Rice is always a great addition to any meal. Add on to this the delicious and healthful taste of wild mushrooms and you have yourself a fabulous meal. This dish also calls for ingredients such as sun dried tomatoes, dry red wine, and spring onions, all of which add significantly to the nutritional value of this meal.

This is particularly a favorite in some parts of Italy, where ingredients such as tomatoes and wine are used in almost every recipe. It is a great one to try at home, and the kids are sure to love it.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 large flat mushrooms
• 100 g assorted wild mushrooms, sliced
• 4 dry pack, sun dried tomatoes, shredded
• 150 ml dry red wine
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 75 g cooked red rice
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 thick slices granary bread
• salt and pepper
• shredded spring onions to garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Peel the flat mushrooms, pull out the stalks and set aside. Finely chop the stalks and place in a saucepan.
2. Add the wild mushrooms to the pan with the tomatoes and red wine. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and place in a small bowl.
3. Stir in the spring onions and cooked rice. Season well and spoon into the flat mushrooms, pressing the mixture down gently. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Arrange the mushrooms in an oven proof baking dish and pour the reserved cooking juices around them. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until they are just cooked.



5. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to hot. Trim the crusts from the bread and toast on each side until lightly browned.
6. Drain the mushrooms and place each one on to a piece of toasted bread. Garnish with spring onions and serve.

Pasta is a great meal for a family dinner, but if you want to add a little pizazz to your regular pasta dish, then consider pesto pasta. It is basically just regular pasta but with a special pesto sauce which includes healthy ingredients such as Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves.

This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe to make, and so even the busiest families can delight in this dinner dish. You can even save the leftovers and reheat them at a later dinner date or have the children take it to school for lunches.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 225 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 150 ml fresh vegetable stock
• 175 g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5 cm lengths
• 300 g green or white tagliatelle
• 400 g canned artichoke hearts, drained and halved
• grissini (bread sticks) to serve
• shredded basil leaves and Parmesan shavings to garnish

Pesto

• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 15 g fresh basil leaves, washed
• 6 tbsp low fat natural fromage frais
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

1. Place the mushrooms in a pan with the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the tagliatelle according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, return to the pan and keep warm.
4. Make the pesto. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process for a few seconds until smooth. Alternatively, finely chop the basil and mix all the ingredients together.
5. Add the mushrooms, asparagus and artichoke hearts to the pasta and cook, stirring, over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the heat, mix with the pesto and transfer to a warm bowl. Garnish with shredded basil leaves and Parmesan shavings and serve with Grissini if wished.

Everyone loves spaghetti, but why not spice up your boring old spaghetti recipe? Vegetable spaghetti with lemon dressing is definitely not your typical pasta dish, and best of all it is one that the kids will love too. You only need a few ingredients to prepare this dish including celeriac, carrots, leeks, and red and yellow pepper, as well as a few spices and of course your spaghetti.

This dish is quick and easy to prepare, and one of the best things is that you can save the leftovers and then reheat them at a later date and it will taste just as great. You can even fry up the leftovers in a pan with some oil and add even more of a twist.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 225 g celeriac
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 medium leeks
• 1 small red pepper
• 1 small yellow pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 300 g spaghetti
• celery leaves, chopped to garnish

Lemon Dressing

• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp low fat natural fromage frais (unsweetened yogurt)
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp snipped fresh chives

1. Peel the celeriac and carrots, cut into thin matchsticks and place in a bowl. Slice the leeks, rinse to flush out any trapped dirt, then shred finely. Halve, deseed and slice the peppers. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Add these vegetables to the celeriac and the carrots.
2. Toss the vegetables with the celery seeds and lemon juice.
3. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and keep warm.
4. Bring another large saucepan of water to the boil, put the vegetables in a steamer or sieve and place over the boiling water. Cover and steam for 6 to 7 minutes or until just tender.
5. When the spaghetti and vegetables are cooked, mix the ingredients for the lemon dressing together.
6. Transfer the spaghetti and vegetables to a warm serving bowl and mix with the dressing. Garnish with chopped celery leaves and serve.

“Celeriac is also known as celery root or celery knob. Celeriac is fat and cholesterol free, low in calories and sodium, and a good source of fiber”.