Chef Debby
I know with the pandemic it doesn’t seem like we are in summer but yes we are. There are lots of amazing and great summer vegetables so you really should make this before the end of summer. If you are a vegetarian you can remove the chicken and replace it with more vegetables like broccoli, and garden egg. For the pescetarians you can replace the chicken with fish such as salmon, sole fish or prawn. All you have to do is rename it and probably call it Pan Seared Prawns, Pan Seared Salmon or what have you with summer vegetables. Sounds great, right? So let’s get cooking.
Ingredients;
• Two chicken breasts
• Two medium sized Corn
• One avocado
• One large cucumber
• Two boiled eggs (optional, just for garnishing)
• Five pieces of cherry tomatoes
• One medium yellow bell pepper
• Two large carrots
• Fresh basil finely chopped
• One quarter cup of milk
• Two tablespoons of honey
• Two tablespoons of sugar
• Mustard
• Lemon
• Oregano
• Olive oil
• Onions finely chopped
• Garlic finely chopped
• Black pepper
• Salt
Let’s take a look at some of the ingredients before we move to the procedures.
Avocados
Avocados are at their peak in summer. Do you know avocado contain more potassium than banana? Potassium is a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of but serves at important functions. Avocados are loaded with fiber, these contribute to weight loss, reduce blood sugar and is strongly believed to lower risk of many diseases. Avocados are also loaded with powerful antioxidants that can protect your eyes. Not only do avocados increase antioxidants absorption from other foods, they are also high in antioxidants themselves which helps reduce risk of cataracts and muscular degeneration, which are common in older adults. Therefore, eating avocado should benefit your eyes over the long term.
Carrots
I have a confession. Carrots are not necessarily summer vegetables. I was actually supposed to use orange bell peppers but couldn’t get a very fresh one so I decided to use carrot since the colour is orange. I hope you’ve forgiven me.
Chicken
Ensure it is a boneless and skinless chicken breast so it is easy and quick to pansear. I also love to use chicken breast because it is low in fat and a great source of protein.
Oregano
If you can get the fresh one it will be perfect, if not just go ahead with the dried ones. Mustard It has to be a Dijon mustard because of its tangy, sharp and strong flavour.
Cucumber
Cucumbers or zucchini, anyone you can lay your hands on.
Corn
Ensure you buy a soft one so it doesn’t take forever to cook.
Now to the cooking procedure:
The first thing we’d have to do is to make our dressing which will also serve as the chicken marinade.
How to make the dressing
In a bowl add one and a half tablespoon of Dijon mustard, three tablespoons of lemon juice, half tea spoon of oregano, three tablespoons of olive oil, half teaspoon of black pepper, one tea spoon of onion, half tea spoon of garlic, two tablespoons of honey, one tablespoon of basil, and a pinch of salt mix till they are properly combined. Next is to marinate chicken thoroughly with half of the dressing and allow to rest for between two and three hours (I actually marinated mine overnight). Boil corn with milk and sugar until soft. Heat pan and add three tablespoons of olive oil, allow to get hot a bit, add some onions and garlic, keep stirring so it does not burn. Place chicken in the pan and cook for three minutes then turn the other side and cook for another three minutes, remove and set aside. Charr the carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes and corn with same pan.
I did mine together with the chicken but you can decide to remove the chicken and set aside. Cut the avocado and cucumbers into julienne shape or any shape of your choice. Plate nicely and garnish with the eggs as seen in the picture above and sprinkle with the rest of the dressing. Contact: debbyskitchen1@gmail.com
