Serves 4

Poach 2 large free range chicken breasts in a stock with water, lime juice and sesame oil. Then tear the meat apart with 2 forks. Marinate in equal amounts of lime/lemon juice, tamari, coriander, ginger juice. Then simply bake in the oven till slightly hot.

For the salad:

1 Oakleaf lettuce
100g rocket or mizuno
1 pack of buckwheat soba noodles cooked
1 punnet of strawberries & blueberries
1 mango & 1 papaya cut into strips
1 pack of beanshoots
1 red, yellow, green pepper sliced
1 red chilli deseeded sliced
50g of pickled ginger sliced
1 handful of chopped coriander
1 handful of finely sliced lemongrass
1 kiwi fruit skinned & cut into 16 pieces

Then, we recommend as follows:

1. put the salads on the middle of the plates
2. put on the soba noodles
3. mix the rest of the ingredients & place on top of the noodles
4. cover with the chicken
5. for the sauce put 100ml tamari,50ml fish sauce, 100ml orange juice, 100ml lemon juice, handful coriander, 1 stick of lemongrass finely sliced,50ml sesame oil
6. pour over the sauce & garnish with ground toasted cashew nuts, ½ a depipped lime & some fresh coriander leaves

Extra special when combined with our mango and pineapple salsa.

Serves 4

Juice of 1 lime
Juice of ½ orange
1 tsp harissa paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large, skinless turkey breasts
8 lemongrass stalks
1 courgette – sliced into 1cm discs
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into squares
8 shiitake mushrooms, cut in half
½ pineapple, peeled, cored and cubed

In a large bowl, mix together the lime juice, orange juice, harissa, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and olive oil. Cut the turkey into bite-sized chunks, add to the bowl and toss well. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place, ideally for at least 2 hours.

Thread the turkey pieces on to the lemongrass “skewers”, alternating with the courgette, red pepper, mushrooms and pineapple. Preheat the grill, barbecue or griddle pan (oiling this lightly) and cook the skewers, turning occasionally, for about 10minutes until evenly coloured and the turkey is cooked through.

Serve the skewers with mango and pineapple salsa and brown rice.

Mango & Pineapple Salsa

2 ripe but firm mangoes
½ ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and crushed
1 small red chilli, finely sliced
Handful of coriander (leaves and stalks), roughly chopped
Juice of 3 limes
2tsp sesame oil

Peel and chop the mangoes over a salad bowl to catch any runaway juice, tipping the fruit into the bowl and discarding the stone. Add the pineapple, onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and coriander and toss together. Drizzle with the lime juice and sesame oil, toss to mix and serve either as an accompaniment to the above recipe or on top of a piece of grilled fish or meat.

Serves 6

1 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
450g/1lb turkey mince
6 sun dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
75g/3oz fresh bread crumbs – wholemeal or gluten free bread is the healthy option
Mixed salad leaves and tomato wedges to serve
Sea salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and steam-fry the onion for a few minutes until softened. Transfer to a bowl, add the herbs and stir well.

Add the minced turkey, tomatoes, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Mix well to form a soft mixture. Divide into six patties and chill until firm.

Cook under a medium grill or over the barbecue for 25 minutes, turning occasionally or grill under a medium heat for 25 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve immediately.

Top Tip: For a less chunky burger, put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend for a few seconds, transfer to a bowl and divide into six patties.

Something new and interesting to try with chicken breasts.

Serves 4

½ onion, peeled and sliced
1 tsp olive oil
8 star anise
4 chicken breasts with skin
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
100ml water
300g cherries

You can either remove the stones from the cherries or save the effort and leave them in – just remember to warn everyone before eating! If fresh cherries are out of season, opt for unsweetened frozen ones instead.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/Gas mark 4. In a flameproof casserole, soften the onion in the olive oil together with the star anise. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly coloured. Stir in the tamari, honey, orange juice, balsamic vinegar and wine. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Tip in the cherries and stir to mix. Cover and cook in the oven for 20 minutes, then squish the cherries into the sauce to make it darker and more flavourful. Bake, uncovered, for a further 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Serve with brown rice and steamed green vegetables.

Quinoa (pronounced ‘keenwa’) is a true wonderfood, containing more protein than any grain (technically it is a fruit) as well as essential fatty acids and a whole host of vitamins and minerals (four times as much calcium as wheat, plus extra iron, B vitamins and vitamin E). Native to Central and South America, it is reputed to have provided the Aztecs with their enormous strength and as such is the ingredient of choice for most nutritionists.

Serves 4 – 6

1 whole free-range chicken (approx 1 kg or 2.2 lb)

dressing
1 large or 2 small preserved lemons
1 tbsp preserved lemon liquid
3 tbsp verjuice or white wine vinegar
60ml/ 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

herby quinoa
250g quinoa
1 bunch parsley (approx 30g), roughly chopped
1 bunch mint (approx 30g), roughly chopped
1 bunch dill (approx 30g), roughly chopped
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To cook the chicken, bring a large stockpot of water to the boil. Add the whole chicken, ensuring that it is completely covered in water. Bring the water back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then cover the pan with a well fitting lid and turn off the heat. Leave it to sit for 1 hour undisturbed. It will continue to cook in the water as it cools.

After an hour, remove the chicken from the water and drain well. It should be perfectly cooked and moist. Keep the poaching liquid to cook your quinoa, if you like. Set the chicken aside and when cool enough to handle, tear the flesh from the bones, separating it into strips. Store in the fridge until required.

While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the preserved lemon liquid, verjuice or vinegar, and olive oil, then season to taste with pepper. Finely chop the rind of the preserved lemons (discard the flesh) into small pieces and add to the dressing.

To cook the quinoa, bring a large pot of salted water (or your chicken poaching liquid) to the boil. In a sieve, rinse the quinoa thoroughly to remove the starch, then add it to the boiling water. Boil for approximately 10 minutes, then test to make sure that it is tender before draining. You can tell when it is cooked because the grains will have turned translucent, leaving just a small fleck of opaque in the centre. Rinse under cold water, drain well then mix with the herbs (reserving a little for garnish), spring onion, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

To serve, divide the herby quinoa between four plates. Top with some pieces of poached chicken and finally pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped herbs…

Traditionally a Moroccan seasoning, this is a delicious marinade for chicken and great with a side of red lentils.

Seasons 2-4 chicken breasts

1 handful of corriander
1 handful of parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon (zest)
3 tsp of paprika
1 cup of olive oil
1 tsp of pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds

Method:

Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan. When hot, add the cumin seeds and toast lightly by gently moving them around the pan so they dont burn. Keep aside.

In a blender, add the lemon zest, garilc cloves, cumin seeds, paprika, pepper and lemon juice. Pulse until roughly chopped and add the herbs. Pulse until minced, then add the oil and pulse again continuously until suitably mixed. Do not over blend.

Add mixure directly to chicken, for best results leave to marinade in the fridge for 1-2 hours. When ready, heat oil in a frying pan and cook chicken until golden and crisp.

Delicious for numerous occasions!

Rice wrapper rolls – we recommend the Blue Dragon brand available in supermarkets.

For the filling:

Thinly sliced cooked chicken
1 grated carrot
1 grated courgette
grated white cabbage (1/4 cabbage)
handful of powdered roasted blanched almonds
chinese 5 spice powder (1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon ginger powder
some chopped fresh coriander
rice noodles – cooked in boiling water for approx 2 minutes

For the dipping sauce:

tamari
chopped chives
chopped red chilli

Mix all the filling ingredients together. Place the rice paper in warm water for approximately 1 minute or until soft. Put the filling ingredients in the centre of the rice paper circle, fold in the sides and roll up. Serve with a dipping sauce of tamari with finely chopped chives, and chopped chilli.