3 Recipes That Are Perfect For Summer

It’s heating up out there, which means buh-bye stews and curries and hello light and fresh dishes to eat alfresco.

Reach your macros and stay on track with these three delicious dinners from Dan Churchill, a personal chef and nutritional expert for Chris Hemsworth’s health & fitness app Centr, so you can enjoy your favourites without the calorie hit.

One Pan Chicken and Greens With Avocado Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 500g green beans trimmed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 700g skinless chicken breast
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1⁄4 cup chicken stock
  Dressing
• 1 avocado roughly chopped
• 1⁄2 bunch of fresh continental parsley roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
• 3 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs water

Method

1. Place rice, water and salt in a saucepan and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. Preheat a large non-stick frypan over high heat.
3. Toss beans with half the oil, add to pan and cook for 2 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Set aside.
4. Rub chicken with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to frypan topside down, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Turn chicken and add stock to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked.
6. Return beans to the pan with chicken, cover and continue to simmer for 2 minutes.
7. At the same time, blend dressing ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
8. Slice chicken, divide between plates and drizzle over any pan juices.

Seared Salmon with Barbecue Veg and Mint Yoghurt

Ingredients

• 400g baby potatoes quartered
• 2 medium aubergines 1 cm sliced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 red peppers deseeded & sliced
• 320g asparagus woody ends snapped off
• 4 medium tomatoes cut in half
• 400g salmon fillets
  Mint Yogurt
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1⁄2 bunch of fresh mint leaves picked & finely chopped
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 3 tsp lemon zest

Method

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold, salted water and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
2. Heat BBQ to medium high heat.
3. Toss aubergine slices with half the oil and cook for 4-5 minutes, turn and cook for another 3-4 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Add peppers, asparagus and tomatoes to BBQ, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes. Set aside (by this stage you should have some nice char).
5. Rub remaining oil over salmon and sear, skin side down, for 4-5 minutes or until crispy. Flip salmon and add vegetables back to the BBQ. Close the lid and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until salmon is cooked to your liking.
6. At the same time combine mint yoghurt ingredients, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
7. Divide salmon, potatoes and grilled vegetables between plates and serve with mint yoghurt.

Jerk Chicken with Tomato and Bean Salsa

Ingredients

• 700g skinless chicken breast
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp sweet paprika
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs olive oil
  Rice
• 3⁄4 cup brown rice rinsed
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
  Salsa
• 1 tin of black beans (400g tin) drained & rinsed
• 2 medium tomatoes diced
• 1⁄2 bunch of fresh coriander roughly chopped
• 1⁄4 tsp lime zest
• 1⁄4 cup lime juice
• 3 tsp olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.
2. Place rice, water and salt in a saucepan and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
3. Toss chicken with spices, pepper and salt.
4. Heat oil in a large oven-proof frypan over medium heat.
5. Add chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden. Flip chicken over and place frypan in the oven for a further 7-9 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Set aside in a warm place and rest for a few minutes.
6. Combine salsa ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
7. Thinly slice chicken and divide between plates. Add salsa and rice to serve.

Dan Churchill is a featured expert on Centr Unleashed, the new six-week bodyweight programme available on Chris Hemsworth’s health and fitness app, Centr.