A Mediterranean Ebli Salad

Shivaay Delights has definitely turned a leaf this year by going more healthy. That’s not to say I don’t crave my sweet baked treats! Some brownies have just been taken out of the oven! 😉

This salad attempts to capture strong tangy Mediterranean flavours that really make you appreciate good food!

Enjoy! A gnocchi recipe coming up soon. Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 cup ebli durham wheat pre cooked
1 small bag of baby spinach
1 tin chickpeas drained 400g
1 red bell pepper diced
Big handful of plum/cherry tomatoes
1 roasted aubergine cut into chunks
Crumbled feta cheese to taste

Dressing

5 tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice of 1 small lemon
1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard
Salt to taste

METHOD

Assemble all the salad ingredients. Toss well to mix and pour over the salad dressing

*I roasted the aubergine on the stove. You can roast it in the oven with the skin on until crinkly and tender

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A Beetroot, Feta & Quinoa Salad

I have a tremendously healthy salad recipe for today. One that we had last night and has left me vitalised! Low fat, high in protein and fibre and so very tasty. I felt so good eating it and I still have some left over for lunch.

Perfect for a summer’s evening with a cheeky glass of crisp white wine if you want 😉 I’ll be experimenting and creating more salads this season. Can’t wait to share them with you all.

I will be serving some @ Angie’s Fiesta Friday Party

Have a terrific day! Much love D x

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa
1 raw peeled and grated beetroot
3 spring onions finely sliced
1 big tomato roughly chopped
1 tin roseca/borlotti beans rinsed & drained
Feta cheese crumbled (low fat)
Handful of sunflower seeds
1tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp garlic granules
Salt to taste

METHOD

Put the quinoa to in a small saucepan and cook upon instruction. I tend to cook it like pasta. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for 15 to 18 minutes. Drain and set aside

In a large bowl add the rest of the ingredients in order according to the pictures. Leaving the beetroot til the end..ish. This way you cab minimize the addition of the deep pink colour to the salad

Crumble in the feta last and fold in

Serve alone or with some buttered whole grain pitta bread

I will be serving some @

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa With Lime

A winter warmer, so quick. I think it’s too good to be true. Very tasty, healthy and comforting on a cold winter’s night…
Makes a lovely main or even a side dish to go with your Christmas dinner. Have a look and give it a go. Do let me know how you all like it. Love feedback! Until then, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 large cup precooked quinoa upon instruction

1 aubergine diced
1 bell pepper diced
12 plum or cherry tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
2 courgettes diced 2cm chunks
1 chilli sliced finely
Coriander to garnish
Fresh lime juice to taste
Olive oil
Salt to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°c, place all the vegetables in a large deep roasting tray.  Season with salt and a generous drizzle of olive oil

Roast for 20 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through and a little charred

Carefully fold in the cooked quinoa, drench in lime juice to taste.  Use freshly cut coriander to garnish the quinoa

Serve hot with a sprinkling of grated cheese

Israeli Cous Cous Salad

For someone that is not partial to cous cous I had never tasted Israeli cous cous until a few weeks ago. Not very cous cous like but is actually little pearl like pasta. I found it to be filling and goes well with all sorts of vegetables. I am writing this post up as I wait here for my husband to come home and try this salad for the first time. I will let you know his verdict. I know it will be good 😉

Enjoy your day, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Israeli cous cous (cooked as per instruction on packet)
285g tinned sweetcorn
1 bag of baby spinach
1 large courgette sliced thinly
12 cherry tomatoes
6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
Cheddar cheese grated

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°c, put the courgette, cherry tomatoes and garlic into a shallow roasting dish.  Drizzle over with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until tomatoes are cooked through and the courgette slices are soft and tender

In a large salad bowl, combine all the ingredients, the pre cooked cous cous, sweetcorn along with the roasted vegetables fresh out of the oven

Mix well, smash the cherry tomatoes a little to release some juice for flavour, season with salt and fresh lemon juice

Serve on a bed of baby spinach and sprinkle with cheese.  Feta cheese here would also be a lovely choice

Grilled Portobello Sandwich

I enjoy stuffing mushrooms with rice, garlic, cheese. However with the Portobello mushroom I wanted it to be the star of the dish.  This healthy and delectable sink in your teeth kind of loaded sandwich has to be my best sandwich creation to date.  The mushroom acts as a meaty substitute and the rest of the flavours are mellow untill you get glorious chunks of crumbly feta that brings a salty and sour taste to your tastebuds!  I could eat this sandwich over and over again!

Come join me, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

2 Portobello mushroom cups
1 large tomato sliced
1 avocado sliced
Handful of baby spinach
Feta cheese
Chilli & garlic dry mix
Mayonnaise
Toast 4 slices seeded bread
Butter
Salt to taste
Olive oil

METHOD

With a brush lightly oil both sides of the mushroom, having taken out the stalks.  Grill for 7 to 10 minutes until soft and slightly shrivelled

Take out of the the grill and generously season with salt, chilli and garlic powder

Butter the 2 toasts liberally, place the mushroom along with the rest of the ingredients, layer, season and then crumble feta over the top.  and complete with the second piece of toast

(Optional, a peri peri mayonnaise can be made by mixing a peri peri spice mix with a dollop of mayonnaise)

Serve your loaded mushroom toasted sandwich with lots of french fries!

A Vibrant Halloumi & Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is one of my favourite grains   I wanted to make a vibrant colourful and extremely tasty salad dish as the sun is out here in the UK and wanted something fresh and light to keep me going all day.  This particular recipe has done exactly that! I have not had to snack on anything since I had it at lunch and I’ve just finished my dinner so it really works!

A few steps to prep and then just to mix all together, voila!  You have your healthy salad for the day.

INGREDIENTS

1 small cup quinoa cooked
Halloumi pan fried and diced
1 medium cucumber diced finely
2 tomatoes diced
4 spring onions slice
1 tin sweet corn drained
Baby spinach sliced
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin & coriander powder
Lemon juice to taste

METHOD

I fry the halloumi cheese by thinly slicing and then placing into a hot non stick pan with olive oil.  Fry off on both sides until golden brown

Place all the ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix thoroughly so everything is fused together

Ready to serve…How simple was that?

Kale~Alternative To Crisps?…Really??

So I was a bit sceptical about kale crisps! But it had to be done.  I love cooking as you know but I don’t like the prep! That’s why I love my food processor so much!

These days we are so very lucky to get prepped fruit and veg ready in bags and washed too…Okay..I’m not that lazy but was tempted to buy a fresh bag of vibrant curly green kale!

What happens next is so so easy…you’ll kick yourself for not trying it earlier!

If you like crispy seaweed..You will enjoy this.  Let me know how you like them..Have a wonderful day, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

100g curly kale stemmed, trimmed & washed
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp taco/spicy chilli powder mix
Salt to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 130c. 

Drizzle the olive oil onto the kale

Massage the salt and spicy mix well into the leaves

Lay out on a large oven tray lined with foil and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until crispy but not burnt

The kale will shrivel so if you want more, repeat the above prices again

Chutney On The Cob

Do you fancy a taste of a barbecue Summer with a funky take on Indian cuisine, well then! This recipe is for you! I have just literally finished taking my last bite of corn with my spicy coriander and lemon chutney I just made. I couldn’t wait at all, to share this with you. If you have these ingredients…you must try this NOW!

It’s so healthy, filling and above all super tasty. Especially as an addition to a meal or in its own. Next time I want to team it up with some baked sweet potato wedges. My creative juices are flowing…I have many more recipes to write up! Better get down to it!

Until then, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch fresh coriander
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic peeled
1 green chilli
1 tbsp Sunflower oil
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Sweetcorn on the cob pre grilled

METHOD

This is the easy bit!  Just place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz for a couple of minutes until you get a grainy paste.

Don’t worry about stalks of coriander not being crushed, this way there is more flavour

Smother the chutney onto the corn, making sure all is covered.  Now ready to sink your teeth in?  ENJOY!

Quinoa with Spinach & Balsamic Glazed Tomatoes

This has to be my most favourite quinoa salad dish to date! Last night we wanted something really light and healthy and this ticked all the boxes. Recently you may be noticing that I have been creating a lot of Mediterranean recipes. I just love the flavours and am probably secretly craving the sun, sea and sand!
A taste of the Med will hopefully keep me going! Until I get there!

An excellent vegan dish also, just leave out the feta and use an alternative if you wish. The balsamic vinegar helps mingle all the flavours and really brings out the sweetness in the juicy cherry tomatoes. I need to go buy some more quinoa today to make some more. Have a stunning day! Much love D x

INGREDIENTS

150g baby spinach
12 asparagus spears chopped
16 cherry tomatoes halved
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
½ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp dried oregano
Dash of Balsamic vinegar
1½ cup pre cooked quinoa
Feta cheese (optional)

METHOD

• Heat up the oil in a deep pan with the garlic on a medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the asparagus and cherry tomatoes

• Season with the salt and oregano. Stir fry so that everything is coated in oil. Lower the heat and cook for 5-8 minutes until the asparagus is tender

• Splash in a little Balsamic vinegar and mix well. Place the fresh spinach on top of the cooked asparagus and tomatoes and turn off the heat

• This way the spinach will wilt a little but largely remain soft and fresh. Leave to sit for 10 minutes

• Place the quinoa in a large mixing bowl, mix in the asparagus, tomatoes and spinach. Making sure you get all the juices and dressing in

• Combine well and serve warm with some crumbled feta cheese

A Spicy, Sour, Stalk Salsa..My 500th Post!

I steamed some broccoli for dinner yesterday and I was left there standing with a good looking raw broccoli stalk in my hands!  All that came to mind was a fresh tangy salsa.  I had some juicy plum tomatoes to use so this is what came about.

A salty, spicy and sour crunchy salsa to tantalise your tastebuds!  It did mine.  When I gave my husband some to try, he couldn’t figure out that I had used the broccoli stalk.  At first he guessed it was raw mango and then cucumber.  I told him, and he was pleasantly surprised.  So for all you non broccoli lovers out there…try this! You may enjoy it! 😉

INGREDIENTS

Raw broccoli stalk, diced
Handful of baby plum tomatoes
Fresh lemon juice
Piri piri spice
A pinch of ground cumin powder
Salt to taste

METHOD

Take the diced stalk and place in a bowl.  Add all the ingredients and combine well.  Use the lemon and piri piri spice according to taste. I like mine very lemony and spicy!

Eat immediately or set in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.