Nadia’s Cajun Chicken Salad

Make a double batch of your own Cajun seasoning and store it in an airtight container for weeks. It’s great as a rub on chicken or fish, or added to Mexican style recipes in place of store-bought flavour sachets.

CAJUN CHICKEN AND ROAST VEGETABLES WITH CROUTONS

Serves 4-5 Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 40 minutes Roast vegetables 500g orange kumara, scrubbed and diced 3cm 1 beetroot, peeled and diced 1–2cm 1 red onion, halved, leave root intact and cut into 2cm wedges

head cauliflower, cut into small florets 3–4 handfuls baby spinach leaves Croutons 1 Turkish loaf (200g) or any old stale, crusty bread 2 tablespoons olive oil Cajun Chicken 600g boneless, skinless chicken

breasts 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (see recipe below) 1 tablespoon cornflour

teaspoon salt Aioli

cup good quality mayonnaise 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 clove garlic, minced Preheat oven to 220°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Preheat barbecue grill to medium (if using). Toss kumara, beetroot and onion with a drizzle of olive oil on prepared trays and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes then toss cauliflower through and roast a further 15 minutes, swapping trays around to ensure even cooking. Dice Turkish loaf/bread 2cm and toss in a medium bowl with olive oil. Scatter over roast vegetables in the last 5–8 minutes of cook time. Roast until croutons are crispy and golden, and vegetables are tender. While vegetables are cooking, prepare the rest of the meal. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut each breast lengthways into 2–3cm wide strips. In a medium bowl, mix Cajun seasoning, cornflour and salt together. Toss chicken

Recipe courtesy of My Food Bag, see myfoodbag.co.nz

PHOTO: MY FOOD BAG Roast vegetable salads are always a hit. Adding homemade croutons to them adds delicious crunch.