REAL FOOD EVERYDAY by CARALEE CALDWELL
Lime & Paprika Chicken Tenders with Coconut & Coriander Cauliflower Rice
These scrummy chicken tenders can be made in a pan or on a BBQ. This is a really simple and quick way to enjoy chicken.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken Tenders
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon paprika
1 lime
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coconut & Coriander Cauliflower Rice
½ head cauliflower
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup fresh coriander
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Slice the chicken breast into tender size pieces lengthwise down the grain of the breast. Coat with the paprika, salt and juice of one lime in a bowl. Heat a pan over a medium heat with the olive oil. Place each piece of chicken down and brown each side for approximately 4 minutes or until cooked.
To make the coconut and coriander cauliflower rice, cut away the florets of half a cauliflower head and place them in a blender or food processor. Use the pulse setting and blend until the cauliflower is a rice consistency. Heat a large pan over a medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil in it and place the cauliflower into the pan. Add salt to taste and the shredded coconut. Stir for 4-5 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Add the fresh coriander and toss through.
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Serves 4
Apple Pudding Pots
You know when you are at home after dinner and you just feel like a little something sweet but you want it to be quick and easy? This is the perfect pud for that occasion! You can whip these up in no time at all and they are really delicious.
INGREDIENTS
2 apples, peeled
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut flour
3 eggs
4 tablespoons natural maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Drizzle natural maple syrup, optional
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and prepare 4 ramekins by greasing the dishes with olive oil. Peel and slice the apples and put aside. Place all the other ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add the apples to the batter, leaving four apple rings for the topping. Mix the apples through the batter. Pour batter into the ramekins, place an apple ring on top and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Serve the pudding hot with a drizzle of natural maple syrup.
Preparation time 7 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Serves 4
Dumpling Sisters doing it for themselves
A couple of Saturdays ago I was listening to Kim Hill on National Radio chatting with sisters Amy and Julie Zhang, aka 'The Dumpling Sisters', and their parents, Pei Wen and Maria Zhang and couldn't wait to get my hands on their brand new first release, eponymously titled 'The Dumpling Sisters Cookbook". The sisters' enthusiasm for the Chinese food cooked by their parents at home and for the family's food cart at Riccarton Markets has taken them all the way to regular spots on Jamie Oliver's Food Tube and Drinks Tube Channel and now to this brilliant, totally cookable compilation of favourite family recipes. They are beyond cool and so is their book. Julie and Amy describe it as '...an invitation to cook alongside us so you too can learn by doing, just as we did at Mum and Dad's side.' On the page, they are so hospitable you do feel like you are in their kitchen and all your questions about Chinese food answered .
The book is divided into sections like Yum Cha, Chineasy, Oodles of Noodles , Chinese Bakery (excellent Pandan cake recipe) and Sweet Tooth which includes a fantastic twist on salted caramel sauce - no, I am not going to tell! Dependable favourites like Chicken Cashew Nut and Black Peppercorn Sizzling Steak are shown in gorgeous colour among loads of other familiar and not so familiar dishes. The more than 100 recipes deliver healthy, delicious food in double quick time and the Sisters provide great explanations of 'mouthfeels' with tips and tricks for magical results. The section titled 'Add an exotic' demystifies more unusual optional extras like dried bean curd and wood ear mushrooms for when you want to go that bit more authentic or just show off. Rice and noodles are the traditional accompaniment to many of the savoury dishes but the carb-averse will find that main dishes like salmon and garlic chives in a light soy sauce stand up brilliantly on their own.
Personal favourites? I particularly like the one-pot wonder syrupy soy chicken with aubergine. Cooking down the thin soy sauce mix results in a sweet and savoury glaze that coats the chicken and aubergine and provides a shiny backdrop for the addition of green spring onions. Served with jasmine rice it made a fast and fabulous mid-week dinner at the end of a really long day. The garlicky broccoli eggs have been a big hit for lunch and Sunday night dinner. And for something completely indulgent we cannot get enough of the soy salted caramel sauce.
Recipes like this abound in the book -so simple, so good and the kind of thing we don't cook unless someone points it out. Well, the Dumpling Sisters have, so you have no excuse not to join the sisterhood - faster than you can say "Number 22, please" you will be serving up Chinese food to die for.
Like the sound of it? Click here to order a copy - mention this review in the comments & your delivery is free within NZ