Curried Chicken & Mango Salad

I came across this recipe in the May 2012 issue of Good Food magazine and I just couldn't wait to try it. Mango! Curry! Chicken! Sesame seeds! All things I love, love, love to eat and it was everything it promised to be - light and delicious, spicy and exotically flavour-some. Don't just take my word for it though - give it a go and try it for yourself!

Serves: 2 as a main dish, or 4 as a starter.

Ingredients


6 chicken mini fillets
1tsp olive oil
2tsp curry powder (I used a hot curry powder)
4tbsp natural yoghurt
2tbsp mango chutney
zest and juice of half a lime
1 Little Gem lettuce (I actually used Cos as that's what the shop had), leaves separated
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
half a red onion, finely sliced
2tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with tinfoil. Toss the chicken fillets in the oil and 1tsp of the curry powder, making sure that they're evenly coated. Place on the baking tray and bake for 20 mins or until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly and then slice.
2. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the curry powder in a bowl with the yoghurt, chutney and lime zest and juice.
3. To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves on your plates. Top with the sliced mango and chicken. Scatter over the red onion slices, drizzle with the dressing and then scatter with the sesame seeds.
4. Enjoy!

Cream of Vegetable Soup

It's minus something important here, and the freezing fog has graciously moved off enough so I can see...when the cats sit on the window and want to come in. Definitely soup weather!

Made this one this morning whilst Himself had a lie-in. Nothing better than waking up to freshly made soup and bread (not that I'd know that since I'm always the one making it, but I've heard...) and it's also great for using up the vegetables that you'd otherwise turn your nose up at. Slightly sad looking carrots? In ya go! Pepper that may or may not be about to start sprouting fur? Cut off the soft bits and in you go as well! Everything and anything can go into this soup, whatever you have in your kitchen at the time. I've used leeks here as I had them and they needed using, but onions would be perfectly good as well. How many it'll serve depends on how much you make, this morning I used 'The Vat' so I've a good 4-5 litres of soup (and that's only it half full!). Just try and use the biggest saucepan you have, if you've made too much you can just pop it in the freezer (or drop some round to friends, family and neighbours), that's the joy of soup.

Serves: Lots!

Ingredients
4 carrots, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
Half a squash, cubed
1 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 potatoes, cubed
1 bay leaf
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of rosemary
Handful of chopped parsley
Stock (vegetable or chicken), to cover
Salt & pepper
Half cup of cream
Knob of butter

Method

1. Prepare your vegetables and herbs. Have them all ready to rock and roll and it'll make the soup so much easier for you. Melt your butter in a large saucepan over a high heat.
2. Add the leeks and celery to the saucepan and stir, cooking until slightly softened. Add the rest of the vegetables, and your herbs. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes (make sure that you actually turn the vegetables over one another, and it's not just all the same ones sitting on the bottom of the pan).
3. Add your stock, enough to just cover the vegetables. Either chicken or vegetable stock is fine, whichever you have to hand. If you're using pre-made stock cubes remember that they can have quite a high salt content, so go easy with the salt later on.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Remove from the heat and puree your soup. You may need to do this in batches. Return to the saucepan over a medium heat.
6. Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Pop into bowls and eat, eat, eat!

This soup really goes help keep you warm on a cold winter's day so pop it on to cook then go out for a brisk walk. By the time you're back it'll be ready to finalise and serve, you'll have worked up an appetite, and it'll keep you full and warm for ages afterwards.

Gorgeous served with brown or white soda bread.