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Japanese RWC inspired Edamame Chicken Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette

23 Oct, 2019

Who hasn’t enjoyed Japan hosting the Rugby World Cup and not enjoyed the success and way that the Brave Blossoms have played? Who doesn’t like edamame beans and their goodness and total ease of cooking and who doesn’t like a lovely dish that takes only 20 minutes to prepare and cook and which has a beautiful combination of tasty, fresh flavours coming through with that finishing hint of wasabi! Son Macca enjoyed it so...

Spicy yoghurt roasted chicken thighs

12 Oct, 2019

This is another beautifully balanced dish with a lovely combination of spices and flavours. It is a bit like Tandoori chicken but much more subtle without losing flavours. One of the great features of this dish is that subject to your tastes and preferences, simply by changing up what you serve the chicken with, you can end up with Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern or a dish from the sub-continent! How good and versatile is that!!??...

Springtime Goodness Soup

11 Oct, 2019

I found this recipe in the Viva magazine, liked the flavour combo and very quickly and easily cooked it for a weekend lunch – very tasty but not too rich and “wintery” if you know what I mean. Not many ingredients but they all come together really well You will get your five-plus a day with this lovely soup which has loads of greens plus the kumara packed in one bowl – perfect for a lunch or simple dinner with a...

Oven baked chicken with smoky devilled beans

08 Oct, 2019

Real comfort food and ideal for a Spring dinner when you’re not sure what the weather is going to do! This is not a dinner party dish but, if you like the flavour combo, it can be a real family favourite. Haydo, who looks after our social media loves this dish! Lots of yummy flavours with rosemary, tomato paste, Dijon and English mustard, Worcester sauce and smoked paprika. Quick and easy to cook- lots of ingredients, yes, but...

Spanish one pan dish with chicken, chorizo, beans and roast potato

17 Sep, 2019

This is a simple, tasty and fun dish to cook and serve for dinner all year round. Yes there are a few steps, but all are simple and come together so well. If you like the flavours of chorizo, red capsicum and smoked paprika, you will enjoy this dish I serve the dish in the large frypan that is used for most of the cooking – lovely colour mix with the green, red and yellow. When the cooking is finished, simply put the frypan on the...

Pea, spinach and parmesan risotto

17 Sep, 2019

This is another risotto dish that is so easy to cook, tastes great and can be served for a family meat-free Monday dinner(!) or for friends invited for dinner – I’ve certainly served this risotto as part of an Italian inspired dinner when brother-in-law Scott and his wife Carolyn came to dinner Once again this is not a complicated risotto recipe requiring stock to be added as the risotto cooks – all the stock goes in at...

Bacon, spinach and blue cheese pasta

17 Sep, 2019

This is such a tasty and simple pasta dish to make and includes a useful tip for those ends of blue cheese that can get a bit of a rind I simply freeze the end bits and use them for this dish or a blue cheese sauce to go with a piece of steak. It may also be a meal where you have most of the ingredients already in your frig. One thought – if you don’t like blue cheese, don’t make this dish! This is also a dish that is...

Lao/ Northern Thai Pork Larb

06 Jun, 2019

This Lao/ Northern Thailand dish is a fresh flavourful Southeast Asian extravaganza. It is a dish of pork mince, flavoured with lime juice and fish sauce and various other ingredients such as chilli and coriander. This Larb is packed full of flavour and includes snow peas, broccolini and capsicum with all the ingredients and flavours working together to achieve that magic balance of hot(spicy), sour, sweet and salty. There are...

Slow cooked Beef in red wine w/parsnip and kumara mash and green beans

05 Jun, 2019

The beef has been slowly cooked and the sauce is very flavoursome. The parsnip and kumara mash and green beans balance and finish off the dish really well. Very tasty and satisfying dinner for a cold winter’s evening. You can of course vary the mash and cook a straight potato mash or kumara without the parsnips if you don’t like parsnips! Alternatively a purée with your favourite vegetable. Ingredients 1.5 kgs...

Smoky chilli chicken burger with rocket, lemon mayo and ciabatta

04 Jun, 2019

This is a very simple yet tasty dish. Served on its own as a main with rocket, lemon mayo and bruschetta. This dish is good all year round and in the summer months, you can barbeque the chicken and capsicum and in the cooler months, simply use a frypan You don’t want to over-complicate a burger but that doesn’t mean that this dish isn’t packed with flavour!! This is one of Anna’s favourite meals and a...

Thai yellow chicken curry

03 Jun, 2019

This is a very mild yet tasty curry. Indian influenced, the curry has a rich, yet slightly sweet taste with potatoes and peas, and the cherry tomatoes (yes unusual for a Thai curry!) provide a hint of acidity. I have “copied” the ingredients and, hopefully flavour, from Chow restaurant on Tory Street in Wellington as this curry was a real favourite of our daughter, Anna, whenever we went there while she was at uni in Welly. As...

Chicken and pea risotto

02 Jun, 2019

Arguably the most traditional risotto, yet never fails to please! Pancetta adds extra flavour to this dish. The risotto reheats well and is perfect with the simple rocket and shaved parmesan salad. With its uncomplicated flavours, this is ideal for a family dinner Like the Leek and Mushroom Risotto, all the stock goes in at once, so nice and easy…and yes, I do love a good risotto! Ingredients 6 cups of chicken stock, warm (a...

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