Chickadees

The highlight of my day today was ‘date lunch’.  My husband had the day of work (in lieu of recent travel for work during precious weekends) and I was so excited to be going to the famous Zuma for lunch finally!  Since I have been pregnant for quite some time with our lovely chickens, I didn’t want to go until I had finished hatching and could go and eat anything and everything on the menu, most notably the sashimi.

But alas, as I clicked the kids in the car for school and nursery this morning, I turned around one last time to see my son’s face with an unusual number of red spots.  Under his shirt were even more…Yep Chicken Pox.  He is the successful recipient of this weeks infection running rampant through school.  The upside is that at least we getting this over and done with.  And then this afternoon a few more class mums via Whats App posted pics of their kids covered too…

The downside is (selfishly) Zuma is once again on the back burner.  Boo.  And pizza for dinner just for emphasis that I refuse to cook today.  I might even have a choc raspberry brownie for dessert – more to post on this also.

Tonights meal aside, I have been impressed with my culinary adventure as of late, and with a husband that proclaims to be a part time paleo, I have been exploring many different ways of jazzing up meat and veges for dinners without just serving a heart attack on a plate.  More on this in future blogs.

The one easy aspect from this, is that by adding some interesting seasonings to your meat and bunging it in the oven, prepare a few veges, its relatively easy to try new flavours and still not spend hours in the kitchen, et voila, a healthy tasty evening meal.

Sauces are also a great way of adding interest to an otherwise mundane meal.  This dish is just plain delicious.  I love anything vinegary and pickled so it’s especially won me over.  It is a warm asian vinaigrette courtesy of a Delicious publication that poured over any soft white meat transforms a meal.

The recipe usually calls for poached chicken which is probably a more sophisticated dish, but I thought I would spice things up and roast chicken pieces scattered with a spicy Japanese seasoning called togarashi.  It was very yummy and simple to prepare.  Served with rice (a paelo no no) to soak up all the vinaigrette and very warming to the soul (which I need right now).

Roast Spiced Chicken with Warm Asian Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (4 or 8)
• Togarashi seasoning (available from supermarkets or speciality stores)
• Jasmine Rice
• 1 Jasmine Green Tea Bag
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (rice vinegar is fine)
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin ( I use Japanese Sweet Sauce as I can’t get Japanese rice wine.  Alternatively use Sake sweetened with some white sugar)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3cm piece ginger, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 cup spring onions, cut into similar size as ginger

To Make

1. Place the chicken onto a baking sheet skin side up and sprinkle with togarashi spice and a little sesame oil.
2. Roast in oven (at 170 degrees, pre heated) for 30-50 minutes, depending on size of chicken pieces.
3. Prepare about 2 cups of uncooked rice (I use a rice cooker) by placing rice, water, jasmine tea big and few slices of ginger in the cooker and cook according to packet instructions.
4. For the sauce, place vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sesame oil in a small pan and warm through until sugar has dissolved.
5. Take of the heat and add the ginger and spring onions.
6. Once the chicken and rice have cooked, serve with a generous serving of the vinaigrette and steamed greens.

P.S – The vinaigrette makes quite a decent quantity so I store it in a jar in the fridge and it has been wonderful over white fish later in the week.