Yummy Mango Chicken

PHOTO TO FOLLOW

This delicious sweet yet piquant dish is so easy to make, and perfect served with fragranced rice, such as Jasmine.

Peppadew peppers are available in jars in most supermarkets.


Ingredients

1 large mango
10  Peppadew peppers  (reserve 3 for garnish)
3 tbsp mango chutney
100g  Greek style yoghurt
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
½ lemon, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp honey
 Fresh coriander

Method

Peel and dice mango.  Place 3/4 of diced mango along with all other ingredients (except chicken, coriander, honey and oil) and blitz until smooth.

Slice chicken into thin strips.

Add oil to pan and heat, add chicken and honey.  Pan fry until browned and cooked.

Add mango sauce, and heat until sauce has thickened.  

Add remaining mango chunks.

Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with the 3 remaining peppadew peppers (thinly sliced), and some chopped coriander.

Creamy Leek & Potato Soup

Autumn is certainly letting us know its arrived, the wind and the rain are howling round my house this evening. Perfect weather for soup.    This thick creamy soup is delicious served with warm fresh crusty bread and couldnt be simpler to make.  I find that this is nicer made the day before and reheated when required.  Ensure you refrigerate as it contains cream.   I have added bacon for flavour, but its not necessary and can be left out.

Ingredients


4 large potatoes (6 medium ones, 10 small ones...you get the picture), diced
1 pint of chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium onion, chopped finely
4 slices streaky bacon (chopped)

284 ml cream (can use any kind for this as its not used to thicken the soup...whipping is lowest fat)
1 medium leek, chopped finely
Salt & Pepper
Splash of olive oil.

Method

Pour olive oil into saucepan and heat, add bacon and cook until crispy (3 - 4 minutes),

Remove bacon and set aside

Saute onion in bacon juice until soft

Add leeks and saute for 3 minutes

Add potatoes and stock, bring to boil.  Simmer until all ingredients are soft

Blitz with hand blender or in food processor.

Add cream, and crispy bacon

Serve (reheat if necessary)

Belgian Waffle dessert

This is simply heaven on a plate.  And so quick and easy to make.  

Ingredients


Belgian waffles - 1 per person
Fresh strawberries, finely chopped
Best quality vanilla icecream (Carte d'or is amazing)
White chocolate


Heat waffles according to instructions

Heat white chocolate in microwave (check every 10 seconds), until melted.

Remove heated waffles, place strawberries on top.   Place ice cream on top of that (or at side) and drizzle heated white chocolate all over!   

The chocolate will set very quickly with the coolness from the icecream.

Delish!!!

Pineapple Salsa

This salsa epitomises summer for me.   So easy to make and tastes excellent with fish or with a salad or homemade jalapeno burgers.   Tastes better if made early in the day, and eaten later to allow flavours to fuse together.  


Ingredients


Half fresh pineapple (can use tinned if thats all you have, but buy the rings not the chunks)
1 red pepper
1 small red chilli pepper
1 small red onion
handful fresh mint
handful fresh coriander
Juice of 1/2 lime




Dice all ingredients very small except fresh herbs
Chop herbs finely
Place all ingredients a bowl
Add lime juice.


Refrigerate until needed.

Tobacco Onions

These spicy little onions are addictive, and compliment homemade burgers amazingly.  Very simple to make, the hardest part is slicing the onions thin enough.   I use a mandolin - not the musical instrument, the kitchen utensil.


Ingredients


1 onion
Flour, 4 tablespoons
Salt - pinch
Pepper  - pinch
Cayenne Pepper - teaspoon
Paprika - teaspoon
Oil - for cooking


Slice onions as thin as you can...A mandolin is best for this purpose


Place dry ingredients on a plate and coat onions.


Fry in small batches in hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden brown.


DO NOT RE FRY TO REHEAT - keep warm in oven if required.

Homemade Jalapeno Burgers

This is one of my favourite meals to cook.    I never ever buy burgers, always make them myself, and this recipe couldnt be easier.


Ingredients


500g leanest mince steak
1 onion
1 Jalapeno chilli (or more if you like it very hot)
5 slices of bread
Salt & Pepper to taste


Place onion and chilli into food processor and finely chop (or if no food processor, chop as finely as you can)


Put bread into food processor and blitz with onion and chilli


Pour into a bowl with the mince meat and mix well.


Divide mixture into 4 rounds, then flatten into pattys


Place in fridge for 30 mins


Cook in oven, turn half way thru to colour on both sides.  Am not giving cooking instructions cos the depth of the burgers and your own oven will determine cooking time. (can be cooked under grill but not on wire as they tend to break up).


I serve these in a bun, with Tobacco Onions and Pineapple Salsa, and a mixed salad.

Scrumdiddlyumptious Creamy Chicken Pasta

Ok, so after 2 amazingly fantastic frozen raspberry Margharitas I am composing this....so forgive any spelling mistakes or completely non sensical instructions!  


Ingredients:-


Pasta (obviously) - any shape, size, colour or flavour!
Chicken fillets (not the kind you fill your wonderbra with)
284ml Single cream (or there abouts)
10 fresh basil leaves
Handful of chives
150ml dry white wine
8 sundried tomatoes - chopped
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste






Method


Pan fry chicken with a  little olive oil.


When cooked, drain oil from pan and place in foil to keep warm


Add wine, cream, chives, basil and sundried tommys to pan.  Br.ing to boil, turn heat down and reduce sauce by 1/3


Put pasta on to cook (follow instructions).


When all cooked, serve!  


Enjoy!

Footnote by Janine....AMAZING!  lol

Simple yummy Thai Marinaded Chicken with Satay Sauce

Ok, well am only on day 2 and am finding this a chore already!   So enjoy it while it lasts!   lol


I have tried many many satay sauce recipes and have finally created one that I am happy with (well, happy enough to share it with you)

You can of course, as usual take everything listed below as approximations and can adjust to suit your own taste.

Marinade

1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon clear runny honey
Splash of tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
1 inch root ginger grated.



Sauce

1 tablespoon Sesame oil
300 ml Coconut Milk
100g Crunchy peanut butter
2 red chilli peppers finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
clove garlic, finely grated
1 inch root ginger grated
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoon brown sugar


Method

Cube 4 skinless chicken breasts (oops, forgot to mention them in the ingredients, aw well...surely the title of the recipe gave it away)

Combine all marinade ingredients in large bowl and coat cubed chicken breasts.  Cover bowl and place in fridge for at least 2 hours.

At least 30 minutes before cooking, soak wooden skewers in water so they dont burn when cooking.

Remove Chicken from fridge and thread onto skewers.  

Place under hot grill or bar b que and cook for approximately 20 minutes (depending on size of cubes) turning frequently.

Heat sesame oil in a saucepan (will heat quicker than most oils), add onion and fry until soft, add garlic, chilli, and ginger and fry for further minute.

Add soy sauce, coconut milk and crunchy peanut butter & sugar.  Whisk together with balloon whisk and heat on low heat for approximately 20 minutes stirring occassionally.

Place chicken on plate with jasmine or other fragrant rice, and place satay sauce in individual dishes or pouring dish.

Yum!!! 

NOTE       Sauce can be prepared in advance then reheated

 

Raspbernut Cheesecake

Ok, so this was meant to be a Raspberry Ruffle Cheesecake.  However after mixing all ingredients, I discovered that I had no Raspberry Ruffles!  (Note to self...check all ingredients present before attempting to create culinary delight)  

Simple; you say...drive to local shop to buy missing RR's.   Ah, a glass of Tesco finest (hmmmm) Pinot Grigio prevented that!   So I improvised, and I have to say...was pretty damn successful!

To be honest, I rarely measure things, so unless it actually comes in the sizes stated below...chances are I am winging it here!

Ingredients:-


200g Chocolate Homewheat biscuits
50g butter
Packet of Cadbury buttons bashed to little pieces with rolling pin (or a flake)*.
1 raspberry jelly
250g Philadelphia or other soft cheese (needs to be full fat, and try to avoid the ones with herbs or garlic...big mistake)
400 Whipping Cream
25g Castor sugar
25g dessicated coconut (the finer the better)...add more coconut if you really really like it!*
Splash pink food colouring (see, winging it!)


Method

Break jelly into cubes, and melt with 100ml boiling water (microwave for 30 seconds should do it)

Place in fridge to cool.

Place biscuits in food processor and blitz until like fine breadcrumbs.   Add butter and blitz again until clumpy or when pressed will stick together, add more butter if required.

Press mixture into a lightly greased 15cm springform cake tin**.   Press down on bottom and up sides.   Set into fridge to set for approximately 30 minutes.

Go have a coffee and read major celebrity gossip magazine***.

Whisk cheese and castor sugar, add coconut, chocolate and food colouring.

In another bowl whip cream until in stiff peaks.

Fold cream into cheese mixture. 

Add jelly, and whist together with balloon whisk.

Pour onto set base

Leave 2 or 3 hours

When ready to eat, remove from tin, place on serving place, slice and enjoy.

*            To eliminate faffing about with coconut and chocolate, buy Raspberry Ruffles.  Chop into required size and add to cheese mixture.  4 little bars should be enough.

**          Use a wider tin for a more shallow cheesecake

***         Can thoroughly recommend Heat magazine!