Kale is very trendy at the moment. It has been crowned as a new superfood, packed with nutrients, with experts everywhere telling us we need to eat it. In my family, Kale is not new. Italians love their green leafy veg. Sauteed with a little garlic and chilli, or shredded into a frittata, soup or…
Vegetables/Salads/Sides
Strawberry, Spinach and Walnut Salad
I love summer – all the good fruit is out. Mangoes, nectarines, apricots, plums, peaches and strawberries. I know you can get strawberries most of the year, but the only time they really taste like they should is when the weather is warm and they have ripened in the sun. You know it’s good when…
Couscous with Roasted Pumpkin, Beetroot and Feta
This is an interesting little salad full of colour and texture with the warmth of sweet roasted root vegetables. I love couscous salads as they can be prepared ahead, ready to serve when your barbecue is ready. Sweet roasted pumpkin matches beautifully with beetroot. Roasting your own beetroot gives such better results than using tinned…
Warm Roasted Tomato, Zucchini and Capsicum Salad
Serving a beautiful plate of vegetables with your meal is really important to ensuring health and vitality. I find that a few dishes of different healthy options on the table alongside the meat or pasta dish encourages smaller serves of the heavy stuff. Always looking for inventive ways to make veggies the star of the…
Italian Style Roast Potatoes
This is the way my family eats roast potatoes. We eat them smaller than most people, mainly because we like the crunchy exterior cutting them small brings. The rosemary adds a nice savoury herby kick. This will be your new “chips” to go with your steak, or just serve alongside your favourite roast. Way…
Brussel Sprouts with Chilli, Garlic and Bacon
Most people I know hate brussel sprouts. I don’t get it, but then again I didn’t grow up with them and I hear stories of smelly, overcooked sprouts that made you want to gag. I actually love them, and the baby ones are so much sweeter than the larger ones. The key is to cook…
Crumbed Eggplant with Jewelled Couscous and Feta
A very moreish salad, this flavoursome side packs a punch with it’s sweetness and earthiness. The eggplant give an almost meaty texture to a beautifully vibrant salad. This is a great vegetarian meal on it’s own, or pair it with a simple roast chicken or lamb. Crumbed Eggplant and Jewelled Couscous Salad with Feta…
Watermelon Salad with Pistachio, Feta and Mint
This salad has become one of my new favourites. I just love the colour of the pink watermelon contrasted with the green pistachios and white feta. The freshness of the mint ties it all together. It doesn’t sound like it would taste that spectacular, maybe even a little weird, but seriously this is divine! The…
Best Ever Tomato Salad
I can’t remember a night this salad was missing from our family dining table since I was a little girl. Like all Italian food, simple ingredients that work so well together. Because it’s so simple you really need to use the best tomatoes you can get your hands on. There’s not much to it, ripe…
Roasted Vegetable Salad
Turn whatever vegetables you have lying around into this stunning salad.
