FLOWER POT KITCHEN: ORANGE GINGER AND SZECHUAN PEPPER CHICKEN

3 May 2013

ORANGE GINGER AND SZECHUAN PEPPER CHICKEN

I AM ON A LOW FAT DIET DUE TO GAINING NEARLY 3 STONE SINCE I STARTED MY BLOG !!! SO FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I AM EXCITED TO COOK LOW FAT, LOW CARB, LOW CALORIE FRESH TASTY MEALS THAT PACK FLAVOUR AND WILL HELP KEEP ME SATISFIED.

This steamed chicken, courgette, broccoli and bok choi with zesty orange, Szechuan pepper, pink peppercorns, fresh ginger, chilies and some Asian spices is a zesty flavoursome dinner that dances on your taste buds and makes you feel full and satisfied without realising you are missing any fat, flavours or calories!

INGREDIENTS

makes one dish so just double up for each person

(kcal protein carbs sugar fat saturates fibre salt )

345 50.3g 9g 27.5g 1.25g 4.7g 2g

100g skinned chicken breast

35g broccoli

45g courgette

1/2 a bok choi

1/4 orange zested and juiced

2 tsp light soy sauce

100g cooked rice (180g/1 cup of raw rice = 4-5 ptns)

1 red chili Juline

1 tsp ginger Juline

1/4 spring onion Juline

1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped

FOR THE GROUND PEPPER SEASONING

1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns crushed

1/2 tsp pink peppercorns crushed

1/2 tsp black peppercorns crushed

1/4 tsp star anise powder

(mix all together)

First put the rice on to cook, take the cup of raw rice and place in a saucepan with a lid, add 2 of the same cup of water and bring to a simmer, pop on the lid and reduce the heat, cook for 10 minutes and then just take of the heat, never removing the lid and leave to one side, in 5 more minutes the rice will be perfectly cooked and fluffy. The rice will stay warm untouched for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile bring your steamer up to a boil, season your chicken breast with the pepper seasoning and place in the steamer, they will take approx. 10 minutes to cook. After 6 minutes add the courgette, broccoli and bok choi to the steamer along with the ginger, chillies, spring onions and orange zest.

Once the pepper chicken and vegetables are cooked sprinkle over the orange juice and season if required, served 100g of rice topped with one chicken breast and steamed seasoned vegetables, pour over 2 tsp of light soy sauce which adds a great depth, so you don't feel like you are missing out on any flavour. This was a amazing tasty dish that has helped me kick start my fat reduction without even really knowing I am doing so!

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.