Nectarines and Raspberries with Ginger Crumbs

This is a nice and easy 'throw-together desert. It is based on a recipe in 'Delicious' magazine. Believe me it tastes much better than it looks!



To serve 4

2 fresh nectarines, cut into halves, stone removed
3 tbsp agave nectar
100 g gluten free ginger cake, broken into crumbs
200 g Greek style yogurt with honey
100 g fresh raspberries

Place the nectarine halves in an ovenproof dish, spoon over 2 tbsp agave nectar, place under a medium-hot grill for 15 minutes
Add a further 1 tbsp agave nectar and the ginger crumbs to the nectarines, spoon over the yogurt
Grill the nectarines until the yogurt starts to bubble
Place one nectarine per plate on four small plates, with some of the agave and yogurt sauce which has been created. Add some of the fresh raspberries

Imagine the weather is wonderful and eat a sunny desert :)

Chorizo and Pinto Bean Salad

One of my fave foods of the Meditteranean region is chorizo, and we all know how much I love food with a Mediterranean influence dont we. I've been sort of planning in my head to create a fairly robust salad using chorizo and lentils. Unortunately the lentils didn't quite cut it, although in theory it sounded like quite a good idea ... or so I thought!

I ended up with pinto beans and chorizo with sauteed onions .... turns out to be a good combination. I'll have to work with this combination a bit, to see what else I can dream up! In the meantime, here is my accidental chorizo and bean salad!



100 g GF chorizo
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
Small can Pinto beans
1/2 pepper, diced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1- 2 tbsp dressing consisting of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper
2 - 3 handful ls of mixed salad leaves and herbs

To serve 2

In a small fry-pan on a low heat dry-fry the chorizo - the intention here is for the chorizo to render some of it's saturated fat, which my arteries don't need. Dispose of the fat.

To the small fry-pan add 1 tbsp olive oil, add the onions and over a moderate heat fry them until they have softened and are taking on a brown colour

Drain both the chorizo and the onions of excess oil on kitchen paper

In a seperate bowl, add the pinto beans, peppers, half the parsley and half the chorizo / onion mix. Toss together with the lemon and olive oil dressing

Divide the salad leaves between two plates, add half of the bean / chorizo mixture to each plate, top with the remaining chorizo, onions and parsley

:)

The Food of Scotland

Scotland, for anybody that doesnt know, is the land of the fruits of the seas and lochs (lakes), with the stunning mountain scenery thrown in for good measure. It's a place I love, hundreds of miles from my home in the very South of England, but a place I often return to. Shortly I will be making another return visit!



This however is a picture of the food of Scotland, taken during my sons birthday celebration, in Loch Fyne, a Scottish seafood restaurant in the South of England