Favourite Food: Almond Butter

For a great alternative to peanut butter, try almond butter. I'm loving spreading this over toasted bread at the moment, for a healthy and filling snack that tastes great too.

Almonds are a super-food and are one of the most nutritious of all nuts. Almonds are packed with Vitamin E and also provide you with calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Evidence suggests that almonds can help fight cancer and contribute toward having a healthy and strong heart.

But do remember, all nuts are high in calories so if you are watching your weight spread the almond butter thinly :-)

Gourmet Italian Toasties

These delicious, veggie, toasties have an Italian influence and make a great lunch or snack. I use garlic and rocket pesto in this recipe, but any flavour pesto will work (although I do recommend a green pesto since that complements the sun-blushed tomatoes well).

These are also gorgeous without being toasted.

Serves 1

I crispy bread roll, halved or 2 slices of crusty, country-style bread
Green pesto
10-12 sun-blushed tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese (Buffalo mozzarella makes for a very gourmet sandwich)
Black pepper

Turn the grill on.

Spread some pesto on both halves of the bread roll, or on both slices of bread (pesto is very calorific, so if you're watching your weight go easy on the amount!!)

Place the sun-blushed tomatoes on top of the pesto - spread them around evenly

Put the mozzarella on top. Put as much or as little on as you like - it depends on your cheese preference

Put under the grill for 3-4 minutes. Keep an eye on them in case they burn.

Remove and grind some black pepper over them

Enjoy!

These can be eaten alone or with a green salad

For a meat version just add some salami or Italian ham - place over the pesto before you add the tomatoes.

Turkey Humous-dinger!

Humous makes a great tasting and healthier alternative to mayonnaise in this sandwich. In this recipe I use a plain humous but humous flavoured with chili, coriander and red pepper among other things is readily available and would work equally well in this sandwich!

2 slices of wholegrain bread
3 slices of turkey
Humous
Handful of baby-leaf spinach
4 Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Black pepper

1. Spread humous on one slice of bread

2. Place slices of turkey on top and then slices of tomato. Grind some black pepper on top.

3. Put spinach on top and second slice of bread.

4. Cut into two even triangles!