Summery Millet Salad

I made this salad to take with me at work as my lunch and I must say it was wonderful and so tasty. You can also do this with quinoa or couscous if you like. It is super-easy and super-quick to rustle up, cooking the millet grain is the longest cooking time for this recipe (about 20 minutes). This recipe is vegetarian but for a vegan version just omit the eggs. I adore eggs so I did put 2 hard boiled eggs in my salad but feel free to do one instead or none as I said before none. Anyway, do give it a go and if you have not tried millet grain before do try it, it is so good and I love its fluffy texture. You can do this for a light lunch or even as a side for your dinner (maybe a good steak). You can also take it with you to a BBQ. The following amounts are for one portion so double or quadruple the ingredients for a larger serving. For one portion you will need...

• 60g millet grain, washed
• 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1tbsp sliced jalapenos
• 6 green olives
• 2 tsp capers, drained
• 3 sundried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• ½ teaspoon dried mint
• A couple of fresh basil leaves
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Sweet paprika, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

How to..

1. Start by cooking the millet by just adding it in plenty of boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes and drain in a sieve. Whilst still in the sieve rinse the cooked millet grain under a running cold water tap to cool it down. 
2. When cool enough add all the other ingredients, including the salt, pepper, sweet paprika and olive oil to your taste and stir carefully to combine. 
3. This is now ready to serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Bzar biz-zalza - Peppers in Tomato Sauce Maltese Style

This recipe is definitely a Maltese classic. A summer classic dish that can be eaten hot or cold and usually eaten with Maltese bread and/or fried fish, mainly Lampuki [Dolphin Fish or Dorado in English]. We love it and whenever we cook it, it reminds Amanda of when her mother used to prepare fried Lampuki and this pepper sauce. My dad love it a lot as well...to be fair, every Maltese person does I guess!! This dish is a relative of the Sicilian dish Peperonata. Give it a go and as I said you can serve it as a side dish or as a delicious vegetarian dish on its own and eat it with some nice crusty bread or tortillas even....preferably Maltese obviously...for 4 people you will need...

• 3 Green peppers, de-seeded & sliced
• 3 Red peppers, de-seeded & sliced
• 700 ml tomato passata
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Handful whole green olives
• 3 teaspoons capers
• ½ teaspoon dried mint
• 4 Fresh basil leaves
• Salt & pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

How to..

1. In a medium sized pan heat some olive oil & the garlic and fry until golden brown. 
2. Then add the peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Now add the rest of the ingredients and give it a good stir and simmer on low/medium heat until the peppers are cooked through. We left ours simmer gently for about 3 hours (The longer the simmer, the tastier the sauce...gives it more flavour) but you can simmer for an hour on medium heat always stirring occasionally.
4. Serve hot or cold with bread/tortillas or as a side dish.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Crunchy Summer Berries Breakfast

My breakfast is rarely the same and considering that berries at the minute are in season, I felt like giving my cornflakes bowl a new take...rather than the boring cornflakes and milk. I added some berries, yoghurt and topped it with ground flaxseed for extra nutrition.

Mmmm...delicious!!  You should give this a go to give your breakfast a different take. You will need...

• 2 cups Cornflakes (or as many as you want)
• 5 Strawberries, halved
• 6 Blueberries
• 2 tablespoons Strawberry Yoghurt
• Ground flaxseed [linseed]

How to...

In a cereal bowl put the cornflakes, spoon the yoghurt on top, toss the berries in and sprinkle generously with the ground flaxseed. Serve!

Enjoy!!

R&A