Tag Archives: mustard

Lebanese Chicken Salad

Lunch and Light Meals, , , , , , , , ,

Lebanese Chicken Salad

Living in a hot climate we eat a lot of salads, and are always looking for new ideas to keep the meal interesting. This one combines chicken marinated in Lebanese Seven Spice Mix with a honey mustard dressing. You can make your own mustard at home or use store bought wholegrain mustard.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp Lebanese 7 spice powder
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 150g baby spinach leaves (or other lettuce leaves)
  • 1/2 cucumber, cut into chunks of 1cm
  • 5 radishes, sliced thinly (optional)
  • 1/2 a pomegranate, seeds removed
  • optional – you could also add some feta cheese

Honey Mustard Dressing

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1 cm strips. Place in a bowl
  2. Add the Lebanese seven spice powder and 1 Tbsp olive oil to the chicken. Sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine as a marinade.
  3. Pan fry the chicken over a moderate heat until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. Wash the baby spinach leaves (or lettuce), and place the spinach, cucumber, and radish in a serving bowl.
  5. To make the honey mustard dressing, place the honey, mustard, olive oil, white wine vinegar, a pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper into a glass or jar. Stir well to combine (or shake to combine in a jar).
  6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss the salad to coat all leaves.
  7. Spread the chicken over the top of the salad.
  8. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds (and feta if you are using it)
  9. Serve the salad as a light meal for 2 people

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Peter Bjorn and John – Gimme Some

Homemade Mustard

Condiments and Dips, , , , ,

Homemade mustard

I wanted to make a sweet potato salad with a honey mustard dressing, but in looking at the pots of mustard I started finding a whole pile of ingredients that I didn’t recognize. Thinking it must be possible to make myself, I started exploring making different types of mustard. This is a basic recipe and you can vary it with different types of mustard seeds, and by adding more or less honey to make it sweeter. A little warning, it is quite spicy immediately after you blend it, so beware of using too much too soon.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Add the mustard seeds, vinegar and water to a jar. Do not cover it, and let it stand on the bench top for 24-48 hours. (If you forget about it, then it is OK to leave it like this for up to a week.)
  2. The mustard seeds should have absorbed most of the water and vinegar before you move to the next step (this might take more or less time depending on your mustard seeds)
  3. Place the mustard seeds mixture, turmeric, salt, and honey into a blender and blend for about 2 minutes. You can blend a shorter or longer time depending on whether you prefer a smooth or more chunky mustard.
  4. Place the mustard into a sealed jar, and put it in the fridge. Let it sit for a couple of days before you eat it, as the taste will mellow and all the flavours will meld together the longer it stands.
  • Note: that the inclusion of the turmeric is only to give it a yellow colour. You can leave it out if you like, and then the mustard will be a beige colour.
  • Note: You can add more honey if you prefer the mustard a little sweeter. Try it first with 2 Tbsp, and add more later after you have let it stand for a couple of days if you prefer.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Lower Dens – Escape from Evil