CHICKEN, CASHEW & CURRY PIZZA

I love making pizza on days & nights when I'm pressed for time. I do sometimes make my own pizza base, however the point of my recipes are to be fast, simple & easy so I often use wholemeal pita bread as a pizza base. The recipe below uses 2 larger Lebanese pita breads (around 80-85g each) to serve 4 (therefore 1/2 a pizza per person). If you are only able to find the 4 pack of smaller pita bread (around 45g in size), each serving would equal 1 pita bread and the quantities below would be split into quarters. This pizza was conjured out of thin air the other week and took on a random but delicious direction with the addition of baby spinach, spring onions and cashews. 

INGREDIENTS

• baking paper
• 500g chicken breast, preferably free-range, sliced into even 3-4cm pieces
• 1 heaped tablespoon curry powder 
• Optional- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 x Lebanese wholemeal pita breads (around 80-85g each)
• 1/4 cup lightly packed reduced-fat grated cheese
• a generous handful of baby spinach, washed & drained 
• 1/2 a small red onion, finely diced
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted cashews, either whole or roughly chopped 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. 

2. Place the chicken strips, curry powder, smoked paprika (if using), garlic, and olive oil in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook chicken, stirring constantly, until no pink flesh remains (this will take around 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken pieces are). Remove and cover to keep warm until the next step.  

3. Spread 1 tablespoon of tomato paste over each of the 2 breads. Next evenly distribute the cheese, red onion, baby spinach, cooked chicken, spring onion and cashews to each pita bread. 

3. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until the base browns and the cheese is melted. 

Serves / 4  

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN & NOODLE ASIAN SOUP

This recipe is adapted from Annabel Langbein's recipe 'Mushroom & Chicken Tom Yum'.  Langbein is a free-range cook and makes the most delicious meals using fresh and sustainable ingredients. What I love about this soup is that the broth is created without using any stock, so no sneaky salt is added. I love poaching chicken, as it is also much more tender than pan-fried chicken. A very simple soup loaded with protein and lots of vegetables. 

Ingredients

• 400g chicken breast, preferably free range, thinly sliced evenly
• 1 star anise 
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• the juice & zest of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 200g whole mushrooms, quartered
• 3 medium tomatoes (around 400g), diced
• 1 bunch pak choy, chopped
• 1 broccoli head, cut into even-sized florets and stalk chopped
• 90g soba noodles or 100g rice vermicelli noodles
• Optional - 1 spring onion, finely chopped, to serve 

Cooking 

1. Place the chicken breast in a large saucepan and cover completely with water (you will need around 9-10 cups to achieve this). Add the star anise, chilli, juice & zest of the lime, soy sauce, fish sauce, oil garlic and tomato paste and stir to combine. Bring to the boil over high heat, covered. Once boiled, simmer for 5 minutes, covered, then remove the chicken breast from the pan and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes. Discard the star anise. 

2. Change the stove to medium-high heat and add the mushrooms, tomatoes, pak choy and broccoli to the broth. Cook, covered, for 4 minutes, then add the noodles to the pan and stir well for 1-2 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Remove from the heat and add a generous amount of ground black pepper. Thinly slice the cooked chicken breast and add it to the broth. 

Divide the soup into 4 bowls and add spring onion, if desired. 

Serves / 4 
Total Preparation time / max 15 minutes 
Total Cooking time / max 25 minutes 

x Emily 

BROWN RICE, CHICKEN & CHINESE BROCCOLI

This is a very simple dish, inspired by my husband saying that he wanted 'chicken, brown rice and broccoli' for dinner. I had bought some Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) from a farmers market on the weekend which I absolutely love with oyster sauce and soy sauce. Gai lan has thick green stems and dark green leaves, both of which can be eaten. You can certainly fry the chicken breast with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil and 1 finely chopped garlic clove, however I prefer poaching chicken as it uses no oil and does not dry out, hence this is the method I used in the recipe below. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chicken breasts, even in size (around 450-500g in total)
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled & sliced 
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 head of broccoli, florets and stalk chopped into even pieces
• 1 bunch of Gai lan (Chinese broccoli), ends of stalks removed (these are too tough to eat) and stalks and leaves separated 
• Optional - 1/4 cup green shallots, finely chopped, to serve 

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sushi vinegar or mirin
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

COOKING 

1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water, add the chicken breasts, garlic and soy sauce. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. After this time turn off the stove and leave the chicken to sit for 5 minutes, before removing the chicken and placing it on a chopping board to cool for 5 minutes before shredding it. 

2. Meanwhile, add the brown rice to another medium or small saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil, covered. Reduce to a simmer, still covered, and cook for 15-18 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. 

3. Prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl or cup/mug. Add a few tablespoons of water to thin out the sauce and stir vigorously to remove any lumps. 

4. In a third saucepan (or if not available wait until the chicken or rice is finished to use that saucepan), fill with around 10cm of water and bring to the boil, covered. Once boiled add the gai lan stalks and the broccoli, as these take longer to cook than the leaves. When the stems have become bright green, or have been cooking for 2 minutes, add the leaves to the water and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the leaves are wilted. Remove from heat and drain the vegetables until cold water in a colander. Roughly chop the gai lan leaves. 

Combine the chicken, rice, sauce and vegetables in a large serving bowl, stirring well. Divide into 4 serving bowls and top with finely chopped green shallots, if desired. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / around 30 minutes 

x Emily 

QUINOA CHICKEN RICE PAPER ROLLS

A lovely friend of mine fed these rice paper rolls to me the other weekend and I have not been able to stop thinking of them since, therefore I made my own version of them. I love the twist Collette has put on this traditional light Vietnamese meal, by adding quinoa and oven baked pumpkin to pump up the fillings. You can use skinless bbq chicken if you prefer this to poaching chicken breast and can choose to leave out the quinoa if you want to make this meal more low-carb. If you are vegetarian add the quinoa and some thinly sliced avocado. This is a such a light, fresh lunch or dinner that I can see myself making it for many, many years to come. 

Ingredients

• baking paper 
• 300g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm pieces 
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 250g cooked chicken, skin removed or 250g chicken breast 
• 1/3 cup white quinoa
• 12 rice paper round sheets
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into thin sticks
• 2 generous handfuls of baby spinach or green lettuce
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• Optional- 2 handfuls of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• Dipping sauce - hoisin sauce or sweet chilli sauce 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Toss the pumpkin and oil in a medium bowl to combine, then place the pumpkin in a single layer on the tray. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.

2. If you are using cooked chicken, ignore this step. If you are not using cooked chicken, you will need to poach the chicken breast. Whilst the quinoa is cooking, place the chicken breast in a small to medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let the saucepan stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the poached chicken from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes before 'shredding' the chicken (I do this with 2 forks and pull in separate directions, as you would when 'pulling' pork). Discard the poaching liquid. 

3. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly, twice, with your hands and strain through a sieve. Bring the quinoa to boil in a small to medium saucepan over high heat with 1 cup water, covered. Once boiled, lower to a simmer and continue to cook, covered, until all the water is absorbed, around 6 minutes. 

4. Once the pumpkin, chicken and quinoa are cooked, pour boiling hot water into a medium bowl. Lay the rice paper sheets next to the water. Place your cool fillings; cucumber, lettuce, shallots, coriander (if using) on a plate next to your cooked fillings. You are now ready to make your rice paper rolls! 

5. Soften each rice paper sheet by individually dipping it in the water and rotating the sheet with your fingers for one rotation only; the paper will feel moderately wet but not completely softened. The consistently of the rice paper should be pliable and slightly tacky. Have a flat surface such as a large clean plate or your bench top to place the paper. Just work with one softened rice paper sheet at a time, as it is much less fiddly. 

6. To wrap - I use the Two End Method. Centre the ingredients vertically, using 1/12 of all of the above ingredients, and position them about 4cm from the lower edge of the rice paper. Bring the lower and upper edge of the paper up towards the filling, then roll up the rice paper from one side to the other (I roll from left to right) and seal. Continue until no ingredients and no rice paper sheets remain (the ingredients should make 12 rice paper rolls comfortably). 

Serve with one of the dipping sauces mentioned and enjoy. 

Makes / 12  / Serves 4 = 3 rice paper rolls each 
Total Prep & Cooking time / around 45 minutes 

x Emily 

GYOZA / JAPANESE DUMPLINGS

Gyoza are a favourite dish of my husbands'; he asks for them frequently. They require patience and time so I don't make them too often for him (and I don't want him to get too used to them!). My dumplings are nowhere near as expertly folded or presented as what you would receive at a Japanese restaurant, however the way I fold my gyoza is less fiddly and works well for me! Ps please note that wonton wrappers are not gluten-free and that different wonton pastry are different sizes. I prefer to buy wonton pastry from an Asian supermarket, as they are bigger than some of the pastry for sale at the supermarket. If buying pastry from the supermarket you may need to reduce the amount of mince mixture in each gyoza by 1 teaspoon. 

INGREDIENTS

Gyoza

• 500g lean pork, beef or chicken mince
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2-3 cm fresh ginger, grated
• 2 small carrots or 1 large, grated
• 1 cup wombok (chinese cabbage), finely shredded
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 1 egg, preferably free range, yolk & white separated
• 1 x 330g packet of wonton pastry 
• pastry brush
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

COOKING

1. Place the mince, onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, wombok, soy sauce  and the yolk of the egg in a large bowl. Stir well to combine. 

2. Place the wonton wrappers on a clean surface. (If you are working with wrappers that have been in the freezer and are thawing, cover the wrappers with a damp tea-towel so they do not dry out). Place 2 teaspoons of the mince mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Brush the edges with egg white and fold over to close. You can pleat the edges of the wrapper with your fingers to seal or you can do as I like to do and fold the edges over each other, overlapping the edges and making a kind of rectangle. Repeat this process until all wrappers have been used or until the filling has run out. (If you end up with extra filling, roll the mince into balls and make meatballs!). 

3. Bring a large frying pan or saucepan with around 5cm of water to the boil. Once boiled, add as many gyoza as will fit without overcrowding. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, cooking for 3 minutes. Remove the gyoza from the pan and continue this process until all gyoza is cooked. Remove the water from the pan and dry. 

4. Heat the olive oil in the same pan and swirl to coat. Cook the gyoza on just one side, for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Place the fried gyoza on paper towel to absorb the oil and continue this process until all gyoza are lightly fried. 

Serve alone or alongside a dipping sauce; I often eat these as is as they are so delicious! 

Serves / 4 as a main / 8 as an entree 
Total Preparation time / 30 - 40 minutes 
Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes

x Emily 

OMELETTE with CHICKEN & GREENS

A large portion of the recipes I make up come from experiences I have eating out. I had a delicious Asian Chicken Omelette at a Brisbane cafe recently which is where the inspiration for this versatile lunch or dinner omelette comes from. You can make each omelette individually, so that each serving has their own omelette (which is very cute) or you can make one big omelette in a large frying pan and then divide it into four even portions. You could make this omelette vegetarian by omitting the chicken and adding more vegetables, such as carrot, wombok (Chinese cabbage) and / or Chinese greens, such as buk choy and pak choy. 

Ingredients

• 500g chicken breast, preferably free-range, fat trimmed and cut into small even pieces 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 8 eggs, preferably free-range
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce 
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup water 
• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 150g green beans, trimmed and cut into small even pieces
• 1 head of broccoli, stalk and florets cut into small pieces
• Optional- a handful of fresh coriander leaves, to serve 
• Optional- 1 extra spring onion, finely chopped 

Cooking

1. Combine the chicken, garlic, ginger and oyster sauce in a medium bowl. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 10 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, make the omelettes. Whisk 2 eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1/4 of the spring onions in a tall glass.  Heat a medium frypan over medium-low heat and add 1/2 teaspoon oil. Swirl to coat the pan then pour in the egg mixture. Cook for around 2 minutes on the first side or until the egg is almost set on one side. You can either flip the omelette in half so that it overlaps or you can flip the entire omelette over, however the latter method is quite tricky! Cook the omelette on the second side for only 1 minute or until set. Remove from heat and place each individual omelette on a serving plate. Continue this process until all four omelettes are cooked. 

3. Once the omelettes are cooked, heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in the fry pan over medium-low heat and swirl to coat. Add the marinated chicken and cook for around five minutes, stirring often, or until the chicken is cooked (the test: the middle of the largest piece of chicken is white, not pink). Remove the cooked chicken from the stove and divide evenly between the four plates, keeping the chicken liquids in the pan. Place on top of each omelette or to the side. 

4. Add the beans and broccoli to the pan and cook, covered, over medium-low heat for around 4-5 minutes or until the broccoli is just starting to become tender (the test: you can slide a fork into the stalk of the biggest broccoli floret and encounter just a little resistance). Remove from the heat and divide the cooked vegetables evenly between the four plates. Place the vegetables on  top of each omelette or to the side. 

Serve warm, topped with extra spring onions and/or coriander, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / max 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN OR TOFU STIRFRY with GREENS & CASHEWS

I love adding nuts to stirfries, as they add so much texture and flavour. I feel the same way about lemongrass, but I have to be careful to sneakily put this ingredient in, as my husband hates it! If you have a family member who feels this way about lemongrass too, omit it from the dish, as you will have enough flavour with the oyster sauce, ginger and garlic. Feel free to use tofu if you are vegetarian or not feeling the chicken as it is a great substitute. 

INGREDIENTS 

• 500g chicken breast, cut into even sized pieces or 500g firm tofu, cut into even strips 
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 
• 3cm fresh ginger, grated 
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch pak choy, roughly chopped 
• 1 head of broccoli, including the stalk, cut into florets
• 10cm fresh stick of lemongrass, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted cashews, even whole or roughly chopped

COOKING 

1. Combine the chicken strips or tofu, oyster sauce, ginger and garlic in a medium bowl and toss well. Heat a medium to large frying pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil, swirling to coat the pan. Add the chicken, stirring constantly, until the chicken colours and no pink flesh remains. If cooking tofu, arrange the strips in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes each side or until slightly golden. Take care when flipping the tofu to not break it. 

2. Remove the chicken or tofu from the pan when it has cooked and cover to keep warm, placing in a large serving bowl. Adjust the heat to medium-low and add the spring onion, pak choy, broccoli florets and lemongrass. Stir fry for 4 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender but not mushy. Add the cashews and stir-fry for one minute, just until heated through. 

4. Remove the vegetables from the pan and add to the chicken or tofu in the serving bowl. Toss well to combine. 

Serves / 4
Total Preparation time / 10-15 minutes 
Total Cooking time / around 15 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN SATAY SKEWERS with ZESTY BEAN SALAD

Do not be discouraged from making these skewers due to the several hours of marinating as this time is needed to give the satay sticks an intense flavour. It is hard to determine if the essence of lime or peanut butter is more dominant, as each bite of chicken delights your taste buds with a slightly different flavour from the previous morsel. The zesty salad tastes incredibly healthy and fresh and is a great accompaniment to the chicken satay or other main meals that need a side salad. One important note re the salad dressing: do not scrap on the lemon juice and use from a bottle as it tastes much more zesty freshly squeezed! The salad dressing is a knockoff from my dad: he loves to make his own dressing. 

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Satay Skewers

• 500g chicken breast, cut into 3cm cubes
• 2 tablespoons smooth reduced-fat peanut butter
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
• baking paper 

Zesty Bean Salad

• 2 handfuls of mixed lettuce, washed & drained
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini or butter beans, washed & drained
• 1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes (around 230g), cut into wedges
• 40g reduced-fat feta, crumbled 
• Optional- 2 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

COOKING 

1. Combine the chicken, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir ingredients together well (the peanut butter needs some extra stirring to combine with the other ingredients). Leave to marinate in the fridge for eight hours. 

2. Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. (This is so the skewers do not split in the oven). 

3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a medium to large baking tray with baking paper. After the chicken has marinated, thread the chicken onto the soaked skewers on the prepared tray, taking care to thread even amounts of chicken onto each of the eight skewers. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, flipping the sticks over at the five minute mark. After this time check that the chicken is cooked by removing it from the oven, leaving for a few minutes, then cutting into the biggest cube of chicken and checking that the flesh is white and no longer pink). 

4. Whilst the skewers are cooking, combine the lettuce, beans, red onion, tomatoes, feta and basil/parsley (if using) in a serving bowl and toss well. 

5. Whisk together the garlic, mustard, oil, lemon juice and a pinch of pepper until combined. Add a splash of water if you would like to make the dressing a little thinner in consistency (I like to!). Drizzle on top of the salad and toss. 

Serve 2 skewers per plate with a serving of salad 

Serves 4 / 2 skewers each & a quarter of salad 

Preparation time / 10 minutes, plus 8 hours marinating time

Cooking time / 10 minutes

x Emily 

CORN, CHICKPEA & CHICKEN SALAD

I fed this salad to my dad and myself after we had spent a gruelling few hours in my garden on a hot day, as I wanted to pump us full of protein! Hence the chicken and the chickpeas. You can get creative with this corn salad and use different meat, such as turkey or ham and/or toss other vegetables in to the mix; capsicum, beans, tomatoes, herbs, etc.  To me, this is a perfect summer salad! If you have a bbq or a grill plate take the opportunity to grill your corn cobs, as they taste superb. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g chicken breasts, fat removed and cut into even 5cm strips
• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, washed & drained
• 1 small red onion, cut into thin strips
• 1 large or 2 small ripe avocado/s, diced into small pieces & combined with a few teaspoons of lemon juice 
• 40g feta cheese, crumbled 
• 2 generous handfuls baby spinach or mixed lettuce
• 2 medium corn cobs, cut in half and ends removed 
• 200g mango pieces 

COOKING 

1. Cook the corn by bringing a medium saucepan of water to the boil, covered. Once boiled add the corn and steam for 4 minutes or until the kernels are just tender. 

2. Remove the kernels by standing the cooked corn round on its end and using a sharp knife to run down the length of the round. Place in a large serving bowl. Add the chickpeas, red onion, avocado, feta, lettuce/spinach and mango pieces (or leave the mango separate as the photo shows).  

3. Toss the chicken strips with the oil. Heat a grill plate or a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the chicken until grill marks appear or until the chicken is golden in colour. 

Add the chicken strips to the salad bowl, tossing well to combine or leave separate as the photo shows. Serve warm or cold. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

x Emily 

SPICY CHICKEN & BLACK BEAN SALAD

I don't often like to use tinned foods, however using cooked black beans saves me 45-60 minutes of cooking, which is super valuable time that I need and I am sure all of you out there really need! Having cooked black beans from scratch several times before, I must admit that you can not even tell the difference between canned and the real raw deal. This chicken tastes (and looks!) amazing cooked on a grill plate, but a regular pan will do just fine if you do not have such equipment in your kitchen (although my advice would be to acquire one! They are usually very cheap and are so useful for grilled all types of meat and vegetables without having the hassle of having to use your bbq!). If you have a lemon on hand, squeeze some of the juice on top of the diced avocado and toss gently; this will keep the avocado from turning brown. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
• 1/2 - 1 packet taco seasoning (30g) (depending on how spicy you want the dish)
• 500g chicken breast fillets, preferably free range, diced into even 4cm pieces 
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach or mixed lettuce, washed & drained 
• 1 x 400g tin cooked black beans, rinsed & drained 
• 1 x 250g punnet of cherry tomatoes, finely diced 
• 1 ripe avocado, diced and tossed with a dash of fresh lemon juice
• Optional - 1/4 cup fresh chives and or coriander, roughly chopped
• Lemon juice

COOKING 

1. Prepare chicken by tossing together chicken pieces, taco seasoning and rice bran oil in a medium bowl.

2. Heat a medium frying pan or grill plate over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is golden or until grill marks form if using a grill. Remove from heat. 

3. Place the baby spinach or lettuce in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked chicken, black beans, tomatoes, lemony avocado and chives and/or coriander, if desired, to the bowl. Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice and black pepper on top if you desire. Toss gently and serve warm.

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

CHICKEN SOUP

Chicken soup; good for the soul and for those hard-to-shake winter sniffles.  Its been such a windy week that soup was a must this Sunday night. Another reason for a nutritious soup; I attended an amazing hens party last night which included the works: great company, a stripper and mountains of junk food and alcohol. I woke up feeling hungover from chocolate, cheese and a delectable coconut, raspberry and lime cake. So a vegetable packed soup was greatly needed for dinner tonight. As this soup serves 4-6, myself and my husband can eat this for the next days and will hopefully stay away from those nasty winter flus that are going around. If you want to make this soup vegetarian, skip the poaching step and instead add all the ingredients to the saucepan including a 400g tin of chickpeas and a 400g tin of lentils, rinsed and drained. Cook for the same amount of time as you do the vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g free-range chicken breast, fat removed 
• 1/2 medium red chilli, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ground black pepper
• 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme and/or parsley 
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken salt-reduced stock 
• 2 medium carrots, cut into even cubes
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into even cubes 
• 300g pumpkin, cut into even cubes
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

COOKING 

1. Place the chicken breasts, chilli, garlic, pepper, thyme and/or parsley, stock and 7 cups of water in a large deep saucepan and cover well with water. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let the saucepan stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the poached chicken from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes before 'shredding' the chicken (I do this with 2 forks and pull in separate directions, as you would when 'pulling' pork). 

2. Whilst the chicken is poaching cut up all the vegetables. Once the chicken has been removed from the saucepan add the carrot, zucchini and pumpkin to the poaching liquid and bring to the boil. Lower to a medium simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and remove the sprigs of thyme and/or parsley. Stir the fresh 1/2 cup of parsley into the soup and sprinkle some extra ground black pepper, if desired. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4-6 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes

Total Cooking time / approx. 40 minutes 

x Emily 

ZUCCHINI PASTA with GRILLED CHICKEN

My beautiful friend surprised me last year with a fruit & vegetable twister-processing device, after we had attended a raw cooking class and saw one of these babies in action. You can make anything into spaghetti with these nifty circular devices. The best news is that whilst they may cost up to $80 to buy in a store, they are only around $8 on ebay or on selective websites. I have used mine on several occasions, the majority being to create extremely healthy zucchini pasta. These twisting devices are quite simple to use, however if I give you one tip it is to be patient when starting out for the first time. Make sure you buy smaller zucchinis as the bigger ones will not fit into the device and halving the zucchinis will not result in nice-looking pasta. Do not try to jam the vegetable up in the cylinder or the twisting just will not happen (guilty). This zucchini pasta tricks both my and my husband's minds into thinking that we are eating actual pasta! and that's saying something as we loveeeee the real deal. If you are vegetarian, substitute the chicken for some steamed broccoli, some toasted nuts or if you are pescetarian prawns go great with this! 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 small to medium zucchini, ends removed and cut into half
• sea salt
• 250-300g free range chicken breast or thighs, cut into small, even pieces
• 1 heaped teaspoon miso paste
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• the juice of 1 medium lime
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 a medium ripe avocado, diced
• Optional- a handful of fresh coriander, shallots and/or chives, finely chopped
• Equipment- a twister fruit & vegetable processing device (I used the device above) or a vegetable spiraliser or two-bladed Julianne peeler. 

PREPARATION & COOKING

1. Combine the chicken pieces, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons water and miso paste in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine, adding more water if the paste does not mix well with the chicken. Place in the refrigerator to marinade whilst you prepare the pasta. 

2. Twist the zucchini through the twister device, one half at a time and let the noodles fall into a large bowl. When all the zucchini has been made into noodles lay them out on an absorbent paper towel or tea towel. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of sea salt and leave for a few minutes whilst you grill/fry the chicken. This will give the salt time to absorb some of the water from the zucchini so you are not serving watery noodles. 

3. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Heat a grill plate or medium frying pan over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until all the chicken is cooked. Remove from heat.  

Optional step: Once the chicken has been removed from the pan, dry fry the zucchini pasta gently for a few minutes, just to warm them up and improve the texture. This is optional, but I find I prefer the noodles very lightly fried. 

4. Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, sesame seeds and a tablespoon of water in a small jug or bowl. Stir to combine and taste, adding more water if it is too tart for you. Place the noodles, chicken or extra vegetables, tomato, avocado and herbs (if using) in a medium bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top. Divide into two bowls.  

Serves / 2

Total Preparation time (inc. making the noodles) 20 -25 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN BURRITO BOWL

I love going out for meals, as I love trying to recreate the dishes I order at home. This creation was based on a Chicken Burrito Bowl I had at Salsa's. Low in carbs & fat and high in veges and protein, this lunch filled me up for hours. If pressed for time like I was, shred a free-range cooked chicken including the skin. You can also cook and shred chicken breast by poaching; the link to my recipe for poaching is below. Add whatever vegetables you have on hand and for vegetarians you could substitute the chicken for a type of bean, such as  black beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, etc. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed under cold running water twice
• 500g free range chicken breast or 500g cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil
• 1 large broccoli head, cut into small florets & stalk chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, roughly cubed
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 medium green capsicum, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Place the rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 8-10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave the quinoa for 5 minutes, covered, then fluff with a fork. 

2. Meanwhile, either poach the chicken breast or shred your pre-cooked chicken. If poaching follow step 1 on this link: http://soulfulsandwiches.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/poached-shredded-pulled-chicken-with.html. Omit the ginger and thyme but do add the 2 garlic cloves. 

3. Meanwhile, combine the capsicum, tomato and spring onion in a medium bowl and toss well. 

4. Heat a large deep fry pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot add the broccoli. Stir well and cover for 3 minutes, before adding the zucchini and taco seasoning, stirring well and covering again for 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli and zucchini are just tender. NB: If the vegetables start to stick to the pan add a splash of water. 

5. Once the vegetables are cooked turn the heat to low, add the cooked quinoa and the shredded chicken to the pan and toss well to combine. Season to taste. 

Divide into six servings and top with the capsicum, tomato and spring onion mixture. 

Serves / 6 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes w/cooked chicken / 35 if poaching chicken 

x Emily 

RAMEN NOODLES with a PEANUT SAUCE

This recipe was created early last week, when I was desperately craving peanut butter. I've had peanut butter in stir fries before, however I often find it super rich and fatty. After some researching online I created my own with the use of some beautiful Mrs Flannery's all natural peanut butter. I felt like tofu in my dinner, however I knew my fiancee would turn up his nose at the no meat factor, hence the chicken addition. You can make this recipe with either tofu, chicken or half each quantity and combine both. Just a tip for preparing tofu; if you purchase a water based tofu you will need to dry it out and press it- if you have the time. I chose to just dry my tofu out, due to time restrictions yesterday. Here is a great link that explains how to dry and press tofu: http://www.veggiebelly.com/2011/04/how-to-press-tofu.html 

Ingredients

• 270g ramen noodles 
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 
• 450g free range chicken breast, cut into even strips or 350g firm tofu, cut into even rectangular pieces 
• 2 tablespoons green shallots, plus extra to serve 
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 x 400g tin light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup organic or all natural peanut butter 
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into even-sized florets and stalk chopped
• 1/4 wombok (chinese cabbage), shredded 
• 250g carrots (3 medium), cut into even rounds 

Cooking 

1. Bring a large saucepan filled with around 10 centimetres of water to the boil. Once boiled, add the ramen noodles to the water and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Remove from the stove and drain under cold water. 

2. Meanwhile, heat a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and add the sesame oil, swirling to coat the pan. Cook either the chicken or the tofu pieces or half of each serving for around 6 minutes or until just cooked. Stir the chicken often until it is lightly golden in colour. For the tofu- flip each piece only once, cooking for around 3 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second side. Remove the chicken / tofu from the pan and place in a bowl. 

3. Add the shallots to the pan and the lime juice, stirring for a few seconds. Next add the coconut milk and stir for 2 minutes, making sure that the liquid does not boil by continually stirring and keeping the heat at a medium range.

4. Next, add the peanut butter to the pan and stir until the mixture is smooth and not lumpy. This should take a few minutes. Once smooth, add the broccoli to the pan and stir well to cover the broccoli with the sauce before covering the pan. Cook for 4 minutes or until a fork can slide through the broccoli stalks with a little bit of resistance. Add the wombok and carrot to the pan and toss well to combine all ingredients, then cover the pan for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 

5. Lastly, add the cooked chicken and /or tofu and the noodles to the pan and stir all ingredients together. 

Serve warm, with extra shallots sprinkled on top, if desired. 

Serves /  6 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes

x Emily 

CHICKEN SALAD with ZESTY DIJON DRESSING

This recipe was initially going to be a Quinoa salad dish, however I wanted something light for a light dinner and decided to leave out the quinoa carbs. You could use whatever raw vegetables you have on hand, such as capsicum, cabbage, shallots, the list goes on. I like adding lentils or legumes to my salads for an additional hit of protein. As you may have realised with the ingredients in my recipes, I do not prescribe to the Paleo way of eating and think that eating lentils, legumes and grains is very important for my health.  You can also add a touch of crumbled feta or toasted almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to this salad for more texture and flavour. Look back at my Poaching Chicken recipe for steps on how to poach correctly or if pressed for time, buy a free range cooked chicken! The zesty dijon mustard is a favourite of mine, as it is filled with flavour and is low in calories- try to use apple cider vinegar as it contains less sugar than other vinegars. 

INGREDIENTS

• 300g cooked chicken breast, shredded 
• 150g green beans, trimmed & roughly chopped
• 2 generous handful of baby spinach
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils, rinsed & drained 
• 100g carrot, grated 
• 1 Lebanese cucumber or 1/2 continental cucumber, diced 
• 1 small to medium ripe avocado, diced 
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh chives / basil / parsley, finely chopped 
• a generous amount of ground black pepper 

Zesty Dijon Dressing

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or minced 
• 1 heaped tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• ground black pepper 

COOKING 

1. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss well to combine. 

2. Make the salad dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring with a fork to combine. If the salad dressing is too thick, try adding a little extra water. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily