Ingredients:
1 lb good-quality pork sausages
½ lb bacon, diced
½ lb onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
6 oz mushrooms
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan and brown the sausages, then remove from pan. Add the bacon, onion and garlic and cook until the bacon pieces are nicely browned. Sprinkle with flour and stir well. Then add the wine, sausages, thyme, bay leaf and season well. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce temperature, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the mushrooms in a small frying pan with a bit of oil and add to the sausage mixture. Continue cooking until the casserole is piping hot and the sausages are cooked through

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 seedless mandarins (tangerines, satsumas or clementines), segmented
1 mandarin, juiced
4 tbsp water
5 oz sugar
Vanilla yogurt

Instructions:
Mix the water with the sugar in a microwaveable bowl and cook on High for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is golden and bubbling hot. Carefully remove the hot bowl from the microwave and stir in the mandarin juice. The mixture is really hot and bubbling, so watch out when handling it.

Add the mandarin segments and stir well. Serve immediately with vanilla yogurt and if to hand, with a piece of lemon loaf.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 pears, cut into chunks and frozen
2 bananas, cut into slices and frozen
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 cup apple juice
Dash of nutmet

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy.

Serves 4 – 5

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, finely chopped
Handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 (24 oz) jar of good quality spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb Penne pasta

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add the meat and brown. Drain the excess fat. Then add cooked pasta, spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and half the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and spoon into a ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until hot.

Serve immediately with a tossed salad.

Serves about 6

Ingredients:
2 beets, peeled and grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 tbsp vinegar
4 cups vegetable stock
2 oz margarine or butter
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato puree
Fresh dill
Sour cream

Instructions:
In a saucepan, melt the margarine/butter and sauté the onion for a few minutes. Then add the beets and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, vinegar, sugar, tomato puree, dill and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and crusty bread.

Ingredients:
4 oz margarine
4 oz brown sugar
4 oz rolled oats
4 oz desiccated coconut

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a saucepan, melt the margarine and stir in the sugar until melted. Add the oats and coconut and stir until well combined.

Press the mixture into a lightly greased tin and bake in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes.

This makes a delicious lunchbox treat for your children.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups cooked rice
1 ½ cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup cranberries
1 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp cocoa powder (ideally unsweetened)

Instructions:
Use a double boiler for this recipe.

Bring some water to a boil in the bottom part of the double boiler, then reduce the heat and simmer. Place the cooked rice, vanilla extract, cranberries, margarine, sugar and cocoa into the top pan of the double boiler and stir well. Cook for about 20 – 25 minutes or until creamy and thick. Stir occasionally.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
4 oz rice noodles
6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 tbsp frozen peas
4 green onions, finely sliced
4 tbsp soy sauce
Fresh basil leaves, torn

Instructions:
Add the chicken stock into a saucepan, together with the chicken, garlic and ginger. Bring stock to a boil, then quickly reduce temperature and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the stock and cut into chunks. Then return the chicken pieces to the saucepan and add the peas, mushrooms, green onions and noodles. Stir in the soy sauce and simmer until the noodles are soft.

Sprinkle with basil leaves and enjoy immediately.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried apricots, pre-soaked in water
1 ½ oz brown sugar
4 oz ground almonds
4 oz sugar
6 medium apples, peeled and sliced
4 oz butter, room temperature
2 large eggs

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a small saucepan, cook dried apricots in some water until soft.

Place sliced apples and cooked apricots into a shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Mix well.

Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, mix the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until well combined, then fold in the ground almonds. Spread this mixture over the fruit and bake in the oven for about 45minutes to 1hour.

Eat hot with vanilla ice-cream.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 small chicken breasts, skin removed and boneless
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp red pesto sauce
¾ cup grated cheese of your choice
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Instructions:
Beat the chicken breasts with a rolling pin to flatten them.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken breasts for a few minutes each side, until they turn brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and, with a paper towel, clean out the remaining oil in the pan. Arrange the chicken breasts in the pan and spread 1 tsp of pesto onto each breast. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese. Place under a hot grill and cook until the cheese has melted.

Serve immediately with a tossed salad and crusty bread or a plateful of green vegetables, such as broccoli or green beans.