Three quick links for you today:

 

 

Party season is just starting. It's a time when everyone's busy, eating too much and often quite stressed. On your nights at home take the pressure off with a light and healthy meal. Something which will make you feel better, but can be put together in minutes.

 

 

 

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add 400g of spaghetti. While this is cooking, tear up eight fresh, really ripe tomatoes, into a large bowl - just do this with your hands, scrunching them up as you go. Shred the meat off half a barbecued chicken. Add this to the tomatoes, together with four big handfuls of baby spinach, the juice of half a lemon, two tablespoons of olive oil and some fresh basil. Drain the pasta and then add to the tomatoes. Toss quickly to combine and then serve immediately.

 

 

Empty a large tin of salmon into a bowl. Add in two tablespoons of capers, a punnet of cherry tomatoes, half a bunch of fresh dill, four cucumbers and two large handfuls of rocket. Tear up four slices of rye bread, into chunks and add these to the salad. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and two tablespoons of natural yoghurt and add some chopped fresh chilli if you like a bit of heat. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

 

I’ve been thinking about Christmas gifts over the last few weeks. Most food gifts revolve around cakes, chocolate and sweets. Looking through Christmas magazines, they're full of bonbons, white Christmas, chocolate truffles, mini cupcakes, biscuit stacks, cake, cake, cake and cake. While it all looks beautiful and I'm not trying to be a kill-joy, I don't know many people who need more chocolate at this time of year. So I like my presents to be a bit different. Delicious food, that's a bit healthier.

Over the next few days I'm going to be blogging about healthier foods you can make for Christmas gifts.

 

 

With so many bland and blah mueslis out there, a bag of home made tasty, fruity and spicy muesli is a lovely gift to receive. I've made several versions in the past, including this nutty, spicy granola from Where's the Beef. I also like the look of their Toasted Tahini Granola.

Vincci at Ceci n'est pas un food blog has a wonderful spiced up Indian Infusion Granola, which is packed full of seeds, spices, nuts and dried fruit. She also has a recipe for Winter Spice Granola, with dried cranberries and apple.

There's a lovely dried-fruit-packed gluten free muesli at Green Kitchen Stories or The Food Coach has a slightly simpler version.

Or Delia Smith has a good natural muesli recipe.  You can make this as-is, or use the recipe as a base and tweak the fruit, add spices or chop through some nuts.

After talking about gluten free Christmas ideas, presents and menus last week, I thought I'd put together a vegetarian Christmas menu. With turkey, seafood and ham ubiquitious at this time of year, it can be hard to find interesting and special meat-free recipes.

If you're the only vegetarian at the table, then nut roast or a pie are good options. As Adharanand Finn says:

 

 

If this is you, then Lucy at Nourish Me has a delicious Cheese and Nut Loaf, while Ottolenghi's Mushroom and Tarragon Pithivier is a corker.

However, if you're after more than one dish, why not go for something completely different? A fabulous, flavour filled meal which takes full advantage of the beautiful summer produce.

Start the meal with Vine Leaf Wrapped Haloumi with Peaches. After all, who doesn't like haloumi? Then you could move on to a Christmas-coloured Beetroot and Caramelised Onion Tart, served with this fantastic Tomato, Walnut and Pomegranate Molasses Salad and some herb-specked couscous. For dessert try a berry filled S ummer Pudding and then finish your vegetarian Christmas meal with spiced up Gingerbread Cookies.