Nigella's Ritzy Chicken Strips.. An Easy Lunch or Dinner..

This practically took minutes to prepare and a few more minutes to cook. But needs a couple of days for it to be ready, so prepare them a day in advance. If you have kids, they will love this recipe and grownups do too! I tried this Nigella Lawson easy breezy recipe accompanied by homemade Honey Mustard Sauce.. tastes sooo good!

Ingredients:

2 Packets of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk (Leban) - I prefer KDD because it's think and creamy
20 pieces of Ritz cracker crushed to form bread crumbs


Method:


. Put the chicken breasts into a freezer bag flat.
. Bash them gently with a rolling pin until the chicken is quite thin.
. Once done, take them out of the bag and slice them.
. In a bowl, place the butter milk and chicken and leave then in the fridge to marinade for 24 hours atleast.
. When ready to cook, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven.
. Take the bread crumbs and place them in a shallow dish to coat the chicken.
. Take the chicken out of the fridge, take each piece, shake off the excess buttermilk and dip them in the crumbs.
. Coat them well and lay them on the baking sheet, bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. and Voila !!!!

Dinner is served! ... or lunch ;)

Earthy .. Lovely .. Cream of Eggplant Soup.

Ingredients:


Couple of eggplants, grilled, peeled, & cut into cubes.
1 Onion roughly chopped
1 Potato roughly chopped - preferably small pieces so it cooks faster
1/2 cup KDD cream - or Creme Fraiche if available
1 tbsp Flour
a little bit of butter
Olive Oil
2 cups Chicken stock
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Ground caraway
a little bit of Nutmeg
Finely chopped parsley for garnish


Method:


- In a medium size pot, start off with the olive oil and butter and let the butter melt.
- Add the chopped onions and the salt to help it sweat and soften.
- In goes the garlic and pepper and mix well.
- While stirring, add the flour and mix well so it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chopped potato and mix all together well, then add the caraway.
- Add the chopped eggplants to the mixture and stir for 3 minutes then add the chicken stock.
- Leave the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes and bring it to a boil.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and ladle in half of the soup so it doesn't fill up the blender.
- Transfer the bended soup into a new pot and ladle the rest to blend.
- Add the other blended amount of mixture into the new pot and put it on the stove again.
- Add the cream and mix.
- Add the nutmeg and a little bit more caraway for taste.
- Finely pour into a soup dish and garnish with finely chopped parsley. 




P.S. Salt should be added in moderation because the chicken stalk is already salted.

Zucchini, Yellow Squash & Potato Gratin

A new recipe.. I had a craving for Zucchini & Summer squash, it's healthy & tasty.. So I decided to browse through my recipes in search for a nice recipe that combines both of those ingredients. 
I came across many recipes but this particular one caught my attention because it included potatoes.
I tried it as a side dish for lunch, next to grilled chicken and a crisp green salad. It turned out lovely and delish!!

Ingredients:


1 packet of KDD cream or 1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup breadcrumbs 
2 Potatoes, sliced
4 Small Zucchini (Courgette), thinly sliced
1 large summer squash sliced
3 tbsp Butter 
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 small onion, sliced
Salt & Black Pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese


Method:


Prepare the oven by reheating at 400 degrees. Set aside until needed.
On the stove, medium heat, in a large skillet, melt the butter.
Add all the vegetables to the butter, saute & stir.
Add the salt & Pepper according to taste.
Cook the veggies until tender while stirring slowly and carefully.
Add the cream and cook for 5-7 minutes until it thickens.
Once cooked, remove from the stove and place in a Pyrex or a baking dish.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the mixture and the Parmesan & Mozzarella cheese.
Bake this dish for 25 minutes to cook, then turn on the broiler for 5 minutes until it gets golden on top.


Enjoy !!

Cabbage Salad .. My Way!

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber, peeled, sliced

1 thinly sliced red onion (Shallot)

Finely Sliced green cabbage

Finely Slicded red cabbage

I shredded carrot

I green onion (Scallions) thinly sliced

2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)

1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

4 tbsp yogurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp shredded ginger

1 tbsp mayonnaise

Salt & Pepper

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp pomegranate molasses

1 tsp soy sauce

Method:

1- combine all the vegetables in a large serving bowl.

2- mix the dressing ingredients.

3- pour dressing on salad and serve immediately.

Banana Bread Recipe # 2

I have tried a previous recipe of Banana Bread yet with nuts. This recipe is for a plain banana bread. I enjoy it with milk, in the morning, as a snack or dessert. It's delicious any way you eat it!

Ingredients:

2 Ripe bananas
1&1/2 cups flour
5 Tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Method:

1- Preheat the over at 350°.
2- In a mixer, place the sugar, egg & Vanilla. Start mixing.
3- Sprinkle the baking soda & salt over the mixture and mix it in.
4- Finely add the flour. Mix everything well.
5- Pour mixture into a buttered pan and bake for 1 hour.
6- Once done, keep it on a cooling rack, once cool, slice & serve.

Normally this recipe requires baking in a Loaf Pan , but I don't go by traditional methods.. I'm such a rebel, I used a Bundt Cake Pan ..haha :P

Green Curry Chicken (Thai) - Recipe # 2

This is another recipe for my favorite Thai dish, Green Curry Chicken. It's a more easier version than recipe # 1 and takes less time.

I enjoy doing this when I'm in a hurry and need to serve fast lunch or dinner, yet a good & filling meal.

Ingredients:

1 jar of Thai Choice Green Curry

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 cans of coconut milk

2 stems of fresh lemon grass - found in TSC or Lulu Hyper Market

6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into cubes

4 pieces Thai eggplant cut into large cubes - found in Lulu Hyper Market

2 medium white potatoes cut into cubes

1 cup of fresh button mushrooms cut in half

1 green bell pepper chopped into chunks

4 baby corns chopped into chunks

1 small red chili

Salt according to taste

Brown sugar to minimize spiciness

1 tbsp fish sauce - found in TSC

Fresh basil leaves

Coriander for garnish

Method:

Start out by drizzling 2 tbsp of oil in a pan or wok over medium heat.

Add the ready made green curry paste and stir-fry it for one minute.

Add the coconut milk and stir to combine, then add the lemon grass and stir.

Add the fish sauce and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add in the chicken and let it cook for 5 minutes then add the rest of the vegetables.

To reduce the curry's spicy flavor, add in brown sugar according to taste, I would start by 2 tbsp and taste, add more if needed.

Add salt as needed, then add the basil leaves

Leave to cook for 20-30 minutes.

Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Oktoberfest Bavarian Potato Salad - Recipe Trial # 1

After my visit to Munich, Germany last year,I fell in love with the city and with Germany all over again, for many different reasons. The food, the atmosphere, the people and my wonderful travelling partner :)
The food was just terrific, one of the special things I have tried was their Bavarian Potato Salad. I fell in love with it immediately, such a hearty and lovely dish, accompanied by grilled chicken and your favorite beverage :P

I'm trying out several recipes to find the perfect one, this is my first trial, it turned out nice and light, in terms of the dressing. I give it a 4 star.. but that's only in my book, try it out and see what you think.. Enjoy !

Ingredients:

3-4 Medium white potatoes
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
1/3 cup white Vinegar
1/2 Vegetable or Chicken Stock
3 tbsp finely chopped onions
Salt & Pepper
Dash of Sugar
3/4 cup diced cucumbers
1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp finely Chopped Chives - I bought a fresh plant from TSC
2 tbsp Relish

Method:

1- In a large pot filled with water and some salt, boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender.

2- Once done, drain the potatoes, peel them and chop them, then place in a large bowl.

3- In a separate smaller bowl, combine all of the following ingredients: Oil, Vinegar, Onion, S&P, Stock, Sugar, Mustard, Cucumber & Relish. The mix it well to form the dressing.

4- Pour the dressing over the peeled and chopped potatoes and gently mix them together.

5- Garnish the salad with chives.