese or ricotta into a blender or food processor then add the egg whites and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy.  
4. Fold in the spring onion by hand. 
5. Layer ingredients into a loaf pan in the following order so you end up with 3 layers of zucchini: zucchini – black pepper - cheese mix – asparagus – basil  - zucchini – black pepper – cheese mix – red peppers – basil – zucchini – ricotta mix – grated parmesan cheese. 
6. Bake in a moderate 180 C oven for about 45 mins - 1 hour until golden then serve with a simple napolitana sauce.
7. To make the napolitana sauce quickly sauté the onion until golden then add the chopped tomatoes, and a little sliced basil.  Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes and season with a little salt and pepper. 

NB: for a dairy free version substitute the cottage cheese with good quality silken tofu.

I really love this recipe! I don’t like pasta dishes as they are usually quite ‘heavy’, and being the carb-dodger and ‘no red meat’ fan that I am, I don’t usually even look twice at them. This works out like a lovely, satisfying vegetable bake which is perfect for a Sunday afternoon lunch when it’s cold outside. Comfort food without the calories and fat! Enjoy!