Cheesy Broccoli Filled Chicken Kiev

Super delish and a hit for all of the family!

Ingredients:

For Filling
2 cups Broccoli florets
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk (approx)
1 tsp vegeta stock
1/4 cup cheddar cheese chopped/grated

2 chicken breasts
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups bread crumbs

Method:
Cook Broccoli in pot of boiling water for approx 5 mins until tender then drain and put into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. In a small pot melt butter over medium heat add in flour and stir constantly for approx 30-60 seconds slowly add in the milk while still stirring until sauce is of desired thickness (about mayo consistency). Add in vegeta stock, cheese and broccoli and stir to combine and roughly chop the broccoli with the spoon into smaller pieces. Set aside while chicken is prepared.
To prepare chicken, pound with a meat mallet until breast is of even thickness and cut each breast into two (4 pieces total). Cut a little pocket into each piece of chicken and insert as much of the broccoli mixture as you can without over filling it.
In one bowl whisk egg and milk to combine and in another place your bread crumbs. Carefully wash the chicken in the egg mixture and then place in the crumbing and cover with the crumbs pressing the crumbing on while being careful not to squeeze the filling out. Repeat with the egg wash and crumbs again then set aside on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Once all of the chicken is crumbed preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees then cook chicken for approx 30 mins or until crumbing is golden and cooked through.
serve with chips and a garden salad
 Enjoy!

Chocolate Swirl Loaf

MMMMmmmmm yum!!! Nice soft fluffy bread with a swirl of oozing chocolate, one of my fave food memories as a child...Delicious toasted with a scraping of butter *drool*

Ingredients
3.25 cups all-purpose flour
1.25 tsp salt
1 packet (2.25 tsp) instant or bread machine yeast
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 - 1.5 cups water
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method:
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, yeast, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until there are no clumps. Add 1 cup of water. Stir and add more water, a few tablespoons at a time, just until the dough forms one ball with no dry pieces on the bottom of the bowl. It is okay if the dough is wet and sticky. Cover the bowl loosely and let it rest for two hours at room temperature (or alternatively if you have a bread machine you can do this part on the dough only setting). After two hours, sprinkle some flour on the expanded dough and on a clean work surface. Flour your hands and transfer the dough to the work surface. Give the dough just a few quick "kneads" just to make sure it is evenly mixed (honestly only 3 or for turns/folds). Shape the dough into a long rectangle with the short end the same length as your bread pan. Roughly chop the chocolate chips into small pieces. Sprinkle them over the surface of the bread dough. Working from the short end, stretch and roll the dough up with the chopped chocolate inside. Stretch the dough as you roll and roll tightly so that there as much "swirl" as possible. Place the rolled up dough, seam side down, in a bread pan coated with non-stick spray. Cover loosely and let rise until double in size (about one hour). Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius, place the risen loaf inside, and bake until deep golden brown on top (about 30-35 minutes). Remove the baked loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack before cutting open.
 Enjoy!

Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad

So full of flavour, super crunchy, healthy and delicious...what more could you want?

Ingredients:
4 single chicken breast fillets
1/2 (about 730g) wombok (Chinese cabbage), hard core removed, finely shredded
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves picked
1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked
2 small carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
2 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into matchsticks
1 Red capsicum, cut into matchsticks
4 green shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
2 cups trimmed bean sprouts
2 fresh red birdseye chillies, deseeded, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs caster sugar
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Changs original fried noodles

Method Place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, turning once, for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Coarsely shred.Combine the wombok, mint, coriander, carrot, cucumber, shallot and bean sprouts in a bowl. Whisk the chilli, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar in a small jug. Add the chicken to the salad and toss to combine. Drizzle over dressing. Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with peanuts and noodles to serve.
 Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

Yummy, budget friendly, good for you and the kids love it not to mention its one pot cooking so less washup!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 karge onion finely chopped
2 stalks of celery finely chopped
2 medium carrots finely chopped
1 zucchini finely chopped
1 small tub tomato paste (salt reduced)
2x 420g cans of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegeta stock powder
enough water to cover vegies
dried italian herbs to taste
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
1 220g can baked beans
1 cup uncooked macaroni pasta

Method:
Put the first 4 ingredients into a large soup pot and add enough water to cover the vegies. Add the vegeta stock anddried herbs then simmer on a medium heat until vegies are softened approx 15-20 mins. Scoop the sum off the surface of the soup and discard. Add canned tomatoes and and macaroni pasta, continue cooking for 10 minutes then add the zucchini. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until pasta and zucchini is soft. Add the tomato paste and baked beans mix well then add the fresh parsley.
Serve with warm crusty bread and a bit of butter.
Enjoy!

Banana & Honey Muffins

Yummo, great for an after school treat for the kids or pack them in the lunchbox....super yummy for the adults too, dont let the kids have them all!

Ingredients:
2 very ripe bananas (you know the ones that are soft that the kids wont eat cause they have all brown spots on the skin)
1 egg
3 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 thin slices of banana for decorating the top (optional)

Method:
combine banana, egg, oil, honey and water in a large mixing bowl. mix with hand held blender until banana is mushed in but there are still some small chunks in there. Sift remaining ingredients into the banana mixture and mix with blender until just combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a round tablespoon and scoop into muffin patties equally (approx one heaped tablespoon per patty)
Bake in oven on the middle shelf at 180 degrees for approx 15-20 mins or until golden and muffin springs back when touched in the centre.
 Enjoy!

Super Yummy Noodle Stirfry!

This stirfry is soooo tasty and sure to please the fussiest of tastebuds....I have included substitutions to turn it into a vegetarian option as everyone needs to taste the flavours of this dish!

Ingredients

1 x 440g pkt flat rice noodles
1/3 cup chicken stock (for vegetarian option use Vegeta mixed with water for stock)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tbs peanut oil
500g chicken stirfry strips (for vegetarian option use tofu)
1 bunch broccolini, coarsely chopped
1 small red capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled, halved crossways, cut into matchsticks
1 can baby corn spears thinly sliced
2 large shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced

Method 

Prepare the noodles following packet directions. Combine the stock, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger and Chinese five spice in a small bowl.Heat a wok over high heat. Add half the oil and heat until smoking. Swirl to coat. Add the mince and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the mince changes colour. Transfer to a plate. Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add the broccolini, capsicum and carrot. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the broccolini is bright green and tender crisp. Add the stock mixture, mince, noodles and shallot to the wok. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the noodles are soft and heated through. Divide among serving bowls to serve.Enjoy

 

Creamy Tuna Bake!

Ingredients:
2 or 3 sticks celery chopped
1/2 red Capsicum chopped
1 cup corn kernels
400gms tinned tuna
2 tins of condensed soup (celery or mushroom or both) - if you want to make less salty/healthy you could use reduced salt
1 cup tasty cheese
350gms of your favourite pasta cooked as per instructions (I used spirals)
1/2 tsp hot paprika (leave this out to make kid friendly)
1/2 cup tasty cheese extra
1/2 tsp sweet paprika


Method:
Fry chopped celery & capsicum until softish in a saucepan - 5 minutes or so.

Stir in soup (don't dilute it), drained tuna, corn and cheese. Let it bubble away until it's all nice and gooey - low heat. Add hot paprika if you're using.

Mix sauce with cooked pasta  in a deep baking dish. sprinkle extra grated cheese on top and then sprinkle the sweet paprika on top of the cheese. Bake until it's really bubbly and brown.
Enjoy!