HEALTHY PENANG CHICKEN CURRY

This week Chris & myself embarked on the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Challenge. Whilst we are very health conscious, we recently noticed that our portion sizes have become bigger and bigger during winter. We wanted to get a handle on this quickly! Due to the fact that we own a Pilates studio healthy eating has organically become a part of our lives, however we just felt a need to fine-tune our eating habits. Hence this is the start of several recipes straight from (and adapted) the Michelle Bridges Transformation. To see the whole collection of recipes that I test out over the coming weeks and months you will need to go to soulfulsandwiches.blogspot.com. Premiumpilatesstudio.blogspot.com will feature one weekly recipe and a snapshot of Chris and my improved eating. We hope you follow us on this journey. Remember that weight loss is 10-20% exercise and 80-90% what you eat!!

First up is a Penang Chicken Curry. If you are not a meat eater, substitute the 1500g of chicken for 1150g firm tofu and cook the same way. The recipe calls for 1/3 brown sugar, however I do not think this is a necessity for this curry and by removing this ingredient you save 30 calories a serve (yay!). The name of this curry refers to the island of Penang in Northen Malaysia. Whilst this healthy version tastes creamy and delicious, I am sure the authentic Penang curry tastes quite different! Remember that this recipe feeds six, so divide it into six even serves and refrigerate the remaining serves so that you are not tempted to eat more! 

Ingredients

• 2 heaped tablespoons red curry paste 
• 1500g / 1.5kg free range chicken breast, cut into even strips OR 1150 / 1.150kg firm tofu, cut into even pieces
• 1 x 400g tin light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/3 cup organic peanut butter
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into even-sized florets and stalk chopped
• 200g green beans, trimmed 

Cooking 

1. Heat a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is spread across the bottom of the pan. 

2. Add the coconut milk and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Make sure that the liquid does not boil by continually stirring and keeping the heat at a medium range. 

3. Pour in the fish sauce and peanut butter and stir until the mixture is smooth and not lumpy. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked and tender. Make sure to keep the heat from the stove low so that the sauce does not boil, as it will separate. 

4. After step 1, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the greens (broccoli & beans) in a steamer over the water. Cook for a few minutes until the greens are just tender and not soggy. 

5. Divide the chicken, sauce and vegetables into six equal serves. 

Serves / 6 

Total Preparation time / 20- 25 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

Calories / 464

x Emily 

STUFFED TANGY QUINOA CAPSICUMS

I’ve made stuffed capsicums on several occasions over the years, mostly with couscous or rice as the foundation. I have ample amounts of quinoa in my pantry after buying up big at Costco (2kgs to be exact) hence this ingredient was chosen as the filler. Depending on how hungry you are, you can add some grilled chicken and/or lentils to the capsicums for more protein. I love the tanginess of the lemon, sumac spice and tomato as a topping. A sprinkle of whatever chopped/crumbed cheese you have on hand and finely chopped garlic will provide the quinoa with some added flavour. I love eating these capsicums as a light dinner. I do slightly prefer green capsicums over read for this recipe, however red always seems to be in much greater supply as my green grocer! 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups quinoa (any sort will do)
• 3 medium red / green / or a mixture of the two capsicum, deseeded & membranes removed and cut in half 
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 20-30g goat's feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon sumac
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (i.e parsley, basil, chives)

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Rinse the quinoa twice in cold water, then strain well. Pour the quinoa into a small saucepan and add 1/2 cups water with a generous pinch of sea salt. Cover the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes or until all water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked (taste to check). 

3. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a medium to large frypan over medium-high heat. Add the halved capsicums and cook on their round sizes for 5-6 minutes or until lightly scorched. Remove from the heat and place cut side up on the prepared baking tray. 

4. Once the quinoa is cooked, combine with the garlic and goat's cheese and spoon the mixture into the hollow part of the capsicums. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove. 

5. Whilst the capsicums are in the oven, combine the tomato, sumac, lemon, fresh herbs and a pinch of sea salt. Once the capsicums have finished baking, top them with this tomato mixture and serve warm. 

Serves / 2 hungry people

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35 minutes maximum 

x Emily 

TERESA CUTTER'S PUMPKIN BREAD

I stumbled across this recipe by the Healthy Chef, Teresa Cutter, while looking in a House & Garden magazine for renovation inspiration. I’ve come across Teresa in the past and have tried out some of her gluten-free, often dairy-free and health-conscious desserts and treats. I am sure we are all guilty of thinking of allergy free and low sugar sweets as dry, bland and uninteresting at one point in time, but the Healthy Chef blows this falsehood out of the water with her full flavoured, moist and easy-to-make cakes, muffins and breads (among other recipes). Here is her Pumpkin Bread, adapted very slightly. Even if you are not a fan of pumpkin I suggest making it- the warm bread is delightful with a dollop of butter, dunked in a steaming bowl of soup or eaten solo. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 heaped cups (450-475g) grated raw pumpkin 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 4 eggs, preferably free-range 
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1/6 - 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 3 cups almond meal
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free baking powder, sifted 

COOKING / BAKING

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a narrow but deep loaf tin with baking paper. 

2. In a large bowl place the grated pumpkin, syrup, eggs, salt, nutmeg and oil. Mix to combine and add almond meal and baking powder, stirring well. 

3. Pour/spoon the pumpkin mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer or knife inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to rest for 1 hour before lifting out. 

Makes / 1 loaf

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes

Total Cooking time / 1 hour 10 minutes 

x Emily 

BROCCOLI SALAD with CHICKPEAS, CANNELLINI BEANS, LEMON & HAM

A client loaned me the most amazing cookbook; ‘Community; Salad Recipes from Arthur Street Kitchen’ by Hetty McKinnon. It is a beautiful collection of recipes that will enthrall any reader and will make you think about salads in a much more extensive way than you probably ever have before. It is not a vegetarian cookbook, however all the salad ingredients are vegetables, spices & herbs. Below I have adapted one of Hetty’s popular brassica recipes to include some ham and some extra beans for protein. Hetty offers each reader of her cookbook and taster of her Arthur Street Kitchen salads a chance to discover more meaningful ways to bond and relate through food, which to me is the absolute point of eating (besides avoiding starvation, of course!). 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (liquid form)
• 2 heads of broccoli (1 kg), cut into even-sized florets & stalks thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• 100 -150g good quality ham, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, washed & drained well
• 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, washed & drained well
• 1 generous handful of mixed lettuce, washed & drained well
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• the zest & juice of 1 large lemon 
• sea salt & ground black pepper 

COOKING 

1. Combine the oil, broccoli and garlic in a large bowl and toss well. 

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the broccoli-garlic-oil mixture. Keep stirring the broccoli, garlic and ham frequently so that they do not burn. Add a few splashes of water to the pan if the ingredients start to stick. Continue to stir until the broccoli is just soft and the garlic and ham are lightly golden. 

3. Combine the broccoli mixture with the chickpeas, beans, lettuce, parsley and zest & juice in a large serving bowl. Toss well to combine all ingredients and add sea salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves / 4 for a main meal 

Total Preparation time / 10 - 15 minutes 

From pan to plate  / 10 - 15 minutes maximum 

x Emily