nutritious recipes – My Whisk and I

Soy Chicken with Pickled Cucumber

May 25, 2023May 18, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
60ml apple cider vinegar
5ml salt
5ml sugar

60ml soy sauce
30ml honey
4 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
30ml vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2,5ml ground coriander

For the pickle:
Add the sliced onion and cucumber to a bowl and pour the vinegar over.
Sprinkle over the salt, sugar and a few grindings of black pepper.
Mix through, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

For the chicken:
Add the soy and honey to a shallow bowl and stir to combine.
Add the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
Add the garlic and coriander and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Take the breasts from the marinade and cook for 3 minutes per side. It is important to regulate the heat as the chicken can burn easily at this stage.
Add the reserved marinade and 60ml water to the pan.
Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover with a lid and cook the breasts for 15 minutes, turning half-way through the cooking time.
Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high.
Cook the chicken for another 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and the chicken is shiny and glazed.
Serve with steamed rice, pickled cucumber and the sauce.

Chickpea Chocolate Bark

March 28, 2023March 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 400g tin chickpeas
240g chocolate
10ml sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Rinse the chickpeas under running water and spread them out on a kitchen towel.
Place another towel on top and dry the chickpeas.
Spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and spray them with cooking spray.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, giving them a shake every now and then so that they bake evenly.
Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Break up the chocolate and add it to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with barely simmering water. Allow to melt.
Pour the chocolate over the chickpeas and scatter the sesame seeds over.
Refrigerate until set, about an hour.
Break into shards.

Soy Sauce Eggs

September 28, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These marinated eggs are delicious as a healthy snack or added to any asian dish and theeeee perfect companion for a slurpy bowl of noodles!! Serve them as breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between..

190ml warm water
190ml soy sauce
25ml vinegar
80ml honey
6 eggs

Add the water, soy sauce, vinegar and honey to a jug and whisk together to blend the ingredients. Set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a spoon and cook for 7 minutes, or to your liking.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice and keep on the side.
Transfer the eggs to the ice bowl after the 7 minutes. Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle it is really easy to peel them when kept under the cold water.
Place the peeled eggs in a container and pour the marinate over.
Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. The eggs must be submerged in the marinade – place a weight on top to keep them covered in the liquid.
Remove from the soy mixture, slice and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs to serve.

The eggs in these photographs were marinated for 24 hours – very dark colour and strong umami taste!!

Chicken Salad

September 19, 2022September 17, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

There is one sauce that doubles up as marinade and dressing!!

500g chicken breasts

Marinade/Dressing:
30ml olive oil
juice of 2 lemons (60ml)
30ml water
30ml apple cider vinegar
30ml chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
5ml dried origanum
5ml salt
black pepper

Salad:
lettuce
tomato, chopped
cucumber, chopped
red onion, sliced
avocado pear, sliced

Add all the ingredients for the marinade/dressing to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Pour half of the mixture into a jug and keep aside as the salad dressing.
Place the chicken breasts in the marinade for 30 minutes.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and add the chicken breasts. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes before flipping them over and cooking for another 4 minutes. Rest the breasts in the pan, with the lid on for another 5 minutes.
Arrange the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado on a serving plate.
Slice the chicken and place on the salad.
Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve.

Roasted Tomato Pasta

August 11, 2022August 11, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g vine tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
20ml capers, roughly chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
30ml sugar
10ml salt
a handful of basil leaves, chopped
200g mixed mushrooms
300g penne pasta
parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Spread the tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of salt.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until the skins burst open.
Remove the tray and sprinkle the capers over the hot tomato. Set aside.
Add the leeks and a splash of oil to a saucepan and cook on medium heat until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Now add the tinned tomato, sugar, salt and basil leaves and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Blitz the mixture with a hand blender until you are left a with a thick, chunky sauce. Set aside.
Place a frying on high heat and allow to become hot. Add some butter to the pan and then the mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are caramelised.
Cook the penne according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and pour the pasta into a serving bowl.
Spoon the roasted tomato, capers and all of the juices onto the warm pasta.
Add the blended tomato sauce and the mushroom and stir everything together to coat the pasta.
Grate a generous amount of parmesan cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with extra basil leaves to serve.

20-Minute Orange Chicken

August 9, 2022July 31, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4-6 chicken breasts
45ml olive oil
45ml balsamic vinegar
150ml fresh orange juice
150ml chicken stock
30ml finely chopped rosemary
30ml sugar
a knob of butter

Place a chicken breast between two pieces of plastic film and flatten it slightly by gently bashing it with the flat bottom of a pan. Flatten all the breasts in this way so that they are slightly thinner and has an even thickness.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the chicken for 3 minutes before flipping it over and frying for another 2 minutes.
Pour half of the balsamic vinegar over the chicken and add the orange juice and stock to the pan.
Sprinkle the rosemary over and season the chicken with salt.
Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken while simmering and turn halfway through cooking.
Now stir in the sugar, butter, the remaining balsamic and cook for a few minutes more – you want a reduced sauce that is beautifully glossy.
Serve the orange chicken on couscous to soak up the wonderfully fragrant sauce.

Aubergine and Halloumi Vegetable Bake

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 aubergines
1 onion, chopped
8 celery sticks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
600-800g halloumi cheese
250ml olives, pitted
a bunch of thyme
a bunch of basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and grease a 18cm x 28cm baking dish.
Cut the aubergine lengthwise into 3mm thick slices.
Pour some vegetable oil into a saucepan set over medium-high heat and fry the aubergine on both side, until golden.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add the onion, celery and garlic to the same saucepan and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato and cook the sauce for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Cut the halloumi into sticks that are more or less 8cm x 1,5cm. You need the same amount of cheese sticks and aubergine slices.
Place a cheese stick on an aubergine slice, roll it up like a pancake and place in the prepared baking dish.
Pour the tomato sauce over the aubergine rolls and scatter the olives and thyme leaves over.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Scatter the basil leaves over the baked dish and serve warm or at room temperature.

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