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Vietnamese Chicken Salad

The warmer weather has us all looking for fresh and light dinner ideas that don’t take too long to prepare. Even passionate cooks don’t want to be standing at a hot stove for too long this time of year.

So, grab a BBQ chicken, chop up some salad ingredients and put a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge. That’s dinner sorted my friends.

Ingredients

  • 1 BBQ chicken, meat shredded
  • 1 250 gram packet of fresh bean sprouts
  • 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded into ribbons, or grated
  • 2 lebanese cucumbers, cut into bite sized chunks
  • 3 srping onions, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup of roasted cashews
  • 1/2 bunch of coriander (substitute Thai Basil if you like)
  • 1/2 a bunch of fresh mint

Dressing

  • juice of 2 large limes
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss lightly.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small glass jar and shake well. Drizzle over salad, toss again and serve.

Serves 4-6

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Italian Lentil and Bacon Soup

I feel like I owe you all a huge apology……..for not sharing this recipe with you sooner! This has been in my ‘top 5 favourite soups’ list for as many years as I can remember. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to get it on the blog.

When the boys were little they wouldn’t eat it and so Andrew and I would enjoy huge bowls of it ourselves and then have leftovers for a few days. Well, those days are gone. This is now a family favourite and there is never a spoonful left.

Sometimes after a long hard week, when my body and spirit are both feeling a little worn out, all I need to refill my tank is some time on the lounge, a good movie to escape into and a steaming bowl of this soup.

Recipe by Belinda Jeffery

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Italian Lentil and Bacon Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Category: Soup

Yield: 6

Italian Lentil and Bacon Soup

Comfort food at it’s best – this soup makes staying home on a winters night even more perfect. It’s rich, hearty and satisfying and only made better by enjoying near a roaring fire with a glass of red.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
  • 1 small red chilli, finely chopped (with seeds) or 1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
  • 2 carrots, cut into small chunks
  • 3 sticks of celery, cut into small chunks
  • 175gm packet of bacon, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto
  • 300ml passata or pasta sauce
  • 250gm French Puy Lentils (*see note), rinsed.
  • 1 1/4 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • juice of a lemon
  • handfuls of baby spinach or chopped kale
  • grated parmesan

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat.
  2. Add the onion and cook, stirring a little, until golden.
  3. Add the garlic, chilli, carrot and celery, stir frequently until fragrant, for a about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the chopped bacon and give it a few more minutes to brown the bacon a little.
  5. Spoon in the pesto and stir for a minute or so.
  6. Add the pasta sauce, increase the heat a little and bring to the boil. Let it simmer, uncovered for about 20-25 minutes.
  7. Add the lentils and stock to the pot, and bring to the boil.
  8. Reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
  9. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
  10. Just before serving add spinach or kale and stir until slightly wilted.
  11. To serve, add freshly grated parmesan and pour a glass of red wine 🙂

Puy Lentils, also known as French-Style Lentils are from France. They were named after the region they were grown in, in central France. They are dark green/grey colour and hold their shape while cooking, unlike red and brown lentils, that end up mushy after cooking. This soup will work with other lentils, but Puy Lentils are easily found in all supermarkets and I would encourage you to use them. They have a nutty distinct flavour that really adds to this dish. Remember to rinse well before using.

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