Butternut and Chick Pea Salad

I tried this, or something similar, at work and have recreated it at home today, with a twist. Here's what it is and how to do it:

1 Butternut Squash
1 240g (drained) can Chick Peas
1 120g (drained) can Black Eyed Beans
1 Orange
Half a block of hard feta cheese
Salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Cut the butternut squash into bite sized pieces, toss in the olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 30 mins at 180 degrees (fan oven).
2. Tip the roasted squash, and both cans of peas / beans into a big bowl
3. Cut the orange in half and squeeze every last drop of lovely juice out, and add to the squash and bean mixture
4. Toss everything together well
5. Get yourself a couple of big bowls to eat from (this serves 2 hungry people at lunchtime)
6. Chop the feta cheese into centimetre square pieces and sprinkle over the salad

And that's really all there is to it. Yummy and pretty healthy, and it looks like sunshine.

PB&J Bars

This recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly bars is courtesy of The Boy Who Bakes, Edd Kimber. I tried it, and it works - a treat! The photos are of my attempt at his fab recipe!

450g Plain Flour

300g Unsalted Butter

150g Caster Sugar

1/4 tsp salt

150g smooth peanut butter

250g jam (choice up to you) (I used strawberry because it was on offer!)

1. Press a piece of foil into the base and up the sides of a 9×13 baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.

2. Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until the ingredients form a dough. (I used my Braun Multiquick Handblender with the big jug attachment, and it worked well).

3. Tip the dough out onto the worksurface and lightly knead until it becomes uniform. Remove a third of the dough and wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate until needed. Press the remaining dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 mins or until lightly golden around the edges. leave to cool for 20 mins.

4. Spread the peanut butter evenly on the cooled base then repeat with the jam. Remove the third of dough from the fridge and crumble into pieces and scatter evenly over the jam. Bake for a further 25-30 mins or until the crumbled dough starts to colour a little bit. Cool completely before cutting into 12 large squares.

Here's Edd's website if you want to try more of his lovely recipes.