Steamy Salad

I love a good salad. It fills you up the perfect amount without leaving you feeling stuffed and sleepy. Salads don't always have to be cold and consist of a handful lettuce leaves. There's nothing more annoying for me when I order a salad in a restaurant and all I get is a bowl full of salad, a few tomatoes, shredded chicken and croutons. Worst of all, it can set you back about £8 and really does not seem worth it when you can make something much more fulfilling and delicious at home. 

This steamy salad is quite literally completely steamed! It takes no longer than 15 minutes to make and it is so delicious simply served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This salad is super healthy and packed with health benefits. Best of all, it contains two of my favourite ingredients: sweet potato and avocado. Absolute heaven. Sweet Potatoes are packed with vitamin A, which is essential for strengthening your bodies immunity against infection. By adding the extra virgin olive oil and avocado to the sweet potato, you can get the full health benefits of the antioxidant beta-carotene. I've talked a lot about avocados but they're one of the healthiest foods on the planet containing in excess of 25 nutrients.  Kale leaves are genuinely the kings of nutrition. Did you know it contains more iron than beef and more calcium than milk per calorie?! But it doesn't stop there. Just one cup of kale gives more than 1,000% of your daily intake of vitamin K which supports good blood regulation. It also contains nearly four times your recommended intake of vitamin A and 100% of your vitamin C that together support bone and skin health and strengthen the immune system. I could go on and on, but I wont. It's just amazing and one of the most underrated vegetables on our supermarket shelves today. 

Serves 2 

1 large sweet potato

2 large tomatoes 

1 spring onion

1/2 avocado

1 handfuls of kale

1/2 courgette 

1-2 tsp paprika (to taste)

salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Method 

- Put a large pan of water onto boil then simmer over a medium-low heat. Peel and chop up the sweet potato into medium sized chunks. Steam the sweet potatoes for 7 minutes. Add the kale to the sweet potatoes and steam for a further 4 minutes. Slice the courgette and add to the kale and sweet potatoes steaming further two minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the paprika. 

- Slice the tomatoes, spring onion and avocado. Once the courgette is soft and ready, remove the pan from the heat. Add the tomatoes and spring onion and gently mix in. 

- To serve, add the sliced avocado and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Top tip: Add some feta cheese for added flavour. 

Enjoy! 

Savoury Pancakes with Avocado & Feta

Like a dog isn't just for Christmas, a pancake isn't just for pancake day. It was one of those days, when you look into the fridge and get that despaired feeling - how on earth am I going to make dinner with any of this? I always have plenty of eggs from my chickens and in the fridge I managed to find an avocado, one spring onion, some feta and a pint of milk. Great, so now what -  Scrambled egg? Omelette? In the larder, I found two more ingredients: flour and a large pot of sun dried tomatoes. Hey presto, savoury pancakes it is!

Savoury pancakes really are the ultimate dish to make when you look into an empty fridge or you simply just want to use up that last knob of cheese or that sad-looking spring onion. They're so fantastically simple and quick to make and best of all, they're so delicious. You can use the pancake mix as a base, then literally add any savoury topping you want. Whether it be ham and cheese, chorizo and onions or feta and avocado, I'll guarantee you it'll be delicious. 

This avocado and feta pancake is super healthy too! Avocados are one of the healthiest foods on the planet as they contain in excess of 25 essential nutrients. They also have some pretty awesome anti-inflammatory properties which have been well documented to help a range of illnesses caused by excess inflammation. On top of this, they help to increase nutrient absorption of other foods, they're high in fibre and provide a great dosage of vitamin K, essential for good blood sugar regulation. Needless to say, just the avocado alone makes these pancakes super heathy!

Feta is a healthy alternative to many other types of cheese, such as cheddar as it's lower in calories and fat. Spring onions naturally contain more plant-derived antioxidants and dietary fibre than onions and shallots. They also are packed with essential vitamins and are in fact one of the richest sources of vitamin K. I could go on for ever about the health benefits of these pancakes but I think it's about time we start cooking!

Makes 1 large pancake 

Pancake mix 

1 free range egg

15g wholemeal flour

15g plain flour 

100ml/3.5 fl.oz of milk

salt & pepper to taste

tiny knob of butter

Topping

50g of greek feta 

5 sun dried tomatoes, sliced

1/2 avocado

1 spring onion, finely sliced

Method

- In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add the flour and beat again. Then add milk and a light seasoning. 

- Put a large frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add the knob of butter and grease the pan to ensure the pancake doesn't stick. Then put the pan over a medium-low heat. Pour the batter mix into the pan and immediately tilt the pan side to side to get a thin, even layer of batter covering the base of the pan.

- Cook for about 30 seconds or until the underside is golden and flip with a palette knife. 

- Immediately add the toppings and fold the pancake in half, then half again. Slide the pancake onto a plate to serve. 

Top tip: If you have a very large pancake and struggle flipping it without breaking it, just leave it for 20-30 seconds longer, add the toppings, fold then serve. I had to do this and it still tasted great!

Enjoy!