PASTA SALAD

Ingredients:

500g pasta, cooked

250g streaky bacon, cut into pieces

1 ½ cups low fat yogurt

¼ cup mayo

15ml wholegrain mustard

15ml sundried tomato pesto (optional)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Juice of 1 lemon

Handful of pepperdews, chopped

30ml chives, chopped

1 red onion, finely sliced

½ cucumber, quartered lengthways and sliced

1 carrot, peeled into ribbons

100g feta, crumbled

Salt and pepper

Handful of basil

Method:

Heat a large frying pan, and cook the bacon until crispy. Then allow to cool.

In a large serving bowl mix together the yogurt, mayo, mustard, tomato pesto, garlic and lemon juice.

Then add the pepperdews, chives, red onion, cucumber, carrot and feta. Season well to taste.

Once the pasta and bacon have cooled add them to the sauce and allow to stand for as long as possible to allow the flavours to infuse.

Just before serving tear in some basil leaves.

Home-Made Muesli

Ingredients:

2 cups all bran

1 cup rice crispies

45ml butter

15ml honey

5 ml brown sugar

½ cup raisins

100g Mixed dried fruit, optional

1000g hazelnuts/almonds, roasted

Method;

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place the all bran flakes and the rice crispies in a bowl.

In another bowl melt together the butter, honey and sugar and pour it over the all bran mixture. Mix together well and spread out on a foil lined roasting tray.

Roast for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture turns golden brown and crispy.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the mixture has cooled, mix in the raisins, fruit and nuts.

Store in an airtight container.

Serve with milk/yogurt and add sugar/honey to taste.          

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

120g butter

300g sugar

2 eggs

20g cocoa

40ml red food colouring

5ml vanilla essence

15ml boiling water

5ml salt

300g flour

240ml buttermilk

15ml white vinegar

5ml bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:
200g cream cheese

50g butter
250ml icing sugar, sieved
Juice of 1 lime

Method:

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until well combined.

Combine food colouring, sifted cocoa and vanilla essence with boiling water to form a smooth thick paste.  Add to the egg mixture and mix until well combined.

Sift together flour and salt.  Add to butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk.

Combine vinegar and bicarb, add quickly to the mixture and gently combine until well mixed.  Pour into 2 sponge tins and bake at 180C until a skewer comes out clean and springs back when touched, around 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before icing.

For the icing:
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl until smooth.

Sift in the icing sugar and keep beating until well incorporated. Finally add the lime juice to taste. 

Frost the cake with cream cheese icing and serve.

Strawberry Fro-Yo

Ingredients:

3 cups strawberries, roughly chopped

30ml Lemon juice

60ml sugar

1 ½ cups full cream yogurt

½ cup milk

Honey

Method:

Place the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Place the mixture into a blender and blend till smooth. Alternatively mash with a potato masher.

Stir in the milk and yogurt, until completely incorporated. Sweeten to taste with honey. Place the mixture in the fridge, and chill until completely cold.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream churner and process until frozen. Eat immediately or keep in freezer.

If you don’t have a churner place the mixture in the freezer and remove and beat every hour until it is frozen.

Top with a little crushed pink pepper to serve.