Zesty Coleslaw

Another coleslaw recipe, this one is great with rich meat when you need something light and zesty as a side or as I’ve done with pulled pork tonight. It’s also nice and easy to prepare for a barbecue as you let it sit around after making to let all the flavours meld together.

Adjust the herbs to suit your tastes or what you have available.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1/4 red cabbage, finely sliced

1 small red onion, finely sliced

140g snow pea sprouts, halved

2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

3-4 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander, leaves and stalks

175mls sour cream

1 lime, juiced

Salt and pepper

Method

Combine the cabbage, onion, pea sprouts and fresh herbs in a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, lime juice and seasoning.

Pour the sour cream dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir well.

Allow to sit for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Stir again just before serving.

Minced Beef With Spices And Fresh Herbs

Ok, now this recipe needs to be on your radar if, like me, some days are a little on the mad side and time is short! Think of this as a middle eastern inspired stir fry, odd I know but it works and as the boys eat it with their hands, a huge hit in our house!

The fresh herbs really make this zing but feel free to mix them up and just use what you have to hand, fresh coriander and fresh oregano work well too.

The photo shows our gluten free option but the rest of the family use  Lebanese bread or pitta bread. If you want to do this dairy free, omit the yogurt and maybe add a wee dollop of hummus?

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

30mls oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

4 teaspoons sumac

4 teaspoons zatar

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

700g minced/ground beef

600g cooked and cut to 2cm dice potatoes, skin still on

200mls stock or water

500g frozen peas

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a very large frying pan, mine is a 32cm diameter and this just fits!

Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour the spices into the pan and stir until fragrant, only 30 seconds or so.

Add the beef to the pan and over a high heat brown the meat.

Add the potatoes and stock or water, turn the heat down to medium and simmer until the liquid has evaporated, it doesn’t take long in such a big pan.

Now add the peas and keep stirring to cook them through and lightly fry the meat and potatoes. Season well.

Stir through the fresh herbs at the end and serve with flat bread and yogurt.

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.

Quinoa, Broad Bean And Herb Salad

This is a lovely fresh salad that goes so well with the whole grain mustard dressing I think.

Broad beans are in season again as we head into spring in Western Australia and I really don’t mind shelling and skinning them, it’s rather therapeutic when you have the time!

I like to make this salad ahead of time to allow the flavours to develop and for sheer convenience!

Leftover salad is great in wraps.

Serves 8-10.

Ingredients

175g quinoa

500mls water

500g shelled broad beans

3 spring onions, finely sliced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped roughly fresh dill

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

saltand freshly ground pepper

Method

Bring the quinoa and water up to the boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Let the quinoa sit with the lid still in place until cool.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water up to the boil and cook the broad beans, 2-3 minutes.

Drain into a sieve and then cool under running water.

Once the beans are cool enough to handle, slip off the outer skins.

In a large bowl combine the cooled quinoa, skinned beans, spring onions, mint and dill.

Combine the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad, mix through.

Paper Parcel Baked Salmon With Dill And Lemon

Simplicity at its best!

I love fresh dill and salmon and this is one of the quickest hands off ways to prepare a really healthy meal, throw a salad together while the salmon bakes and you are ready to eat in less than 20 minutes.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets

4 large sprigs of fresh dill

1 lemon, sliced very thinly

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Take four large pieces of cooking foil and top them with similar sized pieces of baking parchment.

Lay a salmon fillet in the centre of each piece of paper, top with the dill frond and slices of lemon, season well.

Wrap the paper layer first, sealing the long sides first with folds, followed by the short sides, repeat with the foil and place the parcel on a baking sheet, repeat with the remaining fillets.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before opening.

Chicken Meatballs with Hidden Veggies

A great way to use fresh tomatoes, spinach and sweetcorn!

I really like the idea of minimal washing up so do consider cooking the onion and the reusing the pan for the meatballs, think of it as added flavour!

For my gluten free option, I bake a potato while the meatballs are cooking and have a potato topped with the sauce and meatballs.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons oil

4 onions , diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh coriander

2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

500g minced chicken

250g sweetcorn kernels, fresh or frozen

salt and pepper

SAUCE

5 anchovies in oil, drained

pepper, freshly ground

5 large tomatoes, deseeded and diced

50g baby spinach leaves

100g mozzarella, grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the onions, cook until soft and beginning to colour, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Spoon 1/4 of the onion mix into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Add the anchovies to the remaining onions and cook for 1 minute, add the tomatoes.

Spoon the mix into an oven proof dish. Keep the pan on the stove to cook the meatballs.

Once the onions in the bowl have cooled, add the fresh coriander and dill, chilli flakes, chicken, sweetcorn and seasoning, mix well.

Heat the pan to medium high.

Form the meat into meatballs and quickly fry them on all sides to colour them.

Sprinkle the spinach over the tomato mixture and spoon over the meatballs.

Top with the grated cheese and bake, covered, in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked and then bake, uncovered for 10-15mins to allow the cheese to brown.

To serve, top some hot cooked pasta with a handful of baby spinach, the sauce from the meatballs and then the meatballs themselves.

 

Salmon and Dill Quiche

This is a super creamy quiche that is lovely warm or cold with a salad.

Gluten free pastry is a pain to work with, you need to forget all that you have learnt handling regular pastry and just accept it for what it is, sticky and tricky so go for more of a rustic look rather than perfection!

I like to make this when I have some leftover poached salmon or alternatively, season  uncooked salmon and wrap in a foil parcel, bake at 200 degrees Centigrade for 15 mins, allow to cool in the parcel.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

Pastry

80g rice flour

80g buckwheat flour

80g polenta

30g ground almonds

Pinch of salt

160g butter, diced

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

Filling

5 eggs

220mls sour cream

220mls cream

350g cooked salmon

4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

salt and pepper

15g Parmesan, finely grated

Method

In a food processor, combine the flours, polenta, ground almonds and butter until they form breadcrumbs.

Whisk the egg and water together and with the motor running add them to the flours, process until the dough comes together.

Remove the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and pop into the fridge for two hours.

Take a 23cm wide, 3cm deep quiche tin.

Break small pieces off the dough and gently squish them into the tin until you have covered the base and sides, rising 5mm higher than the edge height.

Pop the tin into the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Remove the tin from the fridge, line with a piece of baking parchment and fill with baking beads or beans.

Place the tin on a baking sheet and bake blind for 15-20 mins.

Remove from the oven, still on the tray.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, add the sour cream and cream and whisk again.

Stir in the dill, salt and pepper.

Spread the salmon chunks over the base of the pastry case.

Pour the egg mix over the salmon and sprinkle the Parmesan over.

Bake in the oven for 25-30mins until the quiche is golden and the egg has only a slight wobble!

Allow to settle for 10mins before cutting.