Welcome to yet another recipe in my Just say NO to nuggets campaign!

I have been making this one for a while now and was pretty chuffed that Australian Healthy Food Guide published it in 2010 as a reader recipe.

This recipe is gluten-free, egg-free and contains protein-packed quinoa and lots of yummy spices.

Okay, so this is what you need:

500g organic or free range chicken, cut into strips

1/2 cup buttermilk (use homemade mayo if you are dairy-free)

1/2 cup of organic quinoa flakes

1/2 cup of dukkah (purchase from spice aisle or make it in your thermomix)

1/2 tablespoon of Herbamare

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Marinate the chicken strips in buttermilk. I like to leave it overnight as it makes the chicken really moist and tender, but a couple of hours is okay.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Mix the quinoa flakes, dukkah and Herbamare well and place on a plate.

Taking the strips one at a time, slightly wipe off the buttermilk on the side of the bowl.

Roll in the quinoa mix, pressing it on firmly.

Chuck them onto a tray lined with baking paper and give them a spritz with some oil.

Fling them into the oven to cook for about 10 minutes, depending on how big your strips are.

Our favourite dipping sauce to serve with this is mango chilli chutney and greek yoghurt.

It is lovely served with a huge salad and nice the next day in a wrap with salad for lunch.

Enjoy.

As always, I love to know if you make one of my recipes, so come back and leave me a comment!

Want to make some more healthy, homemade chicken ‘nuggets’? Check out the recipes here.

I thought today I would share with you one of my family’s all-time favourite meals, Morrocan Lamb Meatballs with Couscous!

Lamb is one of our favourite things to eat and it goes so well with Morrocan style flavourings – a match made in heaven. The meatballs have lots of flavour from the spice in the dukkah, but it’s not hot, so the kids still love it. The little hint of sweetness of the currants and the tang of the yoghurt just make it all work well together. I am a huge fan of couscous too- it’s just the easiest thing in the world to prepare. If you find it a little bland, make it with chicken stock instead of the water. If you are gluten-intolerant, you can serve it with corn couscous, rice or polenta instead. This recipe feeds the four of us.

Morrocan Lamb Meatballs with Couscous

Okay, so this is what you need:

500g organic lamb mince

2 tablespoons organic pine nuts, toasted lightly in a dry pan

4 tablespoons dukkah (any type – make your own or buy it pre-made, just watch for additives )

40g baby spinach, finely chopped (getting some greens in!)

2 tablespoons currants

1 1/2 cups dry wholemeal organic couscous

1 1/2 cups boiling filtered water (or chicken stock)

tzatziki dip, to serve (make your own or buy it pre-made, just watch for additives)

cherry tomatoes on the vine, to serve (optional)

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Combine mince, pine nuts, dukkah, currants and spinach in a bowl. Roll into balls with wet hands, about the size of a walnut.

Set the meatballs on a rack and cook in a hot oven, (200 degrees celsius) for 10 mins or until cooked through.

If you are having the cherry tomatoes too, add them to the oven on a tray with a little drizzle of olive oil (they only need a five to ten minutes).

Meanwhile, place couscous in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Cover with a tea towel. Stand for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff it up with a fork.

Divide couscous between plates. Top with meatballs and tomatoes. Drizzle over the tzatziki. I also serve this with a huge green salad.

You can freeze the meatballs, cooked or uncooked. If you have any leftovers, the meatballs are delicious the next day in a wrap (SORJ or MOUNTAIN BREAD are best) with spinach, beetroot, cucumber and tzatziki.

I am drooling just thinking about it…… :P’

As always, if you make them, come back and let me know how you went and please share the recipe around with your friends!