29/11/2009 by D.

8 small carrots
2 eating apples
1/2 lemon (juiced)

Peel and grate the carrots; they don’t need to be really finely grated.  Grate the apples the same size (no need to peel).  Mix in the lemon juice to taste (very sour apples only need a little to stop the discolouration).

You can mix in a lemon based vinaigrette if you like (swap out the vinegar element for lemon juice and use a non olive vegetable oil).  I find the fresh carrots and apples at this time of year don’t really need much adornment in that department, but I do like a few toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds served in a side bowl to sprinkle on top.

This salad has a very tangy, lively and fresh flavour and a nice crunch (especially with the seeds), so complements creamy or plainish dishes like baked potatoes, fish pie and pasta bakes.

Posted in Apple, Salad, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Lemon, Recipe, Carrot, Vegetarian, Toddler | Print | No Comments »

28/11/2009 by D.

tbsp olive oil
1 leek
1 large parsnip (or two small ones)
1 eating apple
1 veg stock cube
1 ltr water
1/2 lemon to taste
salt to taste

Trim the leek, then halve and finely chop.  Peel and dice the parsnip, discard any hard, woody central bits if its a big one.  Wash the apple, cut off the ‘cheeks’ around the core and dice (no need to peel it).

Gently fry the leek in the oil, then add the parsnip, apple and stock.  Simmer for around 40 mins until the parsnip is really soft.  Liquidise.  Season with a squirt of lemon juice and salt.  Stir and taste.  Adjust as necessary.

This is a very light soup, slightly sweet sour and the texture of apple mousse.  It makes a great starter or light lunch and works well with bread and salty butter.

Posted in Soup, Apple, Parsnip, Leek, Lemon, Recipe, Vegetarian, Weaning | Print | No Comments »