Sophie's Warm roasted vegetable salad

10 minutes preparation + 40 minutes cooking

Serves 4
15 serves fruit/vegetables

You'll need:

300g butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
1 capsicum, seeded and cut into large pieces
1 onion, chopped into eighths
100g flat mushrooms, quartered
Olive or canola oil spray
1 bunch English spinach leaves, washed and drained

Dressing
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place pumpkin and potato in a microwave dish with a little water, cover with cling film and cook in microwave on HIGH (100%) for 4 minutes. Toss pumpkin, potato, capsicum, onion and mushrooms together then spread in a single layer over tray. Lightly spray with oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl. When vegetables are cooked, pour over dressing. Line serving dish with spinach leaves and pile roast vegetables on top. Serve immediately.

Variation: Try including sweet potato, zucchini, carrots, beetroot, squash and baby eggplant when in season.

Serving suggestion: Serve with roast meat.

Hot Potato Salad

4 slices chopped bacon
1 small onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
⅓ cup vinegar
¼ cup water
6 medium sized potatoes chopped into 2 cm squares
salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon and set aside. Chop onion and parsley and cook in frypan for a few moments. Return bacon to frypan and add water, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add potatoes, mix together and place into a casserole dish. Place in oven and cook at 180ºC for 1 hour. Yummy, hot or cold!

Leonie

Curried Pasta Salad

Curried Pasta Salad

1 ⅓ cups uncooked pasta
¼ cup chopped spring onions
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons sultanas
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing;
¼ cup oil
¼ cups vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons curry powder

Cook pasta, drain and run under cold water. Combine all salad ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix dressing ingredients together in a sealed container and shake well. Toss through the salad, garnish with sliced red pepper.

Leonie

Donna's Spinach with Bacon and Eggs Salad

3 hard cooked eggs, halved lengthwise
8 cups baby spinach leaves, thoroughly washed and dried
250g smokey bacon, finely diced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Press the egg whites then yolks through a sieve. Set aside.
Put the spinach in a large bowl
In a med skillet over med heat, sauté the bacon until the pieces are brown and crisp. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat. Add the bacon and fat to the spinach. Add the oil and vinegar. Toss to thoroughly combine. Taste for salt and add with freshly ground black pepper as needed. Toss again.
Cover the salad with the sieved eggs and sever immediately.

Donna's Raspberry Dressing

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar(or strawberry or blackcurrant)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sugar
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients together to blend well. Serve with salad or toss with a salad for 4.
This raspberry dressing recipe serves 4.