Chicken, rice and vegetables
This recipe has everything mixed in, so the children will have their vegies, rice and chicken mixed together. Experiment with this recipe, it can’t go wrong; the main thing is to use 1 ½ times as much liquid as you do rice.
I use a large, deep non stick pan to do this.
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
Trim visible fat from chicken – I like to leave some of the skin on. Brown on all sides. Cover and let cook 10 minutes. Take out of the pan with the juices and put aside.
Prepare about 8 or more cups of vegetables – two small carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, beans (I find the snake beans easiest to use and delicious – ½ bunch).
Chop 2 cloves of garlic and two small sweet chillies or the equivalent of capsicum. Stir fry in a little olive oil in the same pan that fried the chicken. Add chopped vegies and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add 1 ½ cups of rice, salt and pepper to the vegies mix and stir fry till all rice is coated and spread evenly. Add the chicken pieces and try to press them in the mix as much as you can.
Add 3 cups of stock – I find using 1 stock cube of MASSEL chicken style stock cubes good (Supermarket spice section).
Cover pan and cook about 20 minutes. Add about ½ bunch chopped shallots and mix a little so that most of the rice on top will be turned under. Cook a further 20 minutes and check to see all rice is cooked and water is absorbed. Serve and let cool slightly before eating.
You can add chopped coriander or parsley to the mix before serving.
Chicken salad
300 g chicken breast sliced in thin steaks.
Marinade in one of the mixes below for at least 20 minutes.
Lightly coat a fry pan with olive oil. On low/med heat, cook the chicken in a pan until it is just done. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with alfoil while you make the salad.
3 cups leafy greens cut into bite size peaces – I like water cress mixed with the leaves.
2 Lebanese cucumbers cut in 1 inch sticks
½ small red onion sliced thinly
10 baby tomatoes cut in half
½ large avocado chopped
2 T toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas.
Cut chicken steaks into bite size pieces, mix with the salad ingredients. Pour generous amount of salad dressing on and mix well.
Variety to the salad above
Chicken may be replaced with cooked prawns or lamb.
You can also make this with mango and/or peach and lightly cook the baby tomatoes in chilli sauce instead of a dressing or as well as – this is nicest with chicken (I think).
Both of the marinades below are very good for barbecue chicken or lamb. I prefer the garlic one. You can have barbecue once in a while, be sure to have the lemon juice drink before your food and eat parsley in the salad to decrease the effects of the barbecuing.
Chermoula marinade (can be bought or recipe below– can be used on any meat.
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sumac (Mediterranean spice, lemon flavour – you can use ½ a lemon instead)
2 tsp sweet paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
1 clove garlic
1 T chopped Italian parsley
1 T chopped coriander.
Garlic and lemon marinade
1 clove garlic
½ lemon.
4 T olive oil
Beef and wakame soup
1 onion.
100gms beef (more or less as you like) finely chopped.
Handful of dried wakame, soak in cold water for 5 mins.
1 tsp. dashi or fish stock granules.
3 cups water.
Fry one diced onion till soft, add meat and brown. Add 3 cups water and one teaspoon dashi granules or fish stock granules. Add soaked and washed wakame and cook for at least one hour.
Wakame is dried seaweed available from Asian supermarkets. The Asian markets in the valley stock this. It is rich in Calcium, B1 and B3 and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is used to purify and build the blood.
Dashi is a dried fish, seaweed and mushroom stock that you can also find in Asian markets, most contain msg, you can find some without, otherwise fish stock granules are fine, you may need to use more fish granules – look at directions or go by taste.
Eat with rice – preferably brown.
Meat patties – these are a winner with all. The star at a barbecue.
500gm lamb mince
500gm low fat beef mince
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
Large bunch parsley
¼ as much mint as parsley – optional – you can also use coriander, basil.
1 large egg
2 slices of toast, torn into little pieces.
½ cup tomato sauce
Salt, pepper
Put meat in a large mixing bowl.
Coarsely chop onions and garlic, put in blender with broken toast, parsley and all other ingredients except meat. Blend till fine and add to the meat in the bowl and mix well.
Shape into patties and cook on medium heat till just cooked.
Very nice with beetroot salad (below), tossed green salad and potato salad if you can eat nightshade.
Salads – always chops very small for kids, even baby spinach and encourage them to eat slowly and chew well.
Sliced cucumber and celery, blanched snow peas, add lots of finely chopped parsley, finely chopped onion, salad leaves or spinach leaves, lots of avocado and generous sprinkle of dried mint leaves. You can add toasted sunflower seeds to this which is very nice. Drizzle with dressing of choice or the one below which is very delicious on any salad.
You can vary ingredients in this salad – tomato (if you can eat it), grated zucchini, been sprouts, grated carrot and/or beetroot, peeled broccoli stalk sliced or grated etc.
Dressing
Vary amounts to your liking but not too much vinegar.
70ml olive oil
20ml apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1tsp raw honey – I use a heaped tsp and heaped of mustard as well – experiment
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove crushed garlic
Put all ingredients in a jar and shake to mix well.
You can also have it with the salad below which is very delicious and popular with kids.
2 Tomatoes – cut to size you like.
½ – 1 avocado.
2 or more tablespoons olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon (or more) dried mint flakes (supermarket). Sprinkle generously on any salads.
Salt and pepper.
Mix and serve.
Beetroot salad
Grate a little beetroot, carrot and zucchini, add chopped coriander or parsley, toasted sunflower seeds and drizzle with dressing of choice or the dressing earlier from this document.
Salmon or tuna casserole (tuna approximately once a fortnight)
1 large can wild salmon
1 can corn (freeze the rest for next time – always check ingredients in cans and choose sugar free.
1 can asparagus cuts and spears.
1 large onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons rice flour or whole meal flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup rice milk – more if it is needed.
Mashed potatoes – mash with rice milk and nuttelex margarine or oil.
Fry onion in oil till soft. Add flour and fry for at least 3 minutes. Take off the heat and add rice milk and mix well. Add lemon juice, salmon and juice, corn and juice and asparagus spears – no juice – asparagus juice can be a little overpowering, but you may like it – experiment.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spread mashed potato on top and brush lightly with oil or margarine.
Cook in oven at 190 for about 45 minutes.
Serve with salad – recipe earlier, or any salad – very delicious.
You can add some peas and beans to this mix if you like – I add frozen peas and beans most of the time – experiment.