Fun loving pasta eaters, rejoice! The fennel, garlic and broccoli go very well with sliced sauteed sausage and freshly grated parmesan cheese along with the crumbled goat cheese – ciao bella! Quick and easy meal to help sneak in some veggies to unsuspecting teenagers and hubbys everywhere!

Ingredients:

2 or 3 each hot and sweet sausage links, semi-frozen

• 2 small crowns of fresh broccoli
• 3-6 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1 or 2 bulbs fennel with their fawns
• Olive Oil
• Large pot of boiling water for pasta – try rotitini or penne
• One large deep skillet, enough that when after cooking sausages and veggies, you can also throw pasta in.
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• A couple shakes of dried red pepper flakes
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Salt

Directions:

1. Put pot on to boil for pasta
2. Take out sausage from freezer, and slice links into 1/3 inch slices
3. Put skillet onto stove, add small drizzle of olive oil and put sliced sausages in.
4. Add red chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper – the heat from the skillet opens up their flavors.
5. While the sausage cooks, mince up garlic and set aside.
6. Rinse and break apart broccoli into small bite size pieces and set aside.
7. Cut off frawns from fennel, and with the remaining bulb, slice thin and break apart to resemble onion slices. Set aside frawns for now.
8. Once water has started to boil, add good amount of salt to water and a bit of olive oil.
9. To cooking sausage slices, add sliced fennel and broccoli to skillet.
10. Continue cooking broccoli, sausages and fennel allowing the fennel to caramelize along with sliced sausages.
11. Mince up two tablespoons fawns from the fennel and grate up your cheese.
12. Drain pasta when just al dente, but try and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
13. Add drained cooked pasta to deep skillet and add freshly minced garlic to the mix.
14. Add 1/2 of the cheese and up to 1/2 cup pasta water and stir till all are combined. Continue cooking for one to 4 minutes. Add crumbled goat cheese.
15. Serve up on plates, sprinkle a little of the minced fennel frawns and extra grated cheese. Ciao Bella! Mangia Mangia pronto!

This is one of those great tasting easy dishes, and the goat cheese once is melts creates a similar feel in your mouth to alfredo sauce but without a lot of the naughty added fat.

Leah Quinn, a multi-media artist and writer whose work specializes on food, health, feng shui, and self-improvement. http://leahquinn.com

Ingredients:

2 Cups self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/4 cup chopped parsley,  (optional – add additional herbs of choice like basil)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup cottage cheese

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

Grated cheese and paprika

1. Put flour, salt, and mustard in a bowl and add chopped parsley and onion
2. Mix cottage cheese and melted butter, add milk and egg and stir into flour mixture to make a soft dough.  Mix with a knife. Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly
3. Shape into a 3cm thick round
4. Place round o a lightly buttered tray and mark it into six.
5. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese and paprika
6. Bake at 190 – 200 degrees C for 25 – 30 minutes
7. Eat Warm

Great with a green salad, egg dishes, soup, and a great bread to experiment with adding different herbs, spices an is even great with grated veggies in it too like zucchini.

Try it, you will find its a favorite

Cheese Frittata

This recipe is so quick and easy you can have it on the table very fast but it is still versatile enough to add extras and change it completely by different herbs or cheeses, adding a chutney to serve or as a main with veggies or green salad.

If you have more people then add more to your frittata and serve with vegetable dishes  and salads to extend it.

To serve 2

• Beat or whisk 4  large eggs or 6 small bantam eggs (organic or free range best)
• Heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons, more or less according to size your your pan, heavy based pan best so it will not burn.
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Pour into hot pan
• When Frittata is set on the base add sliced cheese, sprinkle herbs
• Set under the grill to puff up and brown

We like this served with a peach chutney, or  tangy Tamarillo  or  Tomato salsa, crisp French Baguette  and a green salad

I use a Magic Bullet to quickly whisk it up and have it cooking in minutes

Extras to add to expand the recipe or make it a more satisfying meal

Cooked potato, pumpkin, beans, peas, celery, mushrooms, egg plant, zucchini and practically anything else you may have on hand or in the garden.

Serve with baked potato crisps and a glass of your favourite wine

Want something  quick, healthy and delicious  ?

Quick Hummus Recipe for 1 1/2 cups of Dip

• 1 can chick peas
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika – optional
• 1 clove garlic  minced or chopped finely if not using a processor

Combine all ingredients and blitz in a blender or food process until smooth or the consistency you desire.  Serve with Pita Bread, crackers, on pizza as a base, corn chips

Chilli Sauce is a great addition

Emma Peel, Chief Executive of Egg Production

Fresh Organic Produce - the life force of your body

This is Emma Peel,  chief exective of Egg Production !! Regular as clockwork she delivers a completely balanced meal completely enclosed in its individual hygienic case.  Things that are good for you have simple names, they are not shrink wrapped, dosed in additives and sprayed with chemical concoctions.  They arrive without ornate packaging, without expensive advertising if you discount the proud cacklings of the hens as they announce their most recent achievement in the form of an egg !

Consider for a moment how  Emma Peel, would have spent her days,  trapped  in a small cage the size of an A4 sheet of paper had  she had been raised in the Poultry industry,without  access to sunlight, fresh air and unable to scratch around or forage and do what hens do.  I invite you to consider this when you purchase eggs next time  and ask yourself is there really any comparison between  fresh organic eggs and mass produced poultry industry ones ?

Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook

Yes, fresh is best, local markets, farmers markets and simple food, preferably collected or  dug up right in front of your eyes is the sustainable way to go.   How much will a packet of Cheezels will enhance your life force  ?

How far will Chicken Nuggets sustain you ?  How much energy will a hamburger provide and more importantly, how much of a taste sensation will some woolly, cardboard tasting snack give you ?

Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook

Yep, things that are good for you do have simple names, like eggs, fruit, milk, vegetables and yes, even carrot – how simple is that ? I have a “recipe” for you today, take one carrot, pull it from the ground, eat it, that’s it !    I bet you it will be the sweetest carrot you have ever eaten !

Carrot and Raisin Salad

• 2 large grated carrots
• Large handful of raisins
• 2 Tablespoons olive or salad oil
• orange juice or lemon juice from one fruit
• pineapple pieces ( fresh if possible)

Gently stir the whole lot together

Serve garnished with coriander, chives, parsley or what ever herbs take your fancy.

You will be eating this pizza faster than you can drive for takeaways and quicker than the pizza delivery could arrive as well as know exactly what is in it.

Ingredients are usually stored in your larder, freezer but once you have the idea you can easily improvise

For each person take out one frozen Lebanese or Pita pocket each ( the large size if you are ravenous0 either microwave it to thaw or remember to take out before you get to the ravenous stage !  Choose wholemeal for a healthy choice or garlic if you prefer and Paninis  work just as well.

Drizzle Olive oil over your pita bread and scatter some herbs of either dried for speed or chop up something like spring onions, chives, garlic chives,but basil or oregano is tastiest if available .

Spreading over tomato paste is optional or just slice tomatoes and sprinkle cheese over, more herbs scattered on top and pop into a hot over until deliciously browned and crispy

Serve with a green salad.

Optional Extras depending on what is on hand:

• Sliced or chopped mushrooms
• Crushed pineapple
• Any leftovers like potato is good
• Onions of any kind

Enjoy

Quantities are not exact and can be varied according to how many people and what you have in the pantry and feel free to make your own additions.

Delicious Italian Primo Lentil Dish

Very simple, quick and easy to make and yet it  tastes delicious

• Take chopped onion, celery, garlic and fry until translucent, (or “blonde” as our friend calls it ) something like Wolfgang Pucks skillet would be ideal to cook it in.
• Add sausages, or spare ribs if you prefer.   Brown and cook
• Add half a glass of wine and let cook for a few minutes
• Add one tin of tomatoes ( or half a large tin)
• When all the water has evaporated and 10 minutes before you wish to serve it add  one tin of lentils including the liquid, stir through and let simmer
• Serve garnished with your favorite herbs
• We have cooked this four times since getting the recipe, once with pork and fennel sausages. Our Italian friend said it didn’t go and we thought it was extra scrummy  !
• Enjoy

4 hardboiled eggs (shelled and mashed)

1 & 1/2 Teaspoonsful of curry powder ( 2 if you prefer it hotter)

Salt and pepper to taste

Add mayonnaise or butter until smooth and chopped parsley is an optional extra.

Gluten Free Recipes

This same recipe can be used for a shared lunch.

Hard boil 4 – 6 eggs , cool in cold water ( makes them easier to shell) until cool. Shell and cut in half lengthwise.

Take out the yolks and mash with the above ingredients and place the yolks back in the whites.

Serve on lettuce leaves

Link for Devilled Eggs Recipe

Ria Patels Simple Egg Curry Recipe

Gluten Free Recipes

Serve with your own delicious home made spaghetti, pasta or fettucini to make a quick healthy and delicious meal.

1. Saute breadcrumbs with olive oil, garlic, chilli ( small amount of chilli – always easy to add a bit more later !) saute until crisp then add parsley when cooled as well as fresh tomato, add seasonings, salt and pepper and serve with pasta. Some great fresh herbs to use are oregan0, basil and sage – not all at once of course !
2. Bacon, mushroom, tomato and onion sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chilli
3. Saute onion, chilli, garlic in olive oil, add one tin of tomatoes or fresh if you prefer and a tin of tuna ( in oil)