Pasta salad with blanched spinach and dried tomatoes

Whether you are at a BBQ, a big summer party or simply at home – a delicious pasta salad is always a big hit! Though this takes a little more work and time to prepare, its flavour is definitely worth it! It combines your favourite pasta (I used buckwheat, but any kind works well), blanched spinach, roasted pine nuts and dried tomatoes with a flavourful garlic dressing with fresh spring onions.

The secret which makes this salad extra yummy is using two different kinds of dried tomatoes: The ones stored in olive oil and salted dried tomatoes, which are sold without any additional oil or fluid – is really just tomatoes and salt. Due to their different preservation method, they have a slightly different flavour and texture. While the salted dried tomatoes are – no surprise here – saltier, more flavourful and also a little drier and firmer, the ‘oily’ ones have a mild yet fresh flavour and are a little more ‘squishy’. By using both kinds of dried tomatoes, you get the best of both – and you also prevent your salad from getting to oily or to salty. Just give it a try!

Savoury pancakes with mushrooms and dried tomatoes

You feel like having pancakes for dinner? No worries – no one will judge you for it if you go with savoury ones! What I like about savour pancakes is that they are really easy to make, but filled with delicious veggies always look really fancy on your plate – an easy way to give yourself a little treat once in a while. If you want to fill your pancakes (no matter if they are sweet or savoury), just make sure your pancakes aren’t to fluffy – otherwise they will be difficult to fold in half or even roll up. So if you were wondering why this recipe doesn’t use baking powder for the batter – now you know why. 😉

I used mushrooms and dried tomatoes for the filling, though you are of course free to use whatever you like! Just make sure that there isn’t to much liquid in your filling, or your pancakes might end up soggy instead of tasty!

Spicy chickpea salad with wild rocket and dried tomatoes

Summer has finally arrived and with the long hot days, my motivtion to actually cook something has magically disappeared – mainly because I don’t want my flat to get any hotter than it already is. So cold food it is! Light summer salads are a just perfect for this weather, you have all your ingredients in you fridge or pantry an need no more than 5 minutes to create a crisp and delicious meal. This salad here is actualy a bit more filling, so you can also pack it for uni or your job and don’t need any additional bread or anything. The chickpeas and dried tomatoes are simply a great combination, and addding wild rocket just gives it a nice, fresh crunsh. I went for a quite spicy dressing based on harrisa for this, so it is a nice change from any oil- or yoghurt-based salads. Just be careful not to add to much harissa, or you salad will end up far from being cool…

Dried tomato risotto with goat cheese

Who says that you always need to use parmesan cheese for a risotto? By using a different cheese, you can create a whole new range of flavours! This risotto is made with goat cream cheese – try it and you will love it!