Open tuna salad sandwich with poached egg

Open tuna salad sandwich with poached egg

• Tin of tuna, drained
• 2 tomatoes
• Handful of black olives
• Small handful of feta cheese, cubed
• Spring onion, sliced
• Wedge of cucumber cut into quarters
• Handful of mixed salad leaves 
• 2 eggs, break each egg into a small ramekin dish
• Bread of choice
• Salad dressing
• White wine vinegar

Serves 2

Method:

Cut off a couple of decent slices of bread, butter them and place onto your plate.  Top the bread with some salad and then put the tuna on top followed by the feta, cucumber, spring onions, olives and tomato, season with a few grinds of black pepper.

Bring a medium pan of water to the boil, add a few splashes of white wine vinegar and then tip in the eggs and cook for 3 minutes.  Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place each egg in top of your sandwich, drizzle over some salad dressing and serve.

This is quick and easy to make and is a super tasty lunch.  My local Co-op sells a mature cheddar and jalapeño bread which is what I used here, it is seriously good, go get some, trust me you won't regret it!  This is perfect when sat out in the garden with a nice cold glass of Pinot on the go, a great way to welcome in the summer to come!

Smoked Chicken Salad

Smoked Chicken Salad

• 1 smoked chicken breast, thinly sliced 
• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed and cut into small chunks
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, quartered, seeds removed and finely sliced into small chunks
• Quarter of a cucumber, thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
• 3 rashers of streaky bacon
• Bag of mixed lettuce leafs 
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:
This is a bit of a cheat recipe as the only thing I'm actually making is the salad dressing, however this was such a tasty salad, it would be rude not to share it with you all!

Place the bacon on a baking tray and grill for 5-10 minutes until crispy.  Leave the bacon to one side to cool slightly and then chop into small bite size pieces.

Put the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil into a small bowl and whisk together until it thickens, season with salt and pepper to taste.  This recipe is for two, naturally adjust the ingredients to accommodate the number of guests you are feeding.

Dress two plates with the salad leafs and sprinkle over the pepper, cucumber, avocado and tomato.  Place the sliced chicken over the top of the salad and sprinkle over the bacon and drizzle with the salad dressing.

This is such a quick and easy recipe to throw together, who said cooking had to be complicated!  I'm sure you will love it as much as we did, enjoy.

Posh Pot Noodles

Posh Pot Noodles

• Pyrex pot with a lid
• Handful of dried noodles
• Handful of bean sprouts
• Handful of shredded greens
• 1 spring onion finely sliced
• Handful of cooked chicken
• 1 tsp chopped coriander
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1 tsp of curry paste

Method:

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, once cooked, drain and place in the bottom of the jar and leave to cool.

Whilst the noodles are cooling, mix together the stock powder and curry paste.  When the noodles are cool spoon the paste over the top of them and then top with the cooked chicken, bean sprouts, shredded greens, spring onion and coriander.  

Close the lid and store in the fridge. To serve, boil a kettle and then fill the jar until the contents are covered, seal the lid and leave for 2 minutes.  Once ready, open the jar and give the contents a good mix and enjoy.

This is a great alternative for lunches to take to work.  You can make several of these up at a time as they will keep for a few days in the fridge.  There are so many possibilities to try, basically use your favourite paste and other cooked meat or cooked prawns - remember, it must be cooked!!!  I used curry for this one as that's what I had in the fridge.  You can try soy sauce, hot sauce, miso paste, umami paste, the list is endless, there are so many varieties that come in handy sachets that you can choose from.  Mix it up and add your favourite veggies, I added a handful of chopped chilli to this as I do like a kick.

Be warned, this can get messy to eat so have a napkin to hand and watch the dribbles! 

Red Quinoa, Kale, Chorizo and Haloumi Salad

Red Quinoa, Kale, Chorizo and Haloumi Salad

• 150g kale, trimmed
• 2 1/2 cups red quinoa
• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 500g Haloumi, thinly sliced
• Sliced chorizo 
• Olive oil for brushing
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Place the quinoa and stock into a saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 12-14 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed.  Cut the kale into large pieces and place in a heatproof bowl.  Pour over boiling water and leave to stand for 5 minutes.  Drain and pat dry with kitchen roll.  Toss the kale with the quinoa and parsley.  To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, paprika and oil, pour over the salad and toss to combine.  Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.  Brush the Haloumi with a little oil and cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden, place the chorizo in at the same time.  Divide the salad between serving plates and top with the Haloumi and chorizo.

Recipe adapted from Donna Hey Fresh and Light