Herbed Chicken with Roasted Roots and Borlotti Beans

Herbed Chicken with Roasted Roots and Borlotti Beans
Serves 4

For the chicken
4 chicken breasts, fillets removed
2 egg whites
75g Oat Bran or breadcrumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh or dried thyme
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
Olive oil spray

For the vegetables
2 beetroot, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 turnips, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thick
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
1 tbsp caraway seeds
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 200C/GM6. Place all of the chopped vegetables into a baking tray, scatter over the caraway seeds, season with salt and pepper, drizzle over the oil and squeeze on the lemon. Mix it all together and roast on the middle shelf for 30 minutes, checking now and again that it isn’t starting to burn.
2 – Put the chicken breast between a large slice of non-stick baking paper. With a rolling pin, flatten the breasts slightly.
3 – Put the egg whites into a bowl. In another bowl, mix together the Mornflake Oat Bran, lemon zest, thyme, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.
4 – Dip the chicken breasts into the egg white, shaking off any excess, then cover liberally in the oat bran mixture. Put onto a non-stick baking tray, spray lightly with olive oil spray then bake on a high shelf for 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
5 – Take out the roasted vegetables and tip in the tomatoes, beans and mint. Season and mix together.
6 – Serve the chicken breasts sliced on top of a pile of roast vegetables and beans with a side serving of pasta tomato sauce blended until smooth and heated through.

Golden Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

Having just plundered an early fat pumpkin from the allotment and chopped it up ready for a Thai curry this evening, it got me thinking about one of the true food crimes people up and down the country commit - throwing away those precious pumpkin seeds.

You sometimes see chefs on television doing it and I can guarantee that some of my readers will admit to it, but throwing away those seeds are a big mistake. Roasted with a little oil and tossed in salt and pepper, perhaps a little chilli and lemon, they make for a delicious snack with a cold beer or an accompaniment to the food you are cooking, whether that is the Thai curry I'm about to have or with slices of roast pumpkin for your evening meal.

Fresh from the pumpkin, they are still coated in a little flesh and cooked for barely 10 minutes, they turn all lovely, crunchy and caramelised. Packed with protein and minerals, they are also really good for you. So do yourself a favour the next time you are slicing up a squash or a pumpkin and toast those seeds to golden perfection for an irreplaceable easy food.

Golden Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

Fresh pumpkin or squash seeds
Sunflower oil
Salt and pepper

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 160C/GM4.
2 - Put the seeds onto an oven tray and toss in a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil. Place onto the middle shelf and roast for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
3 - Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then pile into a bowl and toss with salt and pepper, or experiment with your herbs and spices. Delicious.