tuna and pesto pasta salad

 tuna and pesto pasta salad

INGREDIENTS

• 225g pasta shapes of your choice
• 1/3 cucumber
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tsp ready-made green pesto
• 185g can MSC-certified pole or line-caught tuna steak in olive oil, or MSC-certified wild Alaskan salmon, drained *
• 4 tbsp French dressing

METHOD

How to make tuna and pesto pasta salad

1. Fill a large saucepan with water, add a generous pinch of salt and cover. Bring the water to a rolling boil. (You'll hear the pan lid rattling, and when you take off the lid, you'll see lots of big bubbles rising to the surface.) Add the pasta and stir it once. Keep the heat high so the water stays boiling but leave uncovered. Cook for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. To test it is cooked, take out one pasta shape with a spoon with holes in it. Let it cool, then bite it. It should be soft with a slight firmness.

2. Meanwhile, put the cucumber on a chopping board and carefully chop it into chunky pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half.

3. Put a colander in the sink and ask an adult to drain the pasta for you. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and leave to cool slightly. Stir in the pesto (the oil in it will stop the pasta sticking).

4. Roughly flake the tuna and stir into the pasta, along with the chopped cucumber and tomatoes. Season and add the French dressing and stir it all together.

5. Eat the pasta salad straightaway or cover and chill in thefridge for up to 2 days.

Couscous with feta

• Couscous with feta 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube
• 125g couscous
• 1 tomato
• 1/3 cucumber
• 8 pitted olives
• 100g feta, cut into bite-size cubes
• 2 tbsp French dressing

METHOD

How to make couscous with feta

1. Put a kettle of water on to boil. Carefully measure out 150ml of boiled water. Add the stock powder or cube and stir to mix. Put the couscous into a bowl, pour in the stock and cover the bowl with cling film. Leave for 5 minutes until the stock has been absorbed. Uncover the bowl and stir the couscous with a fork to loosen the grains.

2. Cut the tomato and cucumber in half, then put them flat-side down on a board and chop into smallish pieces. Add to the couscous with the olives and feta. Add the dressing and stir to mix. Put into a sealable container and chill in the fridge.

Tip: Put your weighed couscous into a measuring jug, check where it comes up to and write it down on the recipe, then next time you make this you won't need to use the scales.

© delicious. magazine

banana and apple morning salad

 banana and apple morning salad

Hugh starts the day the fruity way with this fruit salad recipefrom River Cottage Every Day

Hugh: "There's no syrup or juice here, no maceration is required, and sugar is an optional extra. It's really just a plate of fruit. The key thing is that you've taken the trouble to peel and slice or otherwise prepare it (a squeeze of lemon or lime juice is, for instance, a wonderful way to dress a ripe banana, and give it a bit of attitude). Children can eat this with their fingers or a fork."

INGREDIENTS

• 1 banana per person, peeled and sliced
• Plus 1 (or more) of the following per person:
• A few strawberries, hulled, large ones halved or quartered
• A few raspberries
• A couple of plums or greengages, stoned and quartered
• 1 small or ½ large apple or pear, cored and sliced
• A lemon wedge
• 1-2 tsp caster sugar (optional)

METHOD

How to make banana and apple morning salad

1. Arrange the prepared fruit on a plate. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fruit (mainly on the banana). Sprinkle a scant amount of caster sugar on the tarter fruits, if you like, and serve at once.