Recipes

Salsa

1 can (14 ounces) whole cranberry sauce 1/3 cup finely-chopped fresh coriander leaves ¼ cup minced red onion 1½ teaspoons freshly-grated orange zest 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon rock salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese 4 boneless chicken breast halves (with or without skin) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons finely-chopped fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Goat Cheesestuffed Chicken Breasts with Cranberry Salsa

Combine the salsa ingredients, including ½ teaspoon of the salt, and mix well. Reserve ¼ cup of the salsa to use as a stuffing for the chicken breasts. (The salsa is best if made a few hours before serving. Keep it covered and refrigerated.)

Prepare the BBQ grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F; 175° to 230°C).

Place the chicken on a work surface, skin (or smooth) side down, and then cut a large pocket in the thickest part of each breast. Push about 1 tablespoon of the cheese inside the pocket, and then spread about 1 tablespoon of the reserved cranberry mixture on top of the cheese. Press the pocket closed. Brush both sides of the chicken with oil and season evenly with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the pepper, and thyme.

Grill the chicken, skin (or smooth) side down first, over direct medium heat, with the BBQ lid closed, until the meat is firm to the touch and opaque all the way to the centre (8 to 12 minutes), carefully turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining cranberry salsa.

Helen Wreaks, Gatmans Mowers&More, Silverdale

Teriyaki Chicken with Crispy Skin

Japan will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup, so why don’t you prepare yourself with some delicious Japanese food?

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts (boneless and skin-on) 1/4 Cabbage

To Make

(optional). Put into fridge for at least 12 hours; ideally one day. 3) On a plate, arrange a layer of corn flour and put the chicken onto it with skin facing down. Ensure every part of the skin is covered by corn flour; then quickly transfer it to an already-heated saucepan with skin facing down. 4) Add oil around the chicken, cover and pan-fry on high heat for about 8 minutes. 5) Remove cover; turn the chicken with skin side up, fry for a further 2-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. Add oil if necessary. 6) Once the breast is fully cooked, transfer it to an oven rack with skin up and grill for around 2-3 minutes, or until the skin turns crispy. 7) Cut into pieces and serve on a bed of shredded cabbage; pour Teriyaki sauce over.

To Make Teriyaki sauce

1) In a the same saucepan, heat up 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1/4 cup water. 2) Let it boil for around 3 minutes or until most water has evaporated, where there are big bubbles in the saucepan (see photo). Remove from heat and check the texture; if it is too watery, then keep heating until it reaches your desired thickness.

Enjoy! Nita Wong

Best Muffins Ever!

These muffins are great as a base for all sorts of flavours. They also freeze brilliantly; take them out of the freezer to pop into lunch boxes and by morning tea they will be ready to go.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour 1 1/4 cups wholemeal flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 2/3 cup baking bran 2/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup milk 1 cup of yoghurt (I use any sort, fruit, plain, vanilla, Greek) 1 mashed banana

Method

Mix all above together slightly; then: 125g butter 2tbsp golden syrup 1 1/2 tsp baking soda Melt butter and golden syrup. Once melted, add the baking soda – this will froth up – immediately add to the other ingredients. Other options to add to the mixture: sultanas, coconut, chopped apple, walnuts, almonds, cocoa (I also add some protein powder for my son whose is working out at the gym), or a 1/2 tsp of cream cheese in the middle of each You can also decorate the tops with a slice of apple or a chocolate button. Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake cups. 3/4 fill muffin cups and bake at 180C for 12-15 minutes. Test by putting a sharp knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.

Enjoy! Sharon Whitaker