I'm find that many of the foods I make tend to be inspired by other peoples recipes. Whether it is from Jaime Oliver, Heston Blumenthal, or other Bloggers, I tend to adapt their recipes to make them my own. I want to share with you some of these recipes. I hope to do this weekly.

This week I was looking for easy snack foods (healthy too if I could find it). Cravings of a Lunatic had a great recipe for taco dip. I found this to be inspiring because it showed me you can be a bit experimental with even the most basic idea. I particularly liked how she served it layered in a jar. I know it's not exactly healthy (my popcorn recipe was closer to healthy) but it sure looks yummy. I will definitely be trying this soon.



I love pickles and chutneys. I think I picked this up from my mother. I can even remember her making batches of Mango Chutney when I was young. I've often thought about making my own pickles and preserving fruit and vegetable. Foy Update really showed me what is possible when you take the time to plan and work out your individual requirements. She has done a series of 3 articles on preserving that are quite beneficial.



I always love visiting Leave Room for Dessert, and not just for the dessert recipes. Anita is a fellow Australian and I love the fact that she is continually challenging herself. Her recipes, her site, and her adventurous spirit are a complete inspiration to me. I love browsing through her Recipe collection. This week I found her Swedish Meatball recipe. I plan on trying it out soon.



Well, that is my list for this week. I hope you enjoy these blogs and recipes as much as I do. They are truly inspirational.

So, first off the rank in healthier recipes this month is a quick and easy pesto pasta. Numminess

Ingredients

(Serves two)

Spiral pasta for 2

8 Kalamata olives

3 Mushrooms

6 Semi-dried (or Sun-dried) tomatoes

Half a bunch of broccolini

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Sun-dried Tomato pesto (or basil pesto)

1/2 tspn mixed Italian herbs

1 tspn of Crushed garlic

Small handful of grated parmesan
1 Chicken Breast

It is delicious and fresh. Perfect for a summer meal.

Put the pasta on to boil.

Roughly chop the Kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Slice the mushrooms. Chop the broccolini into inch size pieces. Chop the Chicken into bite size pieces. 

Heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the garlic, herbs and Chicken. Cook for a few minutes then add the vegetables (except broccolini). Stir for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms have a slight golden colour. Add the broccolini and stir for another 2 minutes to heat through, but still maintain the crunch. 

Remove the pan from the heat.

Once the Pasta is al-dente, drain most of the water, leaving about 2-3 tbsp in the pan with the pasta. 

Tip the cooked  vegetables into the pasta, add the pesto and mix on a medium heat until everything is combined nicely. Remove from the heat.

Dish this up and sprinkle with parmesan.

My boyfriend and I really enjoy this one. The Kalamata olives give the dish a saltiness, and the tomato and broccolini a hint of sweetness.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. (Simply omit the chicken to make this Vegetarian)