A Delicious Lunch - Peanut Butter Houmous, Mixed Salad with Lemony Mustard Dressing, and two special girls

For me, the whole enjoyment of cooking boils down to who you're cooking for. I would cook for these two any day of the week, this was such a good day! A delicious selection of cheeses brought back from France, homemade houmous and a mixed surprise salad - what more could you want on a weekend?

Peanut Butter Houmous - serves 4/6

This is my own recipe using peanut butter instead of tahini. I find tahini too bitter, and peanut butter always makes this houmous taste superb. The right type of chickpeas are also very important, try buying some already boiled chickpeas as they are very soft, light and give a great texture. 

- 400g can of boiled TRS chickpeas with 1/3 chickpea juice
- 1 medium clove of garlic
- 1 dessert spoon of peanut butter
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- roughly 3-5 tbsp good quality olive oil
- salt and pepper
- mixed seeds to garnish (can be roasted)




1. Simply place all the ingredients into a food processor (except the oil) and whizz up. Slowly add the olive oil to form your preferred consistency. Adding a bit of juice from the chickpea tin makes this dip smoother.

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Mixed Summer Salad

The thing I love about salads is that you can use all sorts of bits and pieces from the fridge to make them more exciting. I usually make dijon or balsamic dressings, but thought I'd try something different - it's my divine dressing. 

For the Mixed Salad - serves 3

- 3 handfuls mixed leaves

- 3 small cooked cold potatoes, chopped

- 3 radishes, sliced

- 4 tomatoes, chopped

- 1 baby cucumber, chopped

- 3 gherkins, chopped

- 1/2 avocado (optional)

- 1 handful pumpkin seeds

- 1 handful sunflower seeds

- a sprinkle of sesame seeds

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For the Divine Dressing

- 1 tsp mayonnaise

- 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

- 3 good squeezes of fresh lemon

- good quality olive oil, roughly 2 tbsp

- salt and pepper

1. Place the mayonnaise and mustard into a jar or cup and mix thoroughly with a fork. 

2. Add the lemon juice and stir well. Gradually pour in the oil very slowly, continuing to beat with a fork. 

3. Finally, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the salad. 

Hello Healthy Houmous - Vegan and Dairy Free

This is a super easy recipe. I have used peanut butter as an alternative to tahini, as I feel it gives a better, softer flavour. Plus, peanut butter lasts for ages and is always available.

Ingredients (makes two ramekins)

 - 400g tin of soft chickpeas (I like to use TRS Asia Boiled Chickpeas) with 1/3 chickpea juice

- 2 tsp smooth peanut butter

- 1 clove of garlic

- juice of 1/2 a lemon

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- linseeds or paprika to serve (optional)

1. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or using a hand blender. 

If you've never tried paprika on houmous, you must! It is a great addition to add flavour and vibrant colour. The other alternative is to sprinkle the houmous with linseeds or sesame seeds.

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Healthy Aubergine and Basil Houmous with Homemade Fat Chips

Fat chips were a good shout! 

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the houmous - 

- 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 8 slices of jarred aubergine, or roasted aubergine

- 4 basil leaves

- 4 tbsp good quality olive oil

- 1 tbsp oil from the aubergine jar

- 2 tbsp lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp paprika and some for decoration

- a pinch of chilli flakes

- salt and pepper

for the fat chips - 

- 6 medium potatoes, roughly chopped into segments

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp groundnut oil

- pepper

1. Set the oven to 250°c.

2. Start by boiling the potato chunks for 3 minutes, before transferring them to a baking tray and coating them with groundnut oil and salt. Grind some pepper on top and place them in the oven for 30 minutes.

3. The houmous is extremely easy to make. Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor or using a hand blender, until is resembles a smooth paste. Have a taste, as you may want to add more chilli flakes, lemon juice or olive oil.

Accompany the chips and houmous with a selection of condiments (like ketchup, mayonnaise, pesto or sweet chilli) and salad.

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