Chickpea Hummus

Gosh I love this!

I quite happily have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! The boys love a tub of this with crackers for school and I have been known to add a couple of spoonfuls to wraps and sandwiches to give them a little kick.

I do like to use dried chickpeas for this, infact, I always cook more than I need as they are so handy for throwing into salads and curries!

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

220g dried chickpeas, gives around 515g cooked chickpeas

2 tablespoons tahini

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 lemons, juiced

175mls olive oil

salt to season

a little extra olive oil and paprika to serve

Method

Soak the chickpeas over night in a large bowl of water.

Drain the chickpeas and pour them into a large pan, top up with triple the quantity of water.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour, they may take a little longer.

Drain the chickpeas and allow to cool.

Process all of the ingredients, check for seasoning.

Spoon into a serving dish, use the back of a spoon to make a swirl pattern.

Gently drizzle a little olive oil over the hummus and a couple of pinches of paprika.

Slow Roast Leg Of Lamb Flavoured With Ras El Hanout and Zatar

I have mentioned before my love of all things slow cooked and this is yet another option that we love!

The ras el Hanout does have a bit of spice to it but the sweetness of the lamb comes through. I serve this with pitta bread, hummus, pistachio and coriander dip, quinoa tabbouleh and a green salad, a veritable feast!

Serves 8.

Ingredients

3kg leg of lamb

80mls olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons ras el hanout

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 tablespoon smoked paprika

3 garlic cloves

1/2 red onion

2 fire roasted capsicums, skin and seeds removed

salt and pepper

Method

Start this recipe the day before cooking.

Process all of the ingredients, except the lamb and zatar, to form a thick paste.

Place the lamb on a chopping board and stab it all over with a large knife.

Spread the paste over the entire leg and pop into the fridge, covered, for the night.

The following day, preheat the oven to 140 degrees Centigrade.

Place the lamb in a roasting tin and spread over any excess marinade.

Sprinkle the zatar over the top.

Soak a piece of baking parchment in water, squeeze the excess water out and spread the parchment over the lamb, tucking it well in.

Next, cover the parchment with foil.

Place the meat in the oven and roast for 7 hours.

After 7 hours, turn the temperature up to 200 degrees Centigrade, remove the foil and paper, baste the meat with the fat in the roasting pan and return to the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, baste again and bake for a further 20 minutes, you should have a crust forming over the meat by now.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes, covered, before serving with hummus, bread and salads.

 

 

Creamy Chicken Chilli

This is a really handy way of making chicken chilli, great over rice and great as a dip with nachos.

I like to serve this chilli in individual bowls if it’s for dipping or a large oven proof dish if it’s a main meal.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

30mls olive oil

2 onions, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, finely sliced

3 jalapeño chillies, deseeded and diced

4 large chicken breasts, cut to 1cm dice

300mls cream

300mls sour cream

Juice and zest of 2 limes

salt and pepper

large bunch of coriander

150g fresh mozzarella, drained

Method

In a large deep frying pan, heat the oil and add the onions, cook until translucent.

Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook for two minutes.

Add the diced chicken and seal quickly without burning the onions.

Stir in the cream, sour cream and the juice and zest of the two limes.

Season well and bring up to a simmer. preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Simmer for twenty minutes until the chicken is thourghly cooked.

Take an oven proof dish and spoon the chicken mixture in, sprinkle over the fresh mozzarella and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is golden.

Lentil And Tomato Soup

OK, bit of a cheat here!

I love sundried tomatoes, the flavour is so intense! By using them here you get a full on tomato flavour in a very hearty soup.

This recipe does make loads of soup, feel free to half but I make this quantity and freeze half for another day!

Serves 12-14.

Ingredients

60mls olive oil

2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

150g, drained weight, sundried tomatoes in oil

pinch of chilli flakes

2 tablespoons ground coriander

450g red lentils, rinsed

750mls passata

2.2 litres vegetable stock

4 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Method

In a large stock pot or pan, heat the oil and gently cook the onions.

Once translucent, add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Add the sundried tomatoes, chilli and coriander, stir through.

Add the lentils, passata, stock, tomato paste and vinegar. Combine well and bring up to a gentle simmer.

Simmer the soup for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking to the pan.

Allow to cool slightly and then using a stick blender, blend the soup.

Season well.

Brie and Sundried Tomato Bread

Fantastic with a bowl of soup and leftovers are great for the lunch boxes or grilled and topped with a poached egg for breakfast.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

500g plain flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

325-350ml water

200g Brie

200g chopped sundried tomatoes

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and water to form a dough.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle a little flour over a bowl and pop the dough in, cover with some plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Centigrade. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Gently lift the dough out of the bowl and lay back on the floured surface.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle, around 50cm long and 20cm wide.

Lay slices of Brie down the centre, lengthwise, then sprinkle with the tomatoes. Leaving a 5cm gap at the ends.

Fold the ends in over the filling and then gently fold the top of the dough over the filling followed by the bottom. Gently push together to seal.

Turn the dough so the seam is on the base.

Lift carefully onto the prepared tray and shape into a circle.

Allow to sit, somewhere warm, for 20 minutes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until risen and golden.

Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting while still warm.

 

Asian Beef Salad

I love the idea of a one plate dish and this pretty much covers it with the meat, noodles and salad all in one bowl.

Cook the steak the way you like it, I’m a rare to medium rare kind of a girl!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 large thick sirloin/porterhouse steaks

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon 5 spice powder

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

100g rice vermicelli noodles

50g raw peanuts, roughly chopped

150g mixed lettuce leaves

small bunch fresh coriander

DRESSING

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Method

In a shallow dish, combine the ginger, garlic, 5 spice powder and soy sauce.

Add the steaks and coat completely in the marinade, leave to marinade for 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan over a very high heat or use a very hot barbecue plate.

Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe off the marinade with kitchen towel.

Add the steak to the pan and cook the way you like it, I’m a rare to medium rare girl!

Set the cooked meat aside somewhere warm to rest.

Prepare the noodles as per the packet instructions and set aside.

Layer up the salad using the leaves, noodles, peanuts and coriander.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, add any juices from the rested steaks.

Remove the fat from the steak and then slice, top the salad with the steak slices and then drizzle over the dressing.

Potato And Rosemary Stacks

These are a bit of fun and make a nice alternative with potatoes!

You can play around with the herbs that you use too, thyme is a winner.

When you fill the muffin cases, fill them to the top, pushing down a little as you go. As the potatoes cook they drop down quite significantly.

You can make these ahead of time, remove from the muffin tins and reheat on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

900g potatoes, peeled

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary

salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Using a mandolin, very finely slice the peeled potatoes.

In a bowl combine the sliced potatoes, oil, rosemary, salt and a good dose of freshly ground pepper.

Take a twelve hole muffin tin and layer each hole with potato slices.

Pop into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Meatballs With Sour Cherries And Herbs

A bit of an odd combination to some people but it does work very well giving these meatballs a hint of sweetness in amongst the fabulous herb flavours.

I quite often make the meat mix in the morning and come back and make the meatballs for our evening meal, it sits quite happily in the fridge.

Makes 36 meatballs, serves 6-8 depending on sides. We have these as a mezze meal and I serve them with some yogurt flavoured with garlic and mint.

Ingredients

1kg minced beef

1/2 red onion, very finely diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

15g chopped fresh dill

15g chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper

150g drained sour cherries

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. the cherries will get all mushed up, don’t worry!

Form into balls and lay on the baking sheets, spread a little apart.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through.

Cajun Salmon

Golly gosh!

This will really knock your socks off!

This is a fab way to make three salmon fillets feed 4-6 people depending on your sides, we have this with a quinoa salad to fill the boys up!

I make a salad base of mixed leaves, avocado slices, coriander and I finish the salmon off with a squeeze of lime juice. By breaking the fillets up it goes so much further in our house!

You can make this ahead of time and just let the salmon sit in the fridge in the rub and leftovers make brilliant sandwich fillings.

Ingredients

3 large skinless salmon fillets, around 700g

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade, line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Wash and pat dry the salmon, check for bones and I like to remove the fatty underside too.

Combine the herbs, spices and salt on a plate.

Turn each salmon fillet over in the spice mix until thoroughly coated, place on the baking sheet and repeat.

Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes depending on thickness.

Asian Coleslaw

A fantastic alternative to coleslaw with mayonnaise!

Once you’ve dressed the veggies you need to let the salad sit for 20-30minutes to allow the cabbage to “relax” a bit! This salad doesn’t keep well, the cabbage relaxes too much and becomes a little slimy so just make as much as you need.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

5 spring onions, finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and julienned

1/2 white cabbage, stalk removed and ver finely sliced

3 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

Method

In a large bowl, combine the spring onion, carrot and cabbage.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and whisk well until you have a smooth dressing.

Pour the dressing over the veggies and mix very well, set aside for 20-30 minutes.