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  • :: Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad

    :: Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad

    Hey there!

    Sorry to leave you hanging on the recipe front, I really got into writing the book last week, so it's left the blog a little quiet. But I haven't been far, I've been keeping up to date with the world of food blogging and beyond.

    I recently got a message from John Maguire who has set up a great little forum for all things Food in Ireland, at www.askaboutfood.ie. Take a look at the site- lots of interesting topics.

    Eoghan and Nathalie at CasaCaseyCourtney have announced they will be food blogging, and I'm looking forward to it, because they already have a great eye for pictures!

    A special congrats to Kate at LidlTreats who has exploded on to the blogging scene and has even made the National Evening News! Brilliant stuff!

    But now, back to our scheduled programming, I have a recipe!
    After writing out a grand menu plan for the week in order to keep things running smoothly, three days later it has gone to pieces and I haven't cooked one of the meals from it! But I'm not too disappointed, because in an attempt to save an Avocado from becoming over ripe, I came up with a tasty little salad.

    Even my just about overripe Avocado, is one of the true underrated super foods- It's packed with essential fatty acids, Vitamin K and antioxidants- it also makes a lovely face mask! (But you didn't hear that from me...) Radish's are often linked to aiding digestive problems and are beneficial for the teeth and gum's- So overall this salad is packed with nutrition and is a perfect Good Mood Food recipe!

    Enjoy! (In case your wondering, those are pea shoots on top of the salad.)

    Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad (Serves 2)

    1. 2 Free Range Chicken Breasts.
    2. 1 Avocado.
    3. 6 Baby Radishes.
    4. A Large Handful of Oak Leaf Lettuce Leaves.
    5. 1 Red Onion, cut in half and sliced wafer thin.
    6. 1 Small Garlic Clove, Peeled and Minced.
    7. 1 Teaspoon of Wholegrain Mustard.
    8. 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
    9. 6 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
    10. The Juice of Half A Lemon.
    11. A Good Pinch Of Coarse Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Peppercorns.
    If you have the time to marinade the chicken breasts overnight, by all means go ahead. Remove any fat (or "icky bits" as I've heard them reffered to in my kitchen) from the breasts and place in a zip loc baggy. Pour in 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil, the Juice of half a Lemon, and a pinch of Black Pepper, seal and give a good shake!
    In a jar, bowl, or whatever you want to make your dressing in, combine, 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil, Garlic, Wholegrain Mustard, and a pinch of Sea Salt. Whisk or shake to combine, set aside and prepare the salad.
    Place a good handful of lettuce leaves on each plate, and scatter with the red onion.
    Slice the Avocado in half and remove the stone, spoon out the green flesh and slice into thin strips, arrange on top of the salad. Cut the baby Radishes into quarters and place on the outside of the plate.
    Heat a large frying pan (I would use a griddle pan if I had one!) till just before it begins smoking and place the breasts on, you shouldn't need any extra oil as Olive Oil is used in the marinade. Cook for approx 4-5 Minutes either side, remove from the heat, let it rest (if you can wait...) and slice into thin strips. Arrange on top of the avocado and using a spoon dribble the dressing over the salad.

    Serve straight away!

  • :: MOOD FOOD YAKI SOBA

    :: MOOD FOOD YAKI SOBA

    One of my most favorite things to do after enjoying a great meal out, is to recreate it from memory! Normally it doesn't exactly go to plan, but this one really worked out and it's now a classic here in the mood food kitchen. I have a terrible habit when I eat in a restaurant that when I find my favorite dish, I tend to stick to it and order the dish over and over again! I know variety is the spice of life and all that but when it tastes so good I'd feel like I was missing out if I didn't order it.

    This is an adaptation of a classic dish on the menu at the Wagamama chain of eateries, I think the original recipe includes shrimp, chicken and squid but this is more of a vegetarian version. The eggs added add the end of recipe gives a great texture to the noodles!

    Mood Food Yaki Soba

    1. 4oz of Ramen Noodles
    2. 1/2 Cup of Oyster Sauce
    3. 1/3 Cup of Water
    4. 1 Tablespoon of Salt
    5. 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
    6. 1/2 Head of Broccoli Finely chopped
    7. 1 cup of finely chopped Chinese Cabbage
    8. 5 Baby Corn finely sliced
    9. 1 Small Onion sliced into half moons
    10. 5 Spring Onions finely sliced length ways
    11. 2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
    12. 1 Red Pepper finely chopped
    13. 2 Eggs lightly beaten
    Before you start finely chopping all the veg, boil the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Strain and set aside.
    In a small sauce pan bring to the boil, Oyster sauce, Water, Salt and Sugar. Leave on a low heat and cook for 10 mins.
    While the sauce is cooking, prep the Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, Baby Corn, Spring Onions, and Onion and set aside in a large bowl. Chop the pepper and garlic and set aside.
    Take the sauce pan off the heat and combine it with the veg in the bowl and toss. Add the noodles and toss again.
    In a large very hot frying pan or wok, add about two tablespoons of vegetable oil and stirfry the pepper and garlic for about 1 minute.
    Add the noodles and veg mix and cook for another 2 minutes until cooked through, then add the eggs and cook for a further minute.

    Serve in a big bowl and enjoy! You can garnish the dish with thinly sliced pickled ginger but that's optional.