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

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 @

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

A Warm Summer Salad

I do like my reddy pink radishes hot and peppery and when I saw these gorgeous jewels placed in a bunch amongst the greenest of leaves, I just had to buy them!

With it these adorable boiled pearl potatoes, fresh spring onions and salty halloumi cheese. A peri peri lemon olive oil dressing to bring all the flavours together, to add a certain zinginess that brings this summer salad alive!

One of my favorite meals and I really hope all of you enjoy it too! Have an exciting day! Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

500g pearl potatoes
Bunch of radishes
Halloumi cheese block
4 spring onions sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
6 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp peri peri spice mix
Salt to taste
1 garlic clove minced

METHOD

Boil the pearl potatoes with skin on for 12 to 15 minutes until they are tender and soft. Drain and set aside

Cut the halloumi cheese into thin slices and place in a hot non stick frying pan with a little olive oil. Keep on a medium heat and brown off on both sides. Be careful as the moisture from the cheese will spit when cooking

Meanwhile roughly chop the radishes and spring onions

In a jug or small bowl. Add the lemon juice to the olive oil for the dressing. Season with salt. I used about 1 teaspoon and stir in the peri peri spice plus the minced garlic

Now to combine. Put all the salad components into a large saucepan, drench in the dressing and toss to ensure all is covered in the dressing

Ready to serve….

Greek Feta Tex Mex Taco’s!

The first time I tasted feta cheese was with a dear friend of mine about 12 years ago. I had gone to visit him at university and he treated me to my first Greek Feta lunch.

Tangy, yet mellow thinly sliced soft white slabs of feta, all mixed with a tasty salad and heavenly dressing! I can still remember eating this adorable dish!

It is only until yesterday when I had a bit of the low fat feta cheese that it took me back to this memory buried in my subconscious. I must have had the low fat option the very first time as my palette recalled the taste that I’ve not had since then! I then came across some taco shells and a tin of refried beans in my store room and “Eureka!” Along came the notion of Greek tacos!

I’m not going to tell you how good they were as I feel the pictures speak for themselves and I know you will be so tempted to try these! Enjoy! Much love D x

INGREDIENTS

1 tin of sweetcorn, naturally sweet
125g low fat feta cheese
15 mini plum tomatoes sliced in rounds
1 red onion finely diced
½ cucumber peeled, finely cubed
Handful of freshly chopped coriander
Salt to taste
Fresh lemon juice

1 tin of refried beans
⅓ tsp smoked paprika
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Ready made taco shells

METHOD

• Prepare all the salad ingredients, season with salt and lemon

• Crumble or finely cube in the feta cheese and combine well

• On a low heat warm up the refried beans, once thet starten to soften into a paste, stir in the paprika and lemon juice

• Crisp up the taco shells by heating them in the oven by instruction and then snap in half. Spread a little of the bean mixture onto the shell and then place the salad on top!

He just can’t help himself! 🙂

An Asparagus & Feta Pancake…

My husband eats eggs but doesn’t do omelettes. Though I love them, frittatas are out of the question. So to reach a compromise and please both of us I decided to make a the thick and deep tasty pancake. Full of Spring asparagus, all tender and yummy. The feta as always adding a certain saltiness and zing to the overall dish.

I just put it together as I went along and I know that this will be made again and again in our home. Perfect for brunch or a light lunch…Hope you all enjoy it my friends..until next time, much love D x

INGREDIENTS
8 tender stem asparagus chopped
80g feta cheese
1 cup self raising flour
Salt to taste
Olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard
1 free range egg
Milk as required

METHOD

● Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the asparagus on a medium heat for a few minutes and season with salt

● Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl. Throw in the flour and egg, whisk away. Add the mustard and pour in some milk to form a pancake batter consistency

● Whisk away any lumps and stir in half the feta in smallish chunks

● Once the asparagus is ready, pour in a little more olive oil into the pan.

● Pour in the batter amongst the asparagus and reduce to a low heat. Crumble the rest of the feta and cover the pan

● After 10 minutes check if the top of the pancake has set, if not recover and wait a few more minutes

● Once set well, gently turn the pancake over and cook for 5-10 minutes until both sides are golden brown

● Serve with some coleslaw or a salad of your choice

More Pancakes & A Piquant Pomelo Salad

I always have my pancakes with sugar and lemon. Well I would! Wouldn’t I? As my love affair with lemons continue! lol

This time I went savoury and spread lush layers of fresh cream cheese with chives and sweet cherry tomatoes.  The pancakes themselves also appeared to have a party in the pan as they rose and puffed up whilst I was cooking them!

Such a quick and easy recipe to remember and the addition of melted butter really gives the pancakes a slight richness before we are to fill the pancakes with even yummier things!

I also had a pomelo grapefruit salad with the pancakes which was a delightful combination of fruit, cheese and chilli!  Sweet, salty, sour and hot in one mouthful! Extraordinary! Will be making this again!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain flour
1 cup milk
2 free range eggs
1 tbsp melted butter
Pinch of salt
A little cold water

Sunflower oil

METHOD

• Throw in all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl apart from the butter and water

• Whisk until smooth, pour in the melted butter, whisk to combine and add a few tablespoons of water to thin the batter a little

• Preheat a small non stock frying pan with a little oil on a low to medium heat  Gently place a ladle of batter into the pan and swirl around to cover the pan surface and thin the pancake out

• Flip the pancake as it starts to come away from the sides,  turn over to cook both sides until golden brown with speckles

• Use any filling of your choice, sweet or savoury, or both!!
I had mine with low fat cream cheese with chives and cherry tomatoes

Pomelo Side Salad

Pomelo segmented without skin
Cherry tomatoes halved
Chilli seed mix
Chilli flakes
Grated Cheddar cheese

Indian onion salad

A lemony onion salad to accompany any Indian dish. One of my Mum’s specialties! I’ve enjoyed it ever since I was young and it was always made when we had a full Indian thali/meal. I I found these pomodorino tomatoes which are naturally sweet, they balance the strength of the onion and the acidity of the lemon.
I could just eat this salad by itself!

INGREDIENTS

1 medium white onion
8 small pomodorino tomatoes
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/4 tsp light olive oil

METHOD

1. Slice onion into thin crescent shape. Add the salt, chilli powder, ground cumin, olive oil and lemon juice

2. Using your hands massage the seasoning well into the onion and finally halve the tomatoes and combine with the onion salad

3. As the onion sits it will marinade and become soft therefore absorbing the delicious dressing. Serve with an Indian meal of your choice