FOODEveryday favourites
Easy meals to satisfy even those fussy eaters
VANYA INSULL IS THE face behind the hugely popular VJ Cooks pages on Instagram and Facebook, she has a huge social media following in New Zealand and Australia with more than 148,000 followers on Facebook and 63,000 on Instagram.
Her love of food began after university when she landed her first job as a junior designer for a food magazine. She continued working in magazines until 2016, when she left her job as a magazine art director to move to Taupō with her two young children and husband. Vanya started posting recipe videos on Facebook and went on to launch her website vjcooks. com which now has more than 300 recipes and has become a go-to for home cooks on the hunt for fuss-free dinners, baking and desserts.
In Everyday Favourites, Vanya does the thinking for you, so you can have tasty, home-cooked food on the table — even when life throws you a few curveballs. “The book is packed full of my fresh and tasty favourites; all super-easy to adapt to your family’s tastes and so yummy that they’ll even impress those fussy kids,” says Vanya.
BLUEBERRY and APPLE CRUMBLE SLICE
This apple crumble slice is so easy to make and has a nice crunch to it. You can use any berries that you have on hand, but I love the combination of blueberries and apples. I always have frozen blueberries in the freezer. Ready in 1 hour; makes 16 pieces.
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
150g butter, melted, plus 30g extra for topping
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 apples
11⁄2 cups frozen blueberries
1⁄2 cup rolled oats
Method
Preheat the oven to 170C fan bake.
Line a 27 x 17 cm slice tin with baking paper.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Add the egg, melted butter and vanilla, and mix together until you can no longer see white bits of flour.
Set aside 1 cup of mixture for the topping. Transfer the rest to the lined slice tin and press out evenly, smoothing the top with the back of a metal spoon.
Peel the apples and cut into 1cm dice. Spread evenly over the base, then do the same with the blueberries.
Add the reserved 1 cup of topping mix back to the bowl. Add the rolled oats and the extra 30g of melted butter, and mix together with a spoon or press together with your hands.
Crumble the topping over the apple and blueberries, pressing down gently with your hands.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until cooked through and golden on top. Allow to cool before removing from the tin and cutting into pieces. Serve at room temperature.
Tips and tricks
You don’t need to defrost the berries first. I place them on a paper towel to catch any excess liquid while I make the base. You can also use fresh berries if they are in season.
STICKY LEMON CHICKEN
This delicious, light version of the popular takeaway dish packs a punch when it comes to flavour.
The crispy chicken is coated in a sticky and tangy lemon sauce.
Serve it with white rice, brown rice or rice noodles and a side of Asian greens, such as pak choy, or your favourite seasonal or frozen vegetables.
Ready in 25 minutes, serves 4.
Ingredients
600g boneless chicken thighs or breasts
1⁄2 cup cornflour
1 egg
1⁄2 cup chicken stock
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with ⁄4 cup cold
1
water
1 spring onion, sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 handful fresh coriander (optional)
Method
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the 1⁄2 cup cornflour and toss to coat. Add the egg and mix to coat the chicken. Set aside while you make the lemon sauce.
Place the stock, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, honey and garlic in a bowl and whisk together.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces and fry until crispy on both sides. Remove from the frying pan and set aside.
Wipe the excess oil out of the frying pan. Add the lemon sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
Stir in the cornflour mixture. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the crispy chicken and turn to coat in the sticky lemon sauce.
Sprinkle with spring onion, sesame seeds and coriander (if using). Serve immediately.