Note - If you wish to make this ahead, leave out the lettuce and the croutons until just prior to serving.   Bon Appetit!

I sometimes will pick up a Rotisserie chicken at the grocery store as a real treat. They are always so tasty and moist. Usually we eat it just as it is, but sometimes I turn it into a tasty casserole or delicious salad. You can often get them marked down as well, depending on what time you get to the shops. In fact they sometimes give you a better deal if you buy two . . . so you can eat one as a roast chicken on the day, and strip the meat off the other one for use on another day.



I know, it might seem rather lazy, and it is . . . but there are days when you just have a lot on, and will be in and out . . . and there just isn't enough time to cook anything much proper . . . a rotisserie chicken beats the heck out of a burger meal or the like! Along with some veg and a packet of steamed rice, you've got a tasty nutritious meal ready in no time at all!



This is one of my favourite salads that I like to make with the meat. Not only is it very quick to make, but if you use low fat mayonnaise it is not all that bad for you at all. With the added crunch of toasted walnuts and the sweet tangy spice of some mango chutney, it is chock full of flavour, and colour! We like it at any rate!



*Chicken Salad with Chutney, Coriander and Lime*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A great lunch salad that makes good use of a rotisserie cooked chicken. If you use low fat mayonnaise it is also relatively low in fat and calories. It also makes a delicously scrummy sandwich filling!

250ml of low fat (or regular) mayonnaise (1 cup)
125ml of mango chutney (1/4 cup)
1 plain roasted chicken (approx 3 pounds)
3 1/2 ounces of chopped toasted walnuts (3/4 cup)
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped
1/2 of a medium red bell pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded, and chopped
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (cilantro)
3 limes, divided
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
a small head of Boston or garden lettuce

Place the mayonnise into a large glass bowl.Cut any large pieces of mango in the chutney into small dice, and then add the chutney to the mayonnaise, stirring well to mix.

Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Cut the meat into 3/4 inch cubes. Stir in the walnuts, celery, red pepper and coriander, mixing all in well. Juice 2 of the limes and add 3 TBS of the juice to the chicken salad, stirring it in to mix. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. (you can make it ahead up to 4 hours at this point. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature 15 minutes before serving.)

To serve, arrange a bed of lettuce leaves on each of 4 chilled plates. Mound a portion of chicken salad on top of each. Slice the remaining lime into 1/2 inch wedges and garnish each portion with a wedge of lime.

I've always found recipes, cooking and food very interesting. I've been collecting recipes since I was 7 or 8 and have always found the chemistry of it fascinating. I can be cooking a cake, for instance, and I will start to think and ask myself questions . . .


Questions like, who was the first person that put flour, eggs, fat and sugar together and came up with cake? And why? What inspired them to do so?



I have always found it amazing that, by combining just a few simple ingredients together, you can create something totally edible and wonderfully tasty. . . and that you can then take the same ingredients and put them together in a different way, using a different method and come up with something equally as delicious, but totally different!




For instance . . . you can put together a starch (bread), some cheese and sliced tomatoes, and then, with a bit of seasoning, you have a scrumptious cheese and tomato sandwich . . .

or . . .



change the starch to a pie crust and layer in the tomatoes and cheese, add a bit of onion and herbs, and some mayo . . .

and you have a deliciously moreish summer pie!



*Country Tomato Pie*
Serves 4-6
Printable Recipe

This is a really tasty supper dish, just perfect for these summer days when the tomatoes are ripening on the vine fastet than we can get them used up! I also make this in the winter, but I use tinned tomatoes then. I use one tin of chopped tomatoes, and I drain them really well, and then, I squeeze as much moisture out of them as I can.

2 to 3 large tomatoes
1 small bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
1 TBS julliened fresh basil (roll several leaves into a cigar shape and cut crosswise)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1 cup good quality mayonnaise (I like to use French Mayonnaise)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 partially baked 9 inch wide, deep pie shell



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. If you are using fresh tomatoes, peel. This can be very easily done by cutting a small x with a sharp knife on the bottom. Dip into boiling water and leave for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove from the boiling water and plunge into ice water. The skin should now easily slip right off.

Slice the tomatoes into thick slices. Place them in layers into the pastry shell, sprinkling each layer with some spring onions, basil, salt and pepper. Mix together the mayonnaise and the cheese. Spread this mixture over top of the tomatoes. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the filling is nicely browned.

Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into slices to serve. Delicious!

One thing I eat a lot in my home is chicken.  I adore chicken in any way shape or form.  I absolutely love chicken casseroles of any sort, or chicken salad, chicken sandwiches (hot or cold), etc.

I don't always have time to roast a chicken so that I have leftover cooked meat available for these things however and I live really far away from Costco so bringing home a Rotisserie chicken is also not that easy for me these days either. 

The local grocery store does do them, but they cost $14.99 a pop, which is a far cry from the cost of one from Costco to be honest.  A Rotisserie chicken in my house is now a very rare treat.

Also speaking from a singer person who lives on her own's point of view, I don't always have the time or inclination or budget to roast a chicken just so I can have cooked chicken to use for these things. I can however very easily afford to poach chicken to use for these things.

I can poach as much or as little as I want as well, which makes it a much more affordable option for myself. You can also poach chicken thighs if you enjoy their flavor more than the breast meat.  

Poaching is one way of cooking chicken that always results in moist and delicious chicken meat, ready to enjoy just as is or for use in other dishes.  It's also very easy and simple to do.

Today I used chicken breasts.  You can use anywhere between 1 and 4 chicken breasts.  Place them into a saucepan large enough to hold them.  You can overlap them if you need to, just so long as its only by a small amount.

Cover them with cold chicken stock to a depth of at least one inch above the chicken.  Add a few sprigs of fresh herbs (Today I used thyme.)  You can also add a few whole peppercorns if you wish and or a few slices of fresh lemon. You can also add salt, depending on how salty your chicken broth is.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil over medium high heat. There will be some foam that will rise to the surface, which is perfectly normal. If you are planning on using the stock for soup, you can skim this foam off and discard it, otherwise just leave it as it causes no harm.

 

Reduce the burner temperature to medium low, cover and simmer for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Thinner cutlets will only take about 8 minutes, larger pieces as much as 15. 

The chicken is fully cooked when it registers 165*F/74.8*C in the thickest part of your chicken. You can also cut into the chicken to see if it's cooked through. The juices should run clear and not be bloody and your chicken should in no way be pink.

IN SALADS  

SANDWICHES

CASSEROLES/MAINS 

I'm not sure who it was that first recognized that if you beat egg whites together with a bit of sugar and then baked it that you could come up with a heavenly concotion as light as a cloud and quite blissfully as tasty . . .

I only know that I am glad that they did.



Simple ingredients, simple techniques . . . marry together in a wonderful union of un-parralled success . . . eat them plain, or whip up some heavy cream and sandwhich them together. You could break them up and fold them into some gently whipped cream along with some crushed berries, or like me . . . you could just sit there and bit into it, relishing every glorious, meltingly sweet pillow like bite . . . the choice is yours.



A few things to remember . . .

Always start with eggs that are more than a few days old. Very fresh eggs will not create as voluminous mixture.



Make sure your whisk and bowl are scrupulously clean. Any hint of fat at all will prevent your whites from reaching their full potential.

Avoid making meringues on a humid day. The extra moisture in the air will be absorbed by the meringues, making them soften and get quite sticky . . . not a good thing in a meringue . . . you want crisp and light.




*Big and Fluffy Almond Meringues*
Makes about 6 large or 12 small
Printable Recipe

These lovely meringues are light and crisp. You don't have to add the toasted almonds, but I think they add a nice touch. These are delicious served with fresh berries and softly whipped cream, or make smaller ones and sandwich them together with some whipped cream in the middle.

4 large free range organic egg whites, at room temperature
115g caster sugar
115g sifted icing sugar
1 small package of flaked almonds (optional)



Pre-heat the oven to 110*C/ 225*F. Line a large baking sheet with some parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the egg whites in a large glass mixing bowl. Whip with an electric whisk until they resemble fluffy clouds and hold their shape when you life the beaters out of the bowl. Gradually start beating in the caster sugar, one tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy. (Try hard not to overbeat it) Fold in the icing sugar a third at a time, being careful, once again, not to overmix. You want it to be fluffy and cloudlike.

Spoon large dollops of the mixture onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches or so between each one. If you are making smaller ones, spoon tablespoonful's onto the baking sheet. Scatter the flakes almonds over all, if using. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until they are very crisp on the bottom and sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms. They should be very lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

You may now use them as you wish.

 

 

 

Next I applied a sort of an uncooked sofrito/mirepoix of very finely chopped vegetables. I used two kinds of sweet bell peppers (yellow and red), onions and green and black olives. You could use whatever combination you wanted to use. 

It is meant to be another layer of flavour in what is already shaping up to be something quite delicious to say the least. And I am all for the flavours!

 

Onto that, and again on both sides, goes a layer of grated Mozzarella cheese.  Ooey, gooey, milky Mozzarella Cheese.  This helps to "glue in" those vegetables and keep them in place.

I added a layer of very thinly sliced Pepperoni.  Italian Pepperoni. You will never catch me snacking on a Pepperami stick, but on a pizza, I love the flavour of Pepperoni. It just fits.

 

Finally on the top I gild the lily with some melted butter.  A thin layer brushed over top of everything.  More flavour it added by lightly sprinkling on some dried basil and oregano leaves, and then a final dusting of very finely grated Parmesan Cheese. 

Now it is time to pop your Pizza Bagel into the oven. Make sure you line your baking sheet and lightly spray it with low fat cooking spray. That cheese will melt and the sauce may ooze a bit. You don't want your pizza bagel to end up stuck to the baking tray.

 

These delicious hot delights are the ultimate in Pizza Bagels.  Not just a half a bagel like most Pizza Bagels you will see, these are the whole shebang! 

With double the sauce, double the toppings and double the cheese.  A true delight you can wrap your mouth around.

 

Hot, delicious and oh so moreish. I guarantee these Pizza Bagels are sure to become firm family favourites.  

I cannot claim fully the inspiration for this delicious treat. I was largely inspired by a photo of some Pizza Bagels I saw on Pinterest from Don't go Bacon My Heart. Lush and lucious. I have adapted the recipe in a way I feel puts them together better and so that if you only want one or two you can easily manage that. Plus I like to make my own sauces, etc. If you would like a full size recipe for my pizza sauce, you can find it here.

I don't know how you feel about Pizza, but as far as I am concerned, there can never be too much of it in my little world. My husband does not share my passion, but that's okay. It just means that there is more for me to enjoy!