Ingredients:
(Serves 2 person)

x2 Chicken Fillets or Thighs
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
x2 Red Onions
x1 Red Pepper
x1 Yellow Pepper

For the Marinade:
3 Tablespoons of Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon of Olive oil
1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
Handful of Chopped Thyme and Rosemary
Method:

Prepare the marinade first by combining the ingredients as above and mixing well together. Place this marinade in a sealed plastic bag with the chicken fillets/thighs to marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge. For better results leave chicken to marinade for longer.

Remove chicken in marinade from fridge. Preheat the oven at 200’c for 10 minutes.

While the oven is preheating, prepare vegetables by chopping the x2 bell peppers and lightly coating a cast iron skillet (as in image) or oven dish in olive oil.

Place chicken fillets/thighs, cherry tomatoes, red onions and bell peppers in the iron skillet or oven dish. Add more thyme, rosemary and black pepper over the vegetables and chicken.
Place into the hot oven for 35-40 minutes at 180’c or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and all the vegetables are roasted with a slight oven char for extra flavour.Tip: to add a burst of flavour to this dish, add a tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar after removing from the oven.

Serving Suggestion: Freshly steamed new potatoes or a scrumptious oven baked potato served straight from its foil would make delicious sides to accompany this wonderfully flavoured summer dish.

Please follow ‘Biabites’ on Facebook for other food ideas especially in the ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums.Please follow @BiaBites on twitter.For nutrition talks/workshops at events or in schools/workplaces/community groups = please email: arthursniamh@gmail.com Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc Registered Dietitian and Researcher

For the”choo-choo” Choose More Vegetables Train

I used carrot batons for the train track, peppers as the carriages and cucumber as the train wheels held in by cocktail sticks (be careful of children with cocktail sticks).Fill the carriages with hummus, salsa, guacamole or other vegetables or fruit!

For the Sleeping Star Melon Cradle

Use star or other shaped cookie cutters to make shapes with fruit and/or vegetables. I used various types of melon, colourful peppers and pineapple in this image.

The sleeping baby inside is an orange with a soother and eyes drawn on using marker!

Please follow ‘Biabites’ on Facebook for other food ideas especially in the ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums.Please follow@BiaBites on twitter. For nutrition talks/workshops at events or in schools/workplaces/community groups=please email arthursniamh@gmail.com Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc .Registered Dietitian and Researcher

May is officially the first month of the Summer season and hopefully we will have lots of nice sunny weather which ‘May’ entice us to eat more salads! This recipe is quick to throw together but has lots of variety with crunchy and juicy textures and flavours!! Really handy and can help avoid food waste too, especially if you have left over cooked chicken or salad ingredients that need to be used!!!

Ingredients:
(Serves 1 person)

1 chicken fillet
1 handful (approx. x10) grapes (green or red)
50g pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
6 cherry tomatoes
200g spinach and other leaves (Fresh Basil leaves add a beautiful flavour of Summer!)
60g Feta cheese

Feel free to add any other ingredients of your liking such as red onion, scallion, peppers, diced beetroot, shredded carrot, cucumber, slices of apple, Goat’s cheese, couscous, walnuts or pecans.
Tip: For more flavour, toast the seeds by heating them on a dry pan over a medium heat for 1-2minutes until they turn golden brown and produce a rich, toasty fragrance. DON’T take your eye off them though as they burn quite easily and toss them around on the pan to ensure even toasting!

Optional Balsamic Honey Dressing (alternatively use a dressing of your liking)
(Makes 4 servings. Store any leftover dressing in an air-tight container in the fridge and use within 3 weeks)

3 tablespoonsBalsamic vinega
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of black pepper.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth (approx. 30 seconds). Alternatively whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until they are well combined. (Although using a blender will result in a smoother consistency). Stir well before serving to ensure the ingredients are combined.
Method:

(1.)Grill the chicken fillet with spices or flavouring of your liking. I like Cajun spices or paprika.(2.) While keeping an eye on the grill, prepare the salad ingredients by washing and chopping/slicing. (3.) Place all of the salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl (spinach, sliced grapes, tomatoes, feta cheese and seeds). When cooked thoroughly, slice the grilled chicken and add into this mixing bowl. Then add a dressing of your choice and toss all the ingredients around in the mixing bowl. Ensure the dressing coats all of the ingredients evenly.(4.) Assemble the salad on your serving dish. Bain sult as (enjoy)!!

Going completely indulgent for this one but enjoying food is one of the many great pleasures in life and one of the few things we still have to enjoy during the current pandemic lockdown.Also this might be a scrumptious recipe to try over the Easter and especially f there is lots of chocolate around!! No baking required and although there may seem like quite a few steps, it’s just because there are a few different layers. This means all the more mixing bowls and spoons to lick clean after!!! Have fun, happy making and sharing!! Beannachtaí na Cásca oraibh.

Please follow ‘Biabites’ on Facebook for other food ideas especially in the ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums.Please follow @BiaBites on twitter.For nutrition talks/workshops at events or in schools/workplaces/community groups= please email:niamh@biabites.netNiamh Arthurs BSc, Msc Registered Dietitian and Researcher.

Ingredients:

600g dark chocolate digestive biscuits
300g butter
75g peanuts
100g dark chocolate

For the caramel:

75g caster sugar
120g butter
400g (approx-397g is fine!!) tin sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup

{Alternatively for convenience, use a 400g tin (OR 397g as available in shops) of caramel.}

Method:

Grease or pre-line a non-stick springform based tin.To make the biscuit base: place the biscuits in a strong bag that can be tied and can withstand the force of a rolling pin!
(I use an empty breakfast cereal bag). Bash the biscuits using a rolling pin or other utensils until they form fine crumbs.Alternatively you could blitz the biscuits in a food processor/blender.Melt the butter in a saucepan. Take off the heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs until well mixed.Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to make a smooth and even surface.Place in the fridge to chill while making the caramel.To make the caramel: gently melt the sugar, butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a saucepan.Then increase the heat until just below the boil and stir vigorously using a whisk for approximately 15 minutes as the sauce changes colour from a lighter to a darker brown and thickens. If clumping starts to occur, remove from the heat and whisk vigorously to combine again. Allow the caramel to cool slightly as it will thicken further as it cools. Then pour the caramel over the biscuit base. Place in the refrigerator to cool fully.(If using a tin of caramel instead, then skip step 5 and 6 and just pour the already made caramel over the biscuit base and place in the refrigerator to harden. Finely chop the peanuts. Sprinkle on top of the caramel. Melt the chocolate and pour on top of the peanuts (ensure the caramel has cooled fully), making a creative design! I did a zig-zag drizzle as in the image! White chocolate could also be melted and used to decorate it! Store in an airtight container.

Please follow ‘Biabites’ on Facebook for other food ideas especially in the ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums. Please follow @BiaBites on twitter. For nutrition talks/workshops at events or in schools/workplaces/community groups= please email: niamh@biabites.net Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc Registered Dietitian and Researcher.