Meatloaf cupcakes with pea sprinkles

Makes 8 cupcakes

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g mince

2 zucchinis, grated, squeeze out excess liquid

Salt and pepper

8 cubes of cheese- you can leave the cheese out of you prefer

Method

Preheat oven to 200c

Mix the mince, salt and pepper and zucchini together. Place in 8 x ½ cup muffin tin. Push your cube of cheese in each muffin and press the mince over the cheese to cover. I have used silicon muffin tray so they come out really easy.

Peel and 2 cm dice 1 kg potato (you only need 500g or so but I double to use for another meal)- this can be a mix of pumpkin sweet potato, celeriac, broccoli, cauliflower carrot etc, fill the pot with warm water and cook for about 15 minutes until tender. Remember if you are wanting dinner quick the smaller the dice the quicker it cooks!

Put the meat muffins in the oven at the same time you put the potatoes on and bake the muffins for 15 minutes, the potatoes should take the same amount of time.  After 7 minutes I put 2 cups of peas in the steamer above the potatoes, you can also boil in a separate pot. You may have liquid in the bottom when you take out the muffins that’s just water and fat from the zucchini/mince.

When the spuds are cooked mash with butter, milk and plenty of salt. Put the meat muffins on your plate get an ice cream scoop and put a scoop of mash on each one and put over your pea sprinkles

Lamb, zucchini and feta rissoles

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g lamb mine

2 zucchinis, grated, squeeze out excess juice

150g greek feta or other crumbly feta, 1 cm dice

Method

Knead the mince until it is sticky, this is what binds the mince together. Then add your zucchini and feta, mix through and season well with salt and pepper. Form into 6 rissoles and fry off in a large pan for 3- 4 minutes each side or until your liking. Sere up with extra veg or salad..

5 minute green goddess soup

Serves 1

If you have some tomatoes that need using look no further, try this 5 minute fresh soup

Ingredients

1/2 lebanese cucumber

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 handful of baby spinach leaves

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

small handful basil/mint leaves (optional but recommended)

Salt and pepper

Blend everything together and season well. Drizzle some more olive oil over and you can crumble feta over if you want.

Meatballs with hoisin gravy, vegetables & a cashew/sesame sprinkle

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 mince, I used pork mince

1 tsp Herbamare or a really good shake of salt and pepper

¼ cup of hoisin sauce

1 tsp chinese 5 spice

1 tsp minced ginger

2 cups of beef/chicken bone broth or beef/chicken stock

4 celery stalks, sliced thin on an angle

2 capsicums, sliced

2 bunches of bok choy (or other Asian veg) washed, ends sliced off and chopped into

3 cm slices

¼ cup of roughly chopped cashew nuts

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

In a bowl mix the mince with the herbamare/salt & pepper, mix with your hands until it is a little sticky then roll into 20 balls. This is about 1tbsp each. Put in fridge until you need them.

Hoisen gravy

In a large pan mix the hoisin sauce, ginger, chinese 5 spice and broth. Simmer for 5 minutes until has reduced by about half and has thickened like gravy. Set aside. Alternatively you can just add 1 cup of broth and use a sprinkle of tapioca flour until you achieve the thickness you want. By reducing the 2 cups of broth though you get a more intense flavour.

Method

 

In a pan heat a little coconut oil and brown your meatballs, this takes about 2 minutes, then add your hoisen gravy and simmer for 5-7 minutes. While that is simmering cook your vegetables.

In a wok heat 1 tbsp coconut oil and stir fry your celery and capsicum for 1-2 minutes, add your bok choy and stirfry for a further 1-2 minutes, until it has wilted. Serve up the veg and top with 5 meatballs and spoon over the gravy then sprinkle over your cashew nuts/sesame seeds. You can serve with some coriander if you want.

Chicken Mi Goreng with a fried egg (bean thread noodles)

These are similar to mi goreng noodles that you buy in packs but without all the additives, msg, artificial anything! Super quick, cheap and very tasty!

These noodles are grain/ gluten free/nut/dairy free
This makes 4 big serves



Ingredients

250g pack of bean thread noodles, can be called glass or cellophane noodles-from the supermarket-soaked in boiling water for 2 minutes until softened, cut up a little with a pair of scissors or the noodles will be too long, and then drain.

400g chicken thighs, trimmed and sliced thinly

½ green cabbage, I like to use ¼ red & ¼ of green cabbage- sliced nice and thin

3 carrots, peeled, and using the peeler keep peeling the carrot so you get thin strips of carrot

1 tbsp tamari (or light soy if tolerated)

3 tsp each of onion and garlic powder (not salt)

4 fried eggs to put on top

Coriander/chilli to garnish

Method

In a wok or large pan heat 1 tbsp coconut oil and stirfry your chicken for 2-3 minutes until cooked. Take out and set aside. Put a little more oil in your wok and add your cabbage and stir fry for 2 minutes until wilted a little add your carrot and cook another 1 minute, add back your cooked chicken and your cooked drained noodles, powders and tamari. Toss well to combine; I use 2 spatula type instruments to toss up with. Serve up with your fried egg on top and garnish with coriander and chili.

Sausage and vegetable bake

Virtually no prep dinner- serves 4

Ingredients

6 sausages -1/2 kg - I used  macro organic sausages - cut these in half
2 zucchinis -cut into 4
2 cobs of corn -cut into 4
250g punnet of grape/cherry/petite tomatoes-leave whole. If using big tomatoes just cut in half.
250g button mushrooms-leave whole
I like to put a heads worth of garlic in and a shake of dried thyme and oregano

Method

Put everything in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, bake at 200C for 10 minutes, or until your sausages are cooked. EASY!!
I had some leftover cubed cooked sweet potato so I roughly mashed in the pan and cooked with some butter as a hash.

Lemon, honey & ginger chicken stir fry

Ingredients

500g chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly

2 tbsp tapioca flour

1 tbsp tamari or light soy sauce

Lemon sauce

100ml lemon juice- about 2-3 lemons, take the zest off and freeze for future use

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp minced ginger/4 garlic cloves, crushed, mix together

3/4   cup chicken stock

1 tbsp tamari or light soy sauce

Use your favourite vegetables, or use what I used:

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly

1 bunch baby bok choy, wash and leaves separated

1 red capsicum, sliced

2 bunches of asparagus, ends trimmed then cut into 3

Method

Trim the excess fat and slice the chicken thinly, add your 1 tbsp tamari and add half of your garlic/ginger mix to your chicken and set aside. (You can marinate this overnight if you want) Add the other half of your ginger/garlic to your sauce mix. Put all you sauce ingredients in a jug and set aside.

Just before you cook mix your 2 tbsp tapioca flour with your chicken. Mixing flour with the chicken makes it moist and tender, you can leave the flour out if you prefer. In a wok or large pan heat 1 ½ tbsp coconut oil/ghee and stir fry your chicken for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and cooked. Take it out and set aside. Put another 1 ½ tbsp. oil in your wok/pan and stir fry your asparagus and carrot for 3-4 minutes, then add your capsicum and stir fry another 2 minutes, then add your chicken back in and add your sauce mix, this will be thin so sprinkle over 1 tbsp tapioca flour at a time until the sauce thickness is to your liking. If you don’t want to use flour to thicken you can just use less stock in your sauce mix. Then lastly add your bok choy and just cook until wilted, mix everything through as you go. Serve up and enjoy!