Mango, snap peas and grilled chicken rice salad

Now that spring is making an appearance, I find myself craving healthy, lighter meals. This mango, snap peas and grilled chicken salad is just that.

This is a perfect moderately low-carb meal, with tons of vitamins from the mango and fresh peas, protein from the lean chicken and tang from the lime, cilantro-infused oil and Sriracha hot sauce.
Fresh and crisp tasting, I make it even healthier with brown rice.

Try it and tell me what you think!


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
- 4 cups of leftover cooked brown rice, at room temperature
- 1 chicken breast, sliced very fine
- fresh snap peas
- 1 ripe mango
- 1 lime
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- garlic, ginger and cilantro-infused oil (to taste, click here for the recipe)
- Sriracha hot sauce
- fresh cilantro for decorating (not pictured)


RECIPE:
- blanch the snap peas in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes and stop the cooking by transferring into a bowl of iced water

Note: I like them with a nice crunch, so I only blanch them but by all means, feel free to cook them longer if you like them softer
- in a skillet, brown the chicken in a splash of cilantro oil until cooked through and golden

- deglaze the juices from the skillet with the soy sauce and reserve the liquid

Note: this is an important step. There is SO much flavor packed in these little golden nuggets you mustn't throw this out!
- dice the mango

- combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl

- add the lime juice, flavored soy sauce, cilantro oil and a few splashes of hot sauce

- enjoy!

Butternut squash, Kale and Pancetta soup

Nothing I like more than a comforting, warming, delicious chunky soup this time of year.

It makes use of seasonal vegetables (squash and kale) and I love the flavor combo of smokey, salty pancetta and creamy cannellini beans. This recipe can also be kept vegetarian by switching chicken stock to vegetable stock. For a vegan option, I would substitute butter for olive oil, and pancetta with a teaspoon of miso or half a teaspoon of marmite.

Try this soup, you will love it!

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):

- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced relatively finely (about 1/4 inch cubes)

- 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 bunch of kale, remove the stalks and grossly chopped

- 1 cup onion, diced finely (1 medium onion should do)

- 1 cup carrots, diced finely

- 1 cup celery, diced finely

- 4 oz cubed pancetta

- 1 sprig of fresh thyme (dry works fine too)

- 2 tbsp butter

- 12 cups liquid (I used 8 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water)

RECIPE:

- in a deep stockpot, melt the butter and fry the pancetta over medium-high heat until crispy and golden

- add the carrots, celery and onion (this flavor base is also called a mirepoix) and the sprig of thyme.  Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and the pancetta drippings have been deglazed from the bottom of the pan (about 5 minutes)

- after 5 minutes, add the cubed squash, stock and water and bring to a boil. When the liquid boils, lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is almost cooked through

- add the kale and beans, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is cooked to your taste

- Enjoy!

Chicken noodle soup

Is there anything cozier than chicken noodle soup when the weather gets crisp, the leaves turn orange and you break your fall and winter gear out?

This is the absolute best weekend project for the amateur cook and foodie. If you feel so inclined, you can even prepare your own chicken broth from scratch (recipe to come soon) in the morning, and this hearty comforting soup in the afternoon for a nice evening wrapped up in your throw, on the couch watching TV.

Sounds pretty good, yeah?

Let's get started!


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 3 sticks of celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced

Note: dice the veggies as small as you like to eat them in the soup because this will not be blended, it is a clear soup. I like mine relatively small
- about 2 cups of cooked chicken meat (I like my soup very chicken-y!)

Note: I used the meat of 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts used to make broth (recipe to come)
- 1 1/2 cup of noodles (I used whole wheat)

- about 6 cups chicken broth (for this recipe I complemented homemade broth with commercial bricks because I just did not have enough)
- olive oil

RECIPE:
- in a deep pot, saute the veggie holy trinity (onion, carrots and celery) in a splash of olive oil over medium heat until soft (do not brown)
- increase the heat to medium-high, add the broth and bring back to a boil
- add the noodles and cook until the noodles are done to your liking

- shred the chicken meat (or dice, if you prefer) and add to the pot, stir until the chicken is heated through

- serve in a bowl, decorated with fresh parsley -or not-

- enjoy!

Himalayan salt block seared scallops and buttered garlic spinach

I haven't been this excited since the arrival of Piotr the Kitchenaid!

A couple of months ago, I got a super duper dorky-cool himalayan salt block for my birthday and I'm christening it today!

I decided to celebrate the awesomeness of owning such a cool gadget with seared scallops and buttered garlic spinach.

Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS (for 1 very excited kitchen dork):
- 5 scallops
- a splash of olive oil
- a handful of fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- pepper to taste
- a cooking grade salt block
- NO EXTRA SALT


RECIPE:
- gradually heat your salt block on a gas stove (20 minutes on low, 20 minutes on medium, 40 minutes on high)

- it is normal at this point to observe discoloration of the salt block

- pat dry the scallops and lightly brush with olive oil and sear on the hot salt block (about 5-7 minutes per side), reserve on the side

- melt the butter on the block and deglaze as much caramelized juices as possible before adding the spinach and as soon as it begins to wilt, add the garlic and toss

- serve the scallops on a bed of spinach and add pepper to taste

- Bon appetit!