Pasta with Spinach, Feta Cheese, Walnuts and Tomatoes

 Pasta with Spinach, Feta Cheese, Walnuts and Tomatoes, 
Penne or Fusilli work great here, use whichever pasta you have in the cupboard.

Ingredients 1 portion
125g Pasta
250g Spinach wilted- & chopped
10g Garlic- chopped or pressed.
50g Semi-dried tomatoes - chopped
50g Walnuts - chopped
Pinch Ground Nutmeg
Sea Salt & Cracked Black Peppercorns
50gFeta Cheese
25ml Olive Oil

Method.
Cook your pasta as per the instructions on your packet, keep warm.
In a wide bottomed pan on a medium heat add the olive oil, chopped garlic and walnuts and let them fry a little stirring with a spoon, this softens out the garlic and brings extra nuttiness to the walnuts. Season with a pinch of Sea salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of cracked Black Peppercorns. Add the tomatoes and let the warmth get into them, next add the Pasta stir through to get the flavours coating the pasta, taste a piece of the pasta for seasoning adjust if necessary, now add the chopped spinach stir through again until it's warmed, we're nearly done
Spoon your pasta into a pasta bowl and crumble the Feta Cheese on top.
Warm under a grill to heat the cheese and your dish is ready to eat, enjoy!

Beetroot, Buckwheat 'Kasha' & Blueberries

Beetroot, Blueberries & Buckwheat 'Kasha'
 Light & refreshing with a great bursts of flavour

Buckwheat's one of those staple foods that let's you sit back and eat in a mindful manner, soft, nutty with a light bite, satisfying and nourishing full of good stuff.
Beetroot's a longtime favourite of mine I remember my mother growing it, the sweet earthy smell in the kitchen on it's long slow boil, then peeling off the soften skin in bowl of water, a little warmth left in the beetroot to infuse the vinegar.
The blueberries add a bit of bounce and sweetness, good for you too and work well   with the beetroot, buckwheat and acidic back notes.

For the Beetroot & Blueberry part.
250gm Cooked beetroot, diced 1/2 cm
150gm Blueberries
1 Dessert spoon of Honey or sugar
1 Dessert spoon of Cider Vinegar
Pinch of Sea Salt
Cracked Black Peppercorns
1 Dessert spoon of Vegetable /Rapeseed Oil.
Put the honey and vinegar into a pan on a low heat add 100gm of the blueberries and let them soften out a little to release some juices about 2 minutes add the diced beetroot seasonings and oil raise the heat a little to get the beetroot warmed  you'll get a little more liquid released from the berries so push the beetroot and blueberries to the edges of the pan and let the juices evaporate off and concentrate the flavours. That done add the rest of the blueberries just before serving stir them in, these will give a nice fresh berry pop in the salad.

For the Buckwheat, choose the roasted 'Kasha' type in the shops, Rinse 75gm of it in cold water, strain off the buckwheat put it in a wide bottom pot add 150ml boiling water bring to the boil reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes, remove from the heat take lid off to release the steam add a pinch of salt and a dessert spoon of oil stir and put the lid back on.

Serves 4 as a snack lunch, try it with Greek Yoghurt, Feta cheese or Irish Goat's Cheese also Great along with some smoked or roasted meats.

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