Slimming Summer Broth

This time of the year I normally eat plenty of salads but this is a wholesome slimming summer broth which is lovely either hot or chilled. It is gluten, dairy and virtually low fat along with being low GI. This broth is also made with seasonal vegetables from the garden along with being low salt!

During the summer months the quality of vegetables from the garden is so good that I want to treat them simply and with respect. It’s not that I’m on a diet at all but if I were to add fat to this recipe then it would mask the wonderful flavours of the vegetables. Feel free to season to your tastes though!

I normally make my own stocks and freeze them until I need them.  This month however Pure Brazen gave me a packet of their chicken stock to test out. I have to say I’m very impressed with the product itself. The stock is packed full of chicken flavour and is low in salt and has virtually no fat. Flavour wise it’s similar enough to what I make myself and it offers a great alternative to stock cubes or pots. From a money point of view it’s too expensive to be buying on a regular basis, however I think I would consider buying their fish stock every now and again as it’s hard to make that without stinking out the house!

This recipe serves 4 and works well because you can prepare all the vegetables in advance, chill them, then warm at the last minute in stock. If you’re not a fan of broth the recipe doubles up perfectly well as a vegetable salad and so you can dress it instead with some mayonnaise or salad dressing instead.

For the beetroot element, I used some roasted beetroot that I had cooked the night before. However the vacuum packed, precooked version that you find in many supermarkets nowadays is perfect because it has already been peeled.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken fillets
• 2 lemons
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• 12 new baby potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 small turnip
• 1 medium beetroot
• 1 handful of fresh broadbeans
• 4 radishes
• 3 scallions/spring onions
• chive flowers to decorate
• 250ml chicken stock

Equipment

• 2 small chopping boards (you need 2, trust me)
• 1 sharp knife
• 1 vegetable peeler
• 1 medium saucepan
• 1 griddle pan
• 1 large freezer bag
• 1 large plate for cooling the vegetables on
• Spray oil for the griddle pan

Method

1. Take your chicken fillets and rosemary then put them into the freezer bag .
2. Cut the lemons in half & squeeze their juice directly into the bag, seal the bag and leave to 1 side.
3. Fill the pot with water, place the baby potatoes inside and bring to the boil. Once boiling turn down to a simmer for 8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile peel your root vegetables (carrot & turnip) then cut into small squares. You can slice if you like but make sure that they are all equal size.
5. Using the other chopping board, do the same with the beetroot. Once finished with the beetroot leave it to 1 side and wash your knife!
6. Your potatoes should be ready by now so drain the pot and put the potatoes on the plate to cool a bit.
7. Refill the pot with water and the broadbeans. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 4 minutes.
8. Drain the pot and cool the broad beans before podding them to remove the tough outer skin.
9. Refill the pot with water and the chopped root vegetables. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 4 minutes.
10. After 4 minutes, drain and leave to cool on the plate.
11. Spray the griddle pan with oil and put on a medium setting to heat up.
12. Wash and dry the pot.
13. Fill the pot with the stock then place on a low heat to warm through.
14. Open the freezer bag and shake the chicken fillets to get rid of any excess lemon juice which would burn on the griddle.
15. Place the chicken on the griddle one by one.
16. Start chopping the “raw” salad vegetables (radishes & spring onions).
17. Cook the chicken for 7 minutes on each side, then check to see that they are cooked through. If not, cook for longer. Check by cutting them in half – it doesn’t make a difference as this is how you serve it.
18. Serve the broth by arranging your vegetables in the bowl, then pour the warm stock over, with the chicken on top.