Feed the Family in a Flash

Who wants to be stuck in a kitchen for hours cooking dinner for the family in the heat that we've been experiencing this summer? Not I, that's for sure.

We've been enjoying lots of salads and barbecues recently, along with other very quick meals. One of our favourites at the moment is a warm potato salad with a balsamic dressing, tossed with lots of salad leaves and either crispy bacon or chicken.

The people at E.ON have challenged me to cook a meal for my family in the shortest possible time, which obviously saves energy, both my own and the amount that I'm using in the terms of gas and electricity. To assist me in my challenge they sent me a hamper of kitchen gadgets and accessories along with some ingredients. 

I had a bit of a 'Ready Steady Cook' moment deciding what to make and decided upon the following for our family of 5 plus my parents.

* Baby Carrots & sliced peppers with Creamy Avocado dip

* Warm Chicken & Potato Salad  

* Strawberry Cheesecake Sundaes

I challenged myself to make dinner within 45 minutes, set the timer, sent everyone out of the kitchen & set to work....

The timer buzzed just as I was slicing the chicken to mix into the salad so I didn't do too bad. The dessert was all prepared & just needed serving when ready.

Warm Chicken & Potato Salad - serves 6/7

1kg potatoes (no need to peel)

250g asparagus

325g baby plum tomatoes

1kg chicken breast fillets

60g lambs lettuce

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

clove of garlic, crushed

salt & pepper

• Slice the potatoes in half if large
• Add to a large pan of water, cover & bring to the boil, boiling for 15 minutes until tender, adding the asparagus 3 minutes before the end of cooking time
• Rub the chicken lightly with oil and season with salt & pepper
• Cook the chicken breasts on a bbq or griddle pan for approx 5 minutes each side (depending on the thickness)
• Meanwhile halve the tomatoes and add to a large serving bowl
• Mix the balsamic, olive oil and garlic together & set aside
• Drain the potatoes and add the asparagus to a bowl of cold water
• Once the chicken is cooked slice into strips
• Slice the potatoes & asparagus into bite sized pieces
• Add the potatoes, asparagus, chicken & lambs lettuce to the serving bowl and toss well in the dressing
• Serve immediately

  

Someone enjoyed his cheesecake sundae - crushed biscuits for the base, cream cheese, a little Greek yoghurt and caster sugar for the filling, and topped with fresh strawberries

A few tips for saving time & energy in the kitchen

• Try & prep as much as you can in advance if the time allows, for example peeling potatoes, washing vegetables, chopping salad and making dressings. 
• Just as they do on Ready Steady Cook it's handy to have a kettle full of boiling water to speed up boiling times. 
• Only add as much water to pans as is necessary and place a lid on for quicker boiling
• Keep a tidy work station - if everything is to hand and you know where it all is it's a lot less stressful than rummaging under the potato peelings looking for your knife.
• Make a plan before you start by calculating the length of time it will take you to prep and cook different stages of your meal - whilst your potatoes are boiling you could be prepping your dessert.

If you're looking for other recipes and tips to help you save time & energy in the kitchen pop over to E.ON's Facebook page where you could be in with a chance of winning a Le Creuset cookware set by submitting a recipe of your own.

I was sent the items mentioned above for the purpose of this challenge