HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

A fantastic way to eat your smoked salmon. I have to admit that I love all ingredients so much that I sometimes over use them. This recipe would go really well served with rye crispbreads for lunch. Just yummy! INGREDIENTS 500g smoked salmon 1 heaped tsp chilli flakes 75g small capers 100g mixed olives, sliced thinly a few cornichons, thinly sliced 2 banana shallots, cut into wafer-thin rings rind of a lemon 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper METHOD: Lay the smoked salmon on a large, flat platter. Sprinkle over with the chilli flakes, then scatter over the capers. Add the olives, shallots, cornichons, and the lemon rind. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper and serve.   Serves 4-6 Here served with Lemon & lime chicken with coriander dressing as part of our Pure Protein Diet.

A very simple, healthy and delicious recipe. It works very well as part of a luncheon with dips, crudités and crisp bread. It can also go well with steamed broccoli and green beans or even with flavoured couscous.  INGREDIENTS 4 small skinless chicken breasts 2 tomatoes, diced 1 red capsicum 6 marinated artichoke hearts, finely chopped 2 Tbsp small capers, rinsed 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley 2 Tbsp finely chopped basil, plus extra for garnish 100ml extra virgin olive oil METHOD: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop the chicken breasts into the water, cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Leave covered for 40 minutes. Put the tomato in a bowl and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Halve the capsicum and put it under a hot grill skin side up. When the skin is beginning to blister and turn back, remove the capsicum from the grill and put it into a plastic bag. Leave it to cool then peel away the skin. Dice the capsicum flesh and pu...

This Asian style salad goes very well with smoked trout or hot smoked salmon. A healthy and tasty combination. It is a great recipe to put in your lunch box, but if you make it the previous night, don't add the dressing or the sesame seeds until you are ready to eat it. INGREDIENTS 120G rice vermicelli 2 spring onions, finely sliced 100g bean sprouts 1 carrot, peeled and grated 1 red capsicum, julienned 100g snow peas, finely sliced 2 handfuls of coriander leaves 60ml (1/4 cup) hoisin sauce 2 Tbsp lime juice 1 tsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 2 Tbsp sesame seeds METHOD: Put the noodles into a large bowl, cover them with boiling water and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, then return to the bowl. With a pair of kitchen scissors, roughly chop the noodles into short lengths. Add the spring onions, bean sprouts, carrot, capsicum, snow peas and coriander leaves. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, fish sa...

This traditional French recipe is just delightfully good. It takes a bit of time to prepare the ingredients, but afterwards you cook it in the oven or slow cooker and you can go and relax with a glass of wine. Excellent if you have guests for dinner because it can be prepared beforehand. This is a recipe from Manu Feildel and he recommends to marinated the chicken overnight. However, if you don't have the time, 2 hours will do the trick. INGREDIENTS For the marinade 1.5l red wine 1 carrot, sliced 1 onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 12 black peppercorns 3 sprigs thyme 1 fresh bay leaf 12 chicken drumsticks or 6 chicken marylands For the sauce 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil 1/2 cup (125ml) brandy 60g butter 200g piece of speck or bacon cut into 3x1 cm strips 12 pearl onions or spring onions, peeled 3 eschalots, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 500g button mushrooms, wiped clean and trimmed 75g plain flour 1 bouquet garni (2 thyme sprigs & 1 b...

This is another salad from the 5:2 Fast Diet and very low on calories. Only 218 calories. It is delicious and I can eat it any time regardless if I am dieting or not.  INGREDIENTS 400g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained 185g can tuna, drained and flaked 1 Lebanese cucumber, chopped coarsely 2 small tomatoes, chopped coarsely 2 green onions, sliced thinly 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1/4 cup drained cornichons, halved METHOD: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  If you are taking this salad to work, divide it into 2 lunch boxes without the dressing. Pour the dressing, the lemon juice and the garlic, into two small jars and drizzle on top of the salad just before eating it. I like to get it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before to be able to eat it at room temperature. Serves 2

This salad is part of the 5:2 Diet and very low in calories. Only 174 Calories. It is delicious and I felt content after eating it. It doesn't take long to make which is a plus when you are dieting. The second week I fried the chicken with a bit of oil, and that add a few more calories to the recipe, however, the difference in taste was minimal and you don't really need to do it because the dressing is awesome. INGREDIENTS 200g chicken breast fillet or chicken thighs 1 1/4 cups bean or alfalfa sprouts 1 small red or yellow capsicum, sliced thinly (150g) 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks (70g) 1 fresh long red chilli, seeded and sliced thinly 1/3 cup firmly packed fresh coriander leaves 3cm piece fresh ginger, grated (15g) 1/4 cup lime juice 1 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce 2 tsp fish sauce METHOD: Bring the water to the boil in a medium saucepan and add the chicken.  Simmer, covered for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Cool the chicken in t...

This is a delicious salad to put in a lunch box to take to work. You can make it the previous night, but make sure you keep the dressing in a separate container and pour it on the salad just before eating it. I also like to get the salad out of the fridge about 15 minutes before so that it is eaten at room temperature to fully appreciate all the flavours. INGREDIENTS 125ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped juice of 2 lemons 1 tsp dried oregano 1 baby cos lettuce, finely sliced a handful of Italian parsley, roughly chopped 10 mint leaves, finely sliced 1 red or yellow capsicum, diced 3 roma tomatoes, cut into chunks 200g feta cheese, cut into small cubes or crumbed 150 black olives METHOD: Put the olive oil, garlic, chillies, lemon juice and oregano in a small bowl or jug. Stir to combine and reserve. Put the lettuce and herbs into a large serving bowl or into lunch boxes. Top with the red capsicum and tomatoe...

I love halloumi. It is such a versatile cheese... and I have used it in many different recipes. It is so tasty that enhances the flavours of recipes that might be a bit dull to the palate. Here are some of our favourite recipes: Spiced chickpea fritters with halloumi ; Eggplant, halloumi & tomato salad  or Pan-fried halloumi with roasted tomatoes and zucchini salad . All of them are favourites in our household. INGREDIENTS: vegetable oil 2 x 250g block of halloumi cheese 1 large egg, beaten 6 Tbsp fine, dried, natural breadcrumbs 4 Tbsp za'atar METHOD: Pour enough oil into a large, deep-sided frying pan to fill it to a depth of about 2.5 cm. Heat the oil over a high heat. Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper. Slice each block of halloumi into 5 even slices, each about 1cm thick.  Put the beaten egg into a shallow bowl.  Mix the breadcrumbs with the za'atar in a bowl.  Dip each slice of halloumi into the egg to give ...