Thursday 31 January 2013

Great Salad Ideas...

I've just found a load of fantastic salad recipes via the Kidspot blog - http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/10-really-yummy-salads/nggallery/image/image-2012/#gallery

Check it out!
The Butterfly Foodie's Bacon, Edamame, Rocket and Cucumber Salad


Thursday 24 January 2013

Poached Chicken, Apricot & Chickpea Salad

I found this salad recipe in a recent Delicious Magazine.  It's a great midweek meal - quick, super healthy and delicious.  It would also be a terrific dish to take to work if trying to avoid buying lunch each day...

My husband and I ate the salad over two nights and I did bulk it up a little on the second night with chopped baby spinach and a mini can of four bean mix - mostly because I served enormous portions the first night!  I also added an extra dollop of plain yoghurt on the side of our plates as the yoghurt in the recipe is rather spicy and only makes a small quantity.


2 x 200g chicken breast fillets
300g green beans, blanched, refreshed
400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup coriander sprigs
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 apricots, soaked on boiling water for 30 minutes
2 tbsp raw almonds, toasted
1 tsp harissa*
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp low-fat thick Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)

Place chicken in a pan and add enough water to cover.
Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then cover and remove from heat.
Stand for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Drain, then shred chicken into bit-size pieces.
Toss beans, chickpeas, coriander and oil together, then season and divide among 4 plates.
Drain apricots and chop into small pieces, then scatter over salad with chicken and almonds.
Swirl the harissa, honey, cinnamon and cumin through the yoghurt, then spoon over the salad.
Dust with paprika to serve.

*Harissa is a Tunisian chilli paste available from delis.

Serves 4.
Recipe by Jill Dupleix featured in Delicious Magazine.
This photo doesn't do it justice... 



Wednesday 23 January 2013

Beef and Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry

This is a Michelle Bridges recipe from Sunday Life.  It's perfect for a weeknight meal - quick to make and delicious.  It will be enough for four if you serve it on a bed of rice.

2 tsp peanut oil
1 bunch broccolini, cut into 4cm chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges
125g baby sweet corn, halved lengthways
175g rump steak, sliced and trimmed of fat
250g mixed mushrooms (brown, oyster etc) chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3cm piece ginger, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

Heat half the oil in a wok on high and stir-fry broccolini, onion and corn for 5 minutes or until just tender.

Remove from wok.
Heat remaining oil in the wok, add beef and stir-fry until just browned.
Remove from wok.
Stir-fry mushrooms, garlic and ginger for 3-4 minutes or until they're browned and the moisture has evaporated.
Return vegetables and beef to the wok, add oyster sauce and stir-fry until well coated.

Tip: You can halve or quarter the mushrooms depending on their size.  Just sear the beef or it will overcook and be tough.

Serves 2.
Recipe by Michelle Bridges. https://www.michellebridges.com.au/recipes/