Quick and tasty broccoli muffins

Mix the following in a blender, pour into paper cupcake cups and bake at 200oC for 40 mins or until beautifully golden brown.  I thought this would make a great healthy and fun variation on the broccoli patties by baking rather than frying them.

• 2 boiled (or shh… microwaved) potatoes
• 300g steamed broccoli
• 100 g grated cheese of your choice
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 beaten eggs
• 6 tbs ground flaxseed – for a great healthy twist

Serve with fresh green salad and a side mix of half ketchup, half mayo – although I found the muffins tasty enough not to require the latter.

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Easy pesto, made even healthier with flaxseed

Pesto is extremely easy to prepare, and I added ground flaxseed to this version for those extra health points.

Blend together in a food processor or a blender:

2 cloves garlic, peeled
50g ground (or let grind in the food processor with the rest) flaxseed
50g lightly roasted pine nuts
50g grated parmesan cheese
150ml extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
large bunch fresh basil, leaves plucked
some lemon juice, optional and to taste

Quick and tasty broad bean dip

Broad beans can be bought for next to nothing in a dry form, soaked overnight and cooked slowly for 1 and a half hours on medium heat in lots of slightly salted water.  There is no need to peel the beans but just just quickly pure’ with a hand blender together with the following:

• 3 cloves garlic,
• 100 ml olive oil
• 80 ml lemon juice
• 2 tsps sea salt
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 2 tsps paprika powder

Add some of the cooking liquid to taste (and consistency).

The recipe is for 300g beans in dry form.

The cooking of the beans takes more than an hour, but the rest cannot be easier or quicker.  Makes loads, so again great if you have friends over.

Delicious and easy hummus

Hummus is so delicious and easy to make that I often wonder why I ever buy it ready made.  Here goes:

• 700 ml drained tinned or bottled chick peas
• 2 level tsps sea salt or lo-salt, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic
• 300 ml tahini – use less first and then add according to taste
• 80 ml lemon juice – use a bit more according to taste
• cayenne pepper and olive oil for garnish

Blend, using a hand blender, the chick peas, salt and garlic.  Once it is a smooth paste add the tahini and lemon juice and extra water to get the right consistency.  Adjust the tahini, lemon juice and salt to taste.

Serve sprinkled with cayenne pepper and olive oil.  This recipe makes loads, so perfect if you have friends over.

Tip: an alternative to tahini is ground cumin.