Category Archives for Lunch/Dinner

Veggie Packed Chicken Balls

These balls are a favourite for my kids and it's a great way to make sure that they are getting their vegetables too without too much fuss. On a bed of rice or pasta, you have a simple, complete meal that takes minimal time to prepare. They freeze really well too so make sure you double the batch!

Ingredients:

600g chicken mince
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup broccoli florets
1 corn cob, kernels removed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon coconut balsamic vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
½ fresh parsley, chopped

Method:

Start preparing your meal by steaming the corn by your preferred method and then remove the kernels and set aside.

The next process will be making the sauce. Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof saucepan on medium heat and sauté the onions for approximately 5 minutes. Add your mustard, paprika and tomato paste and stir to combine. Add your tomatoes, stock and vinegar and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook whilst you prepare the meatballs.

Pre-heat your oven to 120 degrees.

To prepare your meatballs, place your cauliflower and broccoli in a high speed blender and blitz for 5 seconds until it resembles ‘rice’.

In a large bowl, place your chicken mince, cauliflower, broccoli, corn and seasonings. Mix well so that everything is combined.

With wet hands, roll the mixture into balls and place them in the simmering sauce. Once all the balls have been rolled, place the saucepan in the oven and cook for 2 hours.

Makes 12-16 balls (depending on size)

Gluten Free Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie

This gluten free pie has everything you need for a complete meal. The filling is packed with protein and complex, fibre rich carbohydrates whilst the almond meal base gives you that dose of healthy fats that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. You can also change up the filling to include as many vegetables and flavours that you desire.

Ingredients
2 cups blanched almond flour
pinch sea salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, sliced
500g chicken thigh fillets, diced
200g mushrooms, sliced
4 silverbeet leaves, stalk removed and shredded
½ cup of vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste


Method

Preheat oven to 175 degrees

Prepare your dough by placing the almond flour and sea salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add the coconut oil and egg and pulse until it forms a ball.

Press mixture into a non-stick 24cm pie dish and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until it browns slightly. Remove crust from oven once cooked and set aside keeping the oven on.

Prepare your filling whilst crust is baking. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on a medium heat. Add the leek and saute for 5 minutes. Then add the thigh fillets, stirring regularly so that the meat does not stick and leeks don’t burn. Once chicken has been browned, add the mushrooms, silverbeet, vegetable stock and seasonings and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared pie crust and then bake in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes.

Serve with a beautiful side salad.

Serves 4

Tumeric, Lime and Coriander Fish

Fish is a regular protein in our household and I think this one has just become my favourite. Not only does it taste amazing, the aroma is unbelievable especially when you open the package after it has been cooked. Being a really simple and easy dish to prepare, in combination with it being packed with so much flavour and goodness from the turmeric, I anticipate that this dish will become a favourite of yours too.

Ingredients:

2 x 200g snapper fillets
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
½ tablespoon ground turmeric
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander

Method

 Combine your garlic, ginger, turmeric, lime, oil and coriander so that it is all mixed well.

Place each piece of fish on a piece of baking paper large enough to be able to wrap it into a parcel.

Pour half of the marinade on each piece of fish and then fold and twist the ends of the baking paper to make parcels. Allow the fish to sit in the marinade for 15-30 minutes prior to cooking.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Bake your fish for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets. Serve with sautéed vegetables, steamed greens or a fresh salad.

Serves 2

BBQ Parsley Fish

Warmer days are fast approaching so it's time to wipe off the cobwebs from your barbecue and get cooking! Here's a really simple, fresh recipe to get you going. The fish absorbs the beautiful flavours of the parsley dressing which goes so nicely with the charring of the barbecue.

Ingredients:

2 x 180g firm white fish fillets (I like to use Blue Grenadier)

Parsley Dressing:
½ bunch fresh parsley
½-1 lemon juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of sea salt.

Method:

Turn on your barbecue to heat it up.

Make the parsley dressing by placing all ingredients, starting with only the juice of a ½ lemon, in a food processor and blend until it is well combined. You want the mixture to be slightly runny so you may need to add the juice of other ½ of the lemon.

Prepare 2 separate pieces of aluminium foil with a smaller piece of parchment paper inside. Place the fish on the parchment paper and top each fillet with 2 tablespoons of the parsley dressing. Spread the dressing so that it covers the entire fish. Wrap the ends of the aluminium foil so that the fish is enclosed.

Cook on the barbecue for 20 minutes, turning them once half way. Remove from the barbecue, unwrap and serve with a beautiful fresh salad and some extra lemon.

Note, this can be prepared in the oven as well by baking for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Serves 2

Veggie Packed Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets is an all time favourite dinner for kids (& adults). Here is a version that has 4 different veggies added to it and will make this meal extremely wholesome for everyone. They have that beautiful crispiness and crunch from the panko crumb coating. Mix and match whatever veggies your kids enjoy!

Ingredients:

500g chicken mince
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
¼ cauliflower, cut into florets
½ broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Coating
½ cup brown rice flour
1 egg + 2 tablespoons water
1 cup panko crumbs
seasoning (I used 1 tablespoon Mingle Garlic & Herb seasoning)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Line tray with baking paper and set aside.

Place rice flour in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl lightly whisk egg and water together and set aside.

On a plate, combine panko crumbs and seasoning and set aside.

Place the cauliflower and broccoli into high speed blender and process for a few seconds until it is cut into fine pieces.

Place chicken mince, all vegetables, garlic powder and paprika in a bowl and mix until well combined.

Shape 2 tablespoons of the mince mixture into nugget shapes. Coat it in the rice flour, then dip into egg wash, making sure all sides are covered. Toss them gently in the panko crumbs so that they are well coated. Bake for 40 minutes, turning after 20 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Chicken Burger Patties

Making these patties are a fabulous way to add some additional veggies into your meal. With very few ingredients they are really quick and easy to make, and something you can prepare in larger batches and have frozen and ready to go whenever you need a quick meal. I use the Mingle seasoning in this recipe, however if you don't have any (i would highly recommend that you contact me to get hold of some) you can substitute it for any seasonings you like.

Ingredients:

600g white chicken mince
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1 tablespoon Mingle Siena seasoning (garlic and herb)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line tray with baking paper.

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and mix until well combined. Divide mixture into 8 even quantities and then shape into burger patties and place on tray. Bake in oven for 40 minutes, turning half way.

I like to serve my patties using iceberg lettuce leaves as the ‘bun’. I add sliced tomato, grated beetroot and avocado.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Salmon Patties

The salmon patties I grew up with always had potatoes included, were crumbed in breadcrumbs and then fried. So not wanting to miss out on another fabulous childhood dish, the Merrymaker sisters inspired me to come up with this version that uses mashed pumpkin instead and is baked in the oven. They are beautiful with a side salad or steamed veggies or even adding them to a wrap.

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed pumpkin
420g tinned wild salmon, drained and bones removed
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 egg
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line tray with baking paper.

Mix all ingredients together. With slightly wet hands, take approximately ¼ cup of mixture and shape into patties. Place on baking tray.

Bake for 40 minutes, gently turning patties half way through cooking.

Makes 10 patties, serves 5

Grilled Fish Fingers and Roast Potatoes

Just because you have decided to change the way you eat and more healthily does not mean that you can’t enjoy all those meals you used to look forward to eating. Fish fingers and chips are an absolute classic and here is a way that you can continue to enjoy them without the artery clogging, inflammatory producing fats

Ingredients:

4 washed potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
sprinkle salt and pepper
8 x firm rectangular cut white fish pieces (ask your fish monger to prepare this)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup unsweetened desiccated / shredded coconut
1 garlic clove, minced
rind of 1 lemon

Alternative coating
1 cup almond meal (or 1 cup panko crumbs)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Prepare potatoes by peeling and cutting them and placing them in an oven proof dish. Drizzle oil, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and then toss ensuring that all the potatoes are coated.

Place potatoes in the oven and toss every 20 minutes to ensure that they do not stick to the dish. Potatoes will probably need 80 minutes to cook.

Whilst the potatoes are baking, prepare your fish by placing a fish piece in the beaten egg, coating all sides. Allow the excess egg to drip off and then place it in your coating of choice. Make sure all the fish is covered and then place on a tray that is lined with baking paper.

To ensure that fish and potatoes are cooked at the same time, place the fish in oven approximately 20 minutes prior to the potatoes being ready.

Serves 4

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Such a super quick and easy meal to get on the table in no time. I love batch cooking my meatballs and freezing them in portions so that they can be re-heated any time I need to prepare a quick dinner. Slow cooking the meat allows all the flavours to develop whilst leaving the meat really tender. It is also the best way to get extra vegetables into your meals. And if you don't want to eat pasta, you can easily substitute it for zoodles, chickpea noodles, lentil noodles or even mung bean noodles.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
500g beef mince
1 small zucchini, grated
1 small carrot, grated
1 teaspoon onion powder
Sprinkle sea salt and pepper

Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon mustard powder (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut sugar (optional)
50g tomato paste
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock

Pasta
1 packet of your preferred choice of pasta. I like to use a quinoa and rice penne, brown rice thread noodles or a wholegrain spaghetti.

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Prepare meatballs by mixing all ingredients well. Set aside.

Using a heavy based saucepan, heat olive oil on stove on medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, add garlic and stir for approximately 1 minute. Add the paprika, mustard, sugar and tomato paste and stir. Add diced tomatoes and stock and bring sauce to a simmer.

Once sauce is simmering, roll the meatball mixture into balls and place directly into the sauce. Return the sauce to a boil and then place in the oven and cook for 2 hours, turning the meatballs over half way through cooking.

About 20 minutes prior to the completion of cooking your meatballs, bring a pot of water to the boil on the stove and cook your choice of pasta.

Makes 14 balls

Oven Baked Chicken Schnitzel

Love your Chicken Schnitzels, but don't love the way it sits heavily in your stomach? Try this version, where you get all the flavour, without the oily after-taste!

Ingredients:

10 chicken tenderloins
1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs (or almond meal)
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Line a tray with baking paper and set aside.

Place panko bread crumbs, paprika, garlic and seasoning in a bowl and mix to combine. In a separate bowl beat your egg and water.

Place your chicken tenderloin in the egg mixture and coat both sides. Allow excess egg to drip off and then place tenderloin into panko crumbs and pat lightly until all the chicken is covered.

Place chicken on prepared tray. Once all chicken pieces have been prepared, bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Chicken will need to be turned half way through cooking.

Serves 5

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