Cucumber and Radish Pickles (Japanese style)

Very simple and quick, and a refreshing accompaniment to Japanese food

These are great served on the side of Teriyaki dishes (which is what we had them with last night), with my Miso-Sesame Grilled Aubergines or Japanese barbecued skewers such as Yakitori chicken or my Kushiyaki beef.

They don't need long for salting either, you can do that while you prepare the other ingredients and there's no cooking involved either, so why not give them a try!

This quantity serves two as a small side, and is easily doubled. 14 calories per serving.

Miso-Sesame Grilled Aubergines (Eggplants)

Aubergines, Japanese style!

Great vegetarian main or side dish – even my children loved it  and scoffed the lot, which surprised me as one of them is not too keen on aubergine! Goes well with some form of pickles, or acidic salad (e.g. my Japanese Pickles, Cucumber-Radish Pickles, Cucumber and Wakame Seaweed Salad (Sunomono)) on the side, as it’s quite rich-tasting.

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Serves 2 as a main dish or four as a side dish; 88 calories per serving (aubergine half) as a side dish, 174 calories per serving for a main course.

Japanese Pickled Vegetables - leave overnight, then delicious as sides to Japanese grilled meats the next day

These are so simple and quick, and a perfect accompaniment to Japanese grilled / barbequed meats

Pickles are served with almost every meal in Japan, and this recipe will keep for several days in the fridge. You can substitute all kinds of veg, such as red radishes, daikon/mooli, courgettes, celery – whatever you’ve got to hand – and don’t be afraid to add some ginger or chilli to the mix if you want a kick!

If you have a food processor with a slicing attachment these will take just a few minutes to make - and they are delicious served with grilled or barbequed Japanese meat, poultry, vegetables or fish, such as Teriyaki chicken or salmon, Yakatori chicken, Miso-Sesame Grilled Aubergines or Kushiyaki beef skewers.

Serves four to eight (depending on serving size - a quarter of this is a fair amount), 126 calories for all of it (including topping), 16-32 calories per portion (although you may only want a spoonful on the side of your dinner).

Stifado - a Greek braise with baby onions in a fragrant tomato and red wine sauce.

A traditional Greek dish, stifado was originally made with hare or rabbit, and now also commonly made with beef.

Marinating the meat overnight really infuses it with the flavours of the dish, and then low and slow cooking results in tender chunks of meat, in a rich and fragrant sauce, with juicy, caramelised onions / shallots.

Traditionally served with orzo pasta (tiny pieces of pasta shaped like pointy rice-grains, as in the photo), and maybe some crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Serves 8 to 10, easily halved and freezes very well, 229 calories for a tenth serving, 285 calories for an eighth.

Chocolate Cornflake Cakes

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist...

But who doesn't like a chocolate cornflake cake?

Not those ones that are just solid bricks of cornflakes melded together with cheap melted chocolate (or 'vegelate' as some Europeans might prefer to call it, and quite rightly so!), but the stickier, softer, richer, darker versions with decent chocolate, butter, golden syrup and maybe a pinch of sea salt (or even pink himalayan salt) if you're so inclined.

If you're making them with or for children, you could use all milk chocolate, and/or put into miniature cases.

Makes approximately 10, at 174 calories each [calories in square brackets, if you're counting].

Speedy Salmon, Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Sautée, with Lemon and Basil

Something quick, tasty, and packed with flavour, for an easy, healthy weeknight meal

Italian flavours give a new lease of life to salmon and asparagus.

A quick chop, heat up the pan and you're ready to go!

Serves two, 322 calories per serving

Orange, Pistachio and Cardamom Cake (including Thermomix method)

My little twist on a traditional Greek orange cake...

Very easy to make in that it can't really go far wrong as it's one of those 'throw-it-all-in-and-blend' cakes, so if you're wary of baking then this is a great cake to have a go at! Rises magnificently (as you can see from the photo below, it more than doubled in size) and comes out with a light, moist and fluffy centre, and a thin, crisp, golden crust.

I served it with fresh orange segments (pith removed, by peeling the whole orange with a sharp knife then cutting out the segments) and some Greek yoghurt (or you could whip up some cream) with a little orange zest and honey whipped into it, scattered with chopped pistachios.

Serves 12-16, 353 calories per serving for a sixteenth of the cake (not including yoghurt, cream, extra nuts etc.). [Calories in square brackets, for enquiring minds who like to know these things]

Baked Feta in a Tomato and Oregano Sauce (with Thermomix instructions)

This is really simple, but incredibly delicious, and great to share!

Fantastic as part of a mezze to share with friends, served straight out of the oven when the feta is soft and spreadable and mingling with the chunky tomato sauce, with crusty warm bread to scoop it up - I can guarantee it will all disappear in minutes if not seconds!

Easy to make, and hard to go wrong - you can even prepare it the day before and just pop it in the oven when you're ready to go.

Serves four as an appetiser / snack with a 200g baton of crusty bread, or six with a couple of other dips and some crudites (vegetable batons, e.g. carrot, cucumber, peppers etc.). Easily doubled. From 145 calories for the baked feta in tomato sauce alone, or 279 calories per portion including bread (see below).

Spinach and Feta Filo Pie - Spanakotiropita / Spanakopita (includes Thermomix method)

A traditional Greek pie cooked in filo pastry, packed full of flavour.

The beauty of spanakotiropita (aka spanakopita) lies within the lightness of the filo pastry, and the depth of flavour from the feta cheese and herbs within the spinach filling. A very tasty pie whether you're vegetarian or not!

Delicious as a main course, maybe served with my Greek village salad, or cut into smaller squares and served as part of a mezze.

Serves four as a main course (from 302 calories), or can be served cut into 16 pieces to serve as part of a mezze.

Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki Salata)

A timeless classic, great on its own, or as a side dish

A handful of good quality ingredients is what makes this simple salad so enduring. Go for a decent barrel-aged feta, juicy vine-ripened tomatoes and the best Greek olives you can get your hands on: classic purply-brown to black almond-shaped Kalamata olives, or if you're breaking from tradition, go for a nice plump green variety, like Halkidiki or some Olympian green olives.

I tend to switch depending on what I'm having it with, and who else is eating it - if in doubt, just put your favourites in!

Serves up to eight as a small side dish, or four as a light lunch, from 79 calories per serving for a small side and 159 calories as a light lunch (see below for information re. calories).

Thai Green Chicken Curry (Gaeng Khieo Wan Gai) - with FIVE delicious variations!

There really is just nothing quite like a good Thai Green Curry...

And I absolutely love Thai green chicken curry - so much so, that I have included no less than five variations of it, a couple of which have a special place in my heart! (You may not be surprised to learn that I have more Thai green curry recipes which don't involve chicken...they will also be posted!)

Green curry is the most classic of all Thai curries. It generally thinner, hotter and more pungent than red curries. My recipe for making your own green curry paste is here (and is what is used for the purposes of calorie counting below). You could however buy a ready made curry paste – if you do, I would suggest buying a decent quality one such as “Thai Taste” brand, (which is available from oriental supermarkets and Ocado, Sainsbury’s etc. in the UK) and following the instructions on the packaging (generally 1 tbsp per serving).

Unlike some curries, this is actually incredibly easy to make – you just fry the curry paste, add the coconut milk and sauce ingredients, then drop in the chicken (and vegetables) for a few minutes until cooked. That’s pretty much it, so do have a go – you can’t go far wrong!

From 348 calories per serving between two (see variation 1, which is pictured), or from 178 calories per serving between four as part of a meal.

Thai Green Curry Paste (Nam Phrik Gaeng Khieo Wan)

One of the foundations of Thai curries, a good green curry paste is essential and not at all difficult to make.

This is the base for the most classic of all Thai curries, used in curries with coconut milk/cream, garnished with kaffir lime leaves, chillies and Thai sweet/holy basil. Green curries are generally thinner, hotter and more pungent than red curries.

Makes approximately 160g in total (including a tbsp water) therefore 10 servings of 16g each (approximately one tbsp) at 14 calories per serving.

Thermomix Coleslaw - The Final Cut!

AKA every second counts!

So, my first choice for making coleslaw would be shredding the cabbage etc. by hand, because I like the contrasts in texture of the grated and sliced vegetables. But... I wanted to give it a go in the Thermomix, and get the texture and flavour as close as I could to my ideal. So, with a bit of experimentation, and determination, I got it to this, which everybody really liked!

There's not a lot to it, which in most peoples' books is a good thing! But I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, so I'm sharing it for the Thermomixers who haven't had a go at making coleslaw yet, or who fancy a change.

Serves four to six, 94 calories per portion for a quarter (very generous portion!), 62 calories for a sixth.

First ever 'Win' blog!

Sorry, I just had to share!!!

I just found out that I won the first ever food-related competition I ever entered!

Which is very exciting, and I'm looking forwards to receiving the hamper of Spanish goodies which I will be creating a Spanish-inspired recipe with, and sharing here, of course! (It may involve olive oil...).

You can find the dish in question on my blog, here, if you're a fan of octopus, chorizo and cauliflower.

A huge thank you to all the lovely people - friends, family and strangers - who voted for my dish - it's lovely to get something back after writing recipes for so long!

Andrea x

Kushiyaki Beef Skewers with Tare Sauce

Delicious beef skewers, Japanese style!

If you're familiar with 'Yakitori Chicken', and you're a fan of steak then you're bound to like this!

Yakitori are traditional Japanese street food of chicken ‘kebabs’ often cooked on grills over hot coals to give them a delicious smokey flavour - so perfect for barbecues, or you can also grill or griddle them. When they're made with beef, they're known as Kushiyaki.

Serves 4 at 294 calories per serving. Quantities easily doubled (or halved - or you could freeze some after marinating, ready to go). Or halve the quantities, use small skewers and serve as a starter to a Japanese meal, or as appetisers.

You can be as creative as you like with yakitori, whether you use chicken, vegetables or beef as suggested here, or try it with thinly sliced pork, chunks of monkfish, raw tiger prawns, or whatever else takes your fancy. It’s at its best when cooked over a smoky barbeque, but delicious grilled too. You could cook it on a griddle as well, but beware the sugars in the marinade leaving a sticky black mess! [Calories in square brackets]