Miso Glazed Chicken & Mango Salad

This is a beautifully light and delicate salad which can be enjoyed all year round. Miso paste can be bought in all super markets and the great thing here is the chicken doesn’t need to marinate over night - just rub over the chicken pieces while you prepare the other ingredients.

Fresh mango will add a little extra vibrancy to the dish however it can be difficult to get them ripe when you need them.

I use good quality jarred roast red peppers – Lidl do a great option.

Ingredients

200g chicken breast (6 mini fillets)

1 sachet miso paste

100g mixed salad leaves

4 tinned mango segments

1 roast red pepper

1 avocado

½ red onion

8 baby sun-blushed tomatoes

Handful of cashew nuts (about 20)

20ml ‘Mor Foods’ Mango Dressing ( fab Irish brand)

Method

1. Prepare everything first. Marinate the chicken pieces in the miso paste. 

2. Thinly slice the avocado, mango, red onion and roast red pepper.

3. Turn on the grill to high and grill the chicken for about 6 mins each side.

4. Place the salad leaves in the bowl. Toss through the avocado, red onion, mango and red pepper. Dress the leaves and toss again. Sit the chicken on top of the leaves and sprinkle the cashew nuts on top.

5. Enjoy with some crusty bread and a glass of pouilly fume.

Raspberry & Mango Smoothie

With the bright mornings and the milder weather Im swopping my warming cup of tea for a refreshing, zingy smoothie.

Recipes for smoothies have a great deal of flexibility, but this recipe is my favourite. Alot of smoothies have hidden calories due to lots of creamy full fat yoghurt being included. Although the calcium from the yoghurt is great we don't want the saturated fat. In addition to this fruit has alot of sugar, although natural sugar, still sugar and we need to limit our consumption where possible. It is recommended that we consume 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This smoothie will give you at least 2 or 3 portions.

Fresh fruit and vegetables can be a little expensive at times, particularly fruit like mangoes therefore embracing the recession I am choosing tinned fruit IN NATURAL JUICES !!!!! Tinned fruit in syrup just had more hidden sugar. If you can only get fruit in syrup then rinse it under cold running water before using.

This recipe calls for frozen raspberries. Again fresh raspberries are very expensive and go off quite quickly. The frozen raspberries are more economical and add that real chilled factor to the smoothie.

Variations: Swap a tin of mangoes for a tin of peaches or oranges

                     Use frozen fruits of the forest instead of raspberries

Ingredients

Serves 2

150g frozen raspberries

6 ice cubes

1 tin mangoes

1 banana

1 tbsp honey

Method

1. Ok, now for the science bit.
2. Put everything in the blender/smoothie maker/food processor.
3. Blitz for about 2 mins.
4. Serve & enjoy 
5. (Because your worth it - oh and it will save you a fortune & calories instead of buying them)