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Here’s the recipe!

INGREDIENTS
1-2 red chili. sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1.3lb/600g chicken thigh
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2-4 tablespoons chili sauce
2 shallots, sliced
zest & juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup coriander/cilantro
1/4 cup mint
1 tablespoon white rice
1 1/2 tablespoons raw peanuts
Lettuce to serve

Place the chicken in a food processor and pulse until a rough mince is formed.
Heat a wok over a high heat and oil if required. Saute the garlic and chilli for 20 seconds, then brown the chicken, stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 or 6 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl combine the fish sauce, chilli sauce and lime zest and juice and adjust flavours to taste.
In a dry frying pan or skillet toast the rice until golden. Repeat with the peanuts.
Using a pestle and mortar, or spice grinder, grind the rice to a rough powder, set aside. Roughly chop or crush the peanuts.
In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked chicken, sauce, rice, nuts and chopped herbs and toss.
Serve on a bed of lettuce.

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INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
• 1 dried chili (variety of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons Goji berries (or more, to taste)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 600g/21oz lean ground beef
• 1 cup refried beans
• 1 cup red kidney beans
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• cilantro and scallions to garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, dry toast the spices and the dried chili until fragrant. Remove from heat and place the chili in 1/2 cup of boiling water. Grind the spices with a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
In a little oil, saute the onion and garlic until soft.
Remove the chili from the water and remove any seeds, chop your desired quantity depending on how spicy you like your food. Add to the onions and tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes are soft.
Remove the tomato mixture to a bowl, leaving a little moisture behind. Brown the mince thoroughly, then return the tomato mixture along with the refried beans and 1 tablespoon of the chili-soaking water. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off.
Add in the red kidney beans and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes or until the beans are soft.
Serve garnished with the avocado, scallions and cilantro.

Serves 4

To feed the 2 of us for a week this is what we bought and what we’ll be eating.

• 1kg lean beef scotch fillet
• 3 chicken breast fillets
• 3 large can tuna in springwater
• 300g pork fillet
• 600g lean (topside) mince (ground beef)
• 6 slices proscuitto
• 1 packet marinated tofu
• 400g kangaroo meat
• 250g porterhouse steak
• 2 dozen eggs
• 1 bunch each: coriander(cilantro), parsley & watercress (some substituted from our herb garden)
• 2 heads of brocolli
• 1/2 kg button squash
• 1/2kg baby spinach and salad mix
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 1/2kg green beans
• 1 red, 1 green capsicum/bell pepper
• onions
• garlic
• 2 large punnets of strawberries
• 3 avocadoes (for $1.50 if you know where to shop!)
• lemons and limes
• eggplant
• Skim Gersey Milk
• Low-fat yoghurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Low-fat Ricotta cheese
• 1% quark
• Canned beans: red kidney, bean mix, refried, garbonza
• Volkornbrot (German Rye bread for me)
• High-fiber white bread (for less discerning taste buds!)

For my breakfast I’ll have oats or high fibre cereal with milk, quark/cottage cheese and strawberries. S is happy with the less gourmet; vegemite on toast and coffee.

Most of the chicken breast and the kangaroo meat is grilled at the beginning of the week to make up the remainder of the salads and sandwhich fillings for our lunches and afternoon snacks.

All the salad greens are soaked, spun and stored on the vegie crisper. Some of the brocolli will be steamed and the eggplant “wet fried” to make the salads more interesting. Salad fillings are divided amongst tupperwear lunchboxes to make them easy to grab in the mornings along with foil wrapped packets of pre-cooked meat. I also hard-boil half the eggs, they make for great snacks and it’s easy to separate the yolks out if your want to keep the fat low.
I’ll use the low-fat ricotta and yogurt as desert options during the week, either mixed with peanut butter, protein powder or leftover strawberries.

Dinners:

Saturday night: The beef was roasted wrapped in half the proscuitto, to keep it moist, and served with grated beetroot (leftover from last weeks produce markets) mixed with lemon and yoghurt served on a bed of rocket/arugula. The remaining meat will make sandwiches and salads for lunch for the week for Stephen to take to work.

Sunday Night: We filmed the next episode of healthy helpings TV. We made a chilli con carne with goji berries. 2 serves for dinner, 2 for the freezer.
Monday night: Thai pork salad using the herbs and pork fillet (should have bought extra for leftover gourmet lunches!)

Tuesday Night: Homemade pasta from the pasta maker is S’s little indulgence. We’ll eat it simply with some grilled chicken, herbs and avocado no need for rich sauces with such nice pasta.

Wednesday: Herb stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in proscuitto with a tomato salad

Thursday: Steak and salad. This is our default summer meal, we’ll cook outside and have everything on the table in 10 minutes. We’ll switch steak for chicken or fish too. I’ll probably blanch the green beans to go in the salad along with any other vegies that haven’t been eaten yet.

Friday is normally our one night dining out. We have plenty of time to enjoy our meals and relax. If we’re low energy we’ll just do a repeat of Thursday’s meal, it’s faster than ordering a pizza!

All that meat may look expensive, but before we started making our own salads my partner, Stephen, was spending up to $10 a day on food at his work and it wasn’t nearly as nutritious. In winter instead of salad you could make a big stew or soup, freeze it in ziplock bags or Tupperware and grab them as you head for the front door. Our list is based on seasonal regional produce (South Australian Summer). What’s on yours?

What does New Haven Connecticut’s newspaper The Advocate say about Healthy Helpings TV host Michelle Koen? The Dining section posted an article by Freda Moon entitled “Food Fight Network: Rachel Ray wannabes crowd the internet with homemade cooking shows.” Check this out:

There’s Michelle in Australia, a charming, awkward hipster—with carefully mussed hair and a crafty apron—who produces Healthy Helpings TV (healthyhelpingstv.com) out of her enviable kitchen down under. Up to her eyes in gadgets (an electric pepper grinder, silicone cake molds, a hard-core hand-blender) and the sort of adult accoutrements unusual among the young, creative set (a full set of matching ramekins, say, and Le Creuset pans), she seems to exist in a magical playground of food, art and technology.

More important than her fancy pans and cute clothes is the fact that Michelle, a graphic designer by trade, seems to be a skilled, learned cook—at least as far as one can tell from half a world away. She makes things like quinoa paella (tongue in cheek, she calls quinoa “the new rice”), no-bake ricotta cheesecake (using filo dough) and grilled calamari salad—the sort of fast, healthy yet still-a-bit-glamorous dishes that one would expect from a super-cool Australian hipster-geek.

Congrats, Michelle; an American Newspaper now officially dubs you an “Australian Hipster”!

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Mmm, nothing is better after battling the minions of Cthulu than settling in for some calamari. But wait! Don’t FRY those beasties; grill ‘em and make a fantastic, healthy grilled salad. Let Michelle show you how!

Here’s the recipe:

> Ingredients
>
> 6oz/150g 1 squid tube
> zest of 1/2 lemon
> 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
> 1 tablespoon olive oil
> 1/8 grapefruit (pink or white) + 2-3 teaspoons juice
> 1/2 avocado sliced
> 1 tomato
> mignonette lettuce
> red bell pepper/capsicum sliced
> salt and pepper

Preheat a grill/grill pan to very hot.
Cut the tube in half and crosshatch with a knife, on the inside, ensuring you don’t cut all the way through.
Rub on lemon zest and pepper and grill with a little grapeseed oil for 5 minutes, turn and grill for a further 2 minutes.
Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing.
In a small container combine the grapefruit juice and oil and adjust and season to taste.
To make the salad combine the tomato, bell pepper, lettuce, avocado, diced grapefruit with the squid and toss with the dressing.

cc photo by flickr user djdau.

A lot of the times I plan to go work out and end up not going is because I’ll waste all my allocated time fixing to go. I have to figure out how I’m going to get to the gym, what I’m going to where, what’s on my iPod. 1 hour later I’m still not in the gym. Today I have Christmas to organise and my partner’s birthday party to host and I decided enough was enough and did a back to basics workout in my loungeroom. I’ve incorporated High Intensity Intervals and active recovery periods so that you can get the most out of your workout in as little time.
I started with a quick lap around the block with the healthyhelpings hound to warm up. If it’s snowing or horribly winterlike you can take a rain-check.

Next I moved onto 5 minutes of intense cardio. I jumped rope for 20 seconds and then did shuttle sprints from one end of the house the other and back.  Repeat for 5 minutes.
Skipping is a great form of cardio exercise. Use it as your warm-up before weights or as an alternative to traditional cardio. Skipping ropes are the ultimate cardio equipments, they’re affordable, take up no space and can be set up anywhere. For a warm-up try jogging skips, then move on to double and single jumps or hops.
Plank-pushup-burpies: Get a full body workout. Hold the plank position for 15 seconds, lower yourself into a pushup, push up, then jump you knees into a squat and explode upwards, hands overhead. Land, then squat. Put your hands down and jump out to a plank. Do as many as you can in 1 set then jog on the spot or skip for an active recovery, repeat 3 times.

High jumps, long jumps, crab walks and lunges- Start at one end of your hallway or longest room and jump from one end to the other trying to see how far you can jump. When you get to the end come back, this time jump for height instead of length. When you reach the end turn sideways and walk to the end and back sideways in a wide squatting stance. Finish up by taking nice long lunging steps (don’t let your knee pass your toe on the front leg) from one end of the corridor (and back).  If your arms and chest still can handle it, add in a few pushup-plank-burpies at each end. Jog on the spot or skip for an active recovery and then repeat 3 times.

Cool down and stretch by walking around your house picking up and putting away anything that’s out of place.

Creative Commons Lic. image by Flickr user Tanakawho

When I don’t have time to go to the gym or get on my bike, I make my own circuit workout. Today I was being a bit creative and came up with a full body workout that I can do at my dining room table!

The table and chair workout:
Perform these exercises in quick succession to make a circuit.
You’ll need:
2 sturdy chairs
1 sturdy table

Warm-up for a few minutes before performing this workout. Either jog on the spot, jump rope or climb stairs if you have them.

Step ups onto a chair.
Make sure your chair isn’t going to move. Carpeted floors work best but placing the back of the chair against a wall helps on wooden floors. Alternate legs until you have done 10-15 steps on each leg.

Chair Tricep Dips (to combat turkey wings): Stand with your back to the chair, as if your were going to sit down but about 1.5ft further way. With your palms facing behind you place your hands on the front of the seat. Lower your body, keeping your back straight until your elbows are pointing backwards and bent at 90º. Pushing using your hands (not your feet) raise your body to a straight armed position and repeat up to 15 times or until failure.

Chair Glute-crunches: Lie on the floor facing the seat of the chair with your knees bent, so that your feet are slightly under the chair. Straighten on leg and place it on the chair. Push through the heel of the foot which is on the floor and squeeze your buttocks, raising your hips off the ground. Slowly lower your body and repeat 10-15 times for each leg. You can add an adominal crunch or crunch twist at the end of the movement for added ab work.

Table chinups: Lie underneath the table with your head and shoulders protruding, so that your shoulderblades line up with the end of the table, legs straight. Grip the tabletop, palms facing up. Squeeze your shoulder-blades together and pull your chest towards the underside of the table until your chin is touching the edge of the table. Keep your body in a plank. Slowly lower your body to the starting position and repeat. If this is too hard bring your feet in and bend your knees slightly, keep your body straight.

Bulgarian split squats: Stand in front of a chair (as if about to sit). Take on large step forward and place the toe of your rear foot on the chair. Keeping your body upright and chest high lower your body towards the floor until your front leg is bent at 90º. Make sure your front knee does not pass your toe and that you are not twisting your body. Squeeze your buttocks and push through your heel to help raise your body to a starting position. Repeat 10–15 times for each leg.

Chair shoulder press: Place 2 chairs, seats facing each other, 2-3ft apart. Place your body in between them with your palms on the edges of the seats, fingers pointing towards your body gripping the edge of the seat. Extend your legs infront of you either fully or slightly bent for an easier version. Slowly lower your body towards the floor until your arms are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your shoulders back and body tall and upright. Push through your palms to raise your body slowly to a starting position. Repeat 10–12 times.

Sit down, stand up… and up: Start by sitting in a chair with good posture. Try to stand up without using your hands, squeezing the abs and buttocks to help raise your body. Push through the heels. Once you are standing, transfer the weight to the front of your feet and raise up onto the balls of your feet, hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower to flat feet and then to hovering just above the seat, hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10–15 times.

To increase the calories burnt during the workout include an active recovery of jogging or skipping on the spot for a minute between each exercise. The circuit should take about 7 minutes to complete, perform it up to 5 times. To increase the intensity of these exercises do them wearing a backpack with something heavy in it, sacks of flour and sugar are ideal.

Don’t forget the other most important exercise these holidays: The put down and push away: Put down your fork and push away the plate when you’re full.

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Full recipe after the jump:

Chicken and Shrimp Quinoa Paella

INGREDIENTS

1 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 purple onion, chopped
1 chili, chopped
3/4 cup, chopped, mixed spring vegetables such as:

• snow peas
• green beans
• red bell pepper

100g/3.5oz chicken breast fillet, diced
1 tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cup chicken stock or water
a pinch of saffron
1/4 cup peas
4 asparagus spears
100g/3.5oz fresh, shelled, shrimp/prawns
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup kalamata olives

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or frying pan and sauté the onion, garlic and chili until the onion becomes soft.
Add in the chopped vegetables and chicken and sauté until the chicken has seared.
Toss in the spices and quinoa and stir to coat, then add in the stock and saffron. Bring to a boil and simmer without stirring for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle on the peas, and arrange the asparagus spears and shrimp and simmer until shrimp is cooked. You may want to cover the pan to help with cooking the shrimp.
Remove from heat and scatter on the mint and olives.

This dish is traditionally served straight from the cooking dish so presentation is important!

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Full recipe follows:

Franco-Italian Tuna Salad

1 cup (170g) broad (Fava or Lima) beans, pealed
2 tbs fresh mint
1/3 cup basil
1/2 cup arugula (rocket)
4 snowpeas (mange-tout)
1oz (30g) low fat ricotta
.3oz (10g) pecorino cheese
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 small can, chunky style tuna in olive oil
salt and pepper

Cook the beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until al dente and remove skins.
Shave the pecorino cheese, crumble the ricotta and chop the herbs.
Add into a large mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients, leaving a tiny bit of oil from the tuna to help make the dressing.

Toss and season to taste.

(Enjoy with a nice crisp white wine)

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Full recipe follows:

Lamb Con Funghi

serves 2

10oz (280g) lamb fillet/backstrap
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbs oregano, chopped
1-2 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 tbs dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup mixed mushrooms, sliced
2 tbs vermouth or white wine
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp butter
2 tbs (40g) Mascarpone Cheese

Steamed asparagus or brocolli to garnish.

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF
Coat the lamb in garlic and oregano and use your hands to rub on the olive oil.
Preheat an oven safe skillet and add in the lamb and shallots. Sear the lamb on both sides. This should take about 1 minute each side or until color appears.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 5–10 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat and how well you like your lamb done.
Meanwhile remove the porcini mushrooms from the soaking liquid and slice finely.
Remove the skillet from the oven and return to a low heat. Remove the meat to a warm plate and cover with foil to rest for 5–10 minutes, the meat should look 3/4 done.
Cook asparagus or broccoli as desired.
Deglaze the pan by adding the vermouth and scraping up any baked on bits. Add in the liquid from the porcinis (and demi glaze if available) and bring to a rapid simmer.
Add in all the mushrooms and cook until soft.
Stir in half the butter, mustard and mascarpone and warm through along with any juice from the resting meat. Slice meat if desired and toss through the sauce to coat.
Add remaining butter to asparagus or broccoli.
Place half the asparagus or broccoli on each plate, top with meat and spoon on sauce.

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For this complete recipe, please click the following link:

Berry Decadent Hotcakes Recipe:

Makes 10 small (egg-ring size) or 5 big cakes: Serves 2

Ingredients

5 egg whites, at room temperature
a pinch cream of tartar
3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese (or Quark) or regular Cottage Cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup (50g) frozen blackberries
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter
3 tablespoons low-fat, sweetened yogurt
a few extra berries for garnish

Beat the egg white and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the cottage cheese with a spoon, sift in the flour and baking powder and mix, trying to avoid lumps. Add in the vanilla extract and squished berries and thoroughly combine.

Gently (!) fold the egg whites into cheese mixture. Try to keep as much air in the mixture as possible but make sure it’s evenly combined.

Heat a non-stick pan over on medium-low and wipe around 1/4 of the butter. If making small cakes, grease egg rings also. Cook the mixture in batches, it should puff up a little when it’s ready to be flipped.

Serve as soon as possible, slathered in yogurt and extra berries. Yum!

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Here’s the recipe:

The healthy helpings burger- Makes 2 large patties
1/2 small onion finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 t-spoon cumin
1/4 t-spoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup (100g) red kidney beans (canned)
1/3lb (150g) extra lean minced beef topside
a splash of Tabasco

Served with:
whole meal English muffins, lettuce, tomato, avocado and sweet chili sauce

Sauté the onions and garlic until golden in a non-stick pan.
Add in the spices and mushrooms and sauté until soft and no moisture remains. Remove from heat.
Mash the red kidney beans in a large mixing bowl and add in the mushroom mixture and meat and mix together thoroughly.
Form into 2 large patties and grill or dry fry in a skillet. The patties will take about 5 minutes on each side to cook.

Enjoy

Link

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This week Healthy Helpings TV’s host Michelle Koen has a hearty dish that packs a protein wallop!

A most unusual recipe, this calls for lentils and eggs. Here’s a little secret… you can leave out the eggs to use this lentil dish as the basis for a number of other dishes as well!

See the complete recipe by clicking through the following link!

Ingredients:

1 cup (200g) brown/green lentils
2 cups water
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum), sliced
1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon (5ml) red wine vinegar
4 eggs
cilantro or parsley to garnish

Serves 4

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF
Place the lentils in saucepan with water and bring to a boil, simmer for 20-25 minutes or until soft to the bite.
Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a non-stick skillet/frypan until soft. Add in the bell pepper and saute until it is also soft. Set aside until lentils are ready.
In a small bowl whisk together the oil and vinegar and season to taste.
When the lentils are cooked stir in the oil mixture and the onion and peppers.
Divide the lentil mixture amongst 4 ramekins. Make dent with the back of a spoon in the center of each and crack an egg into each dent.
Cover ramekins with foil and bake for 10-12 minutes or until white are just set.
Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley and serve warm.

Alternatively, instead of adding the egg reserve the lentils for use in salads with ingredients such as lamb, chicken or sausages.

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Fellow Grasshopper Becky McCray presents her choices of wines and spirits to accompany five of host Michelle Koen’s recipes that aired earlier this summer, including:

Ma Po Tofu
Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
Aromatic Asian Poached Chicken
Vietnamese Pho Soup
Cheese and Vegetable Torte
and granola (!!!)

Salut!

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In the spirit of “everything old is new again,” Healthy Helpings TV’s host Michelle Koen brings a dessert that packs a subtle, delicate tingle behind a fluffy cloud of chocolate decadence with a hint of coffee.

But a souffle? Don’t worry, Michelle will help you confront this intimidating dish which is equal parts science and desert. Will it rise? Will it fall?

The soufflé is the ultimate in fat free deserts. Its light and fluffy texture oozes indulgence and it’s a great way to get through all those egg whites you bought with the best of intentions, too.

For the full recipe click the following link:

3.5 tbspoons (16g) unsweetened cocoa
3 tspoon instant coffee
1 tspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tspoon chilli powder
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
3 1/2 tbspoons (40g) castor sugar
2 tspoon sugar substitute (the spoon+spoon kind)
Icing sugar to garnish

Dust 2, 1 cup, ramekins with castor (ultra fine, not confectioner’s) sugar and set aside.
in a small saucepan combine coffee, cocoa, cinnamon and chili with water and bring to a simmer, stirring for 2 minutes
Set aside to cool.
In a clean, dry bowl beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add in the cream of tartar and gradually beat in the sugar and sugar substitute until stiff peaks form
Fold in the chocolate mixture, gently. Spoon into the 2 ramekins.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes , until the soufflé’ have risen.
Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Variation:
Incorporate mashed banana into the cocoa mixture and omit the chilli and coffee

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Summer’s heat stopping you getting in the kitchen? Worried about the cost of electricity and gas? Trying to keep check on your waistline?

This week Healthy Helpings TV’s host Michelle Koen has the answer to all your problems with an Asian aromatic poached chicken. This requires almost no equipment and it’s almost set and forget. Even better, you’ll have a beautiful chicken stock you can use to to make fantastic Asian soups!

Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 free-range chicken
1 stick of lemongrass
2 scallions
1 thumb of ginger

Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the chicken in a large stockpot or saucepan and fill 3/4 full with water. Bring to the boil. Add in the chicken, breast side down, and return to the boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and leave covered for 45 minutes.
Drain the cavity of the chicken and plunge the chicken into a bath of iced water to cool for one hour. Carve into slices. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To make the dipping sauce combine: 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 clove of garlic crushed, juice of half a lime, 1 teaspoon grated ginger.

Serve, garnished with cilantro and scallions.

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For a full, printable version of this recipe, please click the following link.

1/2 onion, sliced
A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
1 long red chili
2 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 star anise
2 cloves
4 cups beef stock or 6 cups water & beef with roasted bones
1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as Nam Pla)
1 cup bean thread or rice stick noodles (low carb dieters can use Shiritaki noodles)
5oz/150g beef fillet, very thinly sliced

cilantro, mint, chili peppers, Thai basil, lime and bean sprouts to garnish

Place all the ingredients except the noodles and beef in a large saucepan and simmer for 25-30 minutes or if using beef and roasted bones 6-8 hours (this will make a much tastier stock).

Remove the cinnamon, cloves, star anise and chilli from the stock (very simple if you put them in a sachet made of cheesecloth or a large tea ball) and return to a boil. Add the noodles and cook as directed on package.

Place the noodles in serving bowls and top with raw beef fillet.

Ensuring the stock is at a rolling boil, pour over the beef and noodles.

Allow your guests to garnish with a selection of herbs and bean sprouts and to flavor with lime wedges and chili slices.

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For the complete recipe, click through the next link.

Serves 2

11oz (300g) minced chicken
2 tbspoon soy sauce
1.5 tbspoon Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon oil
4 scallion
2 clove garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon ginger
1 tbspoon chilli bean paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
5oz/150g firm tofu
cilantro

Place 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons rice wine in a bowl with the chicken and combine. Set aside.

Chop the scallions into slices and the tofu into cubes.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Coat with a little peanut oil. Stir fry the chicken for a few minutes, then stir in the bean paste, half the chicken stock, 3/4 of the scallions, ginger and garlic and simmer until the stock reduces by half.

Combine the remaining chicken stock with the cornstarch to make a thick paste.
Stir in the tofu and cornstarch and simmer until sauce thickens and tofu is warmed through.

Serve. Garnish with remaining scallions and cilantro.

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Recipe follows:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup triticale
2 tsp pumpkin seeds
2 tsp buckwheat kernels
2 tsp grated coconut
1 tsp linseed (flaxseed)
1/2 tsp black sesame seeds
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3.5oz (100g) Macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
11/4 tbsp oil
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 180ºC / 350ºF
Combine all the dry ingredients except the cranberries in a large mixing bowl.
In a microwave safe bowl combine the juice and honey and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Pour the apple juice mixture and oil into the dry mixture and combine.
Place the mixture on a line baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 20-30 minute stirring every 10 minutes, until the grains are golden.
Remove from oven and stir in the cranberries.
Allow to cool completely before storing in an air tight container.
This recipe will keep for up to 1 month.

Enjoy!