Mini cheese, tomato and basil omelettes/quiches

I thought I'd share these with you as they are great for popping into a lunchbox as a snack for the on the go. Especially as I often find it really hard to think of things which are easy to snack on on the go apart from cubes of cheese and atkins bars! They are also v quick to make and will keep in the fridge for a few days once done as well. 

To make them is so easy, you will need (makes six):

• 4 eggs
• some grated cheese-I used 100g of mature cheddar which made them taste quite cheesy but you may prefer more or less
• 6 cherry tomatoes- chopped finely 
• a handful of basil- chopped finely 

You will also need a silicone muffin tray, (or you could you a cupcake tray to make them smaller), and some spray oil to stop them sticking to the tray (or you could probably brush the tray with a little oil instead)

Then you simply:

• Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork as though you were making a normal omelette
• Add the other ingredients and beat the whole mixture together untill it is well mixed

• Spray the muffin tray with the spray oil very lightly just so it is coated all round but you may want to wipe some of the oil off it is too thick
• Pour the mix into the tray, I used a tablespoon to 'drop' the mix into each hole but if you had made the mix in a jug (which I will do next time) you could easily pour it in

• Pop the tray into the oven at about 200 degrees for ten minutes or untill the omelettes have risen nicely and feel firm

• Leave them to cool (or you can eat the hot of course also)
• Enjoy!

Once cooled these will keep in the fridge, I have kept them for about 3-4 days so far and they still taste fresh!

Next I am going to experiment with different flavours as they make such great little low carb tasty snacks!

Fried goats cheese and hot vegetable salad

This is quite a simple recipe but it is very quick to make and feels very indulgent and filling.

You will need:

• Lettuce
• Basil – I tend to use quite a few branches from a basil plant
• Tomatoes
• 1 pepper, or two halves from two different coloured peppers
• Goats cheese, I use the type which comes in large circles with a skin rather than the softer log
• Some grated cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Pine nuts
• Walnuts
• Asparagus spears- about 4
• Dressing- I tend to use Caesar as this is v low carb, but others would do

Then it’s pretty simple, you make the salad as you would usually do with just a few extras:

• Place lettuce chopped cucumber and chopped tomato onto a plate, then I scatter the basil which I roughly tear into small pieces.
• I cut the peppers into strips and drizzle with oil then place in the oven for about 25 minutes. I normally do quite a lot of peppers at a time as they keep in the fridge for days once done. If you have already got some of these in the fridge they will just need heating in the goats cheese pan right at the end for about 3 minutes until they’re hot.
• Mix the grated cheese with the mayonnaise and put a few teaspoonfuls of it on top of the salad.
• Heat a pan with some oil in it- I like flavoured oils like garlic or basil oil but any oil will do, add the asparagus spears to it, I usually break them in half once first so they cook a little but quicker. Let them fry for about 10 minutes turning frequently- if you can do this on a griddle pan even better! Like the peppers, the asparagus can also be roasted or fried in advance and will keep in the fridge for a few days, in which case it can also be heated in the pan with the cheese at the end.
• Once the asparagus is nearly cooked and is feeling soft when prodded with a  sharp knife, add the goats cheese to the pan, the pan should not be too oily but should be slightly damp so it won’t stick. Keep pushing the cheese around in the pan to stop it sticking, do this with either a fork or a wooden spoon.
• After about 4-5 mintues, turn the goats cheese over, the cheese should have browned and hardened, if it hasn’t then turn it back and let it cook until it has. Continue to cook both sides until both sides are brown and slightly hard, then remove the asparagus, peppers and cheese and place on top of the salad.
• While you are putting the ingredients on top of the salad, place the pine nuts into the pan and toss for a few minutes until just starting to brown, then scatter over the salad.
• Scatter some walnuts over the top of the salad.
• Drizzle with dressing, you won’t need much as the peppers and asparagus will be quite oily and the goats cheese should be very soft no the inside and this will give the salad flavour.
• Enjoy!