I have this small book by Donna Hay. It is entitled Small Essentials, Chicken. Yep, it is filled with chicken recipes. 60 of them to be exact.
I love Donna Hay cookbooks and recipes. Plus her presentation is impeccable.
Not that I have many of them. I don't. She is like the Martha Stewart of Australia, except a lot younger.
She has a wonderful eye for flavours, and presentations, decorating, etc.
We are having a sunny hot day here in Chester as I write this. I didn't really feel like heating up the kitchen overly much, but I had taken out some chicken to cook.
One thing I love about chicken is that there are so many different ways of cooking it. There is literally something to please everyone!
Today I wanted something light and quick and fresh. I have a lot of work on today for that other site I write for, but still wanted something new for here.
Sometimes it can be a difficult writing for two different pages and making each one fresh and exciting.
This was a recipe I had flagged for a long time now. Tender chicken breast slices, coated with cashew nuts and fried in olive oil until golden brown on both sides . . .
Served hot atop crisp baby gem leaves. Baby Gem are like tiny romaine lettuces, but a bit more bitter in flavour. You could use baby romaine or romaine hearts.
Just use something green and crisp. Green and crisp and salad-like.
Her dressing was a Honey Mustard Dressing, but I can't tolerate much honey these days so I created a Maple Mustard Dressing instead.
Maple and Mustard are perfect flavour partners!
It turned out beautiful, with crisp coated, yet tender moist pieces of chicken breast meat . . . oh, I love adore cashew nuts . . . don't you?
Did you know that they are not acually a nut but a legume? Tis true.
I am also very fond of baby gem lettuce. I love its slight bitter flavour, which went very well with the chicken and the richness of that coating . . .
Very well indeed . . .
Maple & Mustard? Come on now! A Marriage made in heaven!
This couldn't get any better or simpler if you tried. Its fabulously flippin' delicious!
This is going into my tried and true's folder. I was a bit worried the nuts wouldn't stick to the chicken because there is no egg or liquid to grab them, but it was all in vain . . .
The coating adhered perfectly. This was just the perfect salad all round.
If you love cashews and you love chicken, and if you are fond of the flavours of maple and mustard together, then prepare yourself to absolutely adore this simple salad!
Cashew Chicken Salad
Yield: 4
This is a delicious salad. Its very simple to make and boasts a lush fat-free Maple & Mustard Vinaigrette!
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 2 X 200g (7 ounce) chicken breast fillets, sliced in half lengthwise
- 112g raw cashew nuts
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 TBS olive oil
For the Dressing:
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 TBS white wine vinegar
- 2 TBS pure Maple Syrup
You will also need:
- 2 baby gem lettuces
Instructions:
- Wash your lettuces, dry and then separate into leaves. Set aside.
- Put the ingredients for the dressing into a small jar, cover tightly and give the jar a good shake to combine them all. Set aside.
- Using a nut chopper or food processor, chop the cashew nuts. Season your chicken slices with salt and black pepper and then coat in the chopped cashew nuts.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the cashew coated chicken and cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. It should not be pink inside and the juices should not run clear.
- Divide the salad leaves between four plates. Top each with several slices of chicken. Give the dressing another shake. Drizzle the salad with some of the dressing and serve immediately.
Have any of you tried the blogger interface? I started off trying it today but had to abandon it. It just wasn't working and I didn't have time to mess around with it! I uploaded all of my photos and they promptly disappeared . . . twice! So I switched it back to the old one. What has been your experience?
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
I had to create/cook/photograph a recipe for an online site I write for yesterday and I had a quantity of leftover browned ground steak leftover.
I didn't want it to go to waste, and I wanted to create something tasty and slightly different with it.
Oh, I know I could have used this in a bolognese, but my husband is not a fan of pasta . . . and I could have used it in a cottage pie, but again, I've done that many times on here.
Todd loves curry anything . . . anything. If it has curry in the title he is first in line. He is so British. The Brits love curries.
Surprisingly, Curry is consistently in the top ten of British favourite foods, second only to fish and chips!
I confess it was a British friend who introduced me to curry about 39 years ago now.
My ex and I were stationed at the BATUS (British Army Training Unit Services) base in Suffield, Alberta. We made some great friends with the British.
Some of our best friends were Cathy and Mick Giles, both from Liverpool area.
It was Cathy that introduced me to a curry and I have to say I fell in love at first bite!
I had leftover cooked rice from yesterday as well, so it only seemed natural that I create a Curried Beef Fried Rice.
Well, natural to me anyways.
New, fresh and delicious. Exciting even! I added a quantity of lightly sauteed vegetables. I had a cauliflower in the refrigerator that needed using, so I chopped up some of that . . .
I also chopped up some carrot. I did cut a few slices into flowers for a super pretty garnish!
Its not hard to do. Just peel your carrot and then cut a few wedges out around the outside down the length of it. When you cut it into slices you have cute little flowers.
Aside from the carrots and cauliflower, I added cabbage, and I admit a small piece of swede that I cut into tiny bits. I just wanted to use it up.
Does anyone else find themselves not wanting to waste anything in this pandemic situation we find ourselves in?
I do not let anything go to waste anymore if I can help it. You never know when you are going to be able to get more!
In all truth, we should not be wasteful about anything anyways, and I am ashamed that I ever was.
I also added a handful each of frozen corn and frozen peas. I always use Bird's Eye frozen peas and corn. I have tried other kinds and I don't like them.
Not at all. More often than not the peas are woody in other brands, especially store brands. Its like they package the rejects from Bird's Eye.
A couple scrambled eggs, shallot and some spring onion finish the picture. Oh yes, along with some soy sauce and curry powder. I used a heaped teaspoon.
Curried Beef Fried Rice
Yield: 4
prep time: cook time: total time:
This is delicious. It's also quick and very easy to throw together. A fabulous simple supper.
Ingredients:
- 2 large free range eggs, beaten with 1 TBS cream
- olive oil for cooking
- 125g cooked ground steak or hamburger, crumbled (1 cup)
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
- a few florets of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
- six savoy cabbage leaves, heavy centre veins trimmed away and discarded, and cabbage thinly sliced (Roll up tightly and slice, easy peasy)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 heaped tsp of curry powder
- 1 (2 serving) sized pouch of ready cooked rice or 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- a proper handful each of frozen petit pois, and frozen corn
- chopped spring onions to garnish
Instructions:
- Beat the eggs and cream together. Coat a large skillet lightly with olive oil and heat. Dump in the eggs and quickly scramble them. Remove the scrambled egg to a bowl and keep warm. Add a bit more oil to the pan. Add the chopped onions, garlic and shallot. Cook to wilt and then add the carrots, cauliflower and cabbage. Cook, stirring, until wilted and crispy tender. Add the beef, curry powder, salt, pepper and soy sauce. Stir in the rice and return the eggs to the pan. Stir in the frozen peas and corn. Heat through. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Serve hot and garnished with the spring onions
Todd enjoyed this so much he ate half of it all by himself. That makes me happy when I can make a dinner for my husband that he really enjoys. Mango chutney goes really well. Enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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