steak – Hello Doctor

3 pimped-up salads that you can have as a main

October 21st, 2019 by Content Editor

Most of us think of salads as side dishes, but with a few extra ingredients you could turn a salad into a hearty, delicious supper.

Try these three nutritious salads for supper this week.

Tex-mex chicken salad

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
1 tin pinto beans, rinsed
1 head of lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup fresh corn kernels from 1 ear
1 cup fresh parsley
1 avocado, diced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp low-fat sour cream
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla chips for serving

Method

Gently toss together the chicken, beans, lettuce, corn, parsley, avocado and onion in a large bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the lime juice, sour cream, oil, honey and ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Enjoy with or without tortilla chips.

Grilled watermelon and steak salad

Ingredients

½ kg baby potatoes
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup fresh corn kernels from 1 large ear
6 slices bacon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 cups baby spinach
2 spring onions, sliced

Method

Place potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat and simmer until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add corn to simmering water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Quarter the potatoes.
Fry bacon in a large pan over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Break into pieces when cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss potatoes and corn in dressing, then fold in spinach, spring onions, and bacon.

Warm salmon and fennel salad

Ingredients

½ fennel head (sliced, including stalk and fonds)
Olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
400g salmon fillet with the skin off, cut into thick slices
60ml sweet Indonesian soy sauce
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp crushed garlic
60g baby butter lettuce, rocket, mint and coriander
40g sprouts
5 spring onions, sliced

Method

Put a frying pan on medium-high heat, pour in a good glug of olive oil and tip in the fennel.
Season with salt and pepper and fry until slightly caramelised and just softened (about 5 min), then pour over the lemon juice and remove from the heat.
Heat a large non-stick pan on med-high, pour in a little olive oil and add the garlic, ginger and soy sauce.
Add the salmon and cook to your liking for medium, approximately 3 minutes, turning the pieces once.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
To plate: layer the lettuce and leaves on a large platter and top with sprouts and fennel. Then scatter with salmon pieces and spring onions.
Spoon over the sauce from the pan and drizzle with olive oil.

References:

Healthy recipes for the bachelor(ette)

November 9th, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

They say men cook better than women, but that’s as debatable as deciding whether to leave Cape Town via the N1 or N2 on a Friday afternoon. And when you get home after a long and tedious drive in peak traffic, who has the energy left to prepare a wholesome meal?

But, what if we told you that nourishing doesn’t mean long hours of preparation? What if you can prepare a healthy meal in under 20 minutes?

Here are three quick and healthy recipes for you bachelors:

Grilled steak with a twist

By far one of the more popular choices in any guy’s fridge, a good steak will hardly be given a miss. And when prepared correctly, you may just shed a tear of joy.

Ingredients

1 cored fresh pineapple (reserve any juice in container)
1/4 cup pineapple or orange juice
4 pieces steak or beef fillet (200g each)
1 teaspoon salt
1 of each: green, red, and orange or yellow sweet pepper, sliced into 4 flat pieces
2 tbsps packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method

Cut the pineapple into 8 rings, and pour the juice, along with the pineapple or orange juice, into a cup until a third full.
Season your meat on all sides with salt and grill on medium-high. The pineapple rings and sweet pepper must now be coated with non-stick cooking spray and seasoned with salt.
In a separate saucepan, whisk the juice that was set aside with ¼ cup water, brown sugar, olive oil, ginger, cornstarch, crushed red pepper, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Place these contents over a high heat until it boils and then let it simmer for a minute.
Now grill the meat and pineapple slices for three minutes, covered. Turn the meat over and let it grill for another three minutes on the covered heat. When done, allow the beef and pineapple to rest for 5 minutes, during which time the peppers can be grilled.
Add the dish to a plate and drizzle the pineapple glaze over the beef. Enjoy!

Power veggie sandwich

Okay, before we get into the finer details of this sandwich, preparation for this snack needs to start about 24 to 48 hours before fixing it. But fixing the actual sandwich shouldn’t take longer than five minutes.

Ingredients

400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 large ripe avocado
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Bread
Toppings: Arugula, red onion, or spinach

Method

In a medium-sized bowl, use a fork to smash a can of chickpeas until finely ground.
Add a whole avocado to the mix and smash the avocado until it’s smooth, but keep a few chunky pieces. Add lemon juice and cranberries to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. When this process is complete, place the contents in the freezer for a day or two.
When the yearning for your day-old spread is ready to be tamed, toast 2 slices of bread. Spread half of your day-old salad on the one slice and place the other slice on top and enjoy.
This is quite a healthy meal and if the sugar content seems a bit much, reduce the amount of cranberries used the next time you prepare this meal. Wholegrain bread is recommended, but do keep in mind that different breads have different nutritional contents. As an alternative, the spread can be enjoyed on lettuce instead.

Sausage, polenta and marinated peppers

You’re revved and ready to cook up a huge meal. All you have in the freezer are sausages… no problem!

Ingredients

2 tbsps fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the grill
2 tsps honey kosher salt and black pepper
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 small links Italian sausage (about 700g total)
400g store-bought cooked polenta, sliced into thick rounds

Method

On a medium-high temperature, bring the pan up to temperature and grill the sausages until charred and cooked through for 10-12 minutes.
Whilst grilling, in a separate bowl, whisk the lime juice, oil, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until the honey dissolves. Now add the bell pepper and onion to the bowl and, in a 15-minute window, toss it occasionally.
As the meal enters the last 5 minutes of preparation, add a bit of oil to your pot or pan and grill some polenta.
Once that’s done, the meal is ready to be served.

References

Grilled steak

December 3rd, 2013 by The Hello Doctor Team

Beef has a bad rap, but it can be good for you — it’s a great source of protein, iron, and heart-healthy B-vitamins. Choose lean cuts and grass-fed meat to make your meal a healthy one.

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