Thai Chicken Salad

Summer is here for us over in Canada, which means salad season in my house. Most people have salad as an accompaniment say with a BBQ steak or piece of chicken....usually boring and forgettable...right! You all know what I'm talking about, iceburg lettace, tomato wedges, cucumber and bottled dressing from the store poured over it. Let me save you from this mundane side dish and introduce to you to a world of possibilities when it comes to salads.

I love the fresh flavours of thai food, actually anything with an asian influence is my kind of food. What I particularly like about this salad is the combination of flavours and textures. The shredded chicken soaks up the dressing and is the delicate softness this dish needs. The crispness from the shredded lettace, carrot and celery is lovely and the surprise is the apple is sweet and crunchy. Fresh cilantro (corriander) is what bring's everything to life and the gentle heat of the dressing is so amazing, you just want more and more.

Thai Chicken Salad

1 baby cos lettace, shredded

2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchstick pieces

1 small apple, peeled and cut into fine matchstick pieces

2 stalks of celery, finely sliced

2 mini cucumbers (or 1/2 a large english cucumber), cut in half and finely sliced

1/4 meduim red onion, finely sliced

1/2 cup cilantro (corriander)leaves

2 tblsp finely chopped unsalted peanuts

3 tblsp fresh lime juice

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp brown or palm sugar

1/2 tsp sambal oelek (ground chilli paste)

To poach the chicken, place the chicken in a saucepan and fill up with cold water (enough to cover both chicken breasts). Bring to the boil, then turn off heat and let it sit for 30-35 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes the either using your hands or a fork, shred the chicken, set aside.

Place the lettace, chicken, carrot, apple, celery, onion, cucmber, cilantro in a large bowl.

To make the dressing, put the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and sambal oelek in a jar with a tight lid and shake until the sugar has dissovled.

Pour dressing over salad, toss gently ( I use my hands so I can get the dressing evenly coated), then divide between two bowls, and sprinkle the peanuts on top.

Notes:

If your knife skills aren't great or you need to throw this together quickly just grate the carrot and apple, it's just as good. Also I used a gala apple, of course you can use any apple you like I just suggest that you don't use a granny smith, it's too tart for this recipe, you need the sweetness from an apple like a gala.

Rhubarb, Apple Pie

It's rhubarb season! And my husband is so happy. It's one of his favourite's, so today while I was at the supermarket with my little girl we spotted some lovely big stalks of rhubarb and just had to pop them in our basket. I tossed up between a crumble or a pie, but when I saw I had apples as well, I decided to combine them and make a rhubarb, apple pie.

My favourite pie has to be apple, so I decided to move away from the ever popular rhubarb and strawberry combo, and merge my apple pie flavours with the rhubarb. I think we have a winner people! You get the tartness and sweetness from both the apples and rhubarb (which is let's face it why we love rhubarb so much), and the hint of orange is just lovely. I always put orange zest and juice in my apple pies, and decided to see how it would go with this recipe.....amazing!

I have to say this is the best pie dough I've ever made. I have learned through trial and error that the less you handle the dough the flakier the crust, and it holds it's form so much better. I know people say the secret to a goood pie dough is lard, but I just can't bring myself to do it. So I just add more good old fashioned butter, and make sure that everything is super cold. I think it turns out just as good as a butter and lard recipe.

Rhubarb, Apple Pie

4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb, 1 inch (2.5cm) cubes

2 cups of peeled, chopped granny smith apple, 1 inch (2.5cm)
cubes

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange zest

2 tblsp orange juice

1 tblsp chopped butter

1 egg, lightly whisked

1 heaped tblsp raw sugar

PIE DOUGH

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup cold butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup icy cold water

　

To make the dough, put flour and salt into a large bowl or food processor. Add butter and either pulse food processor until butter is the size of peas or using a pastry cutter or a knife cut butter into flour.

Slowly add the cold water using a fork to stir until the dough forms a rough ball. You may not need all the water, you may need a touch more. Just add it bit by bit so as not to make a sloppy sticky dough, it should just come together with a few flour crumbs remaining. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the filling, put the rhubarb, apple, flour, sugar, salt, orange zest and juice and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir to combine, set aside.

Once dough has rested in the fridge, cut in half and roll 1 half of the dough on a lightly floured bench top. Roll out to about 1/8 of an inch (3mm) thickness and large enough to cover the base of your 9inch (23cm) pie dish. Place rolled out dough in dish and let excess hang over the sides. Pour the filling in and dot with the tablespoon of extra butter. Using a pastry brush, brush the lightly beaten egg on the edge of the dough so the top piece will stick.

Take the other half of the dough and roll out just like the previous piece. Lay on top of filling and lightly press the dough together around the rim of the dish. Using a sharpe knife, cut the excess dough off by keeping the blade touching the lip of the pie dish. Then either using your fingers or a fork pinch the dough together on the edges. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the raw sugar.

Place the pie dish on a lined baking sheet and bake on the bottom rack of your oven at 425f (220c) for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350f (180c) for 45-50 minutes. Let the pie cool on a rack.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

This is happiness in one single bite! Both my Mum and Nana would make this alot, and I have to say it was quite often in our fridge for me and my sister for an after school treat or for when we had family and friends over. It is a 3 step recipe but each step is so simple, my kids definately get involved so really anyone can do this.

Trust me you will not be able to stop at one piece of this. It is the perfect balance of sweetness, chewiness and decadence. It's one of those treats that does need to be stored in the fridge, I will advise to take them out a few minutes before you want to serve them so that the chocolate and caramel can soften slightly. The flavour is great at any temperature, but I prefer them just below room temp.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Base

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened medium)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

125g unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 tin ( 395g)sweetened condensed milk

40g butter

2 tblsp golden syrup (golden corn syrup)

Topping

200g good dark chocolate, coarsley chopped

2 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 180c (350f), grease a 20cm x 30cm tin and line with parchment paper. Combine sifted fours, sugar, coconut and butter in a bowl, mix well. Press into your prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

In a medium saucepan melt butter, then add condensed milk and syrup. Pour over base and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool

 

Fill a medium saucepan 1/4 way with water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and place a heat proof bowl on top. Put chocolate and oil in the bowl and melt, stirring occasionally. Pour over base and refridgerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Note

Store in the fridge.

Tuna Dip

This is a dip that my Mum would make all the time....if your a tuna fan you will adore this quick easy dip that is great for when you have company over or wonderful to have in the fridge to put on toast for breakfast or in sandwiches for lunch or dinner.

The stand out flavours of this dip (abviously apart from the tuna) is the hint of lemon and spring onion. It's a smooth velvety texture and it's hard to stop at just one taste! The recipe makes a nice big batch but of course you can halve it to make a smaller amount or double to make more...whatever your heart desires!

Tuna Dip

4 (170g) tins tuna in spring water, drained

2 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped

8 spring onions (greeen onions), roughly chopped

zests of 1 lemon

1/4 cup plus 2 tblsp fresh lemon juice

4 tblsp unsalted butter, melted

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Put all above ingredients in a food processor and blend until all combined and a nice smoothe texture. You may need to stop and scrape the sides to make sure everything is mixed in well.

Put into a bowl and serve with your choice of crackers, toasted ciabatta bread or vegies, or store in an air tight jar or container in the fridge. Will keep well for 4-7 days.

Note:

To make the perfect boiled egg, place eggs in a saucepan large enough to cover them completely with water. Put a lid on the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, take off heat and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain the hot water from the pot and fill with cold water to cool the eggs and stop the cooking process. Done!

Lemon, Thyme and White Wine Chicken

I love, love, love this dish! Not only is it a one pot wonder, but it's bursting with flavour and so simple to make. I was wondering what to do for dinner tonight, and as I looked in my fridge and cupboards my big bowl of lemons were staring at me and I had chicken thigh's in the fridge. So I trolled the web for some inspiration and went to my favourite website http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes-home. Donna Hay is my food idol....so up popped her lemon, thyme and white wine chicken (all ingredients I actually had at home by chance), and it turned out beautifully....and I had to share it with you.

For a dish that only has a handful of ingredients it is so delicious. I think that's what it is, the more simple a recipe the more the flavours shine. I am serving this over basmati rice so all the lovely sauce is soaked up and enjoyed as it should be.

Lemon, Thyme and White Wine Chicken

 8 chicken thigh fillets, skin on and bone in

2 brown onions, quartered

1 lemon, sliced

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

10 sprigs of thyme

1/4 (60ml) olive oil

1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine

1 1/2 cups (375ml) chicken stock

Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Place the chicken, onion, lemon, garlic, thyme and oil in a bowl and toss to combine. Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook the chicken, onion, lemon, garlic and thyme in batches, for 3–4 minutes each side or until golden. Set aside and keep warm. Add the wine to the pan and cook for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken and stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

To freeze, allow to cool, divide the chicken and sauce into 4 portions and place in zip-lock bags or airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Before reheating, place the chicken in the fridge overnight and allow to defrost completely.

Curried Butternut Pumpkin Soup

I love soup, all year round! Of course I'm not going to have a steaming bowl of delicious soup when it's 30+ degrees outside but still I will have soup every season of the year. Pumpkin soup is my absolute favourite, and I love this twist with curry and coconut milk....it turns ordinary pumpkin soup into a silky, rich and spicy meal.

Now I will have all my Canadian friends give me a hard time for calling it butternut pumpkin....over here it's butternut squash. Whatever you call it, it's delicious and pop's up alot in my cooking. I also love the idea of serving this for parties as an appetizer, serve it in espresso cups or shot glasses, it's a fun way to have soup in an unusual way, and all your guests will love it!

Curried Butternut Pumpkin Soup

1 large brown onion, roughly diced

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, crushed

1.8 kilos butternut pumpkin (squash) peeled and roughly chopped
(about 2 medium pumpkins)

2 1/2 tblsp mild or madras curry paste

7 cups of reduced salt chicken broth

 600ml lite coconut milk

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish

plain yogurt

salt and pepper

　

Put a large pot over medium-low heat and spray with oilve oil, add onion and garlic and gently cook until onion is soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add pumpkin, stir to coat with the curry paste and then add your chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and you can squash it against the pot with the back of your wooden spoon. Take off the heat.

Blend soup until smooth in either a blender or using a hand held emersion blender. Return the soup to the pot and put over a medium heat and add the coconut milk and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

To serve, laddle into a bowl, top with a heaped tablespoon of plain yogurt and sprinkle extra cilantro leaves. I like to serve this soup with warmed pita or naan bread on the side.

Chicken Chilli

Now everyone makes their chilli differently. Some like no beans, some like beans but no vegetables etc, etc. Myself I like to have more beans and vegies than meat, and after many pots of chilli cooking on my stove have realised that I love to use ground chicken over beef. It makes for a lighter chilli with big flavour and way less fat content.

I like to use navy and black beans in this recipe, I think they have a lovely mild flavour and go well with the chicken, whereas kidney beans are wonderful with beef because they have more pronounced flavour and a thicker texture. The mushrooms give it a lovely earthiness, and remember never wash your mushrooms under water, always wipe them clean with a damp kitchen towel. Mushrooms have alot of moisture to them naturally, so by running them under water your taking away from their flavour, and texture....I mean who wants to eat a bland slimmy mushroom!

Chicken Chilli

400g lean ground chicken

1 large brown onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 large green pepper (capsicum), diced

1 large red pepper (capsicum), diced

250g mushrooms, halved and sliced

1 19oz (538g) tin of navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 19oz (538g) tin of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn

1 28oz (793g) tin diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 heaped tblsp chilli powder

1 heaped tblsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper


2 tblsp corn starch


3 tblsp cold water

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and generously spray with olive oil. Add the finely diced onion and ground chicken, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through.

Add red and green diced peppers, cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, stock, chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes stirring regularly (every 10-15 mins).

Mix together the corn starch with 3 tblsp cold water and stir until corn starch is completely dissolved. Add to chilli on a high heat, stir to combine and let it boil for 1 minute until the liquid in the chilli has thickened slightly.

To serve, spoon chilli into a bowl, top with 1-2 tblsp of sour cream and few fresh cilantro leaves, with some lightly salted plain corn chips on the side for dipping and scooping.

TIP:

Try to keep all the cut vegetables the same size as the beans, so it all cooks at the same time. This makes a large pot of chilli, you can store it in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days, or it freezes beautifully.


It's easy to make your own chilli powder, it's something I had to do back home in Australia when I couldn't find it in the supermarket like here in Canada. Here it is:


2 tblsp ground cumin

4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cayene pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground oregano


Of course you can double or triple the amounts to make a larger batch and just keep it in a jar or air tight conatiner for whenever you need it!

This is great served over pasta or on top of nacho's.....if you like your chilli with more of a kick then just add some crushed red pepper flakes when you add the other spices.