SEASONAL BACO-CHEDDAR SALAD From My Spar

SEASONAL BACO-CHEDDAR SALAD
Serves: 4

Introducing fresh seasonal fruits into a salad makes a welcome change from vegetable-only offerings. This could also serve as a light lunch on its own.

250ml cheddar biscuits, bacon flavour e.g. Cheddar Minis (2 x 33g snack packets), coarsely crumbled
250ml SPAR grated cheddar cheese
50ml SPAR sweet chilli smooth fat free cottage cheese
250g SPAR Diced Bacon
4 apricots
2 hard-cling peaches
1 bunch seedless grapes
1 tub SPAR Freshline sweet baby leaf spinach (80g)

Dressing: SPAR Chip & Salad Sauce
1. Combine biscuits crumbs, grated cheese and cottage cheese. Roll the mixture into 16 marble-size balls and chill to firm them up.
2. Dry-fry the bacon until very crisp and browned. Set aside to bring to room temperature.
3. Rinse the fruits. Halve, then remove the pip from each apricot. Cut wedges off each half. Cut the peaches into neat slices.
4. Toss fruits, cheese balls and bacon together. Spoon onto a bed of baby spinach leaves.
5. Serve SPAR Chip & Salad Sauce for drizzling over as desired.

Hints and Tips: To halve the apricots, run a sharp knife tip right around the fruit centre through the stem end. Hold both halves simultaneously, and twist in opposite directions, to separate the two halves. The pip will remain in one half for removal.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Recommended accompaniment: SPAR Freshline wholewheat bread rolls, split and spread with SPAR butter or margarine.
Recommended wine: Pinotage Rosé

Green New Years Resolutions 2013

Goals related to health or your relationships may top some lists, but resolving to change your environmental habits could have a huge impact on both yourself and the rest of the world.

Below are a few ideas for green resolutions for 2013

Regardless of the personal changes you decide to make in your life, the new year is a great time to learn more about environmental issues and why they are important.

You can also find out how to be both environmentally conscious and fiscally responsible with these money-saving home improvement tips and cheap, eco-friendly upgrades for your home.

1: Recycle Everything

In some cities, recycling is mandatory. Since materials like aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, and energy costs drop 2-3% when making glass from even 10 percent recycled material, wider recycling programs can help.

Learn more about curbside recycling at Earth911, and check if your neighborhood offers the service. If not, contacting your local elected officials could make a huge difference!

2: Compost

Do you have a beautiful garden that you treat with store-bought fertilizers? According to Earth911,making and using your own compost is a great way to care for your garden. The homemade mulch stabilizes Ph, increases moisture infiltration and much more.

If you're not sure where to start there are plenty of resources around the web to give you how-to tips. Or visit your local garden store to get some advice!

3:Cut Down On Paper Waste

Paper is a resource that could easily be reused and utilized in an environmentally-friendly fashion. According to the Clean Air Council, a ton of paper made from recycled paper saves up to 17 treesand uses only half the water of paper from virgin pulp. In fact, the energy equivalent of 185 gallons of gasoline is saved for every ton of paper recycled.

To reduce your waste from paper, be sure to recycle properly and resolve to subscribe digitally to your favorite magazines and newspapers. If possible, choose to stop receiving paper bills and statements, and make payments electronically.

4:Stick With Reusable Shopping Bags

According to TLC's How Stuff Works, over 1 million plastic bags are consumed per minute worldwide. Considering the fact that the petroleum used to make 14 of those bags could drive a car for a mile, that is a lot of wasted energy and pollution.

For 2013, break the habit and make a serious effort to use only reusable shopping bags. Many shops are starting to charge a few cents per bag anyway, so this should save you money in the long run. The reusable totes are now being sold at Spar.