Sesame chicken with steamed spinach

My task of trying to make the chicken a bit more interesting continues and this time I tried covering the chicken with sesame seeds. The seeds give the dish a slightly nutty taste and form a crispy crust around the chicken - nice change to the breadcrumbs. The seeds themselves are very good source of various minerals and they are high in fibre i.e. they'll keep you fuller for longer and they're great for your digestion system.

To maintain the healthy theme of the dish, I served the chicken with steamed spinach (high in antioxidants, iron and vitamins - basically a bomb of goodness) and roasted cherry tomatoes. When cooking the chicken in the oven it is good to have the cherry tomatoes in there as they help to prevent the chicken from drying out whilst cooking. I found it as a really nice light meal perfectly suitable for a warm spring evening, but it could be very well enjoyed at any other time of the year.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 1 organic skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 30g sesame seeds
- salt and pepper
- 75g spinach
- 1 vine of cherry tomatoes

Directions
Heat the oven to 190C. Roast the sesame seeds in a non-stick frying pan (around 2 minutes) until they're golden brown and put them a bowl.

Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and pepper and place in the bowl and cover with sesame seeds. Fry the chicken on one side on medium-high heat for around 3 minutes until crispy and golden.

Take an oven dish and place the chicken in there the fried side up. Place the cherry tomatoes on the vine next to the chicken and put in the oven for around 20 minutes (or until the chicken is ready).

Whilst the chicken is cooking, steam the spinach. When the chicken is done, arrange on a plate and enjoy.

Lime steamed salmon

I have actually managed to keep to my promise - two of them actually - eat more salmon and use my steamer more. Until now, I've always cooked salmon in the oven and tried frying it, but after trying steaming, this will be my new preferred method of cooking salmon. It is the healthiest, fastest and the most hassle free way to cook salmon - steaming keeps more nutrients in, so you get all the goodness possible and you don't need to add any fat. The fish came out really juicy and breaking the tradition of having salmon with lemon worked amazingly well. It is a very nice simple dish for a quick mid-week meal or it could be served as a fancy dinner dish when accompanied with something a bit more interesting than green beans.

Just one tiny tip when steaming salmon -  choose the wide and flat fillet over the thin and thick one. There is no difference in taste but it is easier to handle.

Ingredients
- 150g organic salmon fillet
- 100g green beans, to serve
- 1 lime, cut into 4 thin slices

Directions
Wash the lime and cut 4 thin slices and place them in the middle of the steamer. Take the skin of salmon and place the fillet on top of the lime slices. Season with some sea salt and freshly ground pepper and steam for around 11 minutes (or until ready).

Whilst the salmon is steaming, prepare the green beans (or any other vegetables). When salmon is ready, place it together with green beans on the plate and serve with some lime.

Date & spinach stuffed chicken

Since starting university, I have had chicken almost every week in one form or another. Chicken is great for a quick and healthy meal, as it does not take ages to cook and you don't need to be a genius to make it - all you need is to make sure that it is cooked thoroughly ant that's it! However, there is only so much one can do to make it taste a bit different every time. After almost three years of frying or cooking it in the oven, in order to make it more interesting I decided to try out stuffing the chicken breast instead of just using the different spices to vary the taste. The end result was gorgeous. The chicken remained nice and juicy and tasted divine. Although, next time I'm probably going to put in more than just one date...

Also, I just have to say that this recipe got me absolutely hooked on dates - they are amazing as a snack and will be accompanying me throughout the revision period to keep my energy levels high between meals. I recently tired the almond filled dates by Bateel and they were absolutely divine - I'd even say that they could compete with chocolate! Oh well, enough about dates for now...

Ingredients

(Serves 1 - 252cal) 

- 1/4 onion, thinly sliced

- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed

- 1 ready-to-eat date, finely chopped

- 50g spinach

- 1/2 tsp ground cumin

- 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast

- 1tsp honey

- green beans, to serve

Directions

Heat the oven to 200C / fan 180C. Heat some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the onion and garlic with some salt and pepper for 5 minutes. Then add the date, spinach and half the cumin and cook for another minute or so.

Cut the chicken breast lengthways (so it opens like a book) and fill it with stuffing. Put the chicken in an oven dish, rub over the rest of cumin and drizzle with honey. Bake for around 20 minutes (or until ready) and serve with green beans (or other vegetables of your liking).

Chicken recipe from BBC Good Food

Orange steamed sea bass

Steamer is one of those things in my kitchen that I have rarely used. My boyfriend got it for me so we could steam broccoli, but somehow I just hung it up and basically forgot about it. However, today I decided to dust it off and prepare myself a nice steamed fish dish. I've always been quite good with preparing salmon - it tastes delicious when baked in the oven, fried or steamed - but I've never been particularly good with white fish. It's either come out tasting mediocre, the sauce / seasoning has been way too overwhelming or I've managed to overcook it. Fortunately for me, it is quite hard to oversteam something and the sea bass I prepared for dinner today came out absolutely lovely. The hints of ginger and orange went so well, that I even didn't think twice about eating the fish without sauce.

In addition to being very easy and fast, as it took me around 10 minutes to prepare the meal, steaming fish (or any other food) is a very healthy way of cooking things as you don't need any oil. After today's successful experiment, I am sure that I will use the steamer a lot more.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- sea bass fillet, skin on
- fresh root ginger, grated
- 1 clove of garlic
- zest and juice of 1/2 orange
- coriander
- freshly ground pepper

Directions
Put the sea bass skin side down on a baking parchment and place it in the steamer. Cover with the crushed garlic and about the same amount of grated ginger, then spread over the grated zest of orange. Place the steamer on the saucepan and squeeze over the orange juice. Steam between 5 to 10 minutes until fish is ready.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

I had the fish on its own, but it could be served with rice, potatoes, mash, vegetables or salad.

Smoked salmon & avocado salad

During the revision period time is so precious that spending an hour or so a day in the kitchen does not even cross my mind. But my brain needs energy (loads of it actually) and therefore I really can't stop eating just because I think that I could put my time to better use, so I've realised that having a filling salad is the perfect solution for such a situation. Some salads are very easy to make (just mix everything together and get ready washed salad leaves to cut down preparation time ) and if you use the right ingredients they will fill you up and keep you (and your brain) going for quite some time.

This salad is healthy, filling, easy to make and tastes delicious. In addition, it contains important Omega-3 fats, amounts to your daily dose of greens and is high in fibre. Perfect for a quick and healthy lunch / dinner or as a packed lunch - put the lemon in the box and squeeze on the salad just before eating.

Ingredients
(serves 1)
- 125g iceberg salad
- 50g smoked salmon
- 2 small tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 avocado, chopped
- 1/4 lemon
- seeds (I used mixed seeds, but any seeds   will do)

Directions
Place the salad on the plate. Chop the tomatoes and the avocado and mix with the salad leaves. Slice the salmon into small pieces and scatter over the mixed salad.

Squeeze the juice from 1/4 lemon over the salmon. For the extra goodness sprinkle with few spoonfuls of seeds.

Cool cucumber salad

As the summer is approaching (and as I am currently in hot and humid Singapore), I decided to have a light and refreshing salad for lunch. This would go well as a side dish at a BBQ and because of the soothing effect of the cucumber it would be perfect companion for (very) spicy dishes.

Ingredients
(Serves 1 - 22 cal)
- 125g cucumber, sliced thinly
- fresh coriander leaves, shopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 red pepper, sliced
- fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Directions
Slice the cucumber thinly and place in a bowl or a plate and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour or until serving.

To make the dressing, mix together the lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves, salt and sugar.

When ready to serve, take out the cucumber, pour over the dressing just before serving and garnish with stripes of red pepper and mint leaves.

Salmon with spinach & tartare cream

I have come to the conclusion that I do not eat enough omega-3 rich fish. In addition, every time I actually decide to have salmon and then really-really enjoy it I take a decision that I should have it at least once a week. However when the next week comes I've totally forgotten about my promise and usually it will be quite a few weeks until I remember that I haven't had salmon in ages. So, here I am again - eating salmon and promising to have it more often (hopefully this time it will work out). I've always made salmon in the oven, but this time decided to fry it for a change - and I wasn't disappointed with the result. Served with baby spinach and citrusy tartare cream, this salmon dish makes a delicious healthy mid-week meal.

Ingredients

(serves 1 - 320 cal)
- sunflower oil

- skinless salmon fillet

- 125g baby spinach

- 1 tbsp low fat crème fraiche

- juice of 1/4 lemon 

- 1/2 tsp capers, drained

- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

- lemon wedges to serve

Directions

Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper, heat the oil in the pan and fry on each side for around 4 minutes until golden and the flesh flakes easily. Set aside. 

To cook the spinach, heat the pan and tip the leaves into it. Then season well and cover and leave to wilt for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. 

Put the spinach on the plates and top it with the salmon. Gently heat the crème fraiche (do not let it boil) in a pan with a squeeze of lemon juice, capers and the parsley and then season to taste. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and serve with lemon wedges. 

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Mango & passionfruit fool

As the summer approaches I've realised that my taste in food changes - instead of the heavier warming meals I want to have something fresher and fruitier. Today was one of those days when I had such a craving and decided to make myself a mango and passionfruit fool for lunch. I used Greek style yogurt instead of cream and thus the result was a lot healthier and lighter. Mango and passionfruit are amazing together, creating the perfect combination of sweet and sour. I had it for lunch, but also it would be perfect for breakfast, as a snack or even as a dessert - I can so imagine myself having it on a warm summer evening after a BBQ with friends!

Ingredients
(Serves 2 - 160 cal per serving)
- 1 ripe mango; peeled and diced
- 1/4 lime, juiced
- 225g 0% (or low fat) Greek yogurt
- 1 passion fruit


Directions
Peel and dice the mango. Divide the mango into half and put one half into a medium bowl and divide the other half between two serving bowls (leaving aside few cubes for the topping).

In the medium bowl puree the mango with a handheld mixer (or use a food processor) and add the lime juice to the puree. Stir in the Greek yogurt and mix until all ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Divide the mixture between two serving bowls (or glasses), top the mixture with remaining mango and scoop the seeds of half a passion fruit on each one. Cover and put in the fridge to chill and thicken for at least an hour.

Also, if you prefer your fool a bit sweeter then add a tiny bit of sugar to the mixture before putting it in the bowls. However, it is amazing without any added sugar (mango is sweet enough) and I love the sour taste of passionfruit and therefore did not add any.

Recipe from BBC Good Food