Easy Super Loaded Nachos

I love nachos so much! Here they are so quick and easy because we use canned chilli beans for extra time efficiency. This recipe is naturally gluten free and vegetarian (just check the corn chips for gluten) and to make it dairy free and vegan, swap the yoghurt for tinned corn, diced tomato, or more avocado.

Ingredients:

• Corn chips (I used about 12-14 big ones)

• 1/3 – 1/2 chilli beans

• 1/2 an avocado

• 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

• 1/4 cup thick Greek yoghurt

• Fresh coriander (optional)

• Salt and pepper

Lay your chips out on a plate in a single layer. Heat up your chilli beans with a sprinkle of water in a microwave, or small saucepan until hot. Mash the avocado with lemon juice or vinegar and salt and pepper, then spoon everything onto the corn chips. I spooned everything on in small blobs to make it look cool, but you can just dump it all on if you want! Enjoy your nachos!

Chicken And Rice With A Twist

Chicken and rice is such a classic healthy meal, and it is great for a lot of allergies, but it’s a bit boring. Here I have given it a twist and used my favourite seasonings on the chicken! For ease, use leftover rice, or a microwave rice sachet.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup leftover rice, or a single serving microwave rice sachet

• 1/2 a chicken breast

• A little oil

• 2 Tbsp gluten free flour (or regular flour)

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp ground paprika

• Salt and pepper

• 4 medium broccoli florets

• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 Tbsp dried cranberries (optional)

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cut the chicken into small chunks, and coat with flour, spices, salt and pepper. Add to the hot pan, and cook until no longer pink inside, and crispy on the outside (around 7 minutes depending on size of pieces). Cut the broccoli into very small pieces. In a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to sit for a few minutes, then drain and mix in mayonnaise and cranberries, if using. Add everything to a plate and enjoy!

Green Goodness Winter Salad

There comes a point in winter when I just want to make a salad, but all the salad vegetable prices are still sky-high. This one uses seasonal late winter vegetables, and has protein, carbs and healthy fats, and even some crunch from the seeds! It is also naturally gluten and dairy free, and can be made vegan by swapping tuna or chicken for tofu or boiled eggs. It is very flexible as well, and great for using up everything you have leftover in your fridge!

Ingredients:

• Vegetables of choice: I used broccoli, leeks, spinach, some lettuce, and tinned corn, but you could also use carrots, cauliflower, cabbage or anything else you have on hand.

• A carbohydrate: I used golden kumāra, but you could use another colour kumāra, potato, extra corn or pasta.

• Protein: Canned tuna, cooked chicken, cooked mince, tofu, eggs, or a combination of nuts and legumes.

• 1/2 an avocado

• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tsp vinegar

• Salt and pepper

• Pumpkin, sesame or sunflower seeds

If you have vegetables or pasta that need to cook, start on those first. I cut my kumāra and put it in a hot pan to cook, then added my leeks. You can also cook broccoli or cauliflower, but I like them raw. Chop up the rest of your vegetables, and add to your bowl with your protein and carbohydrate of choice. In a blender, add your avocado, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth, then pour it onto your salad. Sprinkle with seeds, and you are done!

Easy Sushi Parcels

This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice. To make rolled sushi, you need short grain rice, but you can use any rice for these parcels. You can also use tuna or chicken for this, and don’t skip the mayo and onion if you are using tuna, it really makes it! This is naturally gluten, dairy and nut free and can be vegan if you use tofu. Also, they are quite small, so you could make two or have it with something else for a full meal.

Ingredients: (per parcel)

• 1 sheet of nori

• 1/2 cup rice

• 1/2 tsp vinegar (optional)

• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

• Large pinch of salt (optional)

• 1 small can of tuna, or a handful of cooked chicken

• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise

• A little onion, finely chopped

• Carrot, cucumber, capsicum, avocado or lettuce (or all five)

Mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt, if using, with the rice. Place the nori sheet on a clean surface, and add the rice in a small circle in the middle. If using tuna, mix with mayo and onion. Put your tuna or chicken on top of the rice. Finely chop your vegetables, and place them on top of everything, creating a flat, circular mound in the middle of the nori. Use a little water to wet the corners of the nori, then fold them in over the rice, meat and vegetables firmly. Wait for a minute or two then cut the parcel in half and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes!

~Hannah xoxo