10 Whole Food Meatball Recipes

October 15, 2015 · Leave a Comment

10 Whole Food Meatball Recipes

Meatballs (or if you want to be really Aussie, rissoles) are a must-have in the repertoire for whole food mums.

Mince is one of those budget ingredients that can be used in so many ways and with so many flavours.

You can serve meatballs straight up with veges or salad. You can make them big to go in a homemade burger or mini to go in lunch boxes or on a wrap.

My tip is to cook them on a tray in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium. Its saves burning and mess on the stovetop! Plus you can make a double batch and whack some in the freezer for another meal or to pull out for easy kid lunches.

You can use any sort of mince or a combination of meat for meatballs or you can make vegetarian meatballs – I have included two of those for you – it’s good to change it up.

Here are ten awesome meatball recipes to get you inspired…..

Morrocan Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki

Beef and Pork Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Turkey, Lemon and Fetta Meatballs

Herbed Green Polpette with Minted Tomato Sauce

Chilli con Carne Meatballs with Sweet Pepper and Black Beans

Baked Apple and Pork Meatballs

Chicken and Spinach Patties

Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Patties

Healthy Fish Cakes

Spicy Meatballs with Adjika and Yoghurt

Do you have a favourite meatball recipe? Link us up!

Mexican lamb shoulder with pomegranate glaze

September 3, 2015 · 33 Comments

Today I am so thrilled to share with you a recipe from Lee Holmes’ new cookbook, The Renewable Table.

I am a long-time fan of Lee and her amazing recipes. I actually think this cookbook might be her best yet (well, for time-poor mums anyway!) Lee Holmes is a certified holistic nutritionist, yoga teacher, wholefoods chef, best-selling author and a mum.

The reason I love this book so much is that the recipes use the concept of ‘continuum cooking’. I have been doing this for years and I didn’t even know there was a name for it! Basically you make one meal with extra food and then subsequent meals use components of that meal, but re-imagined into something a bit different.

As well as saving you time and money, it’s a very sustainable and eco-friendly way to cook with no wastage! Lee also gives us loads of information, shopping lists and tips on meal planning, storage, reheating and stocking the pantry. It’s designed to give you the basic skills of continuum cooking and then inspire you to make up your own ideas.

There are 50 recipes that are gluten free with some dairy free to get you inspired (and salivating).

Today I am sharing Lee’s yummy Mexican Lamb Shoulder with Pomegranate Glaze. It’s a gorgeous slow roast, full of flavour. You can then make Mexican Fajitas and Lamb Nachos with as your next two renewable meals with the leftover lamb.

Mexican lamb shoulder with pomegranate glaze

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, egg free, nut free

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 lemon halved and pips removed
1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1 tsp black pepper
2kg bone-in lamb shoulder joint
2 brown onions, cut into wedges
1 whole quorn of garlic unpeeled
1l pomegranate juice
1 lemon juiced
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp rice malt syrup
250g full fat natural yogurt
Seeds from 1 fresh pomegranate
Small handful mint leaves, chopped

Method:

To make marinade place garlic, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, lemon and rind, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Place the lamb in a large baking dish and spoon the mixture on top and massage in with hands. Let marinate in fridge for between 2 and up to 24 hours.

Heat oven to 160°C/140°C fan/ gas 3. Place lamb into pan and garlic and onions surrounding the lamb, then pour over the pomegranate juice and lemon and apple cider vinegar.

Cover the lamb with foil and cook for approx. 4 hrs checking every hour and re basting with the juice. When ready and after four hours, remove pan from the oven and carefully remove lamb and pour juice into a saucepan on the stove over a medium heat. Replace lamb into baking tray and place back into the oven whilst you are making the syrup.

Add rice malt syrup and cook until bubbly and a thick syrup is formed adding more rice malt syrup if necessary. This should take about 20 minutes. Once it is ready, remove foil from lamb, pour it over the lamb and return to oven for 20 mins until the lamb becomes crispy on top.

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl mix yogurt, pomegranate seeds and mint. Serve lamb with dressing and a side of green vegetables.

Some other recipe books from Lee that I love and recommend:

Asparagus and Fetta Crustless Quiche

December 1, 2014 · 4 Comments

I love a crustless quiche!

They are so easy and quick to make for dinner. I have been making this recipe for years and recently I updated it to make it a bit healthier.

Once you have the base sorted, you can use it to make up your own quiche combo. Leftover veges are perfect. Salmon or bacon is divine. Just don’t add a lot of ‘wet’ ingredients like tomato or it will go a bit gloopy. Cheese is always a good idea but if you can’t have cheese, try some nutritional yeast flakes instead.

I use Barambah Organics for all our dairy – their milk, cream and fetta is totally divine.

Enjoy!

Asparagus and Fetta Crustless Quiche

Vital Stats: gluten free, nut free, vegetarian

So, this is what you need:

1 cup organic milk

1/2 cup organic cream

3 organic, free range eggs

1/2 cup gluten free SR flour (I prefer the Orgran brand)

bunch of fresh organic asparagus, washed and trimmed

100g organic fetta

1/2 tablesoon Herbamare

ground black pepper

So, this is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 180ºc.

Whisk together the eggs, flour, milk, cream and Herbamare in a bowl.

Grease a flan tin or dish with butter or use baking paper.

Pour the mix into your tin and then whack in the asparagus and sprinkle over the fetta.

Top with freshly ground black pepper and then bung in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Let cool a little before slicing.

It will serve 4-6 depending on how hungry you are.

We often make a double batch and use the leftovers for lunch. Delish!

HOT TIP! This recipe also works well in muffin tins or smaller flan dishes to make individual portions. Just chop your ingredients smaller.

Easy Week Night Dinners with Spice!

November 14, 2014 · 5 Comments

This week I have been having a play with some beautiful organic spices from Gourmet Organic Herbs.

I love using a spice blend when I cook. It’s a really easy way to add flavour to your meals without the need for a million spices in your cupboard or complicated recipes. Just choose the flavour you want and go for it.

Rubbing the spice blends on meat and grilling is one of the easiest dinners we often do. Knock together a quick salad while the meat is cooking and bam – dinner! Simple and quick but also tasty and healthy and quite gourmet.

I also find buying the spice blends in small quantities much better, because spice does have an expiry date and rancid spice is quite yucky!! The Gourmet Organic Herbs ones come in small plastic bags, with a resealable tab. So you can store them like that or transfer to a glass jar.

These are some simple dinners I made this week using the Gourmet Organic Herbs spice blends. The family was impressed!

Pumpkin Couscous Salad

Okay this is what you need:

3/4 cup of dry organic couscous

3/4 cup boiling water or chicken stock

1 cup of roasted, diced pumpkin

1 tablespoon of chopped red onion

1 tablespoon of chopped pistachio nuts

1 tablespoon diced fetta

1 teaspoon Gourmet Organic Herbs Middle Eastern Spice Blend

2 teaspoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Okay this is how you do it:

Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl. Pour over the water. Leave for five mintues and then fluff with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Serves 2.

Too Easy Chicken Curry

Okay this is what you need:

500g organic chicken thighs, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 large carrot, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1 cup chicken stock or bone broth

1 can organic coconut cream

1 1/2 tablespoons Gourmet Organic Herbs Indian Curry Spice Blend

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Okay this is how you do it:

Heat the coconut oil in a deep, large frypan on a medium to high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the Gourmet Organic Herbs Indian Curry Spice Blend and cook for one minute until the aromas are released. Add the chicken and brown off. Add the vegetables and the chicken stock. Cook for twenty minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables tender. Lower the heat and stir through the coconut cream. Serves 4.

Mexican Pork Skewers

Okay this is what you need:

500g organic diced pork

1 large onion

2 red capsicums

1 tablespoon Gourmet Organic Herbs Mexican Spice Blend

Macadamia oil

Okay this is how you do it:

Soak ten bamboo skewers in water for at least half an hour. Mix the pork in a bowl with the Gourmet Organic Herbs Mexican Spice Blend. Cut the onion and capsicum into a large dice, similar in size to your pork. Thread the pork, onion and capsicum onto the skewers. Drizzle with a little macadamia oil. Cook under a hot grill for about 4 minutes either side or cook or on the barbecue. Serve with a simple green salad dressed with olive oil and lime juice. Serves 4-5.

About Gourmet Organic Herbs:

Anabel and Hollan are the young Aussie family behind Gourmet Organic Herbs. Anabel has a background in hospitality and Hollan is a herbalist, so to say they have a good understanding of herbs and spices is an understatement!

They source the best quality organic herbs and spices and blend with care. Minimal processing is their aim, to retain the precious essential oils in the herbs and spices. They also sell a range of organic mustards, dressings and vinegars.

Where do you find them? As well as buying the range direct from Anabel and Hollan online, you can also find the range in selected health food stores, gourmet delis and organic markets.

[box] Special Offer!! Gourmet Organic Herbs are offering all NNAM readers a massive 30% off their entire range. Just use the code: NNAM30 until the 30th of November, 2014! Only available at the Gourmet Organic Herbs website. [/box]

What did I think?

I am a fan. It’s quite difficult to find good quality certified organic herbs and spices in Australia, so it’s nice to know there is a one-stop shop when I need to source something. Being organic, the range is naturally free of GMO as well.

Spice blends from the supermarket are notoriously full of salt, sugar, preservatives, additives and fillers like wheat! These are just 100% spice and herbs. No nasties hidden in there at all and the range is totally gluten-free.

Lastly, but maybe most importantly, is the flavour! It was there in spades. We all really loved the authentic taste of the blends. You only need to use a small amount, which is a testament to the great quality.

Check out the Gourmet Organic Herbs facebook page. Anabel and Hollan often put up some amazing recipes, giveaways and special offers for their fans. It’s really nice to see that this small family owned business has grown and expanded so much.

My verdict? Amazing products, give them a go.

Do you use spice blends? Got any tips for us?

{this post is sponsored}

Homemade Baked Beans with Ham

October 27, 2014 · 11 Comments

I had a ham hock sitting in the freezer for yonks and I thought I better use it up. Not wanting to do soup, I thought it might be tasty with some homemade baked beans. I was right!

The combination of the ham with the molasses gives the beans a delicious, smokey barbecue flavour. This batch will make a lot of beans, so freeze some for an easy dinner one night.

They are yummy just on toast or pop into some ramekins, crack an egg on top, sprinkle with fetta and bake in the oven until the egg is cooked to your liking.

Honestly, this recipes is so, so easy and once you try homemade baked beans, you will never buy another can of beans. Besides the fact that canned baked beans are usually high in sugar and salt and may contain maize starch, thickeners and msg! Yuk!

Homemade Baked Beans with Ham

Vital Stats: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free

This is what you need:

1 large brown onion

1 small carrot

1 small stick of celery

2 cloves of garlic

4-5 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons organic tomato paste

4 cups of cooked organic cannellini beans (or use well rinsed tinned beans)

1 ham hock

2 cups chicken bone broth (or stock)

1 tablespoon molasses (or use rapadura sugar)

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Ghee, butter or lard to cook

This is how you do it:

Finely chop the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook in your fat of choice in a big pot, adding the smoked paprika, over a medium heat until the onions are cooked and translucent. Add the tomatoes, ham hock, tomato paste, bone broth, molasses and bay leaves. Simmer for two to three hours with a lid on, until the meat is falling off the bone. Keep stirring and add some filtered water if necessary or leave the lid off and let the sauce reduce to the consistency you like. It will depend on how big your pot is.

Chop the meat off the bone and dice finely. Add back into the pot with the beans. Cook for another ten minutes or so to heat the beans and coat well in the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaves.

Serve it up and enjoy!

Tips:

*If you don’t have a ham hock you could use bacon bones or just some nice organic bacon, diced finely. Just adjust cooking times to suit.

Have you ever made homemade baked beans? What did the family think?

Healthy Fish Fingers

October 13, 2014 · 13 Comments

I probably don’t need to tell you how horrid commercial fish fingers are!

We all know this sort of frozen convenience product are pretty rubbish, but let’s have a look anyway. Here is the ingredient list for a popular brand of fish fingers.

Hake or hoki fish (53%), water, wheat flour, maize flour, canola oil, wheat starch, maize starch, salt, wheat gluten, yeast, acidity regulators (450, 451).

So, yes, a lot of ‘fillers’ and only half fish! I am not a fan of the canola oil or the acidity regulators either (or paying for water!!) I know it’s easy to whack a few in the oven for the family on nights when you can’t be bothered, but this recipe is seriously quick and easy…. promise!

Healthy Fish Fingers

Vital Stats: Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, nut free, egg free

Okay, this is what you need:

500g firm white fish fillets

1 cup organic tapioca flour

4 tablespoons organic sesame seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons Herbamare (or to taste)

Coconut or macadamia oil for frying (or use ghee, tallow, lard if you like)

Hot tips: I only buy fish caught in Australia or NZ waters (read the labels). Tapioca flour is also interchangeable with arrowroot flour but please check the labels and choose one without sulphur dioxide.

Okay, this is how you do it:

Cut the fish fillets into thick strips.

Place the tapioca, sesame seeds and Herbamare onto a plate and combine well with a fork.

Roll the fish in the coating, pressing on firmly and then shaking off the excess.

Heat your oil or fat (about 1cm deep in your pan) to about medium-high on your hot plate.

Add the fish fingers and fry gently on both sides until golden brown and the fish is cooked through.

Drain on paper towel and serve immediately.

My family love these fish fingers with our homemade garlicy mayo with a hint of apple.

They are also great to serve on buns for a fish burger or rolled into a wrap with lots of salad.

This recipe would also work will with chicken. Check out my healthy chicken nugget recipes too for more healthy crumbing ideas!

Hot tip: I mostly use frozen fish so it’s usually has a little moisture in it but if your fish is fresh, you may need to dip the strips in egg white first to get the tapioca mix to stick.

Click here to get spiralizers.

Easy Peasy Lamb Moussaka

August 19, 2013 · 8 Comments

I know the Greeks will throw their hands up in horror at my version of lamb moussaka but hey, mums are busy and we need cheat versions sometimes!

This recipe is so tasty and it is a great way to eat a ‘lasagne’ type of dish without the wheat. The eggplant sort of smooshes into the meat and you can’t really tell it’s there – so try it on the kids!

When making and serving this moussaka,you must also pronounce it like George from Masterchef – moooo (long) sah-kah (short) just to annoy your offspring! 😉

Easy Peasy Lamb Moussaka

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, nut free, dairy free option

Okay, so this is what you need:

500g organic lamb mince

2 large organic eggplants

1 jar of organic pasta sauce (or make your own with passata, onion, garlic and herbs)

1 can of organic diced tomatoes (use a BPA free brand)

250g fresh full cream ricotta cheese (from the deli)

2 organic eggs

1/2 cup milk of your choice

Okay, this is how you do it:

Pre-heat your oven to 180° celsius.

Cook your lamb mince in a large frypan, breaking up the lumps as you go.

Add the pasta sauce and tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes.

Slice the eggplants into rounds, about 1/2 cm thick.

Oil a large lasagne dish.

Put the eggplant in the bottom and then top with a layer of mince. Keep going until you run out of ingredients.

If you have too much for the dish, just make some mini ones in ramekins.

Whisk the ricotta, eggs and milk until smooth or whizz in an appliance.

Spread with a spatula over the top of the moussaka.

Bake, covered, in the oven for about 50 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and the top is brown. I usually take the cover off in the last ten minutes.

Serve with a green salad and enjoy!

Notes:

* This moussaka makes about 6 portions.

* If you have time, feel free to add garlic, onion, grated vegetables or Vital Veggie Power to the mince mixture and make your own pasta sauce. Both ways taste equally nice!

* For a dairy-free version, top with Quirky Cooking’s Melty ‘Cheese‘ instead of the ricotta mixture.

* You can also make this with beef mince, but it’s just not as nice! 😉

So, have a go at this one and let me know what the family thought!