Garlic-oily parmesan-ladden basil-strewn antipasto pasta

HAPPY 2016 MY LITTLE SPRINKLETTES (all superstars have names for their fans, obv)

I'm sure you're all hitting the gym and eating healthily. Good for you. I'm certainly not. If you are, please do not continue reading this post. This recipe (/ list of ingredients you must chop and put in a bowl) is an India Lyons special and is simple, extremely moreish and utterly divine. One for the more gluttonous among us. A large bowl of garlicy oil covered vegetables, nutty parmesan, fresh basil and oodles of pasta.

I know I told you to stop reading if you are all "new year-new me" but I know you won't have because you are a total sprinklette and so, for you special people, I have used courgetti. It has nothing on pasta but this sauce is beyond scrumptious and could be paired with disgusting food like sweetcorn or cannellini beans and you'd still lick your bowl and want more.

1. If you are not afraid of gluten, start cooking your delectable spaghetti

2. Drain and chop your green olives

3. Chop all your anitpasto vegetables, conserving their oily goodness in your bowl

2. Chop the fresh tomatoes in quarters, chop half the basil and crush the garlic cloves into the veg

3. Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes and stir everything up

4. Drain the pasta or prepare the courgetti (do a little courgetti willy dance) and stir through the vegetables

5. Plonk some basil leaves on the top, serve up and shave on copious amounts of parmesan

Happy eating,
B

SERVES 5

INGREDIENTS

• 280g jar, mixed mushroom antipasto
• 280g jar, sundried tomatoes
• 280g jar, chargrilled peppers antipasto
• 350g jar, green olives
• 28g bag, fresh basil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a courgette each, or spaghetti 
• a dash of salt, pepper and chilli flakes
• a hefty sprinkling of parmesan
• a handful of fresh baby plum tomatoes

Creamy Goats Cheese, Fiery Chorizo and Crunchy Kale Salad

Guys. It actually crossed my mind that it would be really funny to write this blog post in Latin. I genuinely cracked up at the thought. Then I realised that I have in fact lost my mind to languages and have become a full-blown Latin translating, Diet Coke sipping, library-enduced lunatic.

I don't know about you but the weather, the exam period and the need to grow my stomach in preparation for christmas meals has led me to eat everything in sight, at all times of the day. I decided it was high time I got some greens in my diet and knocked this together for myself and my flatmates. It was made in a flash, tasted great and was also ever so slightly healthy.

Apologies for the unedited photos but Tacitus needs some translating. Eheu. 



These are your ingredients - red and green... festive!

1. Make a balsamic dressing with a couple of teaspoons of dijon mustard, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a good few glugs of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper

2. Massage the dressing into the kale

3. Add some rocket, watercress & spinach to the top

4. Chop up the tomatoes and a little bit of chilli - three rings each (without seeds, unless you like to watch 'em squirm)

5. Slice up your chorizo on a diagonal and fry on a medium heat

Please ignore the hob, I swear the 'grub' is just an optical illusion from the light etc. etc. etc… 

6. Slice the goats cheese into rings, and when the chorizo is finished and out of the pan, place the goats cheese in for few seconds to melt a little. Then add them both to the salad

7. Chop up your avocado and add

8. Finally, slice some basil into strips and sprinkle them over the top

I promise this will make you feel better about life. It tastes great, it's low carb, goats cheese is one of the best cheeses around calorie and fat-wise, avocado is creamy green yumminess, CHORIZO IS MY HEAVEN and kale is crunchy.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

(I definitely just made those measurements up… I do it by eye you see. Please taste-test before you pour onto your salad. I promise to take notes next time I make it.)

Salad

• 1 bag curly kale
• 1 bag watercress, rocket & spinach salad
• as many tomatoes as your heart desires
• 1/2 red chilli
• 150g cooking chorizo
• 2 ripened goats cheese

ps. food for though (geddit): I have very much struggled with the grammar of goats cheese… goat's cheese... goats' cheese... who knows.