Chicken BLT Salad

I love salads on a Summer night.
This one is perfect!!




 Serves 4

Get This -

Olive oil
500g single chicken breast fillets
4 lean bacon rashers, excess fat trimmed, cut into thirds
2 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated, washed, dried
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled, thinly sliced
4 boiled eggs
caesar salad dressing

Do This -

• Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes each side or until well browned. Thickly slice the chicken across the grain.
• Add the bacon to the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until crisp.
• Remove the bacon and place chicken back into the pan. Stir until cooked well all through.
• Divide the lettuce, tomato, avocado, chicken and bacon among serving bowls. Drizzle dressing over the top. Finish with a boiled egg cut in half.

*I like to add some shaved parmesan as well. You could also have it with croutons.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Pesto Spaghetti

I like this for a quick & easy summer meal.


From Taste.com.au

 

Serves 2

Get This -

• enough spaghetti for 2
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 200degC.
2. Place cherry tomatoes on an oven tray, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and salt. Roast for 15 mins.
3. Cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the pack.
4. Drain the spaghetti and tip back into the saucepan. Mix in the pesto, parmesan and tomatoes. 
5. Serve in 2 bowls and top with shaved parmesan.
6. Finish with some fresh chopped basil if you wish.

Madras Beef Curry

I do love curries.
And this one is a winner.
So easy and so yum.


Just for a change, this is actually my image.
Yes, it's my dinner that I'm eating right now! :)

Serves 2

Get This -

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 400g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1/2 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1/4 cup madras curry paste
• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 large potato, peeled, cut into 3cm cubes
• salt & pepper
• 1 stalk spring onions, chopped
• Steamed basmati rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook beef, in batches, for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat remaining oil in dish. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add curry paste and cardamom. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return beef to dish. Add stock, tomatoes and potato. Season with salt & pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard cardamom pods. Serve with rice and top with plain yogurt or raita and spring onions.

Spaghetti with Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

This recipe is tweaked from one very similar on Taste.com.au
They used smoked chicken. I've never bought smoked chicken.
So I changed it to barbecued chicken.
Which I buy a lot!

from Taste.com.au

(serves 4)

Get This -

• 350g dried spaghetti pasta
• 135g (1/2 cup) bought basil pesto
• 300g barbecued chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1 x 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 30g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan

Do This -

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Add the pesto, chicken and tomato to the pasta and gently toss until well combined. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add the parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine.
3. Divide the pasta mixture among serving bowls and serve.

Quick and Easy Sausage Rolls

I have posted a sausage roll recipe here before.

And it is very good.

But you know when you want something really quick and really easy for dinner?

Well, this is it!

Makes 8

Get This -

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 8 chipolata sausages
• milk for basting

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut pastry sheets in half.
2. Place 2 sausages along the longest edge of each pastry piece.
3. Roll up to enclose sausages.
4. Place seam-side-down onto baking tray. Cut each long roll in half between sausages.
5. Brush with milk. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Impossible Quiche

I've tweaked a couple of recipes on Taste.com.au to come up with this.
It's good, trust me!

(serves 4)

Get This -

• 125g ham or bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 carrot, grated
• 1/2 zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1/3 cup self-raising flour
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to season
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 5 cup capacity pie dish.
2. Combine and scatter, ham/bacon, onion, grated vegetables and cheese over base of dish.
3. Whisk flour, eggs, milk, salt & pepper together in a large jug and pour over ham mixture. Cook for about 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool slightly. Serve warm or cold.

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Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake

Serves 4

Get This

250g dried macaroni pasta
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
3 bacon rashers, cooked and chopped
100g broccoli
300ml light thickened cream
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Do This

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease an  8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until tender. 
3. Drain pasta and return to saucepan. Add cooked chicken and bacon, broccoli, cream, tomatoes and parmesan. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Top with mozzarella. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

Creamy Pea and Bacon Spaghetti

I had bacon in the freezer, cream in the fridge, and that was about it.
So I made this, and I'll be making it again...YUM!

(serves 4)

Get This -

300g spaghetti
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
6 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 garlic cloves, crushed
80g soft or cream cheese
300ml thin cream
1 cup (100g) grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Cook pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, then toss in a little olive oil.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large frypan over medium heat, then add bacon and cook until crisp and golden. Add peas and garlic and cook until garlic is no longer raw.
3. Add cream cheese and cream, then stir over low heat until cheese has melted.
4. Season with salt and plenty of cracked black pepper and stir in half of the parmesan. Add cooked spaghetti and toss. Serve topped with remaining parmesan.

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

What's better on a winter's night than a slow cooked curry?

Nothing...and here's a great, and easy, one!

Not my image and mine didn't look this good, but it tasted fantastic!

(serves 2)

Get This  -

• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 400g diced lamb shoulder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Indian madras curry paste
• 150ml light coconut milk
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• steamed rice, yoghurt, papadams and chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Do This -

1. Place flour and lamb in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Seal. Shake to coat. Heat oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Add onion, garlic and ginger to saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chilli and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, stock cube, chopped tomato and 3/4 cup cold water. Bring to the boil. Add lamb. Stir to combine.
3. Cook, covered, on low for 3 - 6 hours until lamb is tender. Serve with rice, yoghurt, papadams and coriander.

Fettuccine Marinara

I'm very proud to say I made this up...and it is gooooood!

For 2 serves...

Get This -

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 shake dried thyme

1 can tomatoes

1 splash white wine vinegar

1 splosh sweet chilli sauce

300g marinara mix, fresh or frozen

fettuccine

salt & pepper

Do This -

1. Heat oil in large fry pan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is transparent.
2. Add tomato paste and dried herbs and stir until fragrant.
3. Add vinegar, sweet chilli sauce, can tomatoes and seasoning and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. After 20 mins cook enough fettuccine for two following instructions on the packet.
5. After sauce has simmered for 30 mins, add marinara mix and simmer a further 5 minutes, or until seafood is cooked through.
6. Serve over pasta in bowls.
7. Enjoy!