Dukkah Chicken and Mango Salad

One of the best things about summer is all the wonderful fresh fruit that’s available. Visiting any farmers’ market or even the fresh produce section of the supermarket is a feast for all the senses!

This recipe is a combination of two of my favourite flavours – mango and dukkah – yum, yum!! And you’ll notice that the quantities are deliberately vague so you can up-size or down-size as you please.

Mango is fantastically versatile and can be served just about any which way: with Greek yoghurt and toasted sunflower seeds; blended into a smoothie with a banana, ginger and mint, or the same mixture frozen and made into ice-cream; used in savoury dishes with meat; or as part of a salad, as we’re doing here. The variations are endless! Since they’re in season and getting cheaper by the day (if you live in South Africa, anyway), now’s a great time to experiment.

Spiced Carrot Cookies

These spiced bites are a bit like a carrot cake but in soft and chewy cookie form. They are perfect for a snack or teatime treat for kids or adults and you can make them as healthy as you like, depending on what ingredients you use. They are slightly sweet but not too much so and the sweetness comes naturally from the carrots, raisins and honey.

Mexican Beans

This is a really delicious, warming and filling dish which is perfect for winter evenings. It’s pretty healthy, and it can be served in so many ways: just plain or with cheese melted on top; on toast; with poached or fried eggs on top; as a side dish with meat – it goes particularly well with sausages; or in true Mexican fashion, with nachos and a simple ‘guacamole’, which is my personal favourite.

Chicken Breyani

I have many fond memories of this dish as my Mom used to make it when I was growing up, usually on a Sunday when we had family coming for lunch. It has a load of spices in it so is very tasty, but the curry flavour is extremely mild so it’s a perfect family dish. It’s also a great way to use up left-over chicken if you have some in your fridge and want to do something a bit different with it.