Chicken Pho Soup

Vietnamese Pho (pronounced fur) is one of my all time favourite recipes.

 It is a bowl of ultimate goodness in my books - with a healthy broth and punchy kick!

 I love that you can wing it with the ingredients and can never get it wrong! Its my go to hangover cure, cold buster, and just so tasty every time.  To make it even healthier you can make it with courgetti (courgette noodles) instead of rice noodles (flat or vermicelli).  

Remember fresh herbs are a must, as is the fresh chilli, whether you make your own broth or use a pre made stock its always sure to be a recipe staple you will make again and again.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 chicken tenderloins
• 1- 1.5 litres of water
• 1 clove of star anise
• 1 Knox chicken stock cube
• 1 tspn ginger, chopped
• 1 tspn (or small lug) of light soya sauce (you don't want the broth turning dark brown)
• 1/2 - 1 red chilli, sliced 
• 1/2-1 tbspn fish sauce (more to taste at the end)
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 handful of fresh mint and coriander
• 1 handful of fresh bean sprouts
• 1 segment of rice noodles or 1 courgette (spiralled) or both
• 1 lime, halved

METHOD

• Add the stock cube to the water and pour into a pot
• Add the star anise, 1/4 sliced spring onions, ginger, 1/2 the chilli, soya sauce, and squeeze in one half of the lime (leave this in the broth) 
• Feel free to taste the broth and add more water if it is not to your taste
• Place the chicken in the water and bring to the boil, then a simmer until the chicken is cooked through (they cook surprisingly fast - max five minutes once the water has boiled)
• Once the chicken is cooked, taste the broth again and even add some fresh herbs if you like! 
• Remove the cooked chicken and cut into small slithers (so it is easy to pick up with chopsticks)
• Add the rice noodles to the broth and cook for a further couple of minutes (if using courgetti add this last and only cook for a minute - if you over cook they will be mushy noodles!)
• Serve the broth and noodles into large bowls, top with the chicken, fresh herbs, spring onions, chilli, bean sprouts and extra lime and fish sauce to taste.

Seriously, seriously good!!!

Love Bites Pork Steaks with Lentils and Greens

This recipe is a well balanced and delicious dish, low in carbohydrates and full of flavour. The tang of the artichokes is well balanced by the saltness of the feta and acidity of the cider vinegar. Feel free to mix the green salad with pork belly or chops or mix the spinach with rocket and cress. Broccoli, beans and asparagus are also tasty alternatives or additions. 

A perfect seasonal dish that is easy and always tasty.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• x2 Pork steaks
• 1 Tspn fennel seeds
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1/2 Cup marinated artichokes (cut into smaller wedges if necessary)
• 70g Spinach or mixture of rocket
• 80g Feta cheese
• 300g Can of cooked lentils
• 1/2 Cup garden peas
• A handful chopped parsley
• Good quality olive oil, cider vinegar and extra lemon juice salt & pepper to dress and garnish

METHOD

• Season the steaks in salt and pepper, garlic and fennel seeds, and cook 2-3 minutes each side on a medium - high heat
• Heat the lentils on the stove or microwave as per instructions on the can (feel free to also cook dried lentils)
• Boil the peas and drain
• Arrange the spinach on the bottom of the pan add the lentils, peas and artichokes
• Dress the salad a lug of olive oil, cider vinegar, lemon juice if desired and salt and pepper
• Lay the pork on top of the salad and garnish with the chopped parsley and feta

Notes: feel free to add any additional vegetables, like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus and mix up the herbs - basil, coriander or a bit of mint is a delicious and fresh addition!

Love Bites Beetroot Quinoa and Feta Salad

This dramatically coloured salad was inspired by a lunch I had in Dubai last year. It is super filling, and is the perfect accompaniment to any grilled meat especially lamb. In these photos I have added lamb steaks or grilled chicken tenderloins for some extra protien but it is perfectly delicious just on its own. It is a super easy salad - and can be made in as long as it takes to cook the quinoa. Take it to a BBQ or have it on its own as a meatfree dish. It's deliciously devouring!

Serves 2 with leftovers

INGREDIENTS

• 60g Quinoa per person plus water for cooking
• 4 Large cooked Beetroot
• 70g Rocket
• 125g Feta
• Juice of one lemon
• Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 1 Red Onion, finely sliced
• 1/4 Cup toasted pine nuts 
• Salt and pepper to season

METHOD

• Cook the quinoa as per packet instructions (usually 60g with 180ml water per person and bring to the boil, hen simmer until cooked through and the water dissolved)
• Finely mash the beetroot or even better finely chop in a food processor
• Stir the beetroot and lemon juice through the cooked quinoa,  and season to taste
• add the cherry tomatoes and red onion, then stir through the rocket, pine nuts and crumble the feta (leave a little feta and nuts for garnish). Enjoy! 

Love Bites Prawn and Avocado Courgetti

This was one of my first courgetti recipe attempts and turned into a sure winner. It's a light take on a prawn spaghetti dish made with courgettes, dressed in lemon juice and an honestly healthy meal that is full of nutrients and flavour. A perfect dish literally made in minutes, and a great way to start the New Year by replenish some goodness back into your body. Go on #eatclean2015

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• oil for cooking
• x2 large courgettes
• 50g rocket
• 175g uncooked prawns
• x1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 chilli, finely diced
• x1 avocado, diced
• juice of a lemon
• good quality olive oil for dressing
• salt and pepper to garnish

METHOD

• Spiralise the courgettes on a Spiraliser with the smallest circular blade, set aside
• Bring a pot of water to the boil (do not add the courgettes yet)
• Mix the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small dish and stir to combine, set aside
• Heat the oil in pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and chilli, stir fry until lightly cooked, add the prawns and cook for a further 2 minutes or until pink and cooked through, remove from the heat
• Place the courgettes into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute (Be careful to not overcook as it will fall apart)
• Drain immediately and pat dry with a paper towel if necessary
• Add to the pan with prawns, still through the rocket, avocado and dressing
• Season further with salt and pepper if required

(the courgetti can also be served raw if you prefer)

Love Bites Baked and Stuffed Squash

This recipe was inspired by a colleagues bolognaise-stuffed squash at work one day. This is a  healthy, meat-free meal that is super filling and packed full of goodness. Just don't get put off by the shape of the squash!

INGREDIENTS

• x1 butternut squash
• Olive oil, salt and pepper and oregano
• 100g quinoa
• 1/2 each coloured peppers (red, orange and green)
• 70g kale
• 1/2 a small red onion, diced
• 2 tbspns toasted pine nuts
• 100g feta
• small bunch of parsley for garnish
• juice of half a lemon

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to bake at 200 degrees
2. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds with a spoon 
3. Place the squash on a baking tray, skin side down and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and the oregano
4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes - 1 hour depending on the size of your squash
5. Slice the peppers into 1cm thickness and bake with the squash about five minutes before you remove the squash

1. While the squash is baking, cook your quinoa according to the packet instructions (alternatively you can also use pre-cooked quinoa)
2. Cook the kale for a couple of minutes with a small amount of water in a covered microwave safe dish, blanch with cold water and drain, then roughly chop
3. Slice the red onion and dice the peppers once they are removed from the oven
4. Combine the quinoa, kale, peppers, red onion, crumbled feta and toasted pine nuts with the lemon juice
5. Once the squash is cooked through (check by piercing the squash with a knife - if it goes through smoothly it is cooked) remove from the oven and spoon the quinoa mix into the hole and down the neck of the squash
6. Garnish with salt and pepper and parsley. 

Love Bites Chicken Pesto Courgetti

Spiralising is the most recent foodie fad that has taken over Love Bites Kitchen. I am truly obsessed with it! The art of spiralising is basically to cut/slice/dice vegetables into circular shapes, the most popular being noodles, and the most common vegetable being courgettes - and then more commonly referred to 'courgetti'. To elaborate more on the utensil and more recipes, Food for Thought will follow with a dedicated post in the next few weeks, but for now this tasty dish was my third spiralling attempt and I really nailed it! So here you have it -  the first of many Love Bites Courgetti recipes:

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 Courgettes
• x2 Chicken escalopes
• 1 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Handful of thin asparagus stalks, cut into thirds
• 2/3 Punnet of store brought pesto (or your own if you have time)
• A handful of rocket per person
• Salt and pepper to garnish

METHOD

• Bring a pot of water to the boil
• Place the courgettes into the middle of the sprialiser and continue to turn the machine creating courgetti - see images below, continue to do this to all courgettes

• Rub 1tbspn of pesto into the chicken
• Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side until cooked through, after a minute add the asparagus and tomatoes, once the chicken is cooked, set aside and turn off the heat on the vegetables
• Place the courgettes into the boiling water and cook for 1-1.5 minutes (Be careful to not overcook as it will fall apart)
• Drain well and stir through the rest of the pesto and the rocket
• Slice the chicken into 1cm sized slices
• Gently stir through the chicken, asparagus and tomatoes into the courgette
• Garnish with salt and pepper and grated parmesan

Love Bites Healthy Vege Nachos

We were after a quick healthy fast-food style dinner one Sunday evening and this is what I whipped up. A meat-free, vege-inspired healthy version of nachos - one of our fave dishes. This version is much lighter, healthier, and with the same fullness of flavour and spice of regular nachos. You can even make it dairy-free without adding Greek yoghurt or sour cream. 

This dish is just as tasty and a lot better on the waistline! 

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
3/4 packed of corn chips (I used Dorritos Original)
x1 400g can of mixed beans (cannelini, kidney, chickpea etc)
x1 300g jar of hot salsa (I used Dorritos Hot Salsa)
x1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 195g can of sweet corn (drained)
x1 small finely diced red onion
1/2 diced avocado (can use more if desired)
x1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (or finely diced 2 large tomatoes)
x1 handful of fresh coriander roughly chopped
x1 clove of garlic, crushed
juice of half a lemon
natural Greek yoghurt or sour cream if desired


METHOD

• Heat the oven to 200˚ on fan bake
• Spread the corn chips evenly on a large rectangular baking dish
• Empty the contents of the can of beans into a medium sized sauce pan and stir over a low-medium heat for 2-4 minutes (do not over cook)
• Drain the corn and put into a mixing bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, avocado, half of the chilli, half the coriander and lemon juice - mix to combine and set aside
• Drain and rinse the beans and put back into the pan, add the jar of salsa and rest of the chilli, stir and heat through for a further 2-3 minutes
• Remove the bean salsa mix from the heat and pour over the corn chips
• Place in the oven for 5 minutes until corn chips are heated through
• Spoon over the fresh corn salsa, (top with Greek yoghurt or soured cream if desired) and sprinkle over the remainder of the coriander and dig in!

Love Bites Chicken Laksa

This is a recipe I literally just whipped up last week. I was craving a warm soupy spicy concoction as I had been feeling a bit under the weather with a cold... The ingredients might not be exact as I was free pouring and guestimating but it turned out THAT good so I had to share it with you! Pretty easy and tasty ticking all the Love Bites boxes. Bear in mind that my taste buds were slightly non existent when I made this so the amount of chilli is to your own preference!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• x5 Chicken tenderloins
• x2 Tbspns Thai Green Curry Paste
• x1 Tbspn sliced ginger
• x3 Spring onions thinly sliced
• x1 Thinly sliced yellow chilli
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 700ml boiling water
• x1 Knoll Chicken stock pot
• x1 Cup frozen peas
• x1 Cup tendersteam brocolini broken into smaller heads and stalk chunks
• 1/2 Thinly slicked red pepper
• x1 Tbspn Fish sauce (or to your liking)
• x1 Lug soya sauce
• x1 Lug sweet Thai chilli sauce
• x1 Packet vermicelli rice noodles (small packet 300g)
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh lime juice

METHOD:

Broth

1. Combine the boiling water and stock pot
2. Add the brocolini, peas and half the chilli
3. Add a lug of soya sauce, sweet Thai chilli sauce and fish sauce
4. Add the noodle cake
5. Leave to simmer gently

Curry

1. Over a low heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan
2. Add the curry paste and stir for a minute
3. Add the chicken and mix so it is covered in the paste
4. Add the ginger, spring onions and the rest of the chilli
5. Continue to turn the chicken as necessary until cooked (be careful not to fry the chicken - you do not want it to be brown on the outside)
6. Once the chicken is sealed add the coconut milk and red pepper
7. Stir and cook for another couple of minutes

Combine

1. Once the chicken is cooked through remove the chicken from the pan and slice into 0.5cm pieces
2. Add the coconut mixture to the broth and stir through
3. Serve into bowls with the slicked chicken on top
4. Garnish with fresh coriander and lime

Love Bites Tangy Prawn Salad

In the midst of unpacking our new home a couple of weeks ago I needed a quick tasty meal for one. M and S ready cooked prawns are usually my 'go-to' for when cooking for one so I grabbed some of these en route home and threw this salad together with the leftover food in the fridge. It worked a great and was efficient and delicious - a true Love Bites recipe to a T. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Serves One

INGREDIENTS

• 2 handfuls of rocket

• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 small red onion, quartered and sliced 

• 1/2 an avocado, sliced into bite sized pieces

• 1 packed of M and S chilli and coriander precooked prawns (180g)

• fresh basil to garnish

For the Dressing

• 1 tbspn Sweet Thai Chilli sauce

• 1/2 the juice of a lime

• a very small lug of fish sauce

METHOD

• Arrange all salad ingredients in a bowl

• Mix together all dressing ingredients (season to taste)

• Top the salad with the prawns and throw over the dressing

• Garnish with the fresh basil 

Voila! Enjoy!

GuestRecipe

Hey ya'll, so a good friend of mine reccommended I introduced guest recpies into LoveBites to incorporate friends and relatives gourmet treats and to add a different flavour into LoveBites.  (Also so I also don't run out of my own recipes to post!) Good idea I say. So to all you amateur chefs out there just like moi, send me a recipe of your gusto gourmet and you may see it on LoveBites!
 
To introduce this idea is none other than the lady herself Ms Georgina Cottle, with this delictable healthy salad:

   

Warm Beef and Beetroot Salad

 with roast potatoes, and feta with mustard dressing.

 

This easy and versatile salad is a hit all year round. The ingredients compliment each other delightfully, and it wouldn't be the same without the delicious mustard dressing. This recipe serves 2 and needs about 15 mins prep time and 30 mins cooking.

Ingredients

8 Desiree Potatoes (they don't have to be desiree, but in my opinion they are the best for roasting)

1 small can of whole beetroot

1 medium red onion cut into wedges

75 g Green Beans, trimmed

50 g Rocket

50 g Baby Spinach

150 g Beef, Rump Steak, in one piece

50 g Feta

1 teaspoon Mustard, wholegrain,

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6/200 degrees celcius. Put the potatoes and onion into a roasting pan and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Roast for about 30 mins or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, cook the green beans in lightly salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes; drain well and rinse with cold water to cool quickly.

3. Share the rocket and baby spinach between 2 serving plates and top with the green beans

4. Heat a char-grill pan or non-stick frying pan. Cover both sides of the steak with olive oil, then cook on both sides for 3-4 minutes to give you a rare steak (or cook according to your liking). Remove and cover with foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

5. Make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil with the salt and pepper.

6. Share the roast potatoes, onions, beetroot and feta between the salads. Slice the steak and arrange on top, then drizzle with the dressing.

LoveBites Healthy Nacho Salad

This is a healthier option for those wanting to enjoy the texture and taste of tradtitional nachoes but lower in fat. The addition of a salad mix, and elimination of cheese makes this recipe a mix of tacos and nachoes but aquires to everyones tastes! For an even healthier option you can replace the sour cream with mashed avocado garlic, and lemon juice. Mmmm perfect for a quick summer meal!

Ingredients

• 300g mince
• ½ green onion, diced
• 1 jar Mexican salsa
• 1 Mexican taco seasoning packet
• Can of chili beans
• ½ red onion, diced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• Mesculin salad mix
• 1/3  Cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Avocado, diced (or mashed with lemon juice, crushed garlic)
• Sour cream to garnish
• Corn chips (Doritos Original or for those back home Mexicano works nicely).

To Make

o    Sauté onion and mince over a medium / high heat, until mince is browned

o    Stir through chili beans, Mexican seasoning sachet, and ½ - whole jar of salsa
o    Chop coriander, tomatoes, and red onion
o   Arrange mesculin on a plate, layer corn chips, mince mixture, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes and red onion and garnish with coriander on top.

A special thanks to my flattie Adam Snowden for working some magic on my picture!