Rice Noodles with Tender Sweet-Chilli Meatballs

800 g pork mince
2-3 cm piece ginger, grated
2 chopped garlic cloves
60 ml sweet chilli sauce
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
200 g rice noodles
1/2 cucumber
1 small red onion
handful of mint leaves

Mix pork, ginger, garlic, 1 tpsp of chilli sauce and half of the coriander in a bowl. Roll into walnut-sized balls and bake in a pre-heated oven (180C) for 20 min.
Place the remaining sauce in a bowl and dip meatballs one by one, then return them to the oven for another 5 minutes.
Prepare the rice noodles according to the packet instructions. Slice cucumber and onion and combine them with mint and remaining coriander.

Citrus bean salad

200 g green beans
1 red onion
3 oranges
300 g can cannellini beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup

Cook green beans for 5 minutes in salted boiling water, drain and refresh under cold water. Toss the beans with thinly sliced onion, 2 oranges peeled and cut into segments, and drained cannellini beans. Beat together olive oil, grated zest and juice of 1 orange, mustard and syrup. Season and pour over salad.

Spicy Spinach and Carrot Muffins

200ml semi-skimmed milk
25g butter
100g spinach
250g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 medium carrots
good pinch of crushed dried chillies
good pinch of black pepper
50 g fresh Parmesan
75 g savoury seeds mix
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 190C. Place the milk and butter in a large pan over a high heat. When the butter has melted, stir in the spinach and bring just to the boil. Remove from heat and pour into liquidiser or food processor. Whizz until spinach is finely chopped. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Sift the flour, baking powder and soda into a large bowl. Add the coarsly grated carrot, chillies and season. Stir in most of the Parmesan and seeds, reserving a tablespoon of each. Add the egg to the spinach mixture, then beat with a wooden spoon together with flour. Divide between muffin cases, sprinkle with reserved seeds and Parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken with Grainy Mustard Sauce

2 boneless chicken breasts
6 rashers of streaky bacon
250 g spinach leaves
60 g firm goat's cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
200 ml stock
200 ml white wine
4 heaped tbsp -->crème fraîche
1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard

Flatten each breast to 1 time it's original width. Stretch 3 bacon rashers on a board into rectangle. Lay a breast on top, repeat with remaining bacon and chicken. Cover each with 4 spinach leaves, put cheese cubes in the middle. Season with pepper. Roll each one up, secure with cocktail sticks.
Heat half the oil in a frying pan. Cook the chicken over a high heat for 3-4 minutes until golden, turn, cook for 3-4 minutes more. Add stock and wine. Simmer for 20 min., turning chicken halfway. Remove chicken, stir in crème fraîche and mustard.
Heat remaining oil in a large pan, add remaining spinach, season. Cover and cook for 2 minutes to wilt the spinach.

Creamy Salmon Pasta

300 g penne
300 g broccoli
300 g boneless skinless salmon fillet
150 g packet soft cheese with garlic and herbs
140ml single cream
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste or chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, adding small florets of broccoli for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, put the salmon in a frying pan, season and just cover with water. Bring to boil, then simmer covered for 6 minutes until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Mix the soft cheese with the cream and sun-dried tomato paste to make a smooth sauce. Season to taste.
Drain the pasta and broccoli, then tip back into the pan. Pour in the sauce and stir well, Flake the salmon into large chunks and gently mix into the pasta. Season with black pepper and serve.

Pepper Chicken Potato Crush

3 garlic cloves
3 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
100 g goat's cheese, cut into 6 rounds
3 strips of roasted peppers in oil
a few fresh thyme sprigs
300 g small potatoes
85 g rocket salad

Preheat oven to 200C. Chop garlic cloves and mix with 1 tbsp of oil. Make 3 diagonal slits accross each breast. Reserve half the garlic mixture and spread the rest over the chicken and into the slits.
Halve each cheese slice and tuck two halves, a piece of pepper and some thyme into each slit. Season and bake in an oiled shallow dish for 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes. Drain, return to the pan and coarsely crush with a fork. Stir in rocket to leave to wilt. Stir remaining into the garlic mixture, season and stir into the potatoes.

Moules