Spectacular Seaside Scenery and a Side Salad

I've just got back from a fabulous week's holiday in Dorset. My hubby and I hired a cottage down there with the idea that we'd take the opportunity to chill out for a week. However our 'chilling out' turned into an exuberant exploration of the Dorset coast and we ended up walking  for miles along the hilly South West Coastal Path to take in some of the most spectacular parts of the Jurassic Coast. The breathtaking scenery was made even more beautiful by the gorgeous weather we had - we were so lucky - although the heat did make our walking a bit of a challenge at times.

Alas! All good things must come to an end and I'm home now with all the delights that a return from holiday bring - a basket full of washing to do and a cat that's really grumpy for having been left in the cattery for the past week!

I'd like to share some of my favourite photos from my hols along with a recipe for an easy and refreshing green salad with a creamy basil dressing that's perfect for a warm summer day when slaving over a hot stove just isn't an option - I'm glad to say we had a few of those!

Green Salad with Creamy Basil Dressing

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Any combination of green salad vegetables will go well with this. I used little gem lettuce leaves, avocado, lightly cooked peas and cucumber.

For the dressing:
3tbsp mayonnaise
1tsp white wine vinegar
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Mix together the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and lemon juice until well combined. Stir in the chopped basil and add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Arrange the salad in a serving bowl, pour over the dressing and toss until the salad is well coated with the dressing.

3. Serve.

Make your own spiced mixed nuts

One of my main failings when it comes to healthy eating is snacking! I love to snack on most things but nuts are my favourite. I love any kind of nuts - peanuts, cashews, brazils, pecans, walnuts, pistachios - you name it! I don't feel guilty about my nut addiction though, because I know that, although nuts are high in calories, they are packed with protein and vitamins and contain little saturated fat. Also, if the claims are to be believed, nuts can also protect us from heart disease. Lots of good reasons to eat them I would say! 

Although the health benefits vary from nut to nut, they are undoubtedly best eaten in their raw state without lots of salt or other additives but I do think they can get a bit boring like that, so I recently had a go at making my own spiced nuts in an attempt to liven them up a bit. I was surprised at how easy and delicious they turned out to be and as I was able to control how much salt and sugar I added I made sure they remained as healthy as possible. Also I reckon they're a lot cheaper than buying an equivalent product from the supermarket. 

All it takes is a few bags of unsalted nuts / seeds, a drop of oil, some spices and about 20 minutes of your time. I've detailed my version below which was inspired by a recipe by Thomasina Miers but a simple Google search will throw up literally hundreds of different varieties to try. Or you could just let your imagination take over and try out your own tasty combinations of nuts, seeds and spices

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Ingredients:

150g whole almonds

150g jumbo peanuts

150g cashew nuts

150g pumpkin seeds

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp demerara sugar

2 tbsp sunflower oil

Method:

1. Put all the nuts and seeds into a dry frying pan and gently toast over a medium heat for approximately 10 minutes until the nuts turn golden brown. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly to prevent burning.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to ensure the nuts are well coated in the mixture.

3. Spread the mixture out on a baking tray and place in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 for 10 minutes, turning the nuts over half way through the cooking time.

4. Allow to cool and store in an airtight jar.

How to Make Perfect Baked Potatoes

Who doesn't enjoy a nice jacket potato now and then? I certainly do! For me, the perfect baked potato has a dark, crispy skin and a soft, fluffy centre and doesn't need anything fancy to fill it - just a generous knob of butter, a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkling of grated cheese. 

For the best results bake potatoes in the oven not the microwave and don't rush them - they need time to develop that soft centre!

Here are my tips to making perfect jacket potatoes:

1. After washing, allow the skins to dry out completely.

2. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork.

3. Rub the skins with cooking oil.

4. Place the potatoes directly on the shelf of the oven - not on a baking tray.

5. Bake in a hot pre-heated oven at 220°C / 475°F / Gas Mark 7 for approx 1½ hours but they may need a little longer depending upon the size.

6. Serve immediately while the skins are still crisp.