Gurkensalat

Ingredients 1/2 Cucumber, 2 large tomatoes, 1/4 white onion, 2 tbsp soured cream, 1 tsp dill, 1 tsp parsley, 1 tsp white vinegar, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 5 minutes (plus half an hour for chilling)

As part of the World Cup Food Challenge 2014, this recipe represents a traditional meal of Germany. Most of you will know my feelings about raw onion by now, I absolutely LOATHE it with a fiery passion and never include it in my own food, including coleslaw which is a common side dish in German cuisine. As I have, however, posted many coleslaw recipes before from the conventional carrot and cabbage combination to those including beetroot and pear, I decided to force myself to eat raw onion by making Gurkensalat instead, a cucumber and tomato salad with a creamy mustard and vinegar dressing given depth by dill and parsley. Did I pick out the onions after tasting it? Yes. Was it otherwise delicious? Absolutely.

1) Whisk together the soured cream, vinegar, herbs, mustard and sugar. Rather than use it immediately, I allowed it to rest for half an hour in the fridge for the flavours to really come together and the soured cream to thicken back up a little.

2) Slice the onion and cucumbers finely enough to be translucent when held up to the light and the tomato as it comes.

3) Stir in the dressing and serve! If, like me you are not so fond of onions, scatter them on the top and after trying them and dress the rest of the salad later!

Panzanella

Ingredients 1 tbs Passata, 2 tbs basil oil, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp honey (or agave syrup if vegan). Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, basil, old bread, kamalata olives.

Preparation: 5 minutes

Panzanella goes back to the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 20th century that this Florentine version emerged: stale bread soaked in oil, vinegar and tomato with herbs and mixed with salad. Back in the day - only onions were used, not tomato. And given that I loathe uncooked onions with a fiery passion, I am very glad indeed that it's no longer the 16th Century! You know, that and smallpox. I serve mine with cucumber, olives and cherry tomatoes but you can of course use salad leaves or other fruits and vegetables if you wish. I save my heels of bread and make this for a quick supper or a scrummy lunch.

1) To make the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar and passata and season to taste. I like to add a little honey to cut the acidity of the vinegar but this depends on what you are mixing into your salad of course! If you're vegan, you can use an alternative.

2) Tear the bread into bitesize chunks. I have done this with the leftover heel of ciabatta, spelt bread, you name it - any crusty loaf will do. If all you have is sliced bread or you don't bake your own, then I would recommend toasting the bread first.

3) Stir the bread into the dressing and stir in the other ingredients. Serve immediately. If you'd like this as a packed lunch, make up a little jar of dressing, a foil wrap your chunks of bread and keep them in your box of salad to prepare just before eating.

Cucumber, lime & mint linguine

Ingredients Linguine, cucumber, mint, lime, passata.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Lime and mint are a magical combination. Mix it with ginger and vodka and you have a fabulous cocktail, mix it with tomato and you've got the base for a fabulous dinner. This evening, after putting my son to bed and cleaning the house I was too hot and bothered to face dinner, yet knew that I'd need some fuel if I didn't want to pass out in the middle of breastfeeding! This fresh, cool pasta was an inviting solution.

1) Drop the linguine into hot, salted water and cook for 8 minutes.

2) Finely chop the mint leaves and add to a pan along with the lime juice and passata. Slice the cucumber into centimetre thick discs and quarter each slice. Stir into the sauce and season with salt and black pepper.

3) Strain the pasta and add to the sauce, stir through and serve.

Greek bean salad

Ingredients Green beans, butterbeans, feta, Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt, mint, cucumber, green olives, chives.

Preparation: 10 minutes

La OK, I'll admit it, I have been OBSESSED with Greek food for the last few months. I can't help it - beautiful flavours, minimal ingredients and you have a simple, quick meal that is more often than not healthy too. This scrumptious bean salad has soft butterbeans, salty feta and olives, the fresh crunch of green beans and a luscious slither of minty Greek yoghurt tying it all together.

1) Top and tail the green beans and simmer in hot salted water with the butterbeans for 5 minutes. Strain in a colander and run under cold water to bring them down to room temperature.

2) Dice the feta and olives and stir into the beans.

3) Finely chop the mint, chives and cucumber, then stir into the yoghurt and toss with the other ingredients and serve.

Potato & halloumi salad

Ingredients Exquisa potatoes, halloumi,  Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt  cucumber, mint, spinach, rocket,

Serves: 2 preparation: 30 minutes

Since doing a pregnant, I have had to stop making my own mayonnaise and buy some Hellman's instead and for the most part, I just can't bear the thought of it. As a result, this mint & cucumber yoghurt dressing was born! It's perfect with the salty tang of halloumi and some crisp salad greens.

1) Boil the potatoes in hot salted water for 20 minutes, run under the cold tap for a minute, then slice in half and set aside to cool.

2) As the potatoes are cooking, slice your halloumi and grill for a couple of minutes until one side turns golden and the other remains gorgeously gooey.

3) Peel about an inch and a half of a cucumber and slice the flesh from the juicy seeds in the centre. Discard the seeds and pop the flesh into a blender along with 3 or 4 mint leaves and 3 tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt. Pulse until combined, then stir in the potatoes and halloumi and serve.

Quinoa & cucumber salad with watermelon vinaigrette

Ingredients Quinoa, watermelon, mint, red wine vinegar, rapeseed oil, cucumber

Preparation: 15 minutes

This salad is magnificent in its simplicity, but utterly delicious. Watermelon vinaigrette represents everything that is wonderful about summer to me - fresh, sweet and tangy. It's quick to prepare and really brings quinoa to life.

1) Soak the quinoa for 5 minutes and rinse well in a sieve. Depending on where you buy it, it naturally has an acrid coating called saponin which you don't want flavouring your food!

2) Cover the quinoa in salted water and bring to the boil for about 15 minutes, stir continually as it soaks up the water and fluffs up, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool

3) Juice the watermelon if you have a press juicer, or crush it in a jug with a pestle and pass through a sieve to release a smooth juice. Mix about 100ml watermelon juice to a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of rapeseed oil. Add chopped mine and stir through the quinoa. 
Add chunks of cucumber and serve!

apple & cucumber salsa

Ingredients White onion, cucumber, apple, fennel, radish, lime, white wine vinegar

Preparation: 15 minutes

It's no secret that I LOATHE onions. Nothing on this earth could induce me to eat them raw, or to eat something that is intentionally onion flavoured. They are a base ingredient, not a flavour in their own right as far as I'm concerned.
Salsa, to me manages to escape the curse of the onion due to the chilli and in this case, the onions take a back seat to the sweetness and freshness of the other ingredients. A great summer salsa, try it in a wrap with soured cream, melted cheese and BBQ'd chicken.

1) Finely dice the onion and pour over a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and the juice of 1 lime. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

2) Finely dice the cucumber, apple, fennel and radish and stir into the onions.

3) I like to drain off most of the juice, but this is entirely a matter of taste.

Curly fries with avocado & cucumber mousse‏

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1/4 cucumber, mint, salt, potato, polenta, cayenne pepper

Preparation: 10 minutes

This recipe is unusual for me in that I am using equipment that few people are likely to have. This blog is aimed at people who want to learn to make very simple, but gorgeous food using ingredients that are widely available and do not require speciality equipment. I recently bought a spiralizer, which cuts vegetables into... you've guessed it... spiral strands or strips so that one can make curly fries or vegetable spaghetti so whether you want my recipe for the perfect spiral fries, or want to just make this delicious, fresh mousse... here you go!

1) Halve the avocado around the stone and twist it apart. Remove the stone and scoop the avocado flesh from the shell. Add to a blender with 2-3 mint leaves and 1/4 of a peeled cucumber then blitz thoroughly.

2) Season to taste with salt and chopped mint. This goes beautifully with something spicy - if you don't have a spiralizer, try seasoning potato or sweet potato wedges instead to dunk into it.

3) To make the curly fries: spiralize the potato and add to a bowl. Dust with polenta and shake the bowl until the potato is covered. Deep fry for 3-4 minutes and season with salt and cayenne pepper.

Strawberry & white stilton salad

Ingredients   Spinach, salad leaves, cucumber, strawberries, white stilton, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oil

Serves: 1 Preparation: 5 minutes

White stilton and strawberries are a wonderful combination - sweet and creamy. This salad is perfect drizzled with pumpkin oil.

1) Slice your strawberries (don't keep them in the fridge, they should be at room temperature or the flavour will be impaired), silton and cucumber into chunks.

2) Toss the salad leaves in a little pumpkin oil and mix with the rest.

3) Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Butterbean & feta salad

Ingredients 1/4 Cucumber, 1 tin butterbeans, 100g feta, mint leaves, butter, 1/2 lime.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

I'm back! After almost a month off due to wedding/honeymoon madness I have woefully neglected you all. Hopefully this lunch idea will get me back in your good graces... the combination of lime and mint is always a winner with me - whether a cocktail, a pudding or a salad dressing, it never fails to add a fresh, exciting twist to a dish. This butterbean and feta salad is a great combination of melting soft cheese and beans with crunchy cucumber - great in a wrap, on bread or just on its own.

1) Drain the can of butterbeans and rinse in cold water. Bring to the boil in a pan for 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.

2) Slice and quarter the cucumber and cut the feta into equal chunks.

3) Zest the lime and squeeze the juice from one half. Finely chop the mint leaves and stir into the lime juice and zest.

4) Melt a knob of butter in a pan and add in the beans. Sizzle for a 30 seconds before adding the lime and mint, then fry off for a further 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

5) Take off the heat and stir through the feta and cucumber to dress it before serving.

Roast pepper & goats cheese burrito

Ingredients   Tortilla, 1 bell pepper, cucumber, goats cheese cheese, Hummus:   Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 1 preparation: 15 minutes


I love the combination of roast pepper and goats cheese - in soup, in dip, even on a baked potato! it's a wonderful pairing of flavours, rich and sweet and this makes the most meltingly perfect lunch.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe.


2) Slice the top from the pepper and scoop out the seeds. Slice the pepper between the membranes and discard these. Drizzle the pepper with olive oil and grill on each side for 5 minutes, allowing the skin to just blacken.


3) Spread the hummus onto the centre of the tortilla and dot with goats cheese and cubed cucumber before adding the roasted pepper. To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.

Sweet potato & feta burrito

Ingredients 1 sweet potato, 100g feta, 1/4 cucumber, tortilla, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, onion powder, dried coriander, Hummus: Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 2 preparation: 30 minutes

Now that the summer months are approaching, I'm looking forward to sitting outdoors to eat a refreshing, light lunch instead of huddled in the warmth of the office eating leftovers from the night before. This combination of soft, spicy sweet potato, crunchy cucumber, tangy feta and smooth savoury hummus is the perfect filling for a soft tortilla.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe.


2) Slice the sweet potato into chunks and drizzle with olive oil before tossing in a bowl with the dry spices so that the potato is coated evenly.


3) Roast in the oven, skin side down for 20 minutes then set aside to cool.


4) Slice the feta and cucumber into chunks of similar size and along with the  sweet potato spoon on the centre of the tortilla in a straight line. I think this works best by pressing it onto a layer of hummus, though you could dollop hummus over it instead of course.


5) To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top. This will keep it all intact in your lunchbox. Serve cold.

Cucumber, fennel & feta salad

Ingredients 1/4 Cucumber, pumpkin oil, 1/2 fennel bulb, 75g feta

Serves: 1 preparation: 5 minutes

OK, I confess, I constantly pair fennel with cucumber. Oh I might add melon into the mix, or a variety of salad leaves but every time I buy a bulb of fennel I feel myself drawn to the cucumbers like a moth to a flame. There's just something about the delicate freshness of cucumber and the heady fragrant fennel that WORKS. Paired with the tang of feta and the rich nuttiness of the pumpkin oil this salad is absolutely glorious.

1) Wash the cucumber to ensure there are no traces of wax on the skin. Slice into thick discs and then quarter each disk.

2) Slice and dice the fennel, removing the outer layer if it feels tough or scarred.

3) Toss together along with the cubed feta and drizzle with pumpkin oil.

Kohlrabi tabbouleh

IngredientsGiant (aka Israeli) cous-cous (I bought mine from Millie's Organic in Leeds), tomatoes, parsley, 1 lime, salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, kohlrabi, cucumber.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Traditionally when I make tabbouleh, it's all about the parsley. Lemon juice, mint, tomato, bulgar wheat and a little all-spice are present but the parsley takes centre stage. This weekend I got hold of some kohlrabi which I ADORE and couldn't think of a nicer way of serving it than creating a kohlrabi tabbouleh. Kohlrabi has a delecate balance of cabbage notes and sweet, nutty freshness. Texture-wise I wanted the crunch to really stand out so substituted the bulgar wheat for giant cous-cous. Cous-cous is made using semolina which has been sprinkled with water, hand rolled and then passed through a sieve, dusted with more semolina and rolled and passed through again to form the granules that you can buy in the shops. Cous-cous in Israel has a much larger granule and personally I prefer it, the texture is more like the bubbles in a tapioca pudding and it's absolutely delicious, absorbing flavour more intensely than the smaller grains do.

1) Pour the cous-cous into a pan of boiling salted water and stir through for 6-8 minutes before straining in a sieve and setting aside to cool.

2) Peel the kohlrabi with a sharp knife to remove the green skin, then slice the white flesh into chunks.

3) Wherever possible, buy your tomatoes on the day you need them, still attached to the vine and don't keep them in the fridge; it chills away all the sunshine from the flavour. Pick from the vine, rinse in lukewarm water and slice into quarters.

4) Wash the cucumber to remove any wax from the skin and slice into chunks.

5) Squeeze the lime into the cous-cous and stir through, loosening any sticky grains with your hands - add a generous handful of freshly picked chopped parsley and season well with salt and cracked black pepper.

6) Add a tiny sprinkle of ground cumin and paprika, then stir through the kohlrabi, tomatoes and cucumber.

I served this with some iceberg and raddiocho lettuce leaves to scoop up the tabbouleh which is traditionally eaten with the hands.

Avocado, cheddar & cucumber pitta pockets

Ingredients Pitta bread, 1/2 avocado, cheddar, cucumber.

Serves: 1 preparation: 5 minutes


I love toasted avocado with cheese - this snack takes just 5 minutes to put together and it's absolutely glorious. The softness of the cheese, the creaminess of the avocado and the crunch of the cucumber really work.


1) Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Scoop the avocado from the shell and slice into strips.


2) Cut a slice of cheese and slice the pitta bread in half. Layer the avocado and cheese in the pitta bread and put under the grill for 2 minutes, turn over and grill for a further 2.


3) Slice the cucumber into chunks and add to the pitta bread, then serve

Fennel, melon & cucumber salad

Ingredients     1 melon, 1 bulb fennel, 1/4 cucumber.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 5


Melon and cucumber have the same green, grassy notes and the fennel adds a beautiful liquorice contrast. If you wished, you could dress this with a little white wine vinegar and basil oil but it's gorgeous as it is.


1) Slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds, then slice into chunks.


2) Slice the tops from the fennel and dice.


3) Peel the cucumber and dice, then stir into the other ingredients and serve.

Olive & goats cheese bruschetta

Ingredients Ciabatta, 50g kamalata olives, 100g goats cheese, honey, cucumber.

Preparation: 15 minutes

I love olives - they're so mouthwateringly rich and seductive and can add a fantastic umami quality to your cooking. This bruschetta is a sinfully scrumptious quick snack made stunning with the fresh crunch of cucumber. Got leftovers? Try tossing it with fine beans and linguine.

1) Pit your olives (I never recommend buying pre-pitted olives. They are either rubberized with brine or the flavour and texture has been compromised with oxidisation. Eat them off the stones and they will melt in your mouth) and discard the stones - if you don't have a pitter, you can slice them with a knife and squeeze until the pit pops out.

2) Put the olives and 3/4 of the goats cheese in a blender and pulse through. Taste and then add honey to taste. The salty savoury flavour of the olives and cheese should be prevalent but the creamy delicacy of the cheese is lost without a little sweetness to bring out the citrus notes.

3) Slice the ciabatta and toast on one side (I like to brush with a very little basil oil and then press onto a hot, dry frying pan rather than grill as the bread will retain enough moisture to withstand the grilling that follows)

4) Spread the olive and cheese mixture onto the untoasted side of the bread, crumble the extre goats cheese onto the top and grill for 2-3 minutes. Serve with diced cucumber to cut through the richness.

Fennel & cucumber salad

Ingredients Peashoots, Spinach leaves, salad leaves, cucumber, fennel, pumpkin seeds, basil oil, mint

Serves: 1 Preparation: 5 minutes

This salad is so fresh and simple, perfect on the side of something rich, or between courses to cleanse the palate. The fennel has a gorgeous licorice taste but is subtle enough not to overpower the other flavours.


1) Remove the first layer of the fennel and slice off the stalks, then cut the bulb into slivers.


2) Toss the salad leaves in basil oil and finely sliced mint


3) Slice the cucumber julienne and add to the salad leaves, along with the fennel and pumpkin seeds.

Giant cous-cous with cucumber and king prawns

Ingredients 150g Giant (aka Israeli) cous-cous (I bought mine from Millie's Organic in Leeds), 1/4 cucumber, 2 limes, basil oil, 10g freshly chopped mint, 150g cooked and peeled king prawns, 100g passata tomatoes.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

Cous-cous is made using semolina which has been sprinkled with water, hand rolled and then passed through a sieve, dusted with more semolina and rolled and passed through again to form the granules that you can buy in the shops. Cous-cous in Israel has a much larger granule and personally I prefer it, the texture is more like the bubbles in a tapioca pudding and it's absolutely delicious, absorbing flavour more intensely than the smaller grains do.

1) Pour the cous-cous into a pan of boiling salted water and stir through for 6-8 minutes before straining in a sieve and setting aside.

2) To make the dressing, squeeze the juice of 2 limes, a tablespoon of basil oil and the passata tomato into a pan and stir through.

3) Add some finely chopped mint and the prawns, then stir through the cous-cous.

4) Serve with chunky pieces of cucumber for a contrasting crunch. 

Tomato & Cucumber salad

Ingredients Baby plum tomatoes, 1/2 cucumber, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mint, salt

Serves: 4 Preparation: 5 minutes


Sometimes the simplest ingredients are the most delicious and this salad is a true tribute to that. So fresh and light and perfect on the side of something rich like the buffalo steaks that I bought at Cornucopia last weekend where I had a stall flogging my lavender jam.


1) Wash the cucumber thoroughly if it's not organic - they are often waxed to help them keep their shape - and cut thick slices (about 1.5cm) into half of the cucumber. Quarter each slice.


2) I used baby plum tomatoes because I think they have a sharp, sweet taste - the smaller the tomato the more concentrated the flavour in my opinion. Cut about 15 tomatoes in half


3) Finely dice a handful of mint leaves and stir in a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to make the dressing.


4) Toss the tomatoes and cucumbers in the dressing and serve, sprinkled with a pinch of salt.