• 2 medium onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1 medium aubergine
• 2 medium courgettes
• 2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 bouquet garni
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 900 g potatoes
• 75 g reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp snipped fresh chives, to garnish

1. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Rinse, deseed and slice the bell peppers. Rinse, trim and cut the aubergine into small dice. Rinse, trim and thinly slice the courgettes.
2. Place the onion, garlic and bell peppers into a pan. Add the tomatoes, and stir in the bouquet garni, tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
3. Stir in the aubergine and courgettes and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2.5 cm cubes. Place the potatoes into another saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly and set aside until required.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a heatproof gratin dish. Arrange the cooked potato cubes evenly over the vegetables.
6. Preheat the grill to medium. Sprinkle grated cheese over the potatoes and place under the grill for 5 minutes until golden, bubbling and hot. Serve garnished with freshly snipped chives.

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He’s got some dialog going on:

Bunny: “Yuck!”

Food: “What the poke? You did not even try us out!”

Bunny: “…… YUCK!”

Food: “…… F-YOU!”

Bunny: “YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!”

Food: “……”

Congats. 100 EC will be credited to your account.

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Go Japanese!    

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• 4 trouts
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander
• 4 shallots, shredded finely
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, deseeded and very finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and very finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 to 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• salt and pepper
• fresh coriander, to garnish
• salad leaves, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Wash the trout and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Season the cavities with salt and pepper and fill with a few coriander leaves.
2. Place the fish side by side in a shallow ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the shallots, bell peppers and chillies.
3. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar and sugar in a bowl. Spoon over the trout and season to taste. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes or until the fish is tender and the flesh is opaque.
4. Remove the fish with a fish slice and drain. Transfer to warm serving plates and spoon the cooking juices over the fish. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve immediately with chilli bean rice in you wish.

“To make chilli bean rice to serve with this recipe, cook 225 g long grain white rice in boiling water. Drain and return to the pan. Drain and rinse a 400 g can kidney beans and stir into the rice along with 1 tsp each of cumin and ground coriander. Stir in 4 tbsp freshly chopped coriander and season well.”

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• 350 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 450 g lean, cooked chicken meat, skinned and diced
• 4 sheets no-pre-cook lasagne verde
• 1½ tbsp cornflour
• 425 ml skimmed milk
• 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• salt and pepper

Tomato Sauce

• 400 g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 150 ml white wine
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried oregano

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. To make the tomato sauce, place the tomatoes in a pan and stir in the onion, garlic, wine, tomato puree and oregano. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until thick. Season.
2. Drain the spinach again and spread it out on kitchen paper to absorb any excess water. Layer the spinach in the base of an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg and season.
3. Arrange the chicken over the spinach and spoon over the tomato sauce. Arrange the lasagne over the tomato sauce.
4. Blend the cornflour with a little of the milk to make a paste. Pour the remaining milk into a pan and stir in the cornflour paste. Heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Season well.
5. Spoon the sauce over the lasagne and transfer the dish to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the sauce and bake for 25 minutes until golden.

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• 350 g boneless chicken
• 350 g leeks
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1.2 liters chicken stock
• 1 bouquet garni sachet
• 8 pitted prunes, halved
• salt and white pepper
• cooked rice and dice red bell peppers (optional)

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken and leeks into 2.5 cm pieces.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the chicken and leeks and fry for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chicken stock and bouquet garni sachet to the mixture in the pan, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bring the soup to the boil and simmer over a gentle heat for 45 minutes.
5. Add the pitted prunes with some cooked rice and dices bell peppers (if using), and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni sachet and discard. Pour the soup into warm tureen or individual bowls and serve.

“Instead of the bouquet garni sachet, you can use a bunch of fresh herbs, tied together with strings. Choose herbs such as parsley, thyme and rosemary.”

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• 115 g dried apricots
• 115 g dried prunes
• 115 g dried peaches
• 60 g dried apples
• 25 g dried cherries
• 450 ml unsweetened apple juice
• 6 cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 300 ml low fat natural yogurt
• 115 g crunchy oat cereal
• apricot slices, to decorate

1. To make the fruit compote, place the dried apricots, prunes, peaches, apples and cherries in a saucepan and pour in the apple juice.
2. Add the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the fruits are plump and tender.
3. Leave the mixture to cool completely in the pan. Remove and discard the spices from the fruits, then transfer the mixture to a bowl and leave to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Spoon the compote into 4 dessert glasses, layering it alternately with yogurt and oat cereal, finishing with the oat cereal on top.
5. Decorate each dessert with slices of apricot and serve at once.

“There are many dried fruits available, including mangoes and pears, some of which need soaking, so read the instructions on the packet before use. Also, check the ingredients label, because several types of dried fruit have added sugar or are rolled in sugar, and this will affect the sweetness of the dish that you use them in.”

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• 900 g sweet potato
• 4 tsp sunflower oil
• 2 medium leeks, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2.5 cm piece root ginger, finely chopped
• 200 g can sweetcorn, drained
• 2 tbsp low fat natural fromage frais
• 60 g wholemeal flour
• salt and pepper
• lettuce leaves and shredded spring onions, to serve

Ginger Sauce

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 2.5 cm piece root ginger, cut into thin strips
• 2 tbsp ginger wine
• 4 tbsp fresh vegetable stock
• 1 tsp cornflour

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 cm thick pieces. Place in a pan, cover with water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Leave to cool.
2. Heat 2 tsp of oil and fry the leeks, garlic and ginger for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the leek mixture into the potato with the sweetcorn, seasoning and fromage frais. Form into 8 patties and toss in flour to coat. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the grill to medium. Place the patties on a grill rack and brush with oil. Grill for 5 minutes, then turn, oil and grill for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. For the sauce, place the vinegar, sugar, chilli and ginger in a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger wine. Blend the stock and cornflour to form a paste and stir into the sauce. Heat through, stirring, until thickened. Transfer the patties to serving plates, spoon over the sauce and serve.

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• 4 tuna steaks
• ½ tsp finely grated lime rind
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• pepper
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• fresh coriander, to garnish
• avocado relish, tomato and lime wedges, to serve

1. Trim the skin from the tuna steaks, rinse and pat dry on absorbent kitchen paper.
2. To make the avocado relish, peel and remove the stone from one small ripe avocado. Toss in 1 tbsp lime juice. Mix in 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander and 1 small finely chopped red onion. Stir in some chopped fresh mango or a chopped medium tomato and season well.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the lime rind, garlic, olive oil, cumin, ground coriander and pepper to make a paste.
4. Spread the paste thinly on both sides of the tuna. Heat a non-stick, ridged frying pan until hot and press the tuna steaks into the pan to seal them. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and transfer to a serving plate.
5. Sprinkle the lime juice and chopped coriander over the fish.
6. Serve with freshly made avocado relish, lime wedges and tomatoes.

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Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
• 2 tbsp curry paste
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• naan bread and green salad leaves, to serve

Cucumber Raita

• ¼ cucumber
• salt
• 150 ml natural yogurt
• ¼ tsp chilli powder

1. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of baking parchment or cling film. Pound them with the flat side of a meat or rolling pin to flatten them.
2. Mix together the curry paste, oil, sugar, ginger and cumin in a small bowl. Spread the mixture over both sides of the chicken and set aside until required.
3. To make the raita, peel the cucumber and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Grate the cucumber flesh, sprinkle with salt, place in a sieve and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Rinse off the salt and squeeze out any moisture by pressing the cucumber with the base of a glass or back of a spoon.
4. Mix the cucumber with the yogurt and stir in the chilli powder. Leave to chill until required.
5. Transfer the chicken to an oiled rack and grill for 10 minutes, turning once.
6. Serve the chicken with naan bread and raita and accompanied with fresh green salad leaves.

“Flattening the chicken breasts makes them thinner so that they cook more quickly.”

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