Middle Eastern turkey meatballs

Turkey is a lean and thrifty protein source. For this recipe, I combined minced turkey breast with the warming Middle Eastern spices of ground coriander and cumin. 
The end result is these flavoursome and succulent turkey meatballs, served with couscous and lemon black kale.
A satisfying supper that is high in nutrients.

Ingredients  - Serves 4

For the turkey meatballs:
500g turkey breast mince
1 onion (180g), very finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
large handful of parsley leaves (5g), finely chopped
1 large tomato (150g), finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of oil for cooking (rapeseed is ideal)

For the couscous:
160g couscous
4x spring onions, sliced
large handful of parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste
water
olive oil for drizzling

For the lemon kale
1 pack of black kale (calvo nero), 200g
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt & pepper to taste

Method:
To make the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients (apart from the oil) in a large bowl. Mix it well by kneading it with your hands until well combined.
Shape into meatballs.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. 
Fry the meatballs for 5 minutes on one side, turn over then press them down and fry for another 5 minutes. This makes the shape akin to a mini burger but it does ensure that the meat is throughly cooked.
Keep them warm until you make the couscous and kale (I did this by putting the meatballs in a bowl and popping them in the oven on a low heat).
Put the couscous with a pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl, pour over enough boiling water to cover the couscous by an inch. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.
Fluff it up with a fork, add the spring onions and parsley, drizzle with olive oil and stir well to combine.
For the kale, tear the leaves into small chunks, discarding the main stem. Put the kale in a large bowl, season well with salt and pepper and squeeze over the lemon juice. Massage the lemon juice into the kale for 5 minutes or so until the leaves have broken down. You should end up with roughly half the volume that you started with.
Divide the couscous, kale and meatballs between four plates and serve.

Vegan Chilli - a meat free Monday recipe

Have yourself a tasty meat free Monday with this amazing vegan chilli.
It is super easy to make (just throw a few veggies together), low cost and DELICIOUS.

The ingredients are approximate, don't worry about measuring everything out. 
The cannellini beans can be substituted for kidney beans or whatever else you may have kicking around.
Creamed coconut is available in all supermarkets. It is basically a block of squashed together coconut. Think of it as a stock cube for coconut milk, except it is much cheaper and unlike coconut milk has no added ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 tin of of cannellini beans or 1/2 cup of dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and cooked
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1/3 of a block of creamed coconut
1 onion, chopped
2 small courgettes (250g), roughly chopped
1 carrot (130g), roughly chopped
1 sweet potato (260g), cubed
clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds & ground coriander
1 teaspoon of oil for cooking
salt & pepper to season

Method:
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan on a medium heat.
Add the chilli and onion and cook for 3 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
Add the cumin and coriander and cook for another minute.
Tip in the remaining vegetables (but not the beans), garlic and rosemary, season well with salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes plus an extra can of water.
Grate in the creamed coconut, stir well and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to low, pop a lid on your pan and cook for 35 minutes.
Check the vegetables are cooked, turn up the heat to medium, add in the beans and cook for another 5-10 minutes with the lid off.
Season to taste.
Serve with fresh coriander leaves and chopped red onion.



 

Lemon & herb flattened chicken

Chicken breasts may be a great source of lean protein but prepared the wrong way they can become completely flavourless and dry.
If you are after something that tickles your tastebuds, try this herb & lemon variation.
Flattening the chicken breasts tenderises the meat and ensures that they cook in just a few minutes.
Serve it with a salad for a tasty lunch or atop a risotto or a few new potatoes for dinner.
 

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 clove of garlic, crushed
grated zest of 1/3 of a lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
salad to serve
tbsp of oil for cooking

Method:
To flatten the chicken, roll out a sheet of cling film, place a chicken breast on it, fold it over (so both sides of the chicken are covered) and bash it with a rolling pin until it is flattened and thin. You may need to turn the chicken breast over a few times. The thiner you can get it, the quicker it will cook. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
For the flavouring, combine the finely chopped rosemary, thymes leaves, garlic, lemon zest and juice and season well with salt and pepper.
Rub the flavouring over the flattened chicken breasts.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. 
Fry the chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side. The cooking times will vary according to how much flattening you did. Check that the chicken breasts are thoroughly cooked before consuming.
Serve with a green salad & sliced red onion, drizzled with some olive oil.

Get more veg the slaw way.. plus a lean and tasty burger recipe

Here is the most ignored secret to staying healthy: eat more veg.
Whether it is large populations studies or scientific trials, research suggest that those with more vegetables in their diets fare better in terms of health.
Now that the secret is out, lets work on some ways to get more vegetables into your diet.

One of the tastiest and most versatile ways to prep fresh veg is to turn it into a slaw. 
In a nutshell, grate the veg and combine it with a delicious sauce. (If you are chef and you are reading this then I'm a little bit sorry).
So without further ado, I bring to you a nutritious lunch recipe of a lean and tasty turkey burger and a fresh, crunchy slaw.

Carrot & kohlrabi slaw
Ingredients:
3x small carrots
1x small kohlrabi (this is in season right now so ask your local veg shop)
2 spring onions

For the dressing:
1.5 tbsp each of soy sauce & water
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp of honey
2 tsp of peanut butter

Method:
Grate the carrot and kohlrabi, chop the spring onion and combine.
Stir together the sauce ingredients until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the veg and combine well.

Lean and tasty turkey burgers
This recipe makes 3 burgers so divide or multiply the recipe as required.

Ingredients:
250g free range turkey breast mince
1 tomato, finely chopped
1tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt and pepper
rapeseed oil to fry
Burger buns of your choice and some extra salad to garnish

Method:
Put the cumin seeds and coriander in a dry pan over a medium heat and toast for 30 seconds until fragrant. Allow to cool.
In a bowl, combine the turkey mince, finely chopped tomato and toasted spices with some salt and pepper. Mix well.
Shape the mixture into 3 burgers.
Heat some oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the burgers for 5 minutes, flip over, press down and fry for a further 5 minutes, making sure that the burgers are thoroughly cooked.
Assemble your burgers and serve with a side of carrot & kohlrabi slaw for a nutritious lunch or dinner.