Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Spring Onions & Smoked Salmon (serves 3)

This is a lovely Monday evening supper. Salmon is an oily fish which means that it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (it’s recommended that you eat one portion of oily fish a week). It is beneficial to health as it provides a protective measure against heart disease. Mixed with the pasta, tomatoes, spring onions and served with rocket and watercress it provides the perfect meal.

You will need:

- 100g cherry tomatoes
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Handful of parsley
- Teaspoon of dill
- 3 spring onions (chopped)
- 100g smoked salmon (chopped)
- 200g pasta
- Rocket and watercress to serve.

Pre-heat an oven to gas mark 6, 400f, 200c. Put the cherry tomatoes in an oven-proof dish, drizzle with the olive oil and roast for approx. 20 minutes, remove from the oven once they’re sizzling and split open. Meanwhile, add the pasta to a large pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, then drain. Add the spring onions, parsley, dill and roasted cherry tomatoes together in a food processor and blend together, once blended pour over the cooked pasta and stir well. Finally, add the chopped smoked salmon and serve with rocket and watercress.

Baked Sea Bass with Lemon, Fennel and Parsley (serves 2-3)

This is the perfect Friday evening recipe for the whole family (my children love it) and it is quick and easy! White fish is low in fat, high in protein and is also a source of selenium (an antioxidant, which provides a protective role in the body). I usually buy a whole fish (that has been gutted) and remove the bones after cooking, however, you can also use fillets. It’s perfect served with new potatoes ,green salad and a glass of white wine.

You will need:

- 1 whole sea bass
- 2 lemons
- handful of fennel
- handful of parsley
- 200ml white wine
- 1 clove of garlic

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 180c, 350f. Slice the lemons and then cover the bottom of an oven proof dish with 2/3 of them. Meanwhile, finely chop the fennel, parsley and garlic together. Lay the sea bass in the oven proof dish on top of the lemons, and stuff with the remaining lemons, and the fennel, parsley and garlic mixture. Pour over the white wine, cover and bake for approx. 30 minutes.

Once cooked the bones will be easy to remove.

Porridge with Apple and Cinnamon (serves 1) 196 calories, 1.3g fat, 0.6g sat.fat

I love this recipe! You can either heat it up on the hob, or put the ingredients all together and cook in a microwave. Porridge is an excellent breakfast choice, it’s a low GI food (which means it slows down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, steadying both insulin levels and blood glucose), keeping you fuller for longer. Plus, the apple contributes to your 5-a-day.

- 30g porridge oats
- 1 medium size apple (chopped)
- 350ml skimmed milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Demerara sugar

1. Add the porridge oats, milk and chopped apple to a sauce pan and heat on a medium heat for about 5 minutes (until oats are soft and apple cooked).

2. Stir in the cinnamon and Demerara sugar before serving.

Spiced Lentil Soup (serves 4)

Soups are a wonderfully easy way of providing a nutritious meal for the family. This recipe contains both lentils and vegetables. Lentils are pluses, which means they have a low glycaemic index, provide soluble fibre, and are also high in protein; mixed with the vegetables for extra vitamin C, carotene (an antioxidant), fibre and potassium. Delicious served with warm bread and suitable for vegetarians.

- Drizzle of olive oil
- 3-4 teaspoon mild curry paste
- 1 clove garlic, peeled & crushed
- 700ml vegetable stock
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 120g dried red lentils
- 3 medium carrot, peeled & chopped
- 2 small parsnip, peeled & chopped
- 1 medium stalk celery, chopped
- 3 teaspoon tomato puree

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the curry paste and garlic and stir over a low heat
for 1 minute. Add the stock and stir to combine, then add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.Turn the heat down, put the lid on and cook for 40-50 minutes or until the lentils are tender.Remove half or all of the soup from the pan (according to taste) and puree in a blender. Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently to serve.

The Veggie Patch!

Ok, so I had not grow any produce for many years, but when I received a selection of herb plants (mint, coriander, thyme, fennel, oregano and parsley) as a birthday present, we (myself, plus the children) were motivated to attempt our first veggie garden. My children helped me dig up an old bamboo plant (which took hours!), and prepared the soil with compost.



Once the soil was ready we planted the herb plants, along with; broccoli, onions and potatoes. Once the potatoes began to shoot it was important to bank up the soil (so that it completely buried the leaves), this encourages the potatoes to grow and must be repeated when new shoots appear.The herbs grew very well, and we have used them in several different dishes, the fennel and parsley work well together with sea bass, the thyme is wonderful when roasted with a chicken. We have also been lucky enough to make an abundance of mint sauce (chopped mint, vinegar and sugar).

As well as the herbs, we have had a super crop of potatoes, onions and broccoli!! A great first attempt, we were all delighted and will definitely be growing more very soon.