Year-round faves

Taupō local Vanya Insull, aka VJ Cooks, shows busy families how easy it is
to throw together classic Kiwi recipes that taste as good as they look.

Sticky pineapple chicken bowls

These bowls are so fresh and delicious. The combination of the sticky chicken and rice with avocado, radish, and edamame beans is a family favourite.

Ready in 30 minutes  |  Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tsp sesame oil
600g boneless chicken thighs, diced
400g can pineapple pieces
3 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger

To serve

2 cups cooked rice 
1 cup edamame beans, cooked
2 radishes, finely sliced
flesh of 1 avocado, sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds

METHOD
Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Drain the can of pineapple pieces, reserving the juice. 

Add 1 cup of pineapple pieces to the frying pan with the chicken and cook for 3 minutes, until the pineapple starts to brown.

To make the sauce, measure 100ml of the reserved pineapple juice into a bowl or jug. Whisk in the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, cornflour, garlic and ginger.

Make a gap in the centre of the frying pan, add the sauce and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens up and the chicken is cooked through.

To serve, divide the cooked rice between 4 serving bowls, then top with the sticky chicken and pineapple. Add some edamame beans and some sliced radish, avocado and spring onion to each bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Tips and tricks

Diced pork would also be amazing in this dish.

I like to give the leftover pineapple pieces to my kids as a snack or save them to use on a pizza.

Seed and nut bars

If you’ve ever eaten a sesame snap, you’ll have an idea of how these bars taste. Chewy and crunchy with a subtle honey flavour, they’re a great alternative to muesli bars in school lunchboxes.

Ready in 20 minutes + setting time  Makes 16 pieces

Ingredients

½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 cup desiccated coconut
½ cup rice bubbles
½ cup coarsely chopped roasted cashews
½ cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds
100g butter
⅔ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey

METHOD
Line a 27 x 17cm slice tin with baking paper.

Place the sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over a gentle heat and toast for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure they don’t burn.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the coconut, rice bubbles, cashews, and almonds. Set aside.

Place the butter, sugar and honey in a small pot on a low heat, until melted and bubbling. Continue to bubble for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour over the dry ingredients and quickly mix to combine.

Transfer to the prepared tin and spread out to the edges, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon.

Chill until set, then cut into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container in the pantry.

Meatball subs

The beauty of these subs is that you can either make them from scratch with the meatball recipe below or, if you’re short on time, you can use pre-made meatballs from the supermarket.

Ready in 30 minutes  |  Serves 4

Ingredients

500g lean beef mince
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp oil, for frying
325g tomato pasta sauce

To serve

4 long rolls
1 cup grated cheese
fresh Italian parsley, chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan grill. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

To make the meatballs, place the mince in a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, onion, egg, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, garlic powder, and salt. 

Mix together with your hands or a wooden spoon. 

Shape into 12 large meatballs or 16 smaller meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs until nicely browned and cooked through.

Add the pasta sauce and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until heated through.

Cut the rolls in half and place them on the prepared tray. Divide the meatballs and sauce between the rolls.

Scatter with the cheese, then place under the grill for 10 minutes until
the cheese is golden and bubbling.

Scatter with parsley and serve immediately.

Tips and tricks

You can eat these as they are or add your favourite toppings, such as sour cream, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, or fresh salad ingredients.

Chocolate whip cheesecake cups with berries

These deconstructed cheesecake cups have it all − a crumbly cookie base,
a creamy chocolate cheesecake centre, and a tart berry sauce. They can be prepared the day before and topped with fresh berries just before serving.

Ready in 30 minutes + chilling time Serves 4-6

Ingredients

150g plain biscuits
80g butter, melted
2 cups frozen mixed berries
2 tbsp caster sugar
100g milk chocolate
225g cream cheese, softened
½ cup icing sugar
1 cup cream
sliced fresh strawberries, to serve

METHOD

To make the cookie crumbs, place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the butter and blitz again until combined.

To make the berry coulis, combine the berries and sugar in a pot and simmer over
a gentle heat until the berries have broken down. Mash any large berries if need be.
Set aside to cool, then chill until needed.

To make the chocolate whip, break the chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl and microwave in bursts until melted. Allow to cool slightly.

Place the cream cheese and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until smooth. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in half the cream. Once combined,
add the remainder of the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form.

Remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently pour in the cooled melted chocolate, carefully folding it through to create chocolate swirls. Do not combine completely.

To assemble, divide half the cookie crumbs between 4-6 glass tumblers. Add half the chocolate whip and then half the berry coulis. Repeat with the remaining cookie crumbs, chocolate whip and berry coulis.

Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight, before serving topped with the strawberries.

Tips and tricks

You can use super wine biscuits or arrowroot biscuits in this recipe.

Images and recipes from Summer Favourites by Vanya Insull, photography by Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios), published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99.