Nut & Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this crunchy and delicious cookie recipe from my sister. They are easy to make and hard to store, since you always want to have just one more... Otherwise they would keep fine in a sealed cookie jar.

200 g butter

2 dl white sugar

2 dl brown muscovado sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar/extract

2 eggs

6 dl flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

150-200 g dark chocolate (coarsely crushed)

50 g almonds (crushed)

50 g hazelnuts (crushed)

- Whip the room temperature butter with the sugars, then add the eggs one by one.

- Mix the flour with salt and soda and then start adding the flour mix, nuts and chocolate slowly to the dough.

- Scoop a small amount of the mixture, shape between two spoons and place on a baking tray covered with baking paper.

- Bake at 175 degrees for 10-15 minutes and let cool before storing.

Black Bean Salad

Black beans have an unique, nutty flavour and they are one of the tastiest beans to use in salads. This recipe is based on one found from "The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook" by Susan Tomnay.

black beans (soaked over night and boiled)

1 red pepper (diced)

2 tomatoes (diced)

1/2 small red onion (thinly sliced)

sweet corn

honey melon/cantaloupe/water melon (diced)

avocado (sliced)

crispy lettuce/rucola

fresh corriander

Dressing:

olive oil

lime juice

chili/cayenne pepper

1 small clove garlic (crushed)

salt

pepper

- Combine all the ingredients except for the avocado, melon and lettuce/rucola, add the dressing and set aside for half an hour to let the flavours develop. Add the rest of the ingredients and gently mix through.

Beetroot Soup

This is a nice beetroot soup recipe adapted from Delia Smith's original idea, it's healthy, cheap and tasty!

700 g beetroot (peeled and chopped)

1 carrot (peeled and chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

a few celery sticks (chopped)

1 bay leaf

1 l stock

small tub sour cream

lemon juice

salt

pepper

cayenne pepper

- Fry the onion, carrot and celery on a medium heat until they are softened and have some colour.

- Add the stock and boil for a while, then add the beetroot and simmer until it's cooked, approximately an hour.

- Blend the soup and add some lemon juice, salt and pepper, and then stir in 2/3 of the sour cream and heat gently for a couple of minutes.

- Garnish with some sour cream and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Tip: Always use plastic gloves when you handle beetroot, and remember to wash your chopping board immediately after use!

Vegetarian Bolognese

I'm not a huge fan of soy mince in many dishes but this is very tasty. My boyfriend makes a lovely spaghetti bolognese and he has changed my mind about so called meat substitutes on occasion. The taste gets better the longer you simmer the sauce, so take your time to make this dish.

onion (chopped)

carrot (chopped)

celery (chopped)

3-4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)

soymince (covered with hot stock)

2 dl red wine

1 tin tomatoes (or 4 fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped)

tomato puree

1 bay leaf

thyme

rosemary

black pepper

salt

pinch of nutmeg

olive oil

spaghetti

fresh basil

parmesan

- Fry the onion, carrot and celery on a medium heat until soft and then add garlic and soy mince and fry for a few minutes. After this add the red wine and simmer until half of it has evaporated.

- Add the tomatoes, dried herbs, white pepper and puree and let simmer at least half an hour.

- Boil the spaghetti in a big pan of salted water, drain, rinse with hot water and then season with pepper and olive oil.

- Season to taste, add the nutmeg and drizzle with olive oil to settle the flavours. Serve with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan.

Carrot and Corriander Soup

This sweet classic is a nice autumn warmer.

1/2 kilo carrots (peeled and diced)

1 onion (chopped)

2-3 cloves garlic (sliced)

stock (enough to cover the mixture)

salt

black pepper

cayenne pepper

pinch of turmeric

fresh corriander

(cream)

- Sweat the onion and garlic in a covered pan on a low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

- Add the turmeric, cayenne pepper and carrots and fry for a couple of minutes.

- Add the stock, bring to the boil, and simmer until cooked.

- Blend and season the soup and serve with some fresh corriander (and cream if you wish).

Goat's Cheese Salad with Orange Sauce

This is one of the nicest dishes my boyfriend has created and one of my favourite salads. The orange sauce is the best dressing I've had with goat's cheese.

Salad:

rucola

lettuce (for example lollo rosso or curled lettuce)

cherry tomatoes

(cucumber)

goat's cheese (thickly sliced)

white bread (sliced)

black pepper

Dressing:

olive oil

2 oranges (juice of 2 and zest of 1)

(half a small red onion, sliced)

a splash of balsamic vinegar

a pinch of salt

sugar

- Fry the onion for a few minutes until it's softened.

- Add the orange zest and fry for a further minute, and then add the juice, salt, balsamic vinegar and sugar.

- Continue to cook the dressing on a medium heat until it has thickened slightly.

- Grill one side of the bread, then turn over and place the goat's cheese on top of the slices. Drizzle some olive oil on top, give it a twist of pepper, and grill until the cheese has some brown spots.

- Spoon the dressing over the salad and cheese.