Blog – Page 59 – The Food Wife

Thai-Style Chicken and Mango Salad

2nd July 20182nd July 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 for lunch or 1 for a main meal

This is one of my favourite meals to have when itâ€™s hot. Itâ€™s so quick (assuming youâ€™re using leftover chicken), fresh, and incredibly satisfying. The fat-free dressing gives you a citrusy, salty, chilli hit. Yum. Iâ€™ve been eating it for the last few years and itâ€™s great for when youâ€™re watching your calorie intake. I also like it without the noodles if Iâ€™m looking for a carb-free meal or an even lighter lunch.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 chicken breast cooked and shredded (you could poach or fry one breast and then shred; I like to use leftover meat from a roast chicken)
50g vermicelli rice/bean noodles, soaked in boiling water until soft then drained under cold water
A mix of salad such as;
Baby gem lettuce, sliced
2 inches of cucumber, sliced or cubed
2 spring onions, sliced
1/2 carrot, using a peeler to peel into ribbons
1/2 red pepper cut into thin strips
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Small bunch of mint leaves, torn
Half a mango, skinned and cubed, or finely chop 30g of dried mango

Dressing:
Juice of 1/2 – 1 lime
1-2 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsp fish sauce
Pinch of dried chilli flakes/chopped fresh red chilli

Step 1: Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl or platter.

Step 2: Mix the dressing ingredients to taste.

Step 3: Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving.

This makes a great lunchbox salad, but keep the dressing separate until just before serving. To make a lower calorie, lighter meal, omit the noodles and up the salad items.

(Sort of) Patatas Bravas

29th June 201829th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-6 as a tapas

Here it is, my final dish from the tapas feast and when it comes to tapas, patatas bravas is a staple. This is a bastardised version but still really good. Itâ€™s less oily than normal and the spicy sauce is simple. Iâ€™m not going to lie, I couldnâ€™t stop eating it… like I say, it could serve six, but we (mainly me) polished it off between the three of us!

Ingredients:
500g new potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaped tsp paprika
2 roasted red peppers, finely diced
Parsley, finely chopped

Step 1: Cook the potatoes in cold salted water, bring to the boil and then simmer until a knife can easily pass through them.

Step 2: Drain the potatoes and slice in half.

Step 3: Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat and add the halved potatoes, allowing to sizzle and crisp for a couple of minutes.

Step 4: Add the crushed garlic, paprika and chopped peppers, and turn over the potatoes and continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Scatter the dish with some fresh parsley before serving.

Madeira Glazed Chorizo Tapas

28th June 201829th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4 as a tapas

Two ingredients and yet this is such a hit. Itâ€™s so simple but it does exactly what you want it to. I donâ€™t think I can say anything else, other than try it!

Ingredients:
150g chorizo (the dried kind, sweet or spicy as you wish)
3 tbsp Madeira

Step 1: Peel the dry skin from the chorizo and slice in to rounds, about half a centimetre thick.

Step 2: Heat a small pan (medium heat) and place the chorizo flat, covering the base, ensuring none are overlapping. Within a minute or so the oils from the chorizo will start to ooze out and after a couple of minutes the chorizo will be nicely bronzed on one side.

Step 3: Flip each piece over and then add the Madeira.

Step 4: Cook for a few more minutes, until the chorizo is bronzed on both sides, the Madeira has reduced and you are left with glazed pieces of heaven. The oil is pretty good to dip bread in too…

Gambas Pil Pil

27th June 201827th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4 as a tapas

A tapas feast is not complete (in my humble opinion) without Gambas Pil Pil. In a restaurant these are always swimming in olive oil, beautifully pungent with the garlic and chilli. I have been restrained on the oil front, but by all means add more, I was just thinking of the calories!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 red chillies, finely chopped
150g raw king prawns, peeled, deveined and scored down the back with a sharp knife
Juice of half a lemon

Step 1: Combine all ingredients (except the lemon juice) in a bowl. Cover with clingfilm.

Step 2: Leave to marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Step 3: Cook in a hot pan for a minute or two, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through.

Step 4: Once cooked, squeeze over the lemon juice.

Instant Pot Lamb and Butterbean Tapas

26th June 201829th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3- 4 as a tapas

This is a real gem. I made this in the Instant Pot and the results were outstanding. Literally five minutes of work, and about half an hour letting the Instant Pot do its thing and I had the most melt-in-the-mouth, rich lamb stew, beautifully sweet from the peppers and complimented so well with the plump butterbeans.

You could, of course, do this in the oven, in which case you would need to add a good couple of hours on to the cooking time (at step 3, put in an oven-proof, lidded dish, and transfer to the oven at 150c for 2-3 hours).

Weâ€™ll definitely be revisiting this invention!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic
2 roasted peppers from a jar, cut into strips
300g lamb fillet, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 heaped tsp paprika
1 tin butter beans
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Step 2: Add the lamb and paprika and stir for a further minute before adding the tomato purÃ©e and butterbeans (including their water).

Step 3: Put the lid on and ensure it is switched to sealing. Place manually on high pressure for 15 minutes and allow to depress naturally.

Step 4: Remove the lid, season to taste and switch back onto sautÃ© mode for five or ten minutes,stirring frequently, to allow the rich sauce to reduce.

Step 5: Add the chopped parsley and stir through before serving.