Sweet & Sour Prawn Stir Fry

Have you met my friend S.Tirfry? S is  a very versatile lady - you can dress her up or down, make her asian, spicy, vegetarian or fishy. Best of all, once all the chopping is done, you can whip up a nutritious meal in a matter of mere minutes. S is a clever lady indeed!

Now I've made quite a few chicken stirfries and beef stirfries and even vegetable-only stirfries, but never tried my hand at a seafood stirfry. Truth be told, I'm a little bit scared of seafood. I assume it's because we didn't grow up eating a lot of seafood, so whenever I'm confronted with a whole fish in the supermarket, I swiftly turn the other way. 

I've tried being brave - using crabmeat in a pita for example, or making a spicy calamari stew (not blogged, but delicious!), I've even bbq'ed some prawn skewers. But to add it to something I already know and love? That seemed a bit risky. What if it completely screwed up the taste of the stirfry? Turned it into a big pot of yuck? The opportunities for disaster seemed endless. But, my logical side reasoned - what if it turned out tremendously tasty? And you missed out on the awesome flavour because you were a scaredy-cat? That would be tragic.

And so, without further hesitation (okay there was a little bit of hesitation) I plunged ahead and came up with this: Sweet & Sour Prawn Stirfry. Was it good? Hell yeah. Would I make it again? Come on look at that photo again - do you even need to ask? Seafood-cautious hubby also gobbled it up which is testament to it's success. The sweet and sour sauce with just a bit of chilli complemented the prawns perfectly, as did the pineapple.

Special thanks goes to Danie for his impromptu photography lesson on Wednesday - I think it paid off handsomely! And if there are any South African brides-to-be reading this: go check out the supremely talented Danie's portfolio - he will ensure that your special day is perfectly framed. (Full disclosure: Danie did not pay or even ask me to say this)

Sweet & Sour Prawn Stirfry
Serves 4

500g frozen prawns
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red bellpepper, cubed
120g mangetout, halved
1 fresh pineapple, sliced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (depending on your taste)

1. Defrost prawns under cold running water in a colander. Let rest while continuing with the rest of the stirfry.
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat, add the onions and fry for 2 - 3 minutes, then add the bellpepper. Stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes, then add the mangetout and fry another minute. Remove from wok and set aside.
3. Using half the remaining oil, add the prawns to the wok and stir fry over high heat for a few minutes until cooked through. Prawns should be light pink and start to brown a little bit on the undersides. Remove from the wok and set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil to the wok, heat again over medium heat, then add the ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and chilli flakes. Cook for a few minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Add back the vegetables and prawns and cook, stirring for a minute or so until evenly coated. Serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.

Spa Salad with Chicken & Coconut

Does the end ever justify the means? Here's a (not entirely hypothetical) example: 

A (not very likeable, semi-useless) colleague applies for a new job. Said colleague really likes the new job, but would need more money to cover their running expenses. Colleague then asks for your advice regarding salary negotiations. Do you: 

a) Say, yes of course, ask for more - you deserve it!

b) Point out that the salary on offer is actually quite reasonable for the work expected and he/she can't really ask for much more.

Rock & a hard place, right? Option b is technically the correct answer, but option a will get the irritating colleague out of your hair (and soon!)- a case of good bye and good riddance!

Any guesses as to which option I chose? Cue guilty look...

Unlike my lovely colleague, chicken salad is something that I definitely do not want to banish from my life. In fact, I don't think you can ever really get enough of a good chicken salad.

This particular incarnation is one I've been making for a few years now. First gleaned from the pages of an old Marie Claire magazine, I've chopped and changed a little bit since then. The flavours are clean and fresh and reminds me of the type of food that you would eat at a spa (or at least what I imagine spa food would be like!), hence the name.

Spa Salad with Chicken & Coconut 

Adapted from Marie Claire magazine

Serves 3

2 chicken breasts 

1 tsp sunflower oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 cup low fat coconut milk

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass (optional)

200g green beans, trimmed & halved

1/3 large cucumber, pips scooped out & sliced 

100g mangetout (snowpeas), halved lengthways

1/4 cup fresh mint, torn

1/2 tsp dried chili flakes

1 tbsp dried coconut flakes

2 tbsp sesame seeds 

salt, to taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix sunflower oil with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Pour over chicken breasts and toss to coat. Place chicken in a small baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from oven and allow chicken to cool off completely. 

2. Meanwhile, make a dressing by combining the remaining lemon juice with coconut milk, sugar and lemongrass (if using). Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to allow the sugar to dissolve. Remove pan from heat and allow dressing to cool.

3. Steam/blanch the beans until just starting to soften (it should still retain some crispness). Refresh under cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Roughly shred the chicken and combine with the dressing in a salad bowl. Add the beans, cucumber, mangetout, mint, chili flakes, coconut and sesame seeds and toss well. Season to taste and serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 254.8, Total fat 12.2 g, Saturated fat 6.7 g, Polyunsaturated fat 2.3 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 38.0 mg, Sodium 193.1 mg, Potassium 254.9 mg, Total carbohydrate 15.6 g, Dietary fiber 3.5 g, Sugars 6.3 g, Protein 18.6 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 64.3 %, Iron 21.0 %, Calcium 15.6 %

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

You know what I hate? Getting to that place where you know it's become time to move on. Again.

Whether it's in my personal life or professional life, it always leaves me with an unsettling feeling deep down in my stomach. Change is good (and sometimes very necessary), but it's never nice leaving those now-very-comfortable people and places behind. Even though they might now irritate the living daylights out of us. Or actually be harmful to our wellbeing.

Sometimes there's nothing wrong with the current situation, but you also know that it's just never going to be anything more. Zero future opportunities. Know what I mean? Those are the hardest ones to let go of. Because it's still nice, it's still "lekker", it's just not good for you. Kind of like sometimes you have to pass up the chocolate bar for a piece of fruit, which will be both refreshing and delicious. But boy, sometimes it's hard to walk away from that chocolate bar...

This salad is not a chocolate bar, but like the metaphorical piece of fruit, it is both refreshing and delicious. And I think, ultimately, that's the way to go. 

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Adapted from The Good Mood Food Blog

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts (skinless & boneless)

3 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 cabbage, finely shredded

150g mangetout, sliced in half lengthways

1/4 cup coriander, finely shredded 

salt & pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Combine teriyaki sauce and garlic in a bowl, add chicken breasts, cover and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat, then add chicken breasts and cook for 4 -5 minutes either side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

3. Meanwhile, toss cabbage, mangetout and coriander together. 

4. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over the cabbage salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Divide the cabbage salad among individual serving plates. Carefully slice the cooled chicken breasts into thin slices, and fan atop the cabbage salad. Serve immediately.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 372.9, Total fat 7.9 g, Saturated fat 1.3 g, Polyunsaturated fat 3.8 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.6 g, Cholesterol 136.9 mg, Sodium 6161.8 mg, Potassium 1266.7 mg, Total carbohydrate 14.7 g, Dietary fiber 4.1 g, Sugars4.5 g, Protein 59.5 g

Good source of: Niacin 142.7 %, Vitamin C 103.2 %, Vitamin B6 81.9 %, Phosphorus 76.7 %, Selenium 62.4 %, Magnesium 48.5 %, Iron 34.2 %, Folate 27.9 %, Calcium 24.2 %