Mediterranean Roast Vegetable Couscous

This is a simple and delicious recipe that will help you get to your 5-a-day vegetable intake. This can be eaten straightaway, or cool in the fridge and have for your lunch the next day. Either way, it tastes great! You can also choose to amend the selection of vegetables in this dish - aubergine would also work great in this recipe.

Serves 2

1 courgette, cut into 1cm discs
1 large red onion, cut into large chunks
1 red pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Half tsp chopped basil
Half tsp chopped rosemary
Half tsp chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

120g dry couscous
100ml vegetable stock

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Put the vegetables into a roasting dish. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. Season and stir well. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

To make the couscous, put the dry couscous in a bowl, add the stock (at near boiling temperature), and cover. Leave for 5 minutes. Then fluff up the couscous with a fork.

Remove the roast vegetables from the oven. Tip the couscous into the roasting dish and mix with the vegetables to get all the flavours from the roasting dish.

Serve with a roast chicken or salmon fillet and this also tastes great with a dollop of hummus :-)

Roast Beef Tomatoes with Garlic and Basil Topping

I find I use cherry tomatoes and baby plums in cooking a lot because I love the sweetness they add to dishes. But I feel that I have neglected the other tomato varieties! Good beef tomatoes can be hard to get as they are often lacking in flavour, but a good, ripe beef tomato can be roasted to make a great side dish. I add a little topping to it in this dish for some added oomph.

Serves 2

2 ripe beef tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp of breadcrumbs
1 tsp of chopped basil

Preheat the oven to 180 C

Slice the tops of both tomatoes and discard.

Mix the breadcrumbs, garlic, and basil in a bowl. Press down onto the top of each tomato.

Place in a oven dish and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Makes a delicious accompaniment to roast chicken or baked fish.

Roasted New Potatoes with Rosemary

This recipe makes a gorgeous and filling side-dish that is surprisingly light and perfect for winter dinners. Serve with fish or meat.

Serves 2

500g new potatoes
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 C (200 C if not a fan oven)

Put the potatoes in an oven dish, drizzle the oil over the potatoes and mix them around in it. Sprinkle the rosemary on top and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roast for 45 minutes. Pierce with a knife to test they are cooked through.

Maple Syrup Roast Vegetables

I have been pouring maple syrup over my porridge most mornings recently and I'm loving it! In fact, I've been loving it so much that I have been seeking out more uses for maple syrup. I often make roast vegetables as a side dish and I think they are a great accompaniment to a meal. But I have been using the same recipe for a while so I decided to try something a little new recently and so threw in some maple syrup. Great results!

I like to make roast carrots and parsnips but sometimes throw in peppers and shallots as well. It's all about personal preference!

Serves 4

2 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 190 C

Chop the carrots and parsnips into chunks. I would recommend par-boiling the carrots for 5 minutes before roasting.

Add about 1 tbsp of good quality olive oil and 1-2 tbsp of maple syrup.

Season with salt and pepper and add some finely chopped garlic.

Roast for 20-25 minutes

Serve with meat, fish or more vegetables!