Colourful Salad-Perfect for A Winters Day- Rocket and Beetroot

This was a Salad I served at lunch in the weekend

It was very popular and seriously so so easy

It consists of

Bag Rocket

Mozzarella Balls

Roasted Beetroot

French Dressing

Make the Dressing (Vinaigrette)

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

6 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place all ingredients into a jar with a lid

Shake well

It's all ready to go

To feed 8 people

Take 6 medium beetroot

Wrap each one in foil and bake in a 200C oven till tender

Takes about an hour

Check with a skewer to make sure it is cooked right through

Remove from oven

Cool for about 15 mins

When the beetroot is able to be held in your hand

Peel and chop into wedges

Toss in 3 tablespoons of French Dressing, 

The beetroot absorbs the vinaigrette best when warm

Set aside

To assemble

In a flat salad bowl

Layout the rocket

Throw over the beetroot wedges and then the mozzarella broken into pieces

You can assemble this earlier if necessary

Just before serving 

Distribute another 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad and 

Toss lightly

Voila 

Salad is served

Cold Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cucumbers

This salad is perfect for a hot day, 

Sweet, sour, and a little spicy. 

The recipe called for wide rice noodles but personally I prefer vermicelli style noodle. 

Also, make it even easier and use a store bought Rotisserie Chicken, 

Just rip the meat off the chicken then you can make soup or stock with the remains, 

The stock freezes well, for later use

For the hot sauce, I like to use Sriracha Sauce but take your pick of your favourite

To Feed 6 people 

You will need

500 gms rice noodles 

1 red capsicum chopped into small chunks

The meat of a whole cooked chicken shredded

4 Lebanese cucumbers thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves torn

1/3 cup coriander leaves torn

1/3 cup mint leaves torn

For the Dressing

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup runny honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon (or more) of your favourite hot sauce

Prepare noodles as per packet instructions

Drain, transfer to a large bowl of iced water

Drain then pat dry

To the noodles add chicken,  cucumbers, basil, coriander and mint

Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, honey, soy sauce

Season with hot sauce  to taste

Pour over noodle salad and toss to combine

Serve when needed

It will keep up to a day in the fridge

It's delicious and perfect for a hot summer day

Greek Salad 2 Ways

My Granddaughter wanted a "Greek Salad" to take to school for her lunch.
Technically its not a true Greek salad, as I added other tasty bits

A company called Sistema here in New Zealand makes an excellent container, which is perfect, particularly for this kind of lunch.

In The bottom you put the main ingredients
then there is another section that you pop on the top and you can keep the dry from the wet, so to speak

The ingredients are very simple
Cucumber, Tomato and Feta cheese
choose the amounts that suit you
I removed the seeds from both the cucumber and the tomato to stop them from going soggy
For this exercise...for 1 person, you will need

1/2 cup  seeded and diced cucumber
1/2 large tomato, seeds removed and diced
2 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese
Sea Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
1/4 avocado diced
2 tablespoons french dressing
1 rasher of bacon fried and broken into pieces

In the bottom bit I placed the Cucumber. Tomato and Feta
In the top
Diced Avo dressed with the french dressing in one compartment and Cooked bacon in the other

Put them together and pop on the lid
Voila Lunch
All she had to do was mix them together when she was ready to eat

My other Granddaughter who was home sick and I, decided that we wanted to have this for lunch as well
I stretched the idea a bit further

Cucumber, cherry tomatoes halved, Feta cheese, red pepper, Avocado and cooked prawns
French Dressing as well

Cleo didn't want the Prawns or the Avo
So I dressed half the basics on one side of the platter
then added the Avo and Prawns to the other

Dressed it with French Dressing
Lunch for us
Perfect

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Quinoa, Quinoa Quinoa...its only a few years ago that this word was not even in my vocabulary.
BUT now its everywhere.
The Trendy Grain...well...Quinoa isn't really a grain. It's the seed of a plant that's related to spinach, not to wheat. Quinoa first was cultivated in South America, where it grows in the Andes mountain range. Quinoa grows best in cool climates and at high altitudes, generally above 8,000 feet.

So lesson over...it does make a good salad though, also the flakes are excellent to crumb fish for those not wanting to eat  wheat.

Members of our family went grain free for a while and when hunting for recipes to feed them I came across this little beauty

It is really tasty and makes a change from brown rice!!!
So you need

    1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

    2 cups water  
    Sea salt

    
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

    
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

    
1 small red onion, finely chopped

    Sea 
Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
    1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
    
1 lime, juiced

    
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

    
1/2 cup minced carrots

    
1/2 cup dried cranberries

     Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add quinoa to pot and cover with the water
Add salt
Bring to the boil
Cover and simmer over low heat till quinoa has absorbed all of the water
15-20 minutes
Scrape into a mixing bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until cold.


Meanwhile place the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, 
red onion, sliced almonds, carrots, and cranberries into a bowl

Add coriander and lime juice

Mix together 

How about that for colour
Add to the Quinoa
Drizzle over about 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Serve

The Rainbow Plate -The More Colour in Your Food - The Better

Plus Such a Pleasure to Eat
Two very simple ideas to "colourize" your Table

For this Salad I used
Bag of mixed leaves plus 1/2 bag of Rocket
2 radishes sliced
Stick of celery chopped
2 San Manzano Tomatoes Chopped 
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
Bunch of chives chopped  for that onion boost
3 tablespoons of French Dressing

Just layer your lettuce and rocket
Scatter all the chopped vege over
Drizzle the French dressing
Hands in and toss
Voila

Next... the Asparagus Season is nearly over and we can really never get enough of it but I thought I would pretty it up, for a change

Asparagus tailed and cooked to al dente
1 medium Red Onion Chopped
1 Corn Cob freshly shucked, kernels sliced off
Little chopped parsley

Good Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper 
Juice and zest of a lemon

I find the best way to poach Asparagus, is to cook it in a shallow pan
Plenty of room to lay it out, in its full glory
Bring the pan of water to the boil
Add Salt and a slug of Olive Oil
Add Asparagus and cook till knife just goes through
Probably only 3-5 minutes at most

Drain and put into bowl of salted iced water  to stop it cooking and keep the lovely green colour
Drain

Meanwhile
Saute Onion in 3 tablespoons Olive oil till translucent,
Add Corn Kernels
Toss around for a couple of minutes, just to take the rawness out of the corn
Season with Salt and Pepper
Zest the Lemon over the top plus the Juice and Parsley
Toss to blend and pour over the Asparagus

How pretty is that?

Yummy Chicken Salad with a Creamy Miso Dressing

When you need another Chicken Salad recipe. This works a treat
In the weekends we usually buy a Rotisserie Chicken from the Deli
Strip the chicken off the bones. Dress it. Make stock with the bones  Waste not Want Not

In this part of the world it is heating up. The Pohutakawa trees are in Bloom
Summer is here. Not quite the Hazy, Lazy days yet but it's a start

 

The difference here is the dressing using White Miso and Tahini along with other basic Asian flavour, Citrus, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce. What more could one ask for

So you need

    4 slices bacon

    1 1½-inch piece ginger, peeled, cut into very thin matchsticks

    1 tablespoon soy sauce

    1 tablespoon tahini

    1 tablespoon white miso

    2 teaspoons fish sauce

    ¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

    Pinch of sugar

    4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

    1 large egg yolk

    ¾ cup vegetable oil, divided

    Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper 

    1 small rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

    1 head of green leaf lettuce, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick ribbons

    2 scallions, thinly sliced

    Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)
 

Cook bacon in a dry medium skillet over medium heat, turning slices occasionally, until brown and crisp, 5–8 minutes. 

Transfer to paper towels; let cool.


Cook ginger in a small saucepan of boiling water 1 minute. 

Drain ginger and rinse under cold water; set aside.


Whisk soy sauce, tahini, miso, fish sauce, sesame oil, sugar, 

and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.


 

Whisk egg yolk and remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine. 

Very gradually stream in ½ cup vegetable oil (almost drop by drop), whisking constantly until mayonnaise is emulsified and thick. 

Still whisking constantly, gradually add soy sauce mixture, then remaining ¼ cup oil. 

Thin dressing with a tablespoon or two of water if needed; 

you want it to be the consistency of heavy cream. 

Season with salt and pepper.



Toss chicken and ½ cup dressing in a large bowl to coat. 

Below Mise en Place Ready to serve

Add lettuce and another ½ cup dressing and toss again; season with salt and pepper. 

Crumble bacon over.


Transfer salad to a serving bowl or platter and drizzle another tablespoon or so of dressing over salad (you may have some left over). 

Top with scallions, sesame seeds, and reserved ginger.



Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.



Perfect for a Summers Day

Beef and Noodle Salad - Vietnamese Style

We have a new BBQ and already it has been well used
A beautiful piece of Scotch Filet was cooked up in the weekend and of course
there were leftovers
Also we have the garden
In fact to prove how fresh our cabbage is
It still has little slugs living in it

In amongst that Wilderness, there are loads of Cabbages and Kale

To be honest, I’m not that wrapped in Kale but it amazing what butter and garlic will do
I digress
So back to the Beef. 
We had mint, coriander  and chilies in the Fridge
A Vietnamese Beef Salad came to mind
What I love about this style of salads is the flavour, the freshness the crispness
All the food groups almost

If you wish to start from Fresh
This will feed 4-5

600 gms scotch Filet
A little oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper

Dressing
3 spring onions chopped
1 red chilli deseeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
6 tablespoons lime juice
6 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons soft brown sugar. I used coconut sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grated ginger

Rice or wheat noodle 50 gms per person

Cook  noodles according to manufacturers instruction
Drain, run under cold water and set aside
At this stage with kitchen scissors, cut the noodle into pieces easy to pick up

Salad
2 carrots grated
1/2 small cabbage
1/2 telegraph cucumber de-seeded and finely sliced
1/2 yellow pepper sliced
1/2 red pepper sliced
Handful of coriander leaves roughly chopped
Handful mint Leaves roughly chopped

Rub beef with a little oil and season well with salt and pepper
Cook to desired doneness
Preferably rare (not blue )
Slice across the grain and set aside
To make dressing
Place all ingredients in a jar with a screw top lid
Shake well


To Assemble
Place all vege into a large bowl
Place cooked and drained noodles on top
Then the beef
Drizzle the dressing over

Then get your hands in and toss it all well
That's the fun bit

Done
Serve
Just what the Doctor ordered...Fresh, Crisp, Delicious

Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds and Shaved Parmesan - Followed by Gingery Chicken Soup over Zucchini Noodles

Currently my flatmates are on the No Grain kick, of course, gives me a chance to hunt down food that is just not just plain old meat and vege.
 
So for our first dinner, we started with this delicious Celery Salad, peppered with Sweet Dates, Crunchy Toasted Almonds, shaved Parmesan, with a simple dressing of Lemon and beautiful Olive Oil.
Then we completed the meal with Gingery Chicken Soup over Zucchini Noodles

If you want the gluten option...serve with some Beautiful Fresh Crunchy Bread

For the Salad
½ cup raw almonds
8 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a diagonal, leaves separated
6 dates, pitted, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
60 gms Parmesan, shaved
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Preheat oven to 175C.
Spread out almonds on a small rimmed baking sheet;
toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.
Let cool; coarsely chop.

Toss almonds, celery, celery leaves, dates, and lemon juice in a medium bowl;
season with salt and pepper.
Add Parmesan and oil and toss gently; season with red pepper flakes.

So first course made
On to the main
Gingery Chicken Soup of Zucchini Noodles

To be honest I do like carbs with my meal but I also really enjoy any food and this tasty Noodle dish really hit the spot

 4 medium carrots, divided
 3 (3") pieces ginger, unpeeled
 1 Large whole chicken
 1 medium onion, unpeeled, cut into sixths
 3 celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces
 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  Handful of cilantro stems, plus leaves (for serving; optional)
  2 medium zucchini (about 10 ounces)
  2 teaspoons Sea salt, plus more
  3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
  Lime wedges (for serving; optional)

First make the Broth
Scrub 2 carrots and cut into 4 Cm pieces
Finely grate ginger to yield 1 tsp
Then thinly slice remaining ginger
Place chopped carrots, ginger slices, chicken, onion, celery, garlic
Peppercorns and coriander stems in stockpot
Fill with cold water to cover
Cover with lid and heat over high until mixture comes to boil
Lower heat and bring to a simmer

Cook, uncovered, skimming foam and fat from the surface occasionally
And reducing  heat if needed so mixture does not come to a boil,
until chicken is just cooked through
About 30 minutes

Using tongs, carefully transfer chicken into a large bowl and let cool slightly
About 15 minutes...so you can handle it
Remove meat from bones, discard skin
And return bones to pot

Continue to simmer until liquid is flavourful and reduced
Should take about 2 hours

Meanwhile shred chicken and set aside
When your broth is ready strain into a large bowl
Discard the vege and bones

You can do this ahead, in fact the day before
Just refrigerate the broth and chicken till you are ready to go
You should have about 8 cups of broth

Make noodles
Use the clever peeler which makes noodles out of vege

Or you can spiralize them
Or cut them into very fine noodles
This is what they should look like

Set aside
So to compete the Soup
Peel remaining carrots and slice into 1 cm slices on the bias
Return the broth to your stockpot
Bring to a simmer

Add carrots, shredded chicken, the reserved grated ginger
2 tsps sea salt and good grind of black pepper
And cook until carrots are tender.
5-7 minutes
Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary...


To serve place zucchini noodles in bowls
Ladle simmering soup over the noodles
And top with coriander leaves

Serve and if you have any limes
Offer them
That last touch of lime juice, Just lifts the completed soup

Chicken and Broccoli - Two Ways - Both Work

Last night I made a Chicken and Potato Salad for the kids and they loved it

I still had 2 chicken breasts left to cook
Plus in the fridge was
A head of Broccoli
A red and a yellow Capsicum
A shallot
A Cucumber
Bread and Butter Pickled Cucumbers
Loving the colouful food 
Mayonnaise (Make your own  It is so simple, particularly  if you use your blender)
click here to get the easy recipe
Here is the Mayo I made and the Bread and Butter Pickles
I love them and use them in so many ways
I like to use the vinegar to make the mayo, just lifts the Mayo and makes it special

Corn in the freezer
Pasta in the pantry

I can make something with these.
Rather than make a large salad, not good to have it hanging around too long
I decided to split the ingredients
Made a Salad and also a Pasta Bake

So first poach the chicken in chicken stock preferably Homemade
I quite often add some Vegeta Chicken Stock Powder
It’s an excellent flavour boost
Bring the stock to the boil
Add chicken breasts, make sure they are covered
Bring back to the boil, drop the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes
Put a lid on the pot and leave till it has cooled
Do this earlier in the day

Chicken will be perfectly poached
Set aside and cut into cubes

Reserve the stock

Meanwhile
Break the broccoli into florets and into boiling salted water
Cook for just a couple of minutes, Want to keep it lovely and green

Strain into a colander… Keeping the water to cook the Pasta
Run the broccoli under cold water to cool down, then drain

Bring the water back to the boil and add 3 cups of pasta shells
Cook till al dente about 8m minutes
Drain divide into 2

Chop the peppers
Finely chop the shallot,
De-seed the cucumber and chop, you need about 1/2 cup

Let’s make the salad first
Into a large bowl
Place Half of the broccoli, half the peppers and shallots
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
3-4 slices of Bread and Butter Pickles finely chopped

Half the cooked Pasta
1 cubed chicken breast

Big dollop of Mayonnaise

 Toss and let sit for about an hour for the flavours to meld

Now lets work on the Bake

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 cups Chicken stock

Melt the butter
Add the shallot and peppers
Season with S & P
Cook gently about 3-4 minutes to soften the vegetables

Add the flour
Cook about 3-4 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste
Add chicken stock

Whisk well and heat till it starts to simmer and thickens
Once again simmer, stirring so it doesn't form any lumps

Add the remainder of the Broccoli, Pasta. Chicken  and a cup of frozen corn

Place in baking dishes.
You can freeze it at this stage

When you are ready to eat it
Top with some breadcrumbs and cheese
Bake for about 25 minutes, till it is bubbling and golden on top

Perfect

Chicken, Avocado and Cabbage Salad #GrainFree

It's holiday time, and I had two wonderful weeks away with my family
First week was spent in Leigh, north of Auckland
An amazing view from the deck

Of course we all went shopping for food
The fridge was full

This was going to be an Almost Grain Free week
Some of us had toast for breakfast, others omlets
But generally the rest of day was without Grain.
I did a bit of research and found some interesting recipes
Making sure we were all satisfied
You might notice,. there was no shortage of alcohol
What is a holiday without wine?
Anyway I digress.
Paleo Pete has published this recipe of a Chicken Salad
I had a trial run on New Years Eve for my friends
Served it with my Herbed Rice, Tomato and Feta Dish

Click here for the recipe

1/2 a green cabbage, shredded
1 ripe avocado, stone removed, diced
1 roast chicken, removed from bones shredded or chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
A good handful mixed herbs, torn (tarragon, parsley and chervil)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons almonds, toasted and chopped

Roast the chicken have a look here for the best roast chicken

Or buy one from the supermarket, your choice

Place cabbage in a large bowl, add 1/2 the chopped herbs

Mash the avocado slightly to a creamy and slightly chunky texture
Add to the bowl with the roast chicken, olive oil and lemon juice 

Season well with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Give it a good toss through so the avocado dresses the salad evenly.
Cover and chill

When you are ready to serve
Lay salad out on a platter
Dress with almonds and extra herbs

It was very nice but in Leigh we changed the format
Used red cabbage
and served the salad without the chicken and served it separately

And to spice it and bulk it up, we made a salad of Roasted pumpkin, barbecued corn, with some spring onions and a French Dressing
Delicious
 More Grain Free recipes to follow