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Sunday 19 July 2015

Grilled chicken, halloumi and chorizo fajitas with mango salsa

Grilled chicken, halloumi and chorizo fajitas with mango salsa



  • 1 Mango
  • 1/2 Red onion finely diced
  • 3tbsp fresh chopped coriander
  • 1 Mild red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 200g Halloumi cheese
  • 8 Chicken fillet strips
  • 100g Sliced chorizo 
  • 4 Flour tortillas
  • Lettuce (shredded) cherry tomatoes (halved)

Method :-
First make the salsa, dice the mango (hedgehog method works best) and add the onion, coriander, chilli, olive oil, salt and pepper, mix to combine and set aside.

Pre-heat your grill to medium, place the chicken fillets on a foil lined tray and cook for 6-7 minutes turning once.  Add the sliced Halloumi to the tray and cook for a few minutes until the cheese starts to brown, turn over the cheese and continue cooking until the other side is also browned.  Whilst the chicken and cheese is cooking, heat a small frying pan and fry the chorizo until it crisps up.

Heat your tortillas according to instructions, place some of the lettuce and tomatoes on each of the tortillas and divide the chicken fillets and cheese onto each tortilla and top with the mango salsa.  

This is a light, fresh and zingy dinner; if you want to go the veggie option remove the chicken and chorizo.  For the chicken I dusted the fillets with Cajun spices to pep it up a bit, also you can spritz flavoured oil onto the Halloumi. 

Monday 13 July 2015

Creamy pasta with prosciutto and basil

Creamy pasta with prosciutto and basil
  • 400g pappardelle
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 125ml single cream
  • 40g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
  • 12 slices (180g) prosciutto
  • 200g ricotta
  • 2 cups basil leaves, plus extra to serve
  • Sea salt & cracked black pepper
  • 4 soft boiled eggs


Method:-
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 7-8 minutes or until al dente.  Drain, reserving 250ml of the cooking liquid and set aside.  Heat the oil in the saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the cream and the reserved water and cook for 1 minute.  Return the pasta to the pan with the parmesan, prosciutto, ricotta and basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine.  Divide the pasta between 4 plates, top with a soft boiled egg, extra basil leaves and grated parmesan.

To soft boil the eggs, bring a medium pan of water to the boil and cook for 6 minutes, once done drain under cold running water to stop the cooking process.  Take care when peeling the eggs as they will be very soft!

For this recipe I made my own fresh pasta which really made the dish.  This is a quick and easy light dinner ideal for those summer evenings.

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hay

Sunday 12 July 2015

Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad
  • 2 Chicken breasts
  • 1 Large pinch of sweet smoked paprika
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt & Ground black pepper
  • 4 Slices of pancetta
  • 2 Large eggs
  • 1 Romaine lettuce
  • 1 Ripe avocado 
  • 125g Cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 Punnet of cress

For the dressing

  • 50g Stilton cheese
  • 1/2 Bunch of fresh chives
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 50ml Buttermilk
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:-
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Place the chicken into a snug fitting dish with the paprika, drizzle of olive oil and a little salt and pepper, toss well until the chicken is coated and the place in the oven for 25 minutes.  Place the pancetta over the top of the chicken and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the eggs for 6 minutes for soft-boiled.  Remove from the heat and run under cold water in order to stop the cooking process.

To make the dressing, crumble the Stilton into a large jug.  Finely chop and add the chives along with a glug of extra virgin olive oil and the remaining ingredients.  Whisk well, season to taste and pop in the fridge until needed.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to one side to cool slightly. Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce then roughly chop and place into a medium sized bowl.      Halve the avocado and remove the stone, peel and roughly chop and place into the bowl along with the cherry tomatoes.  

Shred the chicken with two forks and add to the lettuce along with the crumbled pancetta. Carefully peel the soft boiled egg and place on salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix through, snip the cress on top and serve.

This is a light tasty lunch and for more of a cheese flavour, add extra cheese to the dressing to really pep it up. Recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Saturday 11 July 2015

Grilled chilli chicken and slaw burgers

Grilled chilli chicken and slaw burgers



  • 80g Asian chilli jam
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1.5 tsp sesame oil
  • Pack of chicken fillets (3 per person)
  • 150g mayonnaise 
  • 1/2 tbsp lime zest
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 white baguette 
  • 150g shredded cabbage
  • 1 carrot shredded
  • Handful coriander leaves chopped
  • 1 small red chilli finely chopped
  • Lime wedges to serve

Method :-
Place the chilli jam, soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil and chicken in a bowl, mix to combine, cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.  Add the mayonnaise, lime zest, juice and remaining sesame oil to a bowl and and mix together and set aside.  Preheat a char-grill pan over a medium heat, brush with olive oil.  Cook the chicken for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through.  Spread the baguette with the mayonnaise and fill with the chicken, cabbage, carrot, coriander and chilli.  Serve with the lime wedges.  I accompanied this with oven fries topped with umami rush and some extra mayo on the side.  Really tasty Saturday night dinner, fresh and zingy and left me wanting me more.

Recipe courtesy of Donna Hay & credit to Laura Santtini for the umami rush (which is amazing)