28 Jun 2014

PALEO CURRY SPICED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY CUECUMBER MAYO DRESSING AND AVOCADO CHILLI LIME SALSA

Love love loved this curry spiced up chicken salad topped with a fresh zesty vibrant avocado chilli and lime salsa, this is a winner dinner not only did it taste fantastic it is also low in fat and loaded with heatlh giving properties that are so good for you.

The Science bit...
The curry spices stimulate your blood flow, are a powerful antioxidant and gives heart protecting properties.  The chicken has vitamin A, C, E, K, B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, folate, choline, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc and selenium.  The avocado vitamin B6, K, C, E, perfect food that produces compounds necessary for your liver to cleanse toxins, 67% mono-unsaturated fat as oleic acid, 19% fat as palmittic acid & linoleic acid, 14% saturated fat, potassium folic acid, high in fibre and helpful in lowering blood cholesterol.  Chilli in a large quantity gives you vitamin C, carotene, pro vitamin A, B, B6, potassium, magnesium and iron.  Peppers vitamin C (red vitamin A), betacarotene, strong antioxidant protects the heart and immune system, organ and blood cleansing.  Onions, Vitamin C, B6, folic acid, phenolics, flavonoids, anti inflammatory, cholesterol, oxidant properties.  Lime juice, 1lime is a full days dose of vitamin C.  Watercress raw, purifies blood, iodine when raw, vitamin C, E, anti bacterial mustard oils, betacarotenes, iron, phenethy isothiocganate, purifies blood.  Iceberg lettuce, has lactones which have a mild sedative calming and restorative properties.  Parsley heals the gut and digestive system, calming on the nervous system, super rich in potassium, vitamin A, natural detox cleansing.


INGREDIENTS
(serves 1)

1 chicken breast
2 tsps mild or hot curry powder
1 tbsp coconut oil

AVOCADO CHILLI & LIME SALSA
1 ripe avocado diced small
1 red chilli finely chopped
1/2 small red pepper finely diced
1/2 small orange pepper finely diced
1 clove garlic grated
1/2 lime juiced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
Sea salt
Black pepper

CREAMY CUECUMBER MAYONNAISE
3 egg yolks
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt
White pepper
300ml rapeseed oil (paleo avocado oil )
2 inch piece of cuecumber
1 slice of iceberg lettuce
Small handful of fresh parsley

First make you creamy cuecumber mayonnaise, this only takes a couple of minutes to make and is so much better than any shop brought product.  In a  deep whisking bowl put the egg yolks, white wine vinegar, mustard, and a dash of oil, using a balloon whisk, or food processor start whisking, at first slowly drizzle in the oil and once you have a emulsification you can add the rest of the oil at a faster rate, keep whisking until you have a ribbon mayonnaise.  Transfer your mayonnaise to a food blender and add the cuecumber, parsley and iceberg lettuce and blitz until smooth, the water in the cuecumber and lettuce will loosen the mayo so that it has more of a thick salad dressing consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  This will keep for around five days in a jar in the fridge.

Rub your chicken breast with the curry spices completely covering the breast, heat a non stick pan medium hot add the coconut oil once melted add the chicken breast and pan fry, until cooked, approx 7 minutes, meanwhile make the avocado salsa, in a bowl mix the chopped avocado, peppers, chilli, coriander, garlic, lime juice, salt and black pepper.

Place your watercress on your plate then slice the cooked chicken on the diagonal and place on your watercress salad, drizzle generous amounts of the creamy cuecumber mayonnaise over your chicken and top with your lovely avocado chilli lime salsa.


25 Jun 2014

SHORT RIBS BRAISED IN BEEF MARROW BONE STOCK

Such old fashioned (the best ever) cooking method, very little effort, just time with this dish that just rewards you with the very very best glorious sumptous comforting dinner, all the flavours of the beef and bone are released into the stock which make a glorious gravy to go with the tender melt in your mouth beef, served over simple yet gorgeous buttery rich mashed potatoes.


INGREDIENTS
( serves 2-3)
2 large bone in short ribs 
1 bone marrow optional
1 ltr beef bone stock
2 carrots finely chopped
1 onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic grated
1 celery finely diced
1 small leek finely diced
Sea salt
 Fresh ground black pepper
3 sprigs of thyme
1-2 tbsp cornflour


Lovely simple one pot cooking, pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees, place all the ingredients into a deep casserole dish with a lid, put the short rib in last with the bone on the bottom, pop on your lid and place in the oven, cook for approx three hours, the meat will just be holding itself together on the bone, gently remove from the stock and place on your plate, remove the bone marrow and give to the dog if you have one if you don't how about a neighbours dog, put the casserole dish on the stove and bring to a simmer, take your cornflour add approx two tbsps of water and mix together, add half to the simmering stock to thicken, if you want a thicker gravy then add a little more, season to taste, pour over your short ribs and serve with gorgeous buttery mashed potatoes that soak up some of the deep beef juices, my nan would also give me a mug of the braised beef stock to drink with my dinner! 


So simple, so sumptuous, wonderful comfort food.

PALEO WOOD FIRED COOKED FILLET STEAK WITH CHILLI COFFEE AND LIME MAYO

Wonderful sumptuous dinner treat, I cooked the centre cut fillet over my wood fired pit which gave the outer crust a soft woody almost but not charred flavour, left the fillet to rest and cool completely, then sliced as thin as I could, in the centre of each fillet slice place a dollop of your homemade coffee chilli and lime mayo, bazaar flavour combo I know but I saw Aussie Bill do this and thought I would add it to my paleo list of foods, place a steam of asparagus, wedge of cuecumber and a sprig of coriander on top of the mayo then fold the left side over the right to make a roll, I cut 16 slices from the fillet and served 3-4 rolls per person. 


INGREDIENTS
(serves 4)
800g centre cut fillet of beef
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
16 sprigs asparagus pre cooked
16 batons cuecumber
16 sprigs of coriander

CHILI COFFEE LIME MAYO
3 egg yolks
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (paleo ish)
Pinch of sea salt and white pepper
300ml rapeseed oil (paleo avocado oil)
1 tsp ground coffee
1/2 half lime juiced
1 tsp harissa chilli paste

To make the quick mayo, place all the ingredients in a blender except the oil and start to blend, add the rapeseed oil slowly at first until you have a thick mayo consistency, taste and adjust the season  if needed.  It really is that easy to make.  To flavour your mayonnaise stir in the coffee, lime juice and harissa.

You can easily cook this in a dry frying pan, just the same as I have over my wood fired pit, I am just having so much fun with my wood fired pit I want to cook everything on it!!!  I seasoned the fillet with salt and black pepper then placed the fillet over the fire pit for approx 15 minutes over a medium heat turning regularly, so that all sides had a chance to rest off the heat while the other side was cooking, this is the almost the same in a dry frying pan, just keep turning every 3 minutes or so, once cooked to rare, rough guide is 9 minutes per lb, rest your meat for 5-10 minutes wrapped in foil.


I like to prep all my ingredients before I start to cook or assemble, so having the cuecumber batons cut to the depth of the fillet, the asparagus steamed, the coriander leaves picked and the mayo made means, after the fillet steak has rested I can take my time to assemble the fillet rolls.


This is a gorgeous super tasty flavoursome pretty dinner that delighted both my eyes and my belly, I just love the paleo lifestyle, I am not paleo perfect and have not intention on being so but I have found myself to be naturally paleo just by removing the grain and legumes food groups, my incentive is weight loss which so far this lifestyle has helped me lose 59lbs.

23 Jun 2014

PALEO WOOD FIRED LAMB AND CHICKEN KEBABS WITH HARISSA

Gorgeous traditional kebab made using whole pieces of  leg of lamb and bashed chicken breasts, marinated in olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, layered alternatively on a large flat skewer, cooked over wood coals on an open fire pit really adds a level of honest soft woody smoked flavour.  This is awesome!  To be strictly paleo as I almost am, cooking this for my hubby who is not, I then choose not to marinate my meat in olive oil and not to have any flat bread, I made my cuecumber mayo dressing with avocado oil, that is the only swap out and it meant I still had the gorgeous wood fired kebab with my hubby.


INGREDIENTS
(serves 4-6)

4 x 5oz chicken breasts
1kg leg of lamb
50ml olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
(paleo use coconut or avocado oil)

ACCOMPANIMENTS
1 iceberg lettuce sliced
2 onions sliced
4 tsp harrisa chilli 
1 lemon or lime quartered
1 bunch coriander torn
Flat breads (recipe below)

CREAMY CUECUMBER GARLIC MAYO
I urge you to make your own mayo, this is so easy and only takes a couple of minutes at most, once you have you may never go back to shop brought after this.
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
300 ml rapeseed oil
(paleo use avocado oil)
Large pinch sea salt
3 cloves garlic grated
1/4 cuecumber
1 slice of iceberg lettuce


Just loving my new wood fire pit, this has been one of the best impulse purchases I have ever made, I have been meaning to build my own rustic fire pit for some time now and have not got round to it, so when I saw Jamie Oliver's pit cooking table, out of character I just went for it!

I love using some old re-claimed London bricks as a spit roast holder and these bricks also give me control over the wood fired heat as they allow me to adjust the height of the meat above the flames.


First take your leg of lamb and remove the skin, keep this as a bonus I cooked this on the pit grill and seasoned with salt this was outstandingly gorgeous, crispy roasted lamb crackling!  Slice the leg meat about an inch thick, take the chicken breasts, cover with clingfilm and gently bash the thickest part with a rolling pin so that the breast is an even thickness all over, cut into three equal portions.  Toss all the meat in some olive oil and season well with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Take two large or 4 smaller skewers and layer lamb first followed by chicken, I found on some cuts I needed to fold the meat in half to keep it the same size as other bits of meat, keep alternating until you have loaded all the meat on the skewers, keep the meat fairly well packed together, this is so that your kebab won't dry out during cooking and retain all their gorgeous flavoursome juices.  Next I like to prepare all the accompaniment's and pop in the fridge ready to go, I slice the iceberg lettuce and onion and make the cuecumber garlic mayo.

To make the cuecumber garlic mayo, place the egg yolks, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and a dash of rapeseed oil in a blender or bowl, whisk and then slowly drizzle in the rest of the oil until you have a lovely glossy thick ribbon mayonnaise, in a blender blitz the garlic, iceberg lettuce and cuecumber until smooth and fold into the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper.


Place your kebabs over your fire pit BBQ, you want the heat to be medium hot wood coals and by keeping some height from the heat will allow your kebab's to cook slowly but constantly, this will ensure your juiciness and not to put a burnt crust on the meat.  As your pit heat lowers you can lower the height of the kebab's if needed to keep on cooking, once cooked I like to rest the skewers under tin foil for 5 minutes while I cook the flat breads.


FLAT BREADS
(paleo do not eat)
250g 00 flour
8g yeast
160g water
25ml olive oil
5g sea salt
50g semolina for dusting

Make the dough 1 hour before you need to cook the flat breads or you can make this dough in advance and prove it in the fridge for 24 hours, this is a better method and gives a better flat bread, I like this method as it gives you a lot more flexibility, this dough will keep for 48 hours in the fridge and you can freeze the dough after 24 hours and when needed just take out of the freezer 1 hour before needed.

In a mixer or bowl place all the ingredients and knead for 7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, soft and springy, cover with a tea towel or clingfilm and leave to rest.  To make your flat breads divide the dough in to 6, dust your work top with semolina and more 00 flour and roll out the dough nice and thin, cook in a dry frying pan or cast iron skillet on the fire pit, these only take around 60 seconds each side.


To serve, load a plate with flat breads and stack the skewers, place bowls of iceberg lettuce, onion and a small bowl of harrisa on your tables along with a large bowl of your cuecumber garlic mayo and some sprigs of coriander, a few wedges of limes or lemons and then just enjoy.



20 Jun 2014

RICH STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING THE BEST EVER

Wow Wow Wow so simple and so quick to make this is the best rich sticky toffee pudding with a rich creamy buttery sticky toffee sauce I have ever made, loaded with pureed dates for extra moisture this is a truly sumptuous pudding, the fact that I was making my French sophisticated tart au citron for fathers day and got rail roaded by watching James Martin's best bites from Saturday kitchen on Sunday morning, ended up with me making this easy and simple pudding that is outstandingly good along with the choice of thick double cream, custard, clotted cream or ice cream was a deal sealer! 


INGREDIENTS
(makes 6)
55g butter
170g demerara sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs
2 tbsp black treacle
200g self raising flour 
200g pitted dates
290ml boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the sauce
220ml double cream
110g butter
110g dark muscovado sugar
3 tbsp black treacle
2 tbsp golden syrup

To serve, suggestions
Vanilla Ice-Cream
Clotted cream
Custard
Thick double cream

Pre-heat your oven to 200c/Gas 6, take 8 small pudding moulds and grease with butter.  Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add the golden syrup, treacle, and eggs, beat smooth on a slow setting, add the flour and gently fold in and leave to one side.

Meanwhile add the dates to a food processor, add the boiling water to the blender and blend to a smooth puree, tip into a bowl and add the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla.

Add the date mixture to the pudding mixture and fold in evenly.  Three quarter fill your greased moulds and place in your oven to bake for 15-20 minutes until the centre is springy to touch.

To make the sauce place all of the ingredients in a pan and bring up to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar is absorbed.  This will give you the most awesome sticky toffee sauce.

To serve remove the puddings from the moulds, place each pudding on a plate and pour over the sticky toffee sauce and serve with your choice of accompaniment.  My  husband choose three, clotted cream, thick double cream and vanilla cream!!!

WOOD FIRE PIT ROAST LAMB COOKING THE GAUCHO COWBOY WAY

Loving my new wood fire cooking pit, I am having so much fun cooking gorgeous succulent joints of meat over wood embers that gently seal the meat with a soft woody crust sealing in all the juices, this is because the heat only comes from below cooking the bottom half of the meat while allowing the other side of the meat to rest, unlike a conventional oven where the heat is all around the meat.  This after all was the method that we all cooked by until the introduction of  modern gas and electric appliances.  When I first built my wood fired oven for cooking pizzas and roasts I did not realise how much it was going to change the way I wanted to cook, there is nothing you can not cook in these ovens or open fire pits and for me it is the best way to cook all our food.


GLORIOUS GAUCHO COWBOY LEG OF LAMB
(serves 6)
2kg bone in leg of lamb
2kg King Edward potatoes
500g chantenay carrots
500g Haricot verts 
2 bunches asparagus
1 ltr lamb stock gravy

Keeping the bone in the leg of lamb is important the bone will help with an even cook all the way through and it reduces the cooking time.  Season your leg of lamb with sea salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper, then pierce with a substantial skewer or two.

COOKING GUIDE
Rare          50 degrees       ( 9mins per  lb)
Med Rare  55 degrees  (11 minutes per lb)
Medium     60 degrees  (12 minutes per lb)
Well Done  75 degrees  (15 minutes per lb)


As this is my first cook over the fire pit I decided to use some old London red bricks to give me some control via height over heat, this worked really well as I was able to start cooking over white wood coals with a little flame still going.  As the cooking carried on I turned the lamb every five minutes or so and then lowered the bricks as the heat lowered and I could see the sizzle on the lamb was fading, as the heat got less and less I finally finished off the lamb on the standard grill over the low embers.  This gave me great control and ensured I did not give the lamb a burnt end crust like pit beef but kept a gorgeous light smokey brown crust that enhanced the lambs flavour beyond my expectations.


This is a brilliant way to roast any sunday joint, I will not be going back to my normal fan oven as standard after this, my lamb joint cooked just as quick over the wood fire and was more succulent and tender with so much more flavour than I have ever had.  I served this with goose fat roast potatoes, chantenay carrots, harricot verts, asparagus, lamb stock gravy with roasting juices and mint sauce


16 Jun 2014

GAUCHO'S COWBOY RIB EYE 32oz FIRE PIT COOKED STEAK BEST EVER

One of the best pit fired steak's I have ever eaten, Summer is here and I am all excited and want to enjoy as much outdoor cooking and living as I can, even though that is rather limited here in the UK.  This summer I am learning how to cook the Gaucho's cowboy way, a simple way to cook your food on the go over daily made wood fire pits.  This aged steak along with the slow wood fired pit cooking adding that extra flavour, just can't be beaten.  I first had this 32oz cut of steak in 2004 in Gallagher's Steak House from NY in Las Vegas, and have never forgotten it, I don't eat this very often, maybe once, twice a year at most, but oh boy this is a winner winner Gaucho steak dinner.


Glorious aged steak in itself loaded with honest old fashioned fat and flavour, add the slow cooking over wood and BaBoom you elevate the flavours with some glorious soft smokey wood charred notes.


These cuts can be ordered from your butcher in advance, if you can not find these cuts, just look for a rib eye bone in joint of beef and ask the butcher to cut you one rib per person as a steak off the joint, I also asked my butcher to french trim the bone for presentation.  On average each steak will be around 800g.  Great for sharing, unless you live in my house hold !


Crank up your BBQ or fire pit with a wood fire rather than coals, the flavour from the wood adds a really  rich soft woody deep layer to your meat, gorgeous.


Once your wood fire is established and you have white coals with a gently glowing fire your pit is ready to cook on, this is very simple honest cooking, place your steaks on the grill, do not be to eager to turn the steaks, let them seal forming a gorgeous crust before your first turn, once both sides are sealed I take off the steaks and leave to rest for a few minutes, this is so I can control the heat from the fire pit, my fire pit has a hot side and lower heat side for control, place the steak back on the grill on a lower heat area to cook on to your choice of blue, rare, medium or well done.  I cooked these rare towards medium and these took approx 15 minutes on the pit with a few minutes of resting in between and a final 5 minutes resting after cooking, cover with foil to keep warm.  The steak is the main event on your plate and needs no fancy accompaniments, just some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper and served with some green beans.


Leftovers.


6 Jun 2014

PALEO CHICKEN BROTH ABUNDANCE OF SUNSHINE

Abundance of goodness, this is a soul restoring bowl of sunshine, packed full of vitamins, minerals and anti-bacterial properties.  This is a simple one pot cook that looks like a lot of effort but it really is not once you have made the simple bone stock you just load everything in one pot and cook for a couple of minutes, this really is fast food!  This cook also gives you lots of left over chicken for the rest of the weeks meals like stir fry's sandwiches, wraps and pies, more broth to name a few because you are only after the chicken stock and a hint of the meat.


The geeky science bit...
Chicken bone stock has anti viral anti bacterial properties, as much as 25% as effective as penicillin, the asparagus is loaded with vitamin C, E, K, B6, calcium, magnesium, zinc, betacarotene, iron, fibre, stimulates the kidneys, also supplier of potassium, copper, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, selenium, chromium which enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from blood cells to amino acids.  The watercress helps purify blood, Vitamin A, iodine, iron, Vitamin C, E.  Turmeric a super food Vitamin C, calcium, iron, potash, magnesium, copper, zinc, B6, riboflavin, niacin, choline, antioxidants that control blood cholesterol levels.  Red peppers full of vitamin A, C, betacarotene, strong antioxidant protects heart and immune system and organ and blood cleansing.  Broccoli supports liver, antioxidant cleaner, calcium, vitamin A, enzyme Q10.  Lastly garlic the King of healing fights stomach bugs, allicin and selenium, cleans the liver, anti bacteriall, viral and fungal, reduces risks of blood clots and cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and improves circulation.

INGREDIENTS
(makes 6-8 ptns)
For the stock
1 large organic free range chicken
2 carrots
3 sticks celery
1 large onion
1 leek
6 fresh bay leaves
10 whole peppercorns
few sprigs of fresh thyme
handfull of fresh parsley
1 habanero chili
1 lrg pinch of salt
6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp turmeric powder or grated
2" ginger grated
1 stick lemongrass bashed
jelly stock pots (if needed)
water to cover the chicken

For the soup per person
3 ladles of above chicken stock
Approx 2oz poached chicken
100ml coconut milk
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp tom yum paste
1 tsp Harissa paste
3 spears of asparagus per person
3 stems of broccoli per person
6 mangetout per person
small handful of watercress per person
1 red chilli sliced
2 spring onions sliced
2 tbsp coriander
1 red pepper diced

Take a large stock pot and place all the ingredients except the jelly stock pots in to the pan, pour in the water until you have just covered the chicken, pop on a lid and gently simmer for 1 hr if using a pressure cooker or 2-3hrs on a low and slow, turn off the heat and leave to cool, at this point I taste the stock and season with salt and pepper, if it is a bit watery you can reduce the amount of liquid to strengthen the flavour or add a healthy msg free jelly chicken stock pot to add depth to the chicken water, once cool remove the chicken, by waiting for the chicken to cool in the stock the chicken re-absorbs lots of the chicken stock and gives the most moist chicken meat, pour the stock through a seive into a large jug, this I now place in the fridge to set if I am not using immediatly, this allows me to remove the layer of fat that will set on top easily, but if you are using straight away just spoon off as much fat as you can if you want.

To make your gorgeous broth bring four ladles per person to a gentle simmer, chop and add the asparagus, mangetout and broccoli to the stock along with the coconut milk, tamarind, tom yum, harrisa and chicken meat, simmer for 2-3 minutes and take of the heat, in your serving bowl place your watercress, spring onion, chilli, red pepper and coriander, pour over the hot broth and enjoy.


PALEO SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Outstandingly fabulous spaghetti squash, if like me you follow the paleo or are gluten free and don't want to eat re-fined gluten free substitutes, the spaghetti from the squash is almost as good in flavour and texture as the processed pasta that I thought I missed and loved.  I am so pleased to have discovered a healthier way to have the same gorgeous foods so much more honestly to eat with any of my favourite pasta sauces.


Ingredients
(serves 2 + leftovers)
1 spaghetti squash
glug avocado or coconut oil

MEATBALLS
1kg chuck mince 
1 tsp coconut oil
1 small onion finely diced
1 red chilli diced
1 cloves garlic diced
Sea salt & black pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme
100g shaved cheddar or Parmesan

MEATY SAUCE
1 tbsp of coconut oil
500g chuck mince
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 stick celery finely chopped
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
125ml red wine
125ml  rich beef stock
2 tins of chopped tomato's
Salt and black pepper


Simple to prepare, slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, drizzle with some avocado or coconut oil and season with salt and black pepper.


Place face down on a foiled baking tray and roast at 180 degrees for around 1hr to 1hr 30mins until you can shred the squash easily with a fork.


While the squash is baking prepare your meatballs and sauce.  Starting with the sauce, heat the oil in a deep pan and gently soften the onions, garlic, celery and carrot for around 15 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside, add the chuck steak to the pan and brown off, add back the soften onions mix, red pepper and the red wine, simmer and reduce by half, then add the stock, tomatoes and thyme, leave to gently simmer away for around 1 hour so that the carrots, pepper and celery all melt into the sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a fine sauce, pass through a sieve, reserving the mince for another dish like tacos, beef empandas or burrito fillings.

Next to make the meatballs, heat a pan with the coconut oil and gently soften the onion and garlic for five minutes then transfer to a large bowl along with the chuck steak, thyme, chilli, salt and black pepper, mix together and form into small meatballs by hand or with a mini ice cream scoop.  Heat a little more coconut oil in a pan and sear each meatball until browned all over then place all the meatballs into the gorgeous tomato sauce and very gently bring to just a simmer, keep ticking over until your spaghetti squash is ready.  

Two ways to serve, use the squash as your bowl and fork up the spaghetti and top with your meatballs, sauce and some shaved cheese OR scoop out all the spaghetti squash strands and toss with a ladle of sauce, pile high on your plate and top off with the meatballs, more sauce and shavings of cheese.


3 Jun 2014

PALEO CORONATION CURRY CHICKEN STUFFED AVOCADO

Whats not to love, gorgeous spicy creamy coronation curry chicken & asparagus stuffed in to an avocado shell loaded with a fresh zesty garlic and coriander chilli guacamole, super food full of super health giving goodness.


Now for the geeky science bit...
The avocado is packed with vitamin's B6, K, C, & E, 67% mono-unsaturated fats, produces compound necessary for your liver to cleanse toxins from your body, potassium folic acid, high in fibre and the helpful fats lower blood cholesterol, 19% fat palmittic & linoleic acid, 14% saturated fat. Garlic the King of healing foods has selenium and allicin which cleans the liver, along with antibacterial and antiviral properties, reduces risk of clots and cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and improves circulation.  Onions offer vitamin C, B6, folic acid, flavonoids and anit-inflammatory, the pepper gives you betacarotene, Vitamin C, A (if red), strong antioxidant, protects heart and immune system and helps with organ and blood cleansing, and the chilli is really high in vitamin C, and levels of pro-vitamin A, B, B6, carotene, potassium, magnesium and iron.  

 The curry spiced chicken stimulates blood flow and a sense of well being packed with Vitamin A, C, E, K, B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, folate, choline, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc and selenium, and the fresh egg yolks in the mayonnaise are a good source of protein, B12, iron, zinc, lecithin and protect you from heart disease.

INGREDIENTS
(serves 2)

CORONATION CHICKEN
6 oz poached chicken breast shredded
6 stems asparagus chopped 
1 tbsp homemade mayo (recipe below)
1 tsp curry powder or paste
pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt and black pepper
1 fresh chilli diced
1/4 lime juiced
1 spring onion sliced
1 tbsp coriander chopped

AVOCADO OIL MAYONNAISE
300ml avocado oil or rapeseed oil
3 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
Sea salt and white pepper

GUACAMOLE
1 ripe avocado mashed
1 red chilli diced
2 tbsp fine diced red pepper
1 clove garlic grated
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 lime juiced

First make the mayonnaise, in a deep bowl place a glug of the oil, the egg yolks, white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, with a balloon whisk, start whisking and slowly at first drizzle in the oil once you have a emulsion you can add the oil at a faster speed, whisk until all the oil is incorporated and you have a lovely glossy thick mayonnaise.


Bring a pan of water to a rolling bowl and simmer the asparagus for two minutes, drain and place in a bowl with the shredded poached chicken, mayonnaise, curry powder or paste, lime juice, chilli, spring onion and coriander mix together and taste, season with salt and black pepper if needed.

Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and place in a bowl, mash with a fork for a rough texture and mix in the chilli, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper, if you like your guacamole smooth then place in a blender along with the chilli, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper and blitz until smooth.

Fill the avocado shells with the guacamole and top with the coronation chicken, sprinkle over a little diced chilies, spring onion, coriander and dust with the cayenne pepper