Persian Chicken with Walnuts and Pomegranate.

An Easier Take On A Traditional Persian Favourite.

Looks like jewels on a plate.

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
8 boneless chicken thighs cut in half widthways.
1/4 cup lime juice, or juice of 2 limes.
20g butter
2 finely chopped medium onions
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, or 3 crushed cardamom, or 1 teaspoon powder.
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
2 Tablespoons olive oil.
1 red capsicum, chopped into 1 cm squares
1 yellow capsicum, chopped into 1 cm squares.
1 cup finely ground or medium ground( your preference)walnuts.
1 cup pomegranate molasses.
2 tablespoons honey.
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup chicken stock.
Pomegranate seeds, fresh.( 1/2 pomegranate).

1. Put chicken in a bowl and cover with the lime juice, leave 15 minutes
2. Preheat oven to 175C/340F.
3. In a frying pan melt butter on medium heat, fry onion 3-5 minutes until soft.
4. Stir in cardamom and cinnamon cook 1 more minute, put into an oven dish
5. Brown the chicken, in the frying pan, on both sides, then add to onion mix
6. Quickly fry the capsicum and add to the oven dish too.
7. Mix the walnuts, honey, bay leaves, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste and stock.
8. Pour this over the chicken
9. Cook in the oven, covered for 20 minutes.
10. Remove lid, continue to cook 10 more minutes. Test chicken is cooked through.
Serve with Persian rice.

Rice:
1 cup basmati or long grain brown rice cooked and cooled.
20g butter or 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
1 cup microwaved peas or fava or broad beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sumac or ras el hanout or even dukkah or moroccan spices.
salt and pepper.
Heat oil and toss all ingredients together until hot.

Truly rich, delicious, sweet and sour flavours. With flatbreads and a salad of chopped cucumber and tomatoes with torn lettuce leaves and a lemon/olive oil dressing it's good enough for a royal feast.

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Loaf

Gingerbread is a traditional British Treat.
This recipe includes nutritious ingredients that taste delicious.

Ingredients:
100g butter or low fat baking spread.
1/2 cup dark molasses sugar.
3 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sifted baking soda
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons sifted ginger powder
1 and 1/2 cups wholewheat flour (sifted) Add the bran left in the sifter.
1/2 cup almond meal
60g crystallised ginger, cut into thin small slices.

Heat oven to 180C or 350F.

1. Gently melt the butter, sugar and honey,
    stirring well.
2. When cool, beat in the eggs.
3. Add the baking soda to the yoghurt.
4. Line a 22cmx12cm loaf tin with baking paper.

5. Put the flour, the ginger powder and almond meal into a bowl.
6. Add the sliced ginger pieces.
7. Fold the flour mix into the  yoghurt, egg and melted ingredients until just incorporated.
8. Put the mixture into the tin.
    And into the oven.
9. Cook for 35 minutes or until the loaf springs back when
pressed in the centre. Don't over cook it.      

  

Serve with butter if you like, with a great cup of tea.

Koftas and Hummus in a Wrap.

Lower GI, High Protein, High Flavour, Middle Eastern Koftas.

These are very easy to make and are delicious served with home-made hummus.

Ingredients:
500g beef or lamb mince ( lean )
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves-1/2 cup (optional) finely chopped.
salt -1 teaspoon.

1. Pour the boiling water onto the bulgur in a small bowl, cover, leave 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile chop the onion, crush the garlic.
3. Put the meat, spices, onion, salt, garlic, coriander if using, and softened wheat (which will have absorbed the water) into a food processor and pulse until well mixed.
4. Remove, and with wet hands divide the mix into 12 or 16 lots. Use a half cup or 1/3rd cup as a measure to get them evenly sized.
Toss the mix back and forth in wet hands to form balls, then roll into Kofta shapes.
5. Refrigerate.

6. Fry gently in a pan until golden brown. Cover pan and leave to simmer 2 minutes. Test for doneness-Don't overcook them or they will be dry.
7. Drizzle with a little honey or pomegranate molasses.
8. Place them on a warmed thin wrap on a bed of hummus.
9. Top with cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, sprouts and mint and a squeeze of lemon.
10. Fold  the wrap over and devour.

Home-made Hummus:
1 can chick peas
1/4 cup of liquid from the can
2 tablespoons of Tahini
5 tablespoons of lemon juice, or juice of 2 lemons.
Salt and pepper.
A crushed clove of garlic(optional)

A few teaspoons of olive oil
A few teaspoons warm water.
To serve, plain yoghurt and mint.
You can make the hummus as grainy or as smooth as you prefer. It makes 2 cups and keeps several days. Delicious with vegetable sticks or wholegrain crackers. Rice crackers to be gluten free.

Whizz the first 6 ingredients in a food processor until it is the consistency you like.
If it is too grainy and thick add the olive oil and warm water and process again.

When serving swirl with olive oil or add a good dollop of plain yoghurt. This makes it creamy.