Doner Chicken kebab with quinoa tabbouleh

This is the meat you find in chicken doner kebabs that you might find yourself eating at 2 am!…..try this one without the hangover, lol

Serve 6-8

Ingredients

1 kg thighs- this is about 8 thighs

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp cinnamon

Method

Mix everything together and marinate overnight if you have time. Cook in a large pan with a little oil over a medium heat for 4 minutes each side, then take out and put onto a clean chopping board. The chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked at his stage. Using tongs and a knife slice thinly and put back into the pan. Cook a further 5 minutes or so, you want it to have nice golden crispy bits and the chicken will be cooked through.

You can have this as a salad with tabouli, avocado and other salad ingredients

-or as I did in lebanese bread with quinoa tabouli, lettuce, avocado, a drizzle of mayo and sweet chili sauce, it was amazing!

Quinoa tabouli

This serve 2 if you are using this as a salad with protein, or 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 bunch of parsley, washed, stalks removed and chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, quartered, seeds scoops out, then dice tomato- seeds can be used in tomato pasta sauce, or frozen until you need it.

½ red onion, fine dice

1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled and chopped- or just use the juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup of quinoa, cooked (1/2 cup cooked quinoa)

A splash of olive oil

Salt

Method

Put everything in a bowl and mix together. Before I put the grapefruit in a give it a squeeze to let some of the juice out.

Lentil are a nice addition with the quinoa or in place of the quinoa. Mint is also nice in this.

Caramelised pineapple with cinnamon butterscotch sauce

What a nice way to have some fresh pineapple!

You can skip the sauce here and just have sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, you could even flambe the pineapple in some rum!

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ fresh pineapple

½ cup of cream (you can use a light cream)-you can also use coconut milk

2 tbsp panella/rapadura or similar

½ tsp cinnamon

25g butter

Method

Take the ends of the pineapple off and then stand the pineapple upright and take the skin off with a knife. Take the core out and cut into 8 wedges, or you can just chop into chunks

In a large pan melt half the butter and cook pineapple on a medium heat until caramelised and has golden bits on it. Take the pineapple out and put onto your serving bowls. In the same pan put your butter, cream and sugar and simmer for one minute until thick. Pour the sauce over your pineapple. You could also have with ice cream if you wanted.

Thai salad with mango

This is the food I just love, its light, crisp, clean flavors, tangy dressing, its all about the dressing and marinade!
Another yummy dish for using up mango and veggies hanging around in the fridge. What a beautiful way to get your vegetable intake up, it's so much easier when the food is tasty!

I marinated 1 kg of chicken thighs so I had some for leftover lunches. Marinated in lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce/or chopped chilli, cooked on the BBQ.

Makes 4 huge portions or 6 average portions

Ingredients
¼ chinese cabbage (wombok) finely shredded
1 carrot, cut into matchstick size
1 lebanese cucumber, cut into 2 long halves and sliced thinly
1 small and 1 green capsicum, thinly sliced
150g snow peas, thinly sliced on the angle
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
125g bean sprouts (half a bag)
60g brown rice vermicelli noodles, cooked and then cooled under running cold water and drained. Cut up with scissors to make the noodles more manageable.
1-2 mangoes, cheeks taken off and using a large spoon to take the flesh from the skin, sliced finely.

Method
Toss everything together and arrange the mango on top. Serve with marinated chicken and Thai dressing. This is just lime juice, sweet chilli sauce and fish sauce, mix with a little water to make your dressing. You can add some minced ginger in too.

Sesame and coconut crumbed chicken with whole grain mustard mayo

Ingredients

1 cup of panko crumbs- you can use gluten free crumbs, or blitzed rice crackers or corn flakes, or you can use all coconut and sesame seeds.

Panko crumbs are a japanese breadcrumb made without the crusts. You can also make your own. They are found in the Asian section at the supermarket.

¼ cup of sesame seeds

¼ cup of shredded or desiccated coconut

1 double chicken breast, this is about 500-600g

1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Cornflour or rice flour or whatever you would normally use- you need about 1/3 of a cup

Method

Mix the panko, sesame and coconut together and put into a big plate.

Take the tenderloin off if you have one. Then slice your chicken into thick finger sized pieces.

Put your cornflour onto a plate and then dip into the cornflour, shake off the excess and then dip into the egg and then the crumb mix. 

Continue until all the chicken is used and then put into the fridge until you need it. You can do this the day before you need them if you wanted.

Fill the bottom of a large pan with oil/fat. You only need about 1 cm.

Heat the oil, and when hot place your chicken in, have the heat on medium, watch the chicken doesn’t get too brown too quickly or the outside will be dark and the chicken will be raw. Cook for about 3-4 minutes each side and then drain on absorbent paper. The bigger pieces you can cut open to make sure the chicken isn’t pink inside.

Serve with a veggies or salad and a whole grain mustard mayo using the recipe below and adding in some wholegrain mustard. Take some of the mayo out first then you still have plain mayo to use for something else.

Homemade mayonnaise

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 whole egg

1 tbsp apple cider/ white wine vinegar plus a little extra to add if you need it after you taste it

1 tsp dijon mustard a little extra to add if you need after you taste it

1 cup of light olive oil, you can use avocado or macadamia oil too. Extra virgin olive oil is very strong tasting, beware! I don't recommend to use it.

Method

In a bowl place your egg, mustard and vinegar together, then whisk and slowly add your oil, continue whisking until all the oil is used. Taste it and add more mustard and vinegar if you need it. Season with salt. If it is too thick you can add a little water. You can add garlic, herbs, curry powder, pesto, whole grain mustard, saffron etc to flavor it.

You can also use a stick blender to make it

Mango and apple bircher muesli

Bircher is great to make when you are on the go in the morning, and you can make so many variations and use whatever you have on hand!

This one is lovely when you come into beautiful mango season!

Ingredients

1/3 cup of oats

½ cup of natural yoghurt

½ an apple, grated or small dice

1 tbsp of chopped walnuts or other nut or seed

Optional ¼ tsp ground cinnamon.

1 mango cheek, diced

Method

Mix the oats, yoghurt, cinnamon and walnut in a container and leave overnight in the fridge to soak. Add your mango on top when you serve and an optional drizzle of honey. Of course you can just add the mango with your oats if you wanted when you put it in the fridge.

Using up leftover mashed potato

Couple of recipes using up mashed potato and cooked cauliflower rice.

Potato and cheese bake

Ingredients

1 cup cooked cauliflower rice

2 cup mashed potato

1 cup of grated cheese

1 egg

Salt and pepper

Optional- 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika

Method

Mix together and put into 8 well-greased muffin hole. I use a silicon one, they are great they just pop out.

Bake at 180 c for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Red salmon potato cakes

Makes 6-7

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked cauliflower rice

1 cup of mashed potato- or you can use all potato

½ cup of grated cheese

1 egg

1 x 210g can red salmon, drained

Salt and pepper

Method

Mix together until combined and put in to a well-greased muffin tin. I use a silicon one, they are great they just pop out. Even the top and bake about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.