Courgette Boats

4 courgettes 
1 tbsp olive oil
75g diced chorizo
2 cloves of garlic crushed
300g cherry tomatoes halved
1 tbsp tomato purée 
1 tsp mixed herbs
150g ball mozzarella sliced into pieces 
25g fresh basil leaves torn

1) Heat the oven to 200 degrees c. Halve the courgettes length ways and scoop out the seeds and roughly chop them. Place the courgettes on a baking tray and brush with the oil. Bake in the oven for 15 mins or until just soft. 
2) While they are in the oven, add the chorizo to a saucepan and cook for 3-4 mins until golden and the oil has started to release. Add the garlic and cook for a minute then add the courgette seeds, purée and herbs and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on until the tomatoes have softened and burst slightly. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes until thickened then add half the basil. 
3) Heat the grill to highest setting and divide the tomato mixture between the courgettes and top with mozzarella. Pop under the grill for 3-4 minutes until the mozzarella has melted, top with the remaining basil and serve!

Lemon muffins

• 250g pack of butter softenend
• 400g caster sugar
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 250g self-raising flour
• zest and juice 3 lemons

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases. With an electric whisk, whisk the butter, 250g of the sugar, eggs, flour, zest of 2 lemons and juice from 1 lemon until just combined – don’t over-whisk. Fill the cases two thirds full, then bake on a middle shelf for 30 mins, until a skewer poked in comes out clean.

Cool for 10 mins, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack on a tray and poke each a few times with a skewer. Pour remaining lemon juice over remaining 150g sugar and zest 1 lemon, and immediately spoon over the cakes. Leave to cool.

Vegetable & halloumi Risotto

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped finely 

1 carrot (can add other veg too) chopped

1 garlic clove chopped finely

175g rice

100 ml white wine

600ml hot vegetable or chicken stock (can use a stock cube and boiling water)
100g halloumi cubed (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a pan then add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cook on a low heat for 2-3 mins until softened.   
2. Stir in the rice, then add the wine and simmer and stir gently until the wine had all absorbed. 
3. Add a ladle (or couple of large spoonfuls) of the stock and simmer gently, stirring regularly until all of the stock has been absorbed.
4. Continue to add the stock a ladle at a time as above until all of the stock has been added. On the last ladle add the halloumi and cook until the rice is soft and tender.
5. Add salt and pepper and serve. 
6. You could finish off with a sprinkle of cheese too! 😛