Parmesan polenta (two ways)

This delicious, cheesy polenta is great alongside a wintery stew or fresh breast of chicken.

3 cups (750ml) hot water

1 cup (250ml) chicken stock

1 cup (175g) polenta

20g butter

½ cup (40g) freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Combine the hot water and stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer.

2. Gradually whisk in the polenta and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and soft. Stir in the butter and parmesan.

To grill, place this cooked mixture into a lined baking tin and grill for 5 minutes or until polenta is golden and crispy. Remove from the grill and allow to set fully before cutting into slices.

Gluten free – Wheat free

Sun-dried tomato, parmesan and pine nut salad

This is a classic salad recipe I’ve inherited from my mum. I am a lover of nuts in salads so this is one of my favourites. Feel free to try using different cheeses or types of nuts to suit your taste.

70g baby spinach leaves

70g baby rocket leaves

100g semi-sundried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

50g roughly grated parmesan cheese

100g toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy alone or as a great side for a delicious barbeque.

*to roast the pine nuts, place on a baking tray in a 180C oven for 7 minutes or until lightly golden.

Gluten free – Wheat free 

Honey roasted parsnip and sweet potato chips with Parmesan

Chips are a great side for any meal, especially a barbeque! So why not try these delicious honey roasted parsnip and sweet potato chips for a flavoursome, healthy side dish.

Side serving for 4

2 parsnips

1 medium sweet potato

2 tbsp golden honey

sea salt and pepper

fresh grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180C

2. Wash and chop the parsnips and sweet potato into 7cm sticks, like chips.

3. Place the chopped veggies onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and honey and season with salt and pepper.

4. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the chips are golden and crispy.

5. To serve, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and extra honey to taste.

*These chips are great served alongside beef burgers and salad.  

Gluten free – Wheat free 

Date, sunflower seed and feta salad

I owe this recipe to my good friend Tiffany, a co-gluten free-er and food fanatic. This delicious combination of dates and feta gives a lovely texture to such a simple and easy salad.

200g pitted dates, roughly chopped

mixture of rocket and baby spinach leaves

100g sunflower seeds

goat’s feta cheese

2 tablespoons honey

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large salad bowl, flaking the feta cheese into the mixture.

2. Serve by itself or with grilled chicken breasts, a grilled salmon steak or with my fabulous chicken with Parma ham.

Gluten free – Wheat Free – Dairy free

Chicken and chorizo skewers with sweet chilli and sour cream

This is a great sharer that’s perfect for a Tapas plate or on its own with a fresh rocket salad.

Makes 8 skewers

2 organic chicken breats

1 ring smoked chorizo sausage (check that it’s gluten free)

drizzle of olive oil

sweet chilli and sour cream to serve

1. if you are using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes before cooking. 

2. Cube the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Slice the chorizo into 1cm rings. Thread the chicken and chorizo onto the skewers

3. Place the prepared skewers on a frying pan with a little oil and cook until chicken is cooked through and the chorizo is nice and crispy.

4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some sweet chilli. Yum.

Gluten free – Wheat free 

Almond rice pilaf

This is such a quick and easy recipe to whip up. A lovely lunch or side serving at dinner alongside some poached chicken.

Makes 6 servings

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup finely chopped spring onions

1 ½ cups long-grain white rice

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 clove garlic

½ cup roasted almonds*

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. heat the oil and butter in a large pot over a medium to high heat. Add the spring onions and garlic and reduce to a low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes or until tender.

2. add the rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to lightly toast.

3. add the chicken stock and water, stirring to combine, and raise to a high heat and bring to a boil.

4. reduce to a low heat and simmer, covered, until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice (15-2-minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and parsley.

*to roast the almonds, place on a baking tray in a 180C oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Wheat free – Gluten free 

Mediterranean mushroom stack

I could eat roasted veggies with every meal; it’s a bit of an obsession. This mushroom stack is seriously delicious and combines all my favourite flavours. Feel free to experiment with the vegetable combination and swap the zucchini for eggplant or any other vegetable of your choice. I love the big chunk of mozzarella on top but you could also sprinkle cheddar or another style of cheese. For a vegetarian version just leave out the bacon, it will still be delicious!

Makes 4 mushroom stacks

4 portabello mushrooms

1 medium sweet potato

1 medium zucchini

1 packet unsmoked bacon, fat removed

2 cloves garlic

1 small red or brown onion

2 lovely ripe tomatoes, halved horizontally

100g mozzarella cheese

olive oil/ fry light spray

mixed herbs

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Chop the sweet potato into 1cm thick rounds. Cut the zucchini on the diagonal also about 1cm thick and place both on tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil or spray with fry light and sprinkle with mixed herbs and fresh salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast until golden and tender.

3. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Start to fry over a medium heat with a little olive oil.

4. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and chop finely. Add to the onion mixture and continue to fry. Dice the bacon and add to the frying pan. After a minute or so, add the mushrooms, stalk side up, to the pan and continue to cook.

5. Meanwhile, sprinkle the tomatoes with a little salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Place in the oven to grill until they are soft and juicy. The tomatoes won’t take as long as the sweet potato so add this to the oven when the sweet potato is nearly finished.

6. Once the bacon mixture and roast vegetables are all cooked, remove everything from the heat in order to assemble the stacks. Firstly, line a baking tray with paper and place the mushrooms, stalk side up on the tray. Divide the bacon, onion and garlic mixture amongst the four mushrooms. Top with a couple of slices of sweet potato and zucchini, followed by a slice of tomato. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each stack and pop back in the oven to melt the cheese.

Gluten free – Wheat free