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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Curried Oriental Pasta Recipe

This aromatic, spicy chicken pasta dish is the perfect recipe for a zesty and memorable Valentine's meal for two.
Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 millilitre Oil
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 500 gram Chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
  • 5 millilitre Crushed garlic
  • 10 millilitre Grated ginger
  • 65 gram Tin tomato paste
  • 1 KNORR Mild Durban Curry Dry Cook-in-Sauce
  • 400 millilitre Water
  • 180 millilitre Fresh coriander leaves
  • 125 millilitre Cashew nuts
  • 250 gram Penne pasta, cooked

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan.
  2. Add onion, chicken, garlic and ginger and sautè until the chicken is brown and the onion is soft.
  3. Stir in tomato paste and add sachet of KNORR Fresh Ideas Mild Durban Curry and water to the pan.
  4. Stir through until mixed and simmer for 20 minutes until cooked.
  5. Toss pasta and sauce together and stir in coriander leaves just before serving.
  6. Garnish with cashew nuts.

Classic Italian Salad Recipe

Red, white and green - the ideal ingredients for an all-Italian salad. Perfectly served with chicken.
Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Pack baby spinach leaves or rocket leaves
  • 2 Whole tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 250 gram Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks
  • 100 millilitre KNORR Italian Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
  • 3 tablespoon Grated Parmesan cheese
  • 250 gram Stuffed pasta shapes e.g. ravioli

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water following package instructions.
  2. Place pasta in a mixing bowl and pour KNORR Italian Vinaigrette Salad Dressing over while pasta is still warm.
  3. Add spinach (or rocket) and toss together well.
  4. Add tomatoes and cheeses, mix.
  5. Serve with grilled chicken breasts or cold meats.

Chicken, Tomato And Mustard Pasta Recipe

For pasta fans here's a meal that's bursting with flavours and colour.
Serves: 4 - 6 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 500 gram Penne pasta
  • 15 millilitre oil
  • 2 Cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 500 gram Chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • Robertsons Salt and Black Pepper
  • 8 Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 62.5 millilitre Dry white wine
  • 250 millilitre Cream
  • 45 millilitre KNORR Creamy Honey and Mustard Salad Dressing
  • 15 millilitre Chopped fresh basil (optional)
  • Robertsons Paprika for garnishing

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta following instructions on packaging.
  2. In a heavy frying pan heat a little oil, add onions and garlic.
  3. Season the chicken strips and when the onion begins to soften, add the chicken to the pan.
  4. Stir-fry until the chicken strips are just cooked.
  5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, wine, cream and KNORR Creamy Honey & Mustard Salad Dressing.
  6. Stir continuously until the sauce thickens slightly, then add the basil, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
  7. Sprinkle with paprika and serve on a bed of penne pasta.

Layered Summer Salad Recipe

A bright and crunchy salad packed with flavour that will definitely impress your guests!
Serves: 6 - 8 | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients

  • 15 millilitre sunflower oil
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 punnet button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 Head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 2 Punnets assorted bean sprouts
  • 1 Sleeve celery, chopped
  • 2 Red peppers, finely diced
  • 2 Yellow peppers, finely diced
  • 200 gram Frozen peas, defrosted
  • 200 gram Frozen corn, defrosted
  • 45 millilitre KNORR Brown Onion Soup
  • 1 Tub smooth cottage cheese
  • 45 millilitre KNORR 1000 Island Creamy Salad Dressing
  • 250 millilitre cheddar cheese, grated
  • Freshly chopped chives for garnish

  • Instructions
    1. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until soft then add the mushrooms and fry for about 10 minutes until tender.
    2. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    3. To assemble the salad use a glass bowl so that you can see all the colourful layers.
    4. Start with the shredded lettuce on the base of the glass bowl then follow with bean sprouts, celery, red and yellow peppers, peas and corn.
    5. Top with the sautéed onion and mushrooms including any of the juices in the pan.
    6. In a jug mix together the KNORR Brown Onion Soup, cottage cheese and KNORR Creamy 1000 Island Salad Dressing until smooth.
    7. Spread this dressing over the top of the salad, top with grated cheddar cheese and sprinkle with chives.

    Make Your Own Moroccan Preserved Lemons

    Moroccan-style preserved lemons (known as l’hamd marakad) add an essential tartness to your culinary endeavors, tagines in particular.  These lemons take about seven days to pickle, but all you need is the basics: fruit, salt, and a nice spice blend.
    Photography by Alexa Hotz for Gardenista.
    Here’s what you need (adapted from Epicurious):
    • 5 lemons of any variety (Meyer, Lisbon, Bonnie Brae)
    • 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
    • 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
    • Sterilized pint-sized mason jar
    • Optional: Safi spices (see below) or green peppercorns, bay leaves, and coriander seeds.


    Above: The traditional Safi mixture includes cinnamon, clove, coriander, black peppercorns, and bay leaves (see Epicurious for exact measurements).


    Above: Quarter the lemons, leaving a half inch at the bottom uncut, then sprinkle coarse salt inside the fruit.


    Above: In addition to the dry ingredients, prepare 1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice to add to the jar. Add the lemons to a sterilized jar, add coarse salt and lemon juice, and stack the lemons to the top. Reseal the jar by submerging in boiling water or by the oven.

    20 Healthy Recipes to Jumpstart Your New Year

    Happy new year! Is eating healthier or giving a more plant-based diet a try on your to-do list for the new year? Check out these delicious ways to jumpstart your healthy eating!

    I am all about building habits, and when it comes to healthy eating, a good batch of recipes are some of the key building blocks to a habit. If you just decide to eat more healthy food but don’t have recipes to get you going, where do you start, right? You need a meal plan or at least recipes for each meal to get you going, right?

    Related Reading: 6 Superfoods to Boost Your Health

    To help you get started, we’ve compiled some healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas to empower you to eat healthier in the new year!

     
    Healthy Breakfast Ideas

    1. Loaded Blueberry Muffins – These gluten free muffins have some hidden veggies tucked away for a nutrient boost!
    2. Green Smoothies – Check out our beginner guide to green smoothies to get started!
    3. Overnight Oats – Steel cut oats are super healthy but time-consuming to make. This overnight method makes them easy peasy!
    4. Pumpkin Oatmeal – If rolled oats are more your speed, dress them up with a little pumpkin power for extra vitamins and deliciousness.
    5. Homemade Granola Bars – Granola bars make a great grab-and-go breakfast, and this homemade granola bar recipe skips all of the gross mystery ingredients in many store-bought varieties.

     
    Healthy Lunch Ideas

    6. Magical Tofu Pita Pockets – Sandwiches are my favorite quickie lunch, and a stuffed whole grain pita is simple, healthy, and delicious!
    7. Taco Salad – A hearty taco salad packed with veggies and beany protein is filling and tasty.
    8. Bowl of Stuff – Natalie at Bake and Destroy suggests this as a supper, but I love whipping this up for lunch, too! You can use any grain (or mashed potatoes!) as your base, then pile on a protein (beans, tofu, etc), and plenty of veggies. Check out Natalie’s basic recipe to get you started.
    9. Hummus and Veggie Wraps – You can also use different dips and spreads in place of hummus to mix things up!
    10. Cous Cous with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Capers – You can serve up cous cous hot or cold and mix up your add-ins however you please!

     
     
    Healthy Dinner Ideas

    11. Chickpea Flour Pancakes – This Indian staple is deeply seasoned, delicious, and versatile. Check out Kittee’s recipe to get the basics!
    12. Shepherd’s Pie – You probably think of shepherd’s pie as a dish loaded with meat and cheese, but this potato-based dish can be a veggie explosion, too!
    13. Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Chick Peas and Baked Tofu – A big bowl of healthy YUM! By massaging the kale instead of cooking it, you preserve even more of the nutrients in this superfood.
    14. Gobi Aloo Pizza – Richa comes up with fantastical veggie-packed pizza ideas, and this Indian pizza is just spectacular!
    15. Kid-Friendly Pasta – This crowd-pleasing pasta recipe is full of vegetables and simple to whip up.

     
     
     
    Healthy Snack Ideas

    16. Curried Lentil Hummus – A yummy spin on the usually chickpea-based dip. Use this for dipping veggies, chips, or pita bread or as a sandwich stuffer.
    17. Garlic Red Pepper Chia Crackers – You can use your food dehydrator or your oven to make these delicious crackers!
    18. Cheezy Kale Chips – Cashew-based “cheese” takes kale chips to the next level.
    19. Chickpea Nuggets – You could technically serve this as part of a meal, but this “chicken” nugget recipe from Vibrant Wellness Journal makes a great, protein-packed snack, too!
    20. Sweet Potato Oven Fries – Full of nutrients and oh-so-decadent! You can serve these as a side along with a veggie burger, too!