Chicken Papaya Salad with Herb Parmesan Vinaigrette
Tuesday, August 17, 2010Papaya--"Fruit of the Angels", is a nutritional tropical fruit that is packed with vitamins. Not only does the fruit aid in digestion, it is also full of vitamins A, C and E, which are three powerful antioxidants that help reduce cholesterol and prevents heart disease. Some papaya extracts are even used to treat sports injuries and muscle strains. Papaya is a great ingredient to use for wrinkle prevention.
Papayas, when ripe, are most commonly eaten fresh or in salads. They're also great in smoothies. Unripe papaya is never eaten raw because of its latex content, but can be used to make the curries or stews.
Salad | Herb Parmesan Vinaigrette |
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- Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the skillet until hot. Add in chicken and cook until tender and nicely golden brown. Remove and slice. Peel the papaya, and discard the seeds, then cut into slices.
- Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a blender until creamy and smooth.
Assemble the salad by arranging a bed of rucola on the salad plate. Arrange the chicken and papaya slices on top. Garnish with the sliced strawberry halves if used and serve with the prepared dressing.
Avocado Chicken Parmigiana
Saturday, August 14, 2010This is one variation of Southern Italian dish "Parmigiana", which is made with shallow-fried eggplants slices topped with tomato sauce and cheese. It is then baked until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Some recipes use hard grated cheeses such as Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, while others use softer melting cheeses like Mozzarella, or a combination of these. I just used Parmesan (that's all I had when I made this dish) will definitely use the combination next time.
- 220 g Chicken breast fillet, halved lengthways
- 30 g All-purpose flour
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- 100 g Dried breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
- 4 tbsp Tomato pasta sauce
- 1/2 Avocado, sliced
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- Salad leaves, to serve
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F fan-forced. Place chicken between 2 sheets plastic film and pound to 1/4-inch thick with a rolling pin.
- Coat the chicken first in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in the beaten egg and finally coat well with breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray. Repeat with remaining chicken, flour, egg mixture and breadcrumbs.
- Spray chicken with olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top each with two tablespoon pasta sauce. Arrange avocado over sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden and chicken is cooked through.
Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Thursday, August 12, 2010These crispy buttery oatmeal cookies are so delicious and dangerously addictive. Enjoy them with some green tea or serve with ice cream!
- 100 g Rolled oats©angiesrecipes
- 75 g Dried flaked coconut
- 120 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Caster sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)
- 1/3 tsp Salt
- 100 g Butter
- 25 g Inverted sugar syrup (or corn syrup)
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 tbsp Boiling water
- Heat the oven to 150C/300F and prepare two baking trays covered with parchment. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, flour, sugar and salt. Meanwhile melt the butter and syrup together in a small pot over low heat.
- Stir the baking soda into the boiling water, then stir this into the butter and syrup mixture. And pour all of it over the flour mixture. Mix well, then shape the mixture into 32 balls and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Press down to flatten the cookie balls with your palm.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, switching the pan around if you need to for even baking, until the cookies are golden brown. Leave them on the baking trays for 5 minutes before removing them with a spatula to cool on a rack.
Tomato Onion Salad
Tuesday, August 10, 2010There's really nothing simpler than this salad. The colours are really outstanding together. It might not taste as satisfying as a pizza or burger, but it's still good, especially when you use the homegrown tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes would be even better. You can also throw in Feta, or buffalo Mozzarella or your personal favourite cheese. Eat some salads, they are good for you!
Salad | Vinaigrette |
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- To prepare salad, alternate tomato and onion slices on a serving platter. Sprinkle with salt. Top with olive rings, parsley and baby arugula if used.
- To prepare vinaigrette, combine oil, balsamic blanc, mustard, and garlic in a jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve.
Truffle Linguine with Tomatoes and Pancetta
Sunday, August 08, 2010A simple pasta dish with tomatoes, pancetta and the basil leaves. The recipe calls for truffle linguine, but you can use other pasta as a substitute. Prosciutto can be used in place of pancetta to give this simple pasta dish a flavour boost.
- 200 g Truffle linguine©angiesrecipes
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 80 g Pancetta, roughly chopped
- 1 Shallot, diced
- 2 Tomatoes, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Some fresh basil leaves
- Cook truffle linguine in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, 8-10 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile heat a little of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in chopped pancetta and cook until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in diced shallot and stir fry until aromatic. Add in the diced tomatoes, olive oil and pasta. Toss over low heat to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Top with basil leaves.
Seared Salmon with Garlic Dill Sour Cream
Friday, August 06, 2010Simply seasoned with salt and crushed black pepper, these pan seared salmon fillets are perfectly paired with dill flavoured sour cream, which naturally and wonderfully marries the rich flavour of salmon, and a side salad (together with a couple slices of German black bread) for a fairly delicious and delightful lunch.
- 2 Salmon fillets
- 1/2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp Sour cream
- 1/2 tsp Garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
- Place the salmon fillets in a shallow bowl. Toss well with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let rest for 15 minutes. Combine the sour cream, minced garlic, dill and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Add the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, sear the salmon on both sides, about 3-5 minutes for each side. Serve with the prepared sauce and some mixed salad.
Scallops with Ginger Carrot Sauce
Wednesday, August 04, 2010A simply elegant seafood treat of tender and succulent scallops served with sweet and spicy ginger carrot sauce. This is so good that you might want to lick your plate clean to savour every little bit of the flavour and goodness!
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- Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt and black pepper. To make the ginger juice by peeling and grating the ginger and squeezing out the ginger juice from the grated pieces into a small bowl.
- Peel and thinly slice the carrot. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl with a tablespoon of water and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove and add in the carrot honey juice, ginger juice and mustard sauce. Puree the mixture with a handheld blender. Transfer the puree into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Mix the cornstarch with water and add to the sauce, stirring quickly to thicken.
- At the same time, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the scallops and sear on each side for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned. Spoon the sauce in a serving dish, and place the seared scallops in the center. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Avocado Dip / 牛油果蘸酱
Monday, August 02, 2010Avocados are loaded with many nutrients (nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid.)and labeled as the most nutritious of all fruits. Its rich supply of vitamins and minerals also makes the diet more wholesome and satisfying.
This avocado dip is very quick and easy to make. It should be prepared just before serving so that it doesn't discolour.
- 1 Ripe avocado, halved, pit removed
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 3 Cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 Red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado flesh and place in a bowl. Reserve the shells for serving.
- Add the lime juice in bowl and smash together. Stir in diced tomatoes, onion and parsley. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Divide the dip into two reserved avocado shells. Serve with crackers or taco chips.
Red Currant Streusel Bars
Friday, July 30, 2010Red currants are quite tart, but very juicy and delicious and can be eaten raw right off the stems or cooked. They have a high vitamin C and B1 content, and perfect for jams, sauces, tarts or as a simple accompaniment in salads, garnishes, or drinks when in season.
- 200 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Roll oats
- 100 g Dried coconut shreds
- 180 g Butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- 175 g Caster sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon zest, finely grated
- 80 g Almond, chopped
- 20 g Almond slices
- 250 g Red currants
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Line a 28cm square baking pan with paper. Tip the flour, rolled oats, coconut shreds and butter pieces into a mixing bowl. Use your fingers to work the mixture together to make coarse crumbs. Mix in the sugar, lemon zest and chopped almonds.
- Place two thirds of the mixture into the base of the baking pan, spread it out and press down lightly. Scatter the currants on top, sprinkle the rest of the mixture over, then the almond slices and press everything down lightly. Bake for 40 minutes until pale golden on top. Transfer to a wire rack, cool slightly and cut into 12-16 pieces.