Super simple chicken and cauliflower fajita bake

There are different kinds of meals and I don't mean edible and inedible. I'm talking about simple every day dinners and those you would be proud to serve guests. When having others than just the closest family around the table, I often want to make something a little special in regards to appearance, flavour and texture.

As I love trying new recipes, I sometimes happen to cook dinner guest worthy meals on a school night and I make a mental note what friends would be likely to appreciate it. Most of the time, I cook pretty basic food and that's what I did today. It was tasty and satisfying, but not fancy in any way. That is was a healthy meal was a bonus.

Last time I made a cauliflower bake, I boiled the florets and gently folded them into the meat mixture. While doing so, I had to be very careful not to mash the cauliflower and it dawned on me that I should have roasted it instead. Today I roasted the cauliflower and when mixing it with the meat, there was no need to be gentle. The florets stood their ground beautifully in the frying pan tussle. This is the way to go in the future.

Sometimes I have sachets of Mexican seasoning at home, but today I made my own with cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper. Chilli and garlic can be added to this mixture if you fancy a bit of heat. We have eaten a fair amount of spicy food lately, so I left the heat out this time.

As well as cauliflower, I added pepper, courgette and red onion to the meal, as I thought they would compliment the chicken nicely. The bake was finished off with sliced tomatoes and light mozzarella. Depending on what you choose to add to your bake, it may be more or less healthy. Should you not fancy cauliflower, you could use pasta, rice or perhaps vegetable rice. I haven't tried that though, so I can't promise a tasty outcome. This is however such a basic meal and it is worth playing with to make it suit the diners around your able.

To make my fajita bake, you need:

600 g chicken fillets, sliced

1 medium cauliflower head, in small florets

1 pepper, roughly chopped

1 courgette, in half coins

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 tomatoes, sliced

paprika

cumin

coriander

turmeric

salt & pepper

1. Get all ingredients out.

2. Mix the spices in a small bowl.

3. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Heat up a little oil in an oven tray.
Add 1/3 of the spice mix to the oil, add the florets and toss to coat coat.
Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees, until done.
Shuffle halfway through to avoid burning.

4. Chop and slice the vegetables (not the tomatoes) and set aside.

5. Slice the chicken.

6. Fry the chicken in a little oil until almost done.

7. Add the rest of the spice mix and stir well until all chicken is coated. Continue cooking until the chicken is just about done.

8. Add the onion and cook for a minute.

9. Add the pepper and courgette and cook for a few minutes.

10. If needed, add a few drops of water.

11. The cauliflower is ready when it is soft enough. It won't be as soft as when boiled though.

12. When the cauliflower is ready, add it to the chicken and vegetables. Mix well.

13. Transfer the chicken mixture to an oven tray.

14. Slice the tomatoes and arrange the slices on top.

15. Grate the cheese of your choice or use lazy pre-grated stuff. I opted for light mozzarella.

16. Sprinkle with cheese.

17. Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 200 degrees, until
the cheese has melted and start changing colour.

18. How brown or golden you want it is a personal choice.

19. Dish up and enjoy.

I served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Sour cream would have worked equally well.