Are you sick and tired of preparing the same dishes over and over again? It’s always good to prepare a variety of meals and try different cuisines. Now, the problem is, it’s not always easy to prepare meals for a family, to please everyone and find recipes that accommodate your tight schedule.
Thankfully there are now many meal hacks available that will help you to save time, reduce the amount of dishes to wash and give you the opportunity to spend more quality time with your family at the table. One of our favourite ingredients to have in hand is a pack of frozen puff pastry. Puff pastry can be used to create both savoury meals and desserts. They’re quick to prepare and all you need is an oven or air-fryer to cook them in!
If you’re team puff pastry like us, here are two recipes you will want to give a go.
Chicken Pot Pie
| INGREDIENTS | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Yellow onion, chopped |
| 4 | Boneless chicken chop |
| 200 ml | Cooking cream |
| 1 tbsp | Dijon mustard |
| 2 sprigs | Fresh thyme |
| 200 g | Baby spinach, rinsed |
| 2 | Carrots, diced finely |
| 1 | Leek, chopped |
| 200 g | Fresh button mushrooms, slices |
| 1 | 8” sheet of puff pastry |
| 1 | Egg, beaten |
| Sea salt | |
| Ground black pepper | |
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Firstly, rinse chicken and chop into bite size pieces and place them in a bowl.
3. Marinate chicken with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
4. Then, heat a frying pan and with just a dash of oil, fry the yellow onion until golden.
5. Add thyme, leek, mushroom and carrots to the pan. Fry until vegetables have cooked.
6. Then, add chicken, cooking cream and mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Transfer chicken to a rectangular or square baking tray.
8. Sprinkle baby spinach over the chicken.
9. Then, cover the tray with the puff pastry. Do secure the edges of the puff pastry against the baking tray.
10. With a brush, egg wash the top of the puff pastry.
11. Bake the dish for about 25-30 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden.
12. Serve immediately.
Banana Pockets
Ingredients
| INGREDIENTS | |
|---|---|
| 8 | Bananas |
| 2 tbsp | Ground cinnamon |
| 1 tbsp | Cane sugar (optional) |
| 10 | 4” puff pastry sheets |
| 1 | Egg, beaten |
| Juice of ½ a lemon | |
Methods
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
2. Dice bananas and place them in a large bowl.
3. Gently mix bananas with lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar (if using).
4. Place a spoonful of bananas in the middle of a puff pastry and fold into half.
5. Brush the edges with a fork and secure the edges with a fork.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to make 10 pieces.
7. Then, brush the egg on the surface of the puff.
8. Place all Banana Pockets on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.
9. Alternatively, if you’re using an air-fryer, you may air-fry the Banana Pockets at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
