Mixed Green Salad with Yogurt Dressing (Yogurtlu Karisik Yesil Salata

Funky lettuce
2 cucumber, washed, discard the seeds, grated
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
12 fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 ½ Cup walnut halves, lightly toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Yogurt dressing:
1 Cup Greek yogurt
4 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika

Place all the salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a separate small bowl. Taste and if necessary add more salt or pepper.

Just before serving the salad, spread yogurt dressing all over the greens. Sprinkle some paprika to garnish.

Veal Scaloppini in Lemon Sauce

8 veal cutlets
½ Cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Fresh sage and garlic to taste
Salt

Lightly pound the cutlets to flatten them out, salt them lightly, and marinate them in the lemon juice and a tablespoon of the olive oil for a half hour.

Heat the marinade, oil, and herbs to taste in a frypan, and when the mixture is bubbling add the meat. Cook quickly for about 1 - 1/12 minutes on each side, turning the meat once.

Note: You could cook this with chicken breasts that have been butterflied, instead of veal.

Greek Salad

6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
400 g feta, crumbled
8 tomatoes, quartered
1 cucumber, sliced
24 black olives
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, parsley, mint or basil

Make the dressing by whisking together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, sugar and seasonings in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl. Sprinkle over feta and toss to combine.

Just before serving, whisk the dressing again, pour over the salad leaves and toss together. Scatter over the olives and chopped herbs and serve.

Thai Dipping Sauce

1/3 Cup cold water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped coriander

Place the cold water in a small bowl, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Stir in the fish sauce, vinegar, chilli and coriander leaves. Serve the spring rolls with the Dipping Sauce.

Spicy Thai Beef Salad with Nam Jim Dressing

600g beef rump steak

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

200g salad mix

2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded, sliced thinly

3 sping onions, sliced thinly

¾ cup toasted cashews

Fresh coriander leaves

Nam Jim Dressing

4 spring onions, sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, peeled, quartered

1 small fresh red Thai chilli, chopped finely

2 teaspoons finely chopped coriander root

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Heat a grill plate. Rub the steak with the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook steak over high heat until browned on both sides and cooked as desired. Transfer to a plate, stand, covered, for 10 minutes; slice steak thinly.

Nam jim dressing: Blend or process all ingredients until smooth.

Arrange salad leaves, cucumber, shallots, steak and cashews on a platter. Drizzle with Nam Jim Dressing and top with coriander leaves, if desired.

Guacamole

4 avocados, peeled, stones removed, roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tomatoes, finely diced
½ C sour cream
2 limes, juiced
5 drops Tabasco
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place avocado in a shallow dish and mash with a fork until smooth. Add onions, tomato, sour cream, 2 tablespoons lime juice, Tabasco and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chunky Salsa

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 small green capsicum, finely diced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
500g tomatoes, diced

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Add chilli and capsicum. Cook for 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring mixture to the boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Cool completely.

Cucumber Salad

2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 Cup fish sauce
2 Tablespoons caster sugar
1 small red chilli, seeded, cut into thin strips
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley
1 telegraph cucumber, chopped

Combine the lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place the cucumber, chilli, onion and coriander in a medium bowl, pour over the dressing and stir to combine.

Greek Salad

3 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced
6 firm, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
250g marinated Greek kalamata olives
250g Greek feta cheese
1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Combine cucumber, tomato, capsicum, onion, olives and feta in a large bowl. Sprinkle salad with oregano and 1 teaspoon salt. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Toss to combine. Serve.

Potato Salad with Dill Dressing

1 kg chat potatoes, scrubbed
1 red onion, very finely diced
4 boiled eggs, crumbled
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 – 1 ½ C peas, cooked according to packet directions
200g carton light sour cream
¼ Cup Paul Newman’s Ranch Dressing (I don't usually recommend brands but there is no substitute for this one)
Dill, finely chopped

Place potatoes into a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

Stand for 10 minutes. Cut each potato in half. Place into a bowl. Add onion, eggs, peas and corn.

Combine sour cream, dill, and salt and pepper. Drizzle sauce over potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Serve.

Satay Chicken Skewers

20 small bamboo skewers
8 chicken breasts, each cut into four long strips
2/3 Cup smooth peanut butter
1 Cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Soak skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain.

Thread 1 chicken strip lengthways onto each skewer, making sure the it is flat. Place in a large dish. Repeat until all the chicken is used.

Whisk the peanut butter, stock, soy sauce and lemon juice together. Spoon 1/2 the peanut sauce over the skewers and turn the skewers to coat the chicken with the sauce. If time permits, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Place remaining peanut sauce in a small sauce- pan and bring to the boil over high heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens slightly. Place in a small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until required.

Heat the oil on barbeque over medium-high heat. Add ½ the chicken skewers and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until light golden and cooked through. Transfer to a serving plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken skewers. Serve accompanied by the peanut sauce.

Real BBQ Sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 small onion, peeled, chopped
4 garlic cloves
600 g can peeled tomatoes, drained
4 Tablespoons tomato puree
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
4 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Place the oil in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened slightly. Add all the other ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until thickened slightly. Set aside to cool slightly. Place in a blender and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Coleslaw

4 Cups finely shredded cabbage
2 large carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
1 white onion, finely diced
½ Cup good-quality whole-egg mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

To make the coleslaw, combine the cabbage, carrot and onion in a large bowl. Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add to the cabbage mixture and gently toss until well combined.