THE COOKING FAIRY
Hi Rivka,
Thank you for reading the blog, I hope you will find it informative over the coming weeks. I love your idea of devising a menu which is healthy, yet exciting enough to feed to the kids. Also the last thing you want to do when you are a working Mum is to slave over a hot oven all evening, so please find below, today’s meal idea. I will update the blog each day to provide you with 5 days work of mid week recipes. Just ask if you have any questions or need any tips!
Best!
The Cooking Fairy! J
Sumptuous Spanish Chicken with Creamy Sweet Potato Mash.
This is always a family favourite, and can be made with chicken thighs, chicken legs (which are really tasty and cheaper) or chicken breasts. I would recommend chicken breasts to ensure optimum health benefits. This recipe combines the required protein, and is full of vitamins and minerals which are derived from the vegetables used prepare the casserole. The Sweet Potato is an excellent alternative to normal mashing potatoes such as King Edwards. The nutritional value of the sweet potato is higher, and has a lower Glycemic Index (GI). This means it is slow burning and therefore you will have more energy, and less dips in your blood sugar levels! The sweet potato is clearly win win super veg! What’s better is this recipe should take 15/25 minutes to prepare. (Dependent on how fast you can chop!!) All you need to do is bang it in the slow cooker/ oven. Hey presto!!!
Ingredients
Free Range Chicken (1 breast per person)
Peppers
Onion (red or white)
Courgettes
Cherry Tomatoes.
Tinned Tomatoes.
Sweet potatoes.
Low fat crème fraiche. (Optional) Alternatively use butter and a hint of full fat milk.
Store Cupboard essentials
Balsamic Vinegar.
Brown organic sugar.
Black pepper.
Garlic.
Dried herbs, including basil and oregano.
Fresh Basil or Thyme to garnish.
Chicken/ Veg Stock
Method:-
1. Dice the chicken into reasonably small chunks. Dice the onion. Using a garlic press for speed, crush the garlic. Throw these items into a wok and brown. Using a slow cooker/ casserole dish set the setting to “low” or your oven to 190 degrees. Dice the pepper, courgette into good sized chunks. Add all the ingredients (except the peppers) to the slow cooker. Add a small cup of chicken/ vegetable stock. Add two table spoons full of balsamic vinegar to the dish; add one table spoon of sugar. Add a teaspoon of basil, and a teaspoon of oregano. Add a sprig of thyme. Season with black pepper.
2. I would always recommend really tasting the sauce. You are tasting for sweetness, the flavour of the tomatoes and garlic. The balsamic vinegar should really give it a tang! If you are not happy with the flavours, add a little balsamic, or sugar to taste.
3. Give it a good stir.
4. Leave this to cook for the day (if you are using the slow cooker.)
5. If you are using the oven leave for 30 minutes at 190 degrees.
6. When you get in, or after the 30 minutes, add the peppers to the dish for a further 15 minutes. These now won’t be over cooked.
7. Before serving add 2 handfuls of basil to the dish and stir so it wilts slightly but remains bright green and fresh!
8. For the sweet potato mash, simply peel and boil your potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until soft to a fork. Mash the sweet potato with a masher, and add a tablespoon of crème fraiche/ a knob of butter and splash of milk to taste.
9. Now remember presentation is always the key! If you are making amazing tasting food, you want it to look amazing also! Spoon the sweet potato mash into a plate/ bowl. Leave a section in the middle to hold the casserole. Spoon the casserole on top of the sweet potato mash, and garnish with freshly ripped basil leaves. Wipe off any spilt casserole off the plate/ bowl with a paper towel.
Let me know what you think! Cant wait to hear from you!!! :-)
The next instalment of healthy, nutritionally balance family friendly recipes will include:-
· Delicious Thai chicken satay, with sautéed Thai vegetables served with steamed brown rice.
· Brain building oven steamed salmon parcels, with steamed seasonal vegetables and potato hedgehogs.
· The Cooking Fairy’s scrumptious Chicken Surprise.
· Wow your socks off Indonesian Prawn Curry, with basmati rice.
Stay tuned to see more!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment