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 

TURKEY & VEGETABLE PIZZA

In addition to being quite healthy, I think that making miniature pizzas is rather fun! You can add any ingredients that you know to be healthy and low-fat (for example chorizo would not make the list, but mushrooms and tomatoes would), chop them up and bake them for 10-12 minutes. Just remember that when it comes to pizza, less toppings is always more! Coeliacs could substitute pita bread for a gluten-free wrap as a base or a small gluten-free pizza base. Vegetarians can omit the turkey and add more vegetables. If you are making this dish after a long, draining day at work and don’t feel like being creative, use my combination of  toppings, as they are delicious. Be mindful that portion sizes are very important, therefore try to stop yourself at ONE pizza. 

INGREDIENTS

• baking paper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 4 small whole wheat pita breads (45g each) 
• 120g sliced turkey, roughly shredded
• 60-80g red onion, finely diced
• 1 small red capsicum, finely diced
• 1 x 400g tin of artichokes, rinsed, drained & roughly chopped 
• 1 teaspoon of reduced-fat grated cheese for each pita bread 
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped 

COOKING 

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

2. Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over each of the pita breads. Then evenly distribute the turkey, red onion, capsicum and artichokes to each pita bread. Top with cheese and oregano. 

3. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until the base browns to your liking. 

Serves / 4  / 1 pita pizza per serving 
Total Preparation time / max 10 minutes 
Total Cooking time / around 15 minutes 

x Emily 

SALMON and VEGETABLE MUFFINS

I've finally found a way for myself to enjoy salmon! I really hate that I cannot stand salmon fillets, as I know how healthy they are for me. After eating red salmon in a sandwich that a lovely friend's mum made for me a while back, I realised that I didn't mind salmon in a tin! I figure that if I start eating salmon in these muffins I will be able to gradually work my way towards salmon fillets! I eat these with a side salad for a light dinner. You can top the muffins with extra herbs and a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream, if desired. 

INGREDIENTS

• extra virgin olive oil spray or 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 eggs, preferably free-range
• 1 can (210g) red salmon, drained, flaked & any bones removed
• 1/4 cup reduced fat cows milk (or if intolerant/allergic to dairy substitute for lactose-free, soy or unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/4 cup water 
• 1/2 red or green capsicum, deseed and finely chopped
• a generous handful of baby spinach, chopped
• a small handful of dill and / or parsley, finely chopped
• 30g reduced fat feta, crumbled
• a generous amount of ground black pepper

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees. Spray or brush all holes of a 12 standard muffin tray. 

2. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl, then add the salmon, milk, water, capsicum, spinach, herb/s, feta and pepper. Mix well to combine and add more water if the mixture is too thick for your liking. 

3. Pour the salmon & egg mixture into the prepared muffin holes. I like to make big muffins, therefore I usually make around 9 muffins. If you want to make 12 muffins, pour a little less into each muffin hole. 

4. Bake for around 25 minutes or until egg is just set and golden. Remove warm, topped with extra herbs, if desired. 

Makes / 9 

Total Preparation time / under 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 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 

WARM STEAK SALAD SANDWICH

This steak salad sandwich idea came about whilst I was browsing an issue of Super Food Ideas several years ago. I love the idea that a steak sandwich can become a salad and can be eaten at dinner time without any judgement. If you are not prepared to cook your own beetroot do not use the tinned beetroot as there is so much sugar in those slices! I've listed how to cook the beetroot to make it easy, however if in a rush leave it out or cook it before that night; for example I roasted my beetroot on Sunday and used it on Tuesday. Roasting a beetroot is so simple: you let the oven do the work for 25-30 minutes and you can use this time to get the salad ready. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium beetroot, peeled, ends trimmed and cut into half 
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 400g lean eye fillet steak, cut into small even strips
• a generous handful of baby spinach leaves and/or mixed lettuce leaves, washed and drained
• 2 large tomatoes, washed and cut into wedges
• 1/2 a continental cucumber, cut into slices 
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into small pieces
• 2 slices of wholemeal or multigrain bread (or gluten-free if intolerant), toasted and torn into little pieces
• 30g of grated reduced-fat cheese 

Dressing

• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• ground black pepper

COOKING 

1. *NB: Skip this step if you are not using beetroot. 
Preheat a 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 minutes, then slice beetroot into thin wedges. 

2. *Either perform this step once the beetroot has just been removed from the oven or start with this step. 
Heat a medium frying pan over low-medium heat, adding the oil and swirling to coat. When the pan is hot add the beef and cook, tossing often, for around 5 minutes or until the beef is cooked & browned to your liking. Remove from heat. 

3. Whilst the beetroot and/or beef is cooking, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and stirring well. 

2. Combine the baby spinach/lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, torn bread pieces, cheese and cooked beetroot in a large serving bowl. Add cooked beef to the bowl and toss well to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / around 40 minutes if cooking the beetroot / less if not 

x Emily 

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

I greatly enjoy making dips myself, as I then know exactly what ingredients go into them. Store bought Hummus can often be disguised as a healthy dip, but the huge quantities of oil and preservatives added to it can be very scary. In addition dips always taste so much better when they are made out of your own kitchen. This is one of my go-to dips when I have friends coming over or when I am asked to bring snacks somewhere. 

Ingredients

• 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon tahini paste 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• the juice of 1/2 a small lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• Optional - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 

Preparation

1. Place all the ingredients except for the oil in a blender or food processor and blend/process for a few minutes or until all the ingredients are combined. You may need to stop the machine a few times to scrape the mixture from the sides so that it all mixes evenly. Slowly pour in the oil whilst the blender/processor stays on. If the hummus is not smooth in consistency after adding 2 tablespoons olive oil you may add a 3rd and/or add more lemon juice. 

Serve the hummus alongside sliced raw vegetables, such as carrot, capsicum, celery, cucumber, zucchini, etc. 

TURKEY & POTATO SALAD

Summer has almost come to Brisbane! Time to crowd the beaches, work on our tans and host Sunday afternoon bbq’s.  Time, as well, for many of us to change our palates. I don’t know about you, but if the temperature outside is above 30 degrees, I cannot stomach hot food very well. All my meals have to be refrigerated and take on the form of ‘salads’. Simple to prepare, this turkey & potato salad would make an excellent dish for a lazy bbq on a Sunday afternoon.

INGREDIENTS 

• 550g (1 large) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 400g turkey breast/fillet, cut into even 3-4cm pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• the juice of 1 lemon 
• 150g pickles, roughly chopped 
• 1-2 handful/s of fresh spring onions, chives, parsley and/or coriander, finely chopped 
• 40g reduced-fat feta, crumbled

COOKING 

1. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan half filled with water and bring to the boil. Boil for around 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender but not mushy. Drain well in a colander over cold running water. 

2. Whilst the potatoes are cooling, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium to large frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, then add the turkey. Cook, stirring often for around 6 minutes or until all pieces are coloured and no pink flesh remains. Turn off the heat and leave the turkey in the pan, covered, to rest for 5 minutes. 

3. Stir the remaining teaspoon of oil, lemon juice, ground paprika and a splash of water in a small bowl or cup. 

4. Place the potato in a large serving bowl and add the turkey, pickles, fresh herb/s, feta and a generous pinch of ground black pepper. Drizzle the dressing from step 3 over the top and divide into four bowls. 

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

x Emily