Tag: yogurt

Merguez Meatball Flatbreads

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4

These meatball flatbreads are the bomb.com. We found them on the wonderful Brooklyn Supper blog and only made one or two minor changes.

Every element: meatballs, herby yogurt, the coleslaw and the toasted flatbreads, adds to the whole effect.

It is sort of like that signature sandwich at some new, trendy sandwich bar that has opened in the city. A sandwich that everyone is raving about.

We did this one Saturday evening and it hit every spot. Make sure you have chilled champagne at the side, music playing and the kids in bed and you’re set for the start of a great Saturday night in.

(Better still, send the kids off to grandparents or interstate and have a really great Saturday night in!)

Ingredients

Red cabbage slaw

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp minced parsley

Herbed yogurt

1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt (do not use low fat)
Pinch sea salt
1/3 cup minced parsley
2 tbsp minced mint leaves
Squeeze lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Merguez Meatballs

1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1kg lamb mince
3 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp harissa (from a tube)
2 tbsp canola oil

Flatbreads
Olive oil
Coriander leaves
Sriracha
Lemon wedges

Method

Red Cabbage Slaw

  1. Combine the garlic, lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside. Add the vegetables and toss with the lemon juice mixture and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and set aside at room temperature for an hour or two. Before serving, add salt to taste and toss with the parsley.

Herbed yogurt

  1. Combine the yogurt, salt, herbs, lemon juice and pepper. Taste and add additional salt and lemon juice as needed. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Merguez Meatballs

  1. Heat a small pan over a medium heat and toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant and popping: 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and grind to a paste.
  2. To make the meatballs, combine the spices, lamb, garlic, paprika and harissa and mix well. Form into golf ball size meatballs and set aside on a clean tray.
  3. Heat oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the meatballs, searing the meatballs all over until cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, heat another pan over a medium heat and brush one side of the flatbreads with olive oil. Pan fry until crispy and golden and flip and cook the other side.
  5. To assemble, rub the herby yogurt on one side of the toasted flatbread. Add some of the coleslaw and line two or three of the meatballs on top. Drizzle with sriracha and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Super Healthy Slaw

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 6

Nat found this one and we served it with a great, homemade chicken schnitzel: breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, lemon rind, chilli, Parmesan and plenty of seasoning.

The coleslaw dressing was pretty tart to begin with, though once we mixed it through the vegetables and apple, it was a really good coleslaw.

At 45 calories per serve, you essentially ditch the mayo for more veges.

Kid friendly too!

Ingredients

1/2 white cabbage, shredded
1 apple, cored and grated
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
100 gm fat-free Greek yogurt
Juice, 1/2 lemon
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

  1. Mix the cabbage, apple, carrots and onion in a large bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. Season well, pour over the vegetables and stir through.

Moroccan kofte with spicy tomato sauce

.Reading time 2 minutes.
FullSizeRender(4).jpg
Seriously?!

Serves: 4

Oh wow this is awesome.

Admittedly, I made them after a rather reasonable lunch remit with a few wines. Though the flavour definitely wasn’t the wines talking, though I have been known to find cornflour pretty tasty late into a big night.

Though who hasn’t?

Lamb mince. Tick. Spice. Tick. Tomato. Tick. Yogurt, harissa and pine nuts. Tick.

It’s easy to prepare, easy to cook and healthy. It’s no revelation and instead, it’s the comfort, warmth and familiarity of it all.

Go out and have a big lunch, stumble home, pour another glass and knock this up. You could do a whole lot worse.

Ingredients

Lamb

500gm lamb mince
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp chopped mint

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomato
2 tsp harissa
1 tsp sugar
200gm tub Greek yogurt
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Coriander, pittas and couscous to serve

Method

  1. If using wooden skewers, soak for at least 20 minutes to stop burning. Heat the grill.
  2. Using your hands, mix the meat in a bowl with the onion, coriander, mint and plenty of seasoning. Shape into 8 sausages, about 10cm long and then threat a bamboo skewer through the center of each.
  3. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and briefly fry. Add tomatoes, harissa, sugar and seasoning. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 – 20 minutes until sauce has thickened.
  4. Grill the kofte for 6 – 8 minutes, turning until they are nice browned. Spoon the sauce over a warm platter, drizzle with yogurt and put the kofte on top. Scatter with the pine nuts and serve with coriander, pittas and couscous.
  5. And more wine.

Spinach (Palak) Chicken Curry

.Reading time 3 minutes.

FullSizeRender (20).jpg
Nat is a genius! 
Serves: 4

Yes, yes, yes!

Another curry win. Not just an incremental win as if you’ve found a bit more fire in a Rogan Josh, but a win like we’ve found a whole new door.

Great yet subtle heat, the spinach, the whole thing.

Cooked by Nat, if you love your Indian, this authentic curry is a no-brainer.

It is like unlocking some whole new level on a game.

And as if you needed anything more to compel you… it’s healthy!

Move! (And double it like we did, though this recipe is for one serve.)

So, this traditional recipe asks for Ginger Garlic Paste. I have kept this true in the recipe, though it is half minced garlic, half grated ginger and some seasoning. Don’t get too excited.

And we have adjusted the ingredients and method to make sense!

Ingredients

200gm spinach
1kg chicken thigh (we used breast which was just fine: healthy), cut into 3cm pieces
¼ cup fat free yogurt
1 ½ tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
¼ turmeric
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp cayenne
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste (half for the marinade, half for the cooking)
2  tbsp canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 tsp cumin seed
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 cardamom pod, bruised
1 bay leaf (or 2 dry)

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken with the yogurt, salt, turmeric, cayenne, 1 ½ ginger garlic paste, garam masala and coriander for 30 minutes.
  2. In a pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf and saute until aromatic; we used a muslin cloth to tie the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom and would suggest you do the same.
  3. Add the onions and cook until soft.
  4. Add the remaining (1 ½) ginger garlic paste and cook for a further minute.
  5. Add tomatoes and cooked until it soft and mushy.
  6. Add marinated chicken, half a cup of water and cook, covered, until cooked. Stir frequently.
  7. Remove the cover and reduce to a gravy.
  8. Meanwhile, blanch the spinach and chop finely.
  9. When when the chicken is ready, add the spinach for a minute or two.
  10. Serve with basmati rice.
  11. Genius!

Jamie Oliver’s Bombay chicken with cauliflower, rice and spinach

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 2

You have to give it to Jamie.

Everything he has done to advance food and healthy eating, at all levels, is just awesome. It is reflected in the fun and creativity of his recipes and as much as I love to point out that no 30-minute meal of his can be done in 30 minutes, who care when you’re eating this well.

This particular dish is super healthy, super tasty and a lot of fun to prep up if you work as a team with a glass of vino each. Nice spice, beautiful, creamy texture.

And it cooks in one dish.

As is consistently true with Jamie, so, so good.

Ingredients

100g brown rice
½ a small cauliflower
½ a bunch of fresh mint
6 tbsp natural yogurt
1 lemon
1 heaped tsp each of ground turmeric, medium curry powder
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3cm piece of ginger, grated
2 chicken breasts
1 level tsp each of cumin seeds, black mustard seeds
60g baby spinach
1 fresh red chilli
4 poppadoms

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220c. Cook the rice in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
  2. Chop the cauliflower into thin wedges and steam or microwave until cooked. Pick the mint leaves into a blender (reserving a few baby leaves). Add 3 tablespoons of yogurt, half the lemon juice and a splash of water to the blender, then blitz for 1 minute until super-smooth and green. Transfer to a bowl and then the fridge.
  3. Without washing the blender, add the remaining yogurt and lemon juice, the turmeric, curry powder balsamic, garlic and ginger. Blend until super-smooth to make a marinade, then pour into a large baking tray.
  4. Lightly score the chicken breasts to increase the surface area and toss in the marinade. Add the cooked cauliflower, tossing together with the chicken; sprinkle over the cumin and black mustard seeds, then place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. meanwhile, cook the rice.
  5. Slice and divide up the chicken, with the cauliflower, rice, spinach and poppadoms. Drizzle with the dressing, then finely slice and scatter over the chilli. Finish with mint leaves.

Tandoori Salmon with Fragrant Rice

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4

If you’re ever short of time, money and find yourself surrounded by 6 hungry people, the fastest ‘gourmet dish’ you can prepare is a tandoori chicken, or lamb. Put yoghurt and tandoori paste into a plastic bag with the meat (chicken strips, lamb cutlets etc), shake it all around and then BBQ.

People will think you’re a genius.

This particular dish is great not only because it’s  just as simple, and not only because it is tandoori salmon but because of the rice. It is worth every effort.

Ingredients

1 tbsp tandoori paste
¾ c (210g) thick Greek-style yoghurt
4 x 175g skinless salmon fillets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve
3 green cardamom pods, bruised
3 whole cloves, bruised
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 ½ c (300g) Basmati rice

Method

  1. Combine the tandoori paste and ½ cup (140g) yoghurt in a bowl. Coat the salmon and set aside until ready to cook.
  2. Heat oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, zest and spices then stir for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add rice, stir once to coat in oil mixture the stir in 2 ¼ cups (560ml) water and a little salt. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes until liquid absorbed.
  3. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered for 5 minutes until rice is tender. Stir in lemon juice and coriander.
  4. Meanwhile, pre-heat the grill to high. Place salmon on a foil-lined tray and cook under the grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until lightly charred and cooked through.
  5. Serve with rice, extra yoghurt and lemon.