CURRY CHICKEN SALAD

Even though the Brisbane air is super hot, I am missing the cooler weather. Hence this curry salad was created. Perhaps this year I did not treat myself to enough homemade curries as I found myself missing curry spices last week. This salad is my protein champion, with chicken and egg taking centre stage. A tip: try to eat immediately as the salad is not nearly as nice the next day!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g free range chicken breast, cut into even-sized 4cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 large continental cucumber, grated
• 1/2 large carrot, peeled & grated
• 100-125g four leaf lettuce 
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• the juice of 1/2 a lime
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced
• sea salt 

COOKING 

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the garlic and stir for one minute. Add the chicken and curry powder to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked (that is, no pink flesh remains; you can test this by cutting the biggest piece of chicken you can find in the pan in half). Remove the pan from the stove and cover, to keep warm. 

2. Prepare the rest of the salad by combining the cucumber, carrot, lettuce, basil leaves and cooked chicken in a large bowl and tossing together. Add the juice of the lime to the bowl and toss again. Add the slices of egg on top of the salad, sprinkle salt over the egg and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x Emily 

BEETROOT DIP WITH SPICES

I live for Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons when I can indulge in dip and crackers and a nice glass of white wine. My friends and I used to gather on a weekly or fortnightly basis to spoil ourselves with these treats, but this ceased as we got busier and busier and time seemed to slip away. I hope that with writing this post I can put back into the universe that we reinstate these afternoons / evenings again. There is nothing tastier than homemade dip. Supermarket processed guacamole, hummus and tzatziki pale in comparison. I have wanted to make my own beetroot dip for a long time as being Russian beetroot is one of my major food groups. Adding the caraway seeds, cumin and coriander added a beautiful spicy quality. Caraway seeds taste similar to aniseed or fennel and have almost a liquorice flavour about them. You can use any spices you like for making beetroot dip, but lemon juice and yoghurt are a must. Try experimenting with ground fennel or fennel seeds, tarragon and/or black pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large fresh beetroot, peeled & cut in half 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 cup 99% fat free natural yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

COOKING 

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius and wrap the beetroot halves in foil. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until beetroot is tender (that is, you can slice the beetroot with a knife easily). Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice beetroot into small pieces.

2. Meanwhile, dry fry the caraway seeds and garlic in a small frying pan (That is, do not add any oil to the pan) for 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and seeds have darkened slightly in colour. 

3. Place beetroot pieces, caraway seeds, garlic, cumin, coriander, lemon juice and yoghurt in a blender or food processor. Blend/process ingredients until smooth and no lumps of beetroot remain (this should only take 30 seconds or so). 

Serve dip with crackers. 

Serve as a snack
Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 45 minutes 

x E

BLACK BEAN TACO BAKE

I’ve gone crazy for black beans recently. I’m so glad they have come in my life as they are fast becoming my substitute for rice or other grains. Today’s dinner was a dish I invented whilst walking my little puppy Buddy this afternoon. I suppose it’s similar to nachos. Whilst the recipe does seem detailed and time-consuming, there are a few shortcuts that you can take- for example, you can buy already cooked black beans instead of soaking them for 4 hours first and then cooking for 30 minutes. You can buy pre-made taco seasoning if you do have the spices to make your own. You can add cheese and/or light sour cream if you do not have a dairy allergy, however this does increase the calories. One tip- keep an eye on the oven as the taco shells do crumble quickly and can become mashed. Do not watch sex and the city and leave them for a whole episode- whoops!

INGREDIENTS


Filling

• 8-10 jumbo tacos, roughly torn 
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium green capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 x 800g tin diced tomatoes 
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• coconut oil, liquid form
• 1 cup black beans (either raw black beans or 400g tin cooked black beans)
• 3 cups vegetable stock 
• Optional- light grated cheese
• Optional- a few slices of gluten free ham, finely torn

Taco seasoning 

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 sea salt 

Guacamole

• 1 ripe avocado, 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• sea salt to season

COOKING 

1. If using raw black beans, soak in a large saucepan overnight or for at least 4 hours, making sure that there is three times as much water as beans. After soaking, drain well. (If you are using already cooked black beans, skip step 1 & 2). 

2. Heat 3 cups vegetable stock in a medium saucepan with the black beans. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are cooked and tender. Remove from heat and drain. (Tip- taste 4-5 beans to make sure that they are all tender). 

3. Whilst performing step 1 & 2, preheat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a deep overproof pan with coconut oil. Add torn taco shells, tomatoes, red onion, ham and capsicum. Make taco seasoning or use pre-made taco seasoning. Combine taco seasoning with drained black beans and toss to combine. Pour beans over the vegetable mixture and toss well. Sprinkle cheese over the top, if not dairy intolerant. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then serve with homemade guacamole and shallots sprinkled on top. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 4 hrs 30 minutes (if cooking black beans from scratch) / 30 minutes

Total Cooking time / cooking black beans from scratch - 50-55 minutes / already prepared black beans - 20-25 minutes

x E