This summer I have been getting an iceberg lettuce every week in my co-op box and frankly I am a little bored of them.   Nothing conjures up an image of an 1970’s salad more than an iceberg.     Add some pale watery tomatoes, celery and chunks of cucumber and a good dollop of salad cream and you have something straight out of the canteen of my 1970’s primary school in the middle of Kent.

I recently read an article by Mark Bittman on The Charms of the Loser Lettuces.  I was struck by a comment on one of the recipes, which pointed out that if icebergs were not so long lasting and virtually indestructible, they would not be so loved by supermarket buyers and thus available so cheaply and easily.  The rare and scare (and expensive?) iceberg would probably popular with certain groups of foodies.   I hope that my tastebuds are not solely governed by rarity value and cost, but I am sure that there are some foods out there that are more popular because of their rarity rather than the merits of their flavour alone.

But back to the humble iceberg, its hardiness and crispness make it ideal to cook, it softens, but retains some shape and texture not turning to mush.    In fact it actually tastes pretty darned good – I would even venture to say it is delicious!   It is buttery, nutty and subtly bitter.  Add to that almost fat free, low calorie,  cheap, easy to prepare (using only one pot)  and satisfying and I have a winner.        For the more ravenous, serve it as a starter – I would even produce this at a dinner party.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

Braised Iceberg Lettuce (Serves 4)

1 Iceberg lettuce
Glug olive oil
1/2 mug vegetable stock (I used Marigold)
Handful frozen peas
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Soy Sauce (to taste)

Cut the lettuce into quarters (through the stem so each segment stays together).  Add the oil to a casserole dish and fry the lettuce on all sides until it is starting to turn brown.   Add about 1.5cm / 1/2″ stock to the dish, put the lid on and turn the heat right down.   Simmer for about 15 mins, add the frozen peas, (here I left the lid ajar to concentrate the juices) and cook for a further 5 minutes.    Season with salt and pepper and serve.

This recipe is also delicious with a dash of soy sauce.     For a more substantial dish use more peas or serve with some crusty bread.    I imagine that you could also steam a piece of fish over the lettuce too.

Along with lots of other bloggers I was recently sent a coolbag crammed full with Total Greek yogurt, which I have greatly been enjoying using and cooking with.    It is still baking hot in London and I really do not want to spend hours slaving over a hot stove so I have been spending the minimal amount of time in the kitchen.   Tuesday is co-op day and this week my bag contained some beautiful new potatoes which needed to be made into a salad.    Instead of the usual mayonnaise I used some 0% fat Total and added cucumber and mint from my window box* to make a refreshing lunch.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

*I am not a gardener and have to have an alarm on my phone to remind me to water my herbs, but mint seems pretty hard to kill, it seems to thrive on neglect and actually needs a very good prune on a regular basis so it does not turn into a triffid.   If I can grow mint on a window sill in central London I defy anyone not to be able to grow it anywhere.

Potato, Cucumber and Mint Salad

Handful baby new potatoes
Chunk of cucumber
Greek Yogurt (I used Total 0%)
Sprig of mint – roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Remove any dirt and mud by gently scrubing the potatoes (but try to keep the skin on, it contains most of the nutrients and taste).  Pop them in a pan and simmer until done.    When cooked drain and slice thickly.   Whilst the spuds are cooking chop the cucumber into 1/2″ chunks.   Put a dollop of yogurt into your salad bowl (I thinned mine with a splash of water as it was very thick).  Add the cucumber, mint (reserving a little for garnish)  and season.  Allow the potatoes to cool a little then stir into the salad.  Garnish with the remining mint.    Enjoy warm or chilled.

My food co-op has just made the summer switch over from vegetable bags to salad bags.  Despite having not had a bag for the last couple of weeks (busy with life and the decorating) there are still a number of root vegetables languishing at the bottom of the fridge waiting to be eaten.    As recent posts have showed I love roast vegetables.   They are simply easy and delicious, perfect for any non leafy vegetables that are slightly too large or past its best.      This is a fantastic recipe for the evening before co-op day, scoop out the remains of last week’s bag from the vegetable drawer of the fridge and use them all up.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

Roast Root Vegetables with Pesto

A mix of carrots, parsnips, turnip, onions, potato, beetroot etc.
Olive Oil
Pesto
Salt & Pepper to taste

Simply peel the vegetables and cut into batons, chunks or wedges about the thickness of your thumb.   Place in a roasting tray, add a good glug of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, give the tray a good shake to coat the vegetables with the oil.    Place in a moderately hot oven 190C / 325F / GM 5 and cook for about 40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramalise.    Flip the vegetables once whilst cooking.

Place vegetables into a serving bowl, add a spoon or two of pesto and another glug of olive oil and stir well.   Serve warm or cold.

I add some more oil to my leftover pesto and freeze it in a tupperware box, by adding oil the pesto does not freeze completely solid so you can easily spoon some out.   To make the recipe vegan simply use a vegan pesto or make your own.

In all honesty there is nothing Italian at all about this salad, but the red, white and green vegetables reminded me of an Insalata Caprese and the colours of the Italian flag, and it looks pretty.

We needed a picnic supper tonight for a Scottish Dancing group that we go to and I found a bag of a mix of red camargue and wild rice in the cupboard and made a simple salad with some vegetables that I had in the fridge.    As with my sunset salad vegetables are far easier to eat and enjoy raw if they are chopped into smaller pieces, if you prefer blanch the brocolli and cauliflower.    I always cook my rice in a microwave steamer, I get perfect rice everytime and in about half the time it takes to cook on the hob – 14 minutes for brown rice and 11 for white, I cannot recommend them highly enough and would not be without mine.

Red Rice Salad

50g/ 2oz red or wild rice per person
Chopped brocolli, cauliflower & cherry tomatoes
Shredded basil
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Simply cook the rice and dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and soy sauce (if using).    When cold add the vegetables and basil and toss.      Totally fuss free and delicious.

Spring is here and as usual has caught me unawares; for a few days every spring I find I am wearing totally the wrong clothes and feeling hot and bothered and end up carrying jackets, fleeces and scarves around so I do not roast.

I also start to think about my diet in the spring and realise that a little bit body maintenance and maybe the loss of a few pounds would be a good idea.  Eating more raw always immediately makes me feel healthier and more energetic and I am sure that a sustained effort quickly becomes noticable in my appearance in a few days.

This salad is a regular in my kitchen, it is delicious and uses vegetables that are available all year round  Do not be put off by raw vegetables as grating makes them easy to eat and surprisingly sweet.     The orange and red vegetables are full of beta carotenes which convert to vitamin A.   This salad makes an excellent packed lunch, pack the dressing and seeds into separate leakproof pots and mix when ready to eat.   I always use my magimix to grate the vegetables as it makes preperation a 5 minute job.    The vegetables somehow expand when grated and a seemingly small quantity gives a massive bowl of salad.

Sunset Salad

Approximately equal amounts of grated
Parsnip
Carrot
Butternut squash

Half a red pepper shredded
Half a yellow pepper shredded

Dressing
Equal amounts of
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce  / Tamari or Essential Aminos

Mixed seeds to serve – I use sunflower, pumpkin and hemp
Mix the grated parsnip, carrot, squash and peppers well together.    Put the dressing into a  jam jar and shake well.     Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving and toss well, sprinkle with seeds before serving.

I serve this on a bed of spinach leaves with an avocado.

Variations

Add grated sweet potato.

I have a slight love / hate relationship with autumn, it is sad to see the end of summer, but I love the change of the season, the change in the air and the turning of the leaves, but the weather is unprerdictable and I never know what to wear and am usually too hot, too cold or am wearing the wrong shoes when there is a downpour and end up with sodden feet.  Even though I have been out of full education for over 14 years, the start of the academic year in autumn to me still seems to be a time for new beginnings, when you still have fresh memories of the summer, when days are still relatively long and sometimes warm and sunny it is somehow more conducive to starting afresh or with new intentions than it is at the start of January.

During October I thoroughly enjoy feeling that summer is not going to give up without a fight; yesterday I sat outside with a friend at the Saatchi gallery for coffee enjoying the sun, wondering if it was going to be the last time we sat outside for a drink this year.    Today was another glorious day, I know summer has ended really, but it still having one last kick after the clocks have changed.

With autumn in the air, I had started to think about non summery food and had bought my first cabbage of the year, properly cooked cabbage is delicious, badly over-cooked cabbage is horrible, and an anathema to any right thinking persons taste-buds, sadly many of us have spent formative years suffering institutionalised cooking of cabbage.

However; enough of autumn and badly cooked cabbage, the only vegetables that I had today were cabbage and carrots and I knew that I did not want them cooked with my lunch, so I made a late summer (early autumn) salad of a horseradish and mustard coleslaw, simple, crunchy and the perfect dish for between the seasons and perfect for lunch.   This is barely a recipe  – more of a flavour guide.

Last Salad of Summer – Horseradish and Mustard Coleslaw (serves 2)

2 Carrots – grated
1/6 Small Cabbage – shredded

1 tbs mayonnaise
1 tsb horseradish sauce
1 tsb grain mustard

Mix carrots and cabbage into a bowl, in another smaller bowl mix the mayonnaise, horseradish and mustard and dilute with approximately the same volume of just boiled water to the consistency of double cream, pour over the cabbage / carrot mix and mix well so the vegetables are coated wtih sauce.    Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I garnished this with Omega seed sprinkles, a mix of hemp, sumflower and pumpkin seeds roughly chopped in the spice grinder.

I have been feeling very uninspired and unexcited about food recently but I was delighted to be given some homegrown tomatos, which were perfectly ripe and bursting with flavour.    I quickly made this three tomato salad with a tomato dressing for my lunch, which I thoroughly enjoyed and which I think may have reawakened my interest in food.   This simple salad celebrates the different varieties of tomato and is perfect for lunch on a hot summer day. 

Three tomato salad with tomato dressing

For the Salad
2 types of perfectly ripe fresh tomatos – sliced
A few sun dried tomatos – chopped
Fresh herbs – I use oregano
Salt & pepper

For the dressing
A couple of very ripe red tomatos
Glug of olive oil
Small clove of garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Put all ingredients for the dressing into a jug and blitz with a stick blender, or whizz in the small bowl of the food processor.    Slice and arrange the tomatos on a plate, pour the dressing over and then sprinkle with the chopped sundried tomatos and herbs.    Season to taste with pepper and salt.  Enjoy with a slice of cursty bread.