Chicken sundried tomato basil patties with potato rosti

Makes 8 patties

Ingredients

1kg of chicken mince

30g sundried tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup of chopped basil, chopped

100g fresh breadcrumbs. I save my bread crusts and then when I have a lot I blitz and make bread crumbs and freeze them again for when I need them.

20g parmesan cheese

Method

Mix the crumbs and cheese together.

Mix the chicken mince, sun dried tomato, basil and salt and pepper until sticky. Form 8 patties. Then crumb in the breadcrumb mix. Keep in the fridge until you need them. Fry off in a large pan with some oil on a medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes each side, watch they don't burn.

Potato Rosti

Serves 6-8

900g washed potatoes, grated and excess liquid squeezed out.

Mix in some herbamare or salt and pepper plus 30ml oil- you can use half butter half oil if you like this is what I did.

On a lined roasting tray spread the potato mix out so it's even and about ½ cm thick. Bake at 180c for about 45-55 minute or until golden brown and nice and crispy.

Spaghetti & lentil bolognaise

I like the addition of lentil to stretch this out as well as adding extra fibre. The good thing about using red lentils is that they break down and you don't even know they are in there! You decide if that is a good thing or not! I like to double this and freeze half of it. If you make double, 1 batch is 1.5kg in weight.(3 kg's altogether)

Serves 6

Ingredients

600g lean mince

1 brown onion, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic or as much as you like, minced

150g red lentils

2 ½ cups of beef stock

210g tomato paste

2 tsp each of dried basil and oregano

Method

In a large pot heat a little oil and fry off your onion and garlic for 2 minutes, then add your mince and cook until it has changed color. Then add your tomato paste, lentils, stock and herbs and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are nice and soft. Add more water or stock if needed. Serve with cooked spaghetti and parmesan cheese plus salad or veg.

For 6 portions I cooked 300g spaghetti in boiling salted water.

Stats- including 10g parmesan cheese (164 kJ) and 50g raw weight or 100g cooked weight spaghetti

Each portion should be around 250g.

1963 kJ

51g carbs

9 g fat

40g protein

Chicken, garlic and parmesan patties

Really simple dish with a few ingredients, so perfect for a week day meal. You can do these as balls or sausage shape, use as a burger pattie. Do extra to use for lunch the next day 

smile emoticon

You can have fun with these and make faces for fussy husband or wives, the kids like them too!

Makes 8 patties to serve 4

Ingredients

500g chicken mince

50g parmesan cheese, grated

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup (100g) of fresh bread crumbs-I made mine from saving my sourdough crusts- this is about 3

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

Knead the mince until sticky and then add the rest of the ingredients and combine well.

Form into 8 patties, you could also do balls or sausage shape, adjust the cooking time as needed. Cook with a little oil in a pan on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through.

I served this with sweet potato mash, peas, broccolini and asparagus.

Cheesy stuffed crumbed rissoles

 Got mince and get sick of spag bol?? 

This is a cheesy stuffed crumbed rissole 

Why not try this out?!

Oh how I love things that are crumbed and things that are stuffed! 

I asked what it should be called and the answer I received was a stuffed crumbed meat slab...i'm thinking...no, meat slab does not sound very enticing!

I took a few pics so you can see what i'm trying to describe!

I used 600g beef mince, add salt and pepper, knead for a minute until sticky.

What I did here was make 2 bigger ones (125g mince) for the adults and then divided the remaining mince to make 4 smaller ones.

Take a ball of mince and flatten out to a rectangle shape, place a couple of bits of cheese on 1 half and then fold over to enclose the cheese. Seal up the edge and form a rectangle shape.

You can pan fry this as is, or take it to another level by crumbing it, yum yum! 

To do this just roll in some cornflour, then dip in beaten egg (just 1) and whatever crumbs you normally use for crumbing. Leave in the fridge until you need them. Then just cook in some oil on a low to medium heat. Not too high or you will burn the outside and the middle will be raw!

I had this with tabouli, salad and grilled broccolini 

Mess!!!!!

Middle Eastern meatballs baked in a tomato and vegetable sauce

Serves 4- you can use 750g mince and serve 6

Ingredients

500g pork and veal mince

2 browns onions and 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 carrot, ½ cm dice

2 stalks of celery ½ cm dice

1 cup of tomato passata

1 cup of beef or chicken broth

1 big handful each or mint and parsley, washed and chopped

1 tsp ground cumin/1 tsp ground coriander- you can double these spices if you want more flavour

1 tsp salt

Optional- 250g tub of buffalo mozzarella, sliced thinly- you can find this in this nice cheese section at the supermarket, it’s a fresh mozzarella and is white in colour, will be in brine or most likely oil.

Optional chopped red chilli if you like some heat

Method

Preheat your oven to 200c or 180 c fan forced.

In a large bowl knead together the mince and 1/3 of your onion/garlic, salt, spices, most of your chopped parsley/mint (reserve some to sprinkle over the top when cooked. Knead until sticky and form 16 balls and set aside.

In a large pan heat some olive oil and fry off your meatballs for 1-2 minutes until browned. Then put in the other 2/3 of your onion/garlic, carrot, and celery- cook a further 1-2 minutes and then add  your passata and broth- simmer, stirring a further 1-2 minutes until the broth is hot. Transfer to an oven proof dish and bake for 30 minutes, uncovered. Serve up by putting some sliced buffalo mozzarella on top and your reserves parsley and mint and chilli if using.

Serve this with some rice, cous cous, flatbread or some zoodles (zucchini/vegetable noodles)

Also have with extra steamed vegetables or a nice big salad.

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

Hungarian Porcupine Meatballs

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g beef mince

½ cup of white basmati rice or quinoa

2 zucchinis, grated-squeeze excess liquid

1 finely diced onion

2 cloves of crushed garlic

Season well with salt and pepper or use some herbamare

Method

Mix the meatball ingredients together

Make 8 meatballs and put in an ovenproof dish.

In a pot add a 700ml jar of tomato passata, 1 tbsp smoked paprika and1 tbsp sweet paprika (you could use hot if you wanted) You can half the amount of paprika if you don’t like too much. Mix well and heat through.

Pour over the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover and bake at 180 for 45 minutes. The rice should be cooked. This is something you could do the day before then just whack it in the oven. Since the oven is already on can serve with roasted vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin, carrot etc. Just drizzle over some olive oil/coconut oil and a sprinkling of dried ground turmeric. You can also just steam some greens or wilted spinach. Pour any extra sauce over the meatballs and vegetables.

I have served up with some sour cream as it goes brilliantly with paprika (think beef stroganoff)

Tomato and capsicum soup with basil oil and mini lamb and basil meatballs

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

1 brown onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic peeled

1 red capsicum, membrane taken out, chopped

700g jar passata (cooked strained tomatoes) plus 1 jar worth water

1 bunch basil, leaves taken off and blended with 2 cloves garlic and some extra virgin olive oil to make a smooth paste- keep the stalks.

400-500g lamb mince, you can use any mince you like

Method

In a large pot put some olive/coconut oil and cook your garlic, onion and capsicum for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add your passata, basil stalks and your water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Take out the stalks then blend up with a stick mixer. Taste and season. While the soup is cooking mix the mince with half of your blended basil/oil mix and season, with salt and pepper. Roll into small balls and cook in a large pan for 5-6 minutes. Serve up in your bowl with the soup, then put in our cooked meatballs and drizzle over remaining basil oil. If you do not want to use all the basil oil you can freeze in ice cube trays for use another time.

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.

Mild Indian spiced mince, with green beans, capsicum and peas

Serves 4

This is just a mildly spice Indian dish, as well as no chilli, you could definitely add ½ -1 chilli into the paste and just double the spice component if you like more pungent flavors. Good dish for children who do not always like lots of spices.

Ingredients

500g lamb mince, or other mince

1 capsicum, 2 cm dice

2 cups of frozen peas

400g green beans, top and tailed

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 can(400g)of tomatoes, you could also use 1 (270ml) can coconut milk

Paste

½  brown onion

5 cloves garlic

1 tbsp ginger

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garem masala

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Method for paste

Put paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz, add 1 tbsp water at a time (you can use coconut oil) till it makes a nice thick paste, season with salt. If you do not ave a food processor you can just finely dice your onion, ginger and garlic and add your spices to just add to your pot.

Method for mince

 

In a large pot add 1 tbsp coconut oil and put in your paste (or separate paste ingredients) and cook for 1 minute then add your mince and brown-3-4 minutes. Then add your tomatoes/coconut milk and simmer for 7 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Put your beans on to steam (5 minutes to cook approx.) then add your peas, capsicum and lemon juice to your mince and simmer another 5 minutes until your peas are cooked. You can serve this with your green beans and rice, yoghurt dressing, poppadums, naan bread etc..no yoghurt for dairy free and no rice for grain free, rice is ok for gluten free though.