Mexican Chicken or Turkey Salad With Tomato and Black Bean Salsa

Introduction

This is the perfect recipe for using leftover chicken or turkey at any time.

A jicama is sometimes known as a Mexican potato, though that's a bit misleading since you can eat it raw. It looks like a turnip wrapped in fresh ginger skin. If you can't get hold of a jicama, then I'd replace it with an Asian or Nashi pear or a couple of drained cans of water chestnuts, cut into matchsticks; what you want is juiciness and crunch. I wouldn't say no to a Granny Smith apple, cut into chunky matchsticks, either.

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1 ripe avocado
• 125 millilitres sour cream
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 clove garlic (peeled)
• 1 teaspoon maldon salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
• black pepper

For the Salad

• 300 grams shredded cooked chicken or turkey
• approx. 500 grams jicama (peeled and cut into 5mm / quarter inch matchsticks)
• 2 spring onions (finely shredded)
• 1 handful finely chopped fresh coriander
• 125 grams shredded cos lettuce

For the Salsa

• 1 x 425 grams can black beans
• 2 tomatoes (deseeded and roughly chopped)
• 1 teaspoon maldon salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
• 75 grams roughly chopped pickled red jalapeno peppers (from a jar)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

 

Method

1. For the dressing: Spoon the flesh out of the avocado, and put into a blender with all the other dressing ingredients.
2. Process the dressing until smooth.
3. For the salad: Put all the salad ingredients into a bowl, and spoon the dressing over them, making sure everything gets coated well.
4. For the Salsa: Drain and rinse the beans, and then mix in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes, salt, jalapenos and lime juice.
5. Check the seasoning and then serve with the Mexican Chicken or Turkey Salad, either in a bowl to the side or dolloped on the same plate.

 

 

 

Read More

Breakfast Bars

Introduction

I am addicted to these, and so is everyone I give them to. Although they're quick to throw together, they do take nearly an hour to bake, so what I suggest is, make a batch at the weekend and then you will have the oaty, chewy bars ready and waiting for those days when you have to snatch breakfast on the hoof.

Mind you, they are just like milk and cereal in bar form, so there's nothing to stop you nibbling at one with your morning coffee at home every day. If you are not a morning person, believe me, they will make your life easier.

They also store well; indeed, they seem to get better and better. So just stash a tin with them and remove as and when you want.

Ingredients

• 1 x 397 grams can condensed milk
• 250 grams rolled oats (not instant)
• 75 grams shredded coconut
• 100 grams dried cranberries
• 125 grams mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
• 125 grams natural unsalted peanuts 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark ½/250ºF, and oil a 23 x 33 x 4cm / 9 x 13 inch baking tin, or use a throwaway foil one.
2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.
3. Meanwhile, mix together all the other ingredients and then add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber or wooden spatula to fold and distribute.
4. Spread the mixture into the tin and press down with the spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing disposable vinyl gloves to stop you sticking), to even the surface.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and, after about 15 minutes, cut into four across, and four down to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

 

Read More

Breakfast Bruschetta

Introduction

Something that is served, from California to Tuscany, as an evening savoury or appetizer may not seem an obvious choice for breakfast, but I say: think again.

This is quick to make, absurdly easy in fact. The strange thing is that it is as easy to eat, even first thing. I can wolf this stuff down.

Ingredients

For the Tomato Bruschetta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 thick slices toasted sourdough
• 1 ripe tomato (roughly chopped)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

For the Avocado Bruschetta

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• 4 thick slices toasted sourdough
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

 

Method

1. To make the tomato bruschetta: drizzle most of the olive oil over each piece of toast and top with the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, before drizzling the remaining few drops of oil on top, and you're done.
2. To make the avocado bruschetta: halve the avocado; scoop the flesh into a bowl, along with the lime juice, then mash roughly, using a fork, and season to taste. Spread clumpingly on each waiting piece of toast and sprinkle with the parsley.

 

Read More

Sesame Peanut Noodles

I always make a large vat of these since they're lovely to pick at in the fridge. Plus, although they're easy to make, you do need quite a few ingredients - and this holds true whether you're making a small or big batch, so you may as well go all out.
I buy ready-cooked egg noodles from the supermarket, which make these even faster to fix.

Ingredients 

for the dressing

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 100 grams smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

for the salad

• 125 grams mangetout
• 150 grams beansprouts (rinsed)
• 1 red pepper (deseeded and cut into small strips)
• 2 spring onions (finely sliced)
• 550 grams egg noodles (ready prepared)
• 20 grams sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons chopped coriander  

Method

1. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jug.
2. Put the mangetout, beansprouts, red pepper strips, sliced spring onions and the noodles into a bowl.
3. Pour the dressing over them and mix thoroughly to coat everything well.
4. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and chopped coriander and pack up as needed.

 

 

Read More

Glitzy Chocolate Puddings..

If you've got an electric whisk - either a hand one or a freestanding mixer - this is very low effort indeed, but it is a real showstopper. There's something quite extraordinary about the greedy silence that falls over the table as you put these out. The glitz is provided by their utter fantabulousness and the scattering of honeycomb over the top. If you don't want to use a Crunchie bar, of course buy some honeycomb or make Hokey Pokey, or else scatter with finely chopped pistachios. You will lose the sugary-glitter look, but you will still have brought to life an elegantly voluptuous creation.

Ingredients

for the chocolate puddings

• 100 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 100 grams soft butter
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 50 grams plain flour
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 pinch of salt

for the glaze

• 150 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 45 grams butter
• 80 grams Crunchie bar (2 bars)  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350ºF.
2. Break up the chocolate and melt it with the butter in a bowl in the microwave or in a double boiler. Once it's melted, sit the bowl on a cold surface so that the chocolate cools.
3. Preferably in a freestanding mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale and moussy, then gently fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt.
4. Fold in the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture and then divide between eight ramekins, put in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, get on with the glaze by melting the chocolate and butter in a microwave (or double boiler), then whisk to form a smooth glossy mixture, and spoon this over the cooked puddings.
6. Decorate with Crunchie bar rubble: I just put the bars in a freezer bag, set to with a rolling pin and strew over the top.

 

Read More