Ingredients
Serves 4Mourquong Chicken
2 chicken breast fillets
1 egg
120g (2 cups) fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped fresh continental parsley
Plain flour, to dust
80ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
2 middle bacon rashers, thinly sliced
10 button mushrooms, thickly sliced
80ml (⅓ cup) tomato sauce
80ml (⅓ cup) Worcestershire sauce
185ml (¾ cup) water
2 avocados, halved, stone removed, sliced
Chimichanga Beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1kg chuck steak, cut into 2-3cm pieces
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
1 red or green fresh ball chilli (optional), finely chopped
500-750ml (2-3 cups) beef stock
400g can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
Flour tortillas, to serve
Sour cream, to serve
Salsa:
250g cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 small green capsicum, seeded, cut into 5mm pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 avocado, halved, stone removed, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp ground cumin
Chopped fresh basil
Chopped fresh mint
Method
Mourquong Chicken
Recipe from Home Cook of the Year Finalist, Carole de Maria from Mourquong, NSW
My kids - who are two and four - love chicken schnitzel, so I wanted to give it a twist to include more vegies. They don’t usually like avocado or mushrooms, but because they can help me prepare this recipe, which includes these foods, they now love them! Carole
Prep 30 mins Cooking 25 mins
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Cut the chicken into strips and beat with a meat mallet or the flat side of a rolling pin until about 1cm-thick. Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs and parsley on a large plate. Toss the chicken in flour to coat. Shake off any excess. Dip the chicken in the egg then in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing firmly to coat.
2. Heat 60ml (¼ cup) of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until light golden. Place in a baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Add the mushroom and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until tender. Add the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and water. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes or until the sauce reduces slightly.
4. Divide sauce, chicken and avocado among serving plates.
Per serve 29g protein • 44g fat (9g saturated fat) • 29g carb • 4g dietary fibre • 2620kJ (625 Cals)
Chimichanga Beef
Recipe from Home Cook of the Year Finalist, Monique King from Banora Point, NSW
This lovely Mexican dish makes weeknights so easy. I make the beef mixture on the weekend then freeze it for midweek. It’s just as simple for kids as it is for entertaining, too – just serve with soft tortillas and all the trimmings on the side so everyone can help themselves. Monique
Prep 25 mins Cooking 3 ¼ hours
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cook one-third of the beef for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, in 2 more batches.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the dish over medium-low heat. Cook the onion, garlic, paprika and cumin, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the beef, cinnamon and chilli, if desired, to the onion mixture. Add enough of the stock to cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for 3 hours.
4. To make the salsa, combine the tomato, capsicum, onion, garlic, avocado, lime juice, oil and cumin in a bowl. Stir in the basil and mint.
5. Serve the beef with the tortillas, salsa and sour cream.
Tip for kids: If kids are coming, I cut the chilli in half, stir it into the pot and then remove it for a gentle touch of chilli.
Serving tip: You can also add iceberg lettuce, grated carrot and grated cheddar to serve.