Creamy Turkey, Green Pepper and Jalapeno Tacos

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Belinda Berry

As we were considering what to do with our turkey leftovers, we took a mental world tour, thinking about some of our favourite foods. I haven’t got round to these, but maybe next year….

Pastilla – mmm those Moroccan spices and a crispy filo pastry
Danish Open Sandwich on rye bread with cranberry sauce, crispy fried onions and pickles
Spanish Croquetas, as delectable tapas… a good one for me to try in the air fryer
Italian Pasta Carbonara, using leftover ham too
Indian Curry, and then Samosas with the leftovers of that….
Cajun style Jambalaya
American Meatloaf
Lebanese Salad
Spicy Greek Turkey Pie

Oh, I am so ready to start all over!

But for now, there is just enough left for our Hot and Sour Thai style Soup tonight.

Last night, we ticked off the Mexican influence and I made a creamy green pepper, jalapeño and turkey filling for us to have with tacos (and the leftover rice from the Thai Green Turkey Curry). Of course it would work just as well with cooked chicken.

I had lots of cream left and most of a green pepper, to which I added a chopped dried chilli, some of my home made quick pickled jalapeño rings, a small onion and some garlic. I chopped up about 100g of light and dark turkey meat. Once the vegetables were softened in some olive oil, I added the turkey to heat through, then the cream, and sprinkled with chopped parsley and lime zest.

I usually have some tacos in the store cupboard, they are a favourite standby for using up leftover chilli con carne.

Accompaniments are shredded lettuce, finely chopped red onion, guacamole (a good way to use the slightly less than perfect avocado from the bottom of the fridge, together with some coriander leaf, garlic and lime juice), some cream soured with lime juice and some grated Red Leicester (which I keep in the freezer and grate as needed).

Served with the leftover rice from the night before, reheated with a bit more water.

The tacos only take a couple of minutes to heat through in the oven. I would probably load it up higher than this, but I was worried about it falling over before I took the photo! Two of these are enough for me.

Thai Green Curry Turkey

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Belinda Berry

It finally got to be time to deal with the turkey carcass and remove all the remaining meat. I was amazed at how much was still left, enough for several meals still! The carcass itself was made into stock, which provided the basis for a fantastic Turkey and Leek Risotto (with loads of Parmesan crisps). The rest of the stock will be used for a Hot and Sour Thai style soup on our first 5:2 fast day of 2021. Thinking about Thai flavours made me realise that I had an interesting set of ingredients for a Green Curry. I grew my own bean shoots, starting them a few days before Christmas, and then storing them in a box in the fridge once they had got to a decent size (best rinsed every day). I also have some lovely fresh coriander growing in pots in the polytunnel, it does really well over winter. Plus some beautiful young pak choi leaves, again, growing in pots (I do have some in the garden, but they were a magnet for wildlife of all sorts, so they are now recovering under a cloche…). Lime leaves from the freezer, green beans from the freezer, coconut milk and Thai Green curry paste from the store cupboard, and green pepper, celery and mushrooms from the bottom of the fridge. A quick and easy meal. Served with steamed brown rice, some chilli dipping sauce, and a ready made Spring Roll, plus a few prawn crackers on the side. Almost as good as going out to a restaurant!

This would work equally well with tofu, or other meat or fish (cooked or raw). Use spinach or broccoli instead of the pan choi, etc. I find the combination of coconut and green curry paste is an accommodating basis for lots of different interpretations, which is why I always have some in the cupboard. I happened to have some from the UK, but actually can get it in my local supermarket now, under the Ayam brand.

Turkey Club Sandwich

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Belinda Berry

This is the hand’s down leftovers winner for us, using cold sliced turkey (and ham). This has been lunch every day between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. We make our own wholewheat (T110) bread in the bread maker, so don’t have to go shopping at all.

So starting with two slices of buttered toast, I like to add

mayonnaise
turkey
ham
stuffing
cranberry sauce
bread sauce
salad leaves, sliced red onion, tomato etc
mustard (optional)

It looks a little untidy whilst under construction!

Serve with a side salad – I have been enjoying creating bowls of red and green, bejewelled with pomegranate seeds, and including some of my home-grown alfalfa sprouts.

Turkey, Leek and Mushroom Pie

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Belinda Berry

This is one of my favourite things to do with cooked turkey, and so it is my first choice of using up a mix of light and dark meat. Enrobed with a rich creamy sauce of leeks, mushrooms and bacon, enlivened with Armagnac and encased in a buttery flaky pastry. Yummy. Originated from Delia Smith’s classic book Christmas

The recipe makes enough to feed 6, but I chose to only put enough for 4 in this pie, and have enough filling and pastry remaining to make 2 smaller turnovers, which I will freeze for another time.

First make the pastry:

225g wholemeal plain flour (semi-complet T80)
175g unsalted butter
pinch sea salt
water

Since I had tendonitis earlier this year, using my fingers to rub butter into flour is not a comfortable thing to do, so I just chop the butter into cubes and add to the flour, then let the K-Mix do the work, which is ideal as you really want to handle it as little as possible, and keep the ingredients cold. Add enough cold water to just bring the dough together, then wrap in cling film and put in the fridge while you make the filling.

Next make the sauce. If I had a lot of gammon, I would use that, but this year we had a tiny joint and there wasn’t much left, so I opted for some lean lardons instead. If you use lardons or bacon, start with them, otherwise add cooked gammon or ham once the onion and leek is softened. You can use all onion, or all leek, but I had half an onion left and one leek. I always buy mushrooms on my last shop before Christmas, but you could soak dried ones, or use them from the freezer if you don’t have any fresh. I haven’t yet made turkey stock, but I always make a huge quantity of gravy to go with our turkey, and this is a great way to use it up. I like to keep the ingredients simple, to appreciate the flavour of the turkey, but of course you could use other veg like celery, or add leftover cooked peas, carrots or parsnips to the cooked sauce.

150g bacon lardons (or chopped cooked gammon or ham)
15g butter
1 tsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and then sliced
125g mushrooms, quartered or cut into chunks
heaped tbsp plain flour
300ml leftover gravy or turkey stock
100ml cream, of any sort
2 tbsp Armagnac or brandy
sea salt and black pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
300g cooked turkey meat, a mix of dark and light, roughly chopped

In a large frying pan, sauté the lardons over medium heat until just starting to turn brown around the edges. Add the onion and leeks, and cook gently until soften, stirring often. Then add the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to gather up all the lovely flavours in the pan. Slowly add the gravy or stock, stirring well after each addition to keep it smooth and free from lumps. Then add the cream and armagnac, and turn off the heat. Check the seasoning, add the chopped parsley and then leave to cool while you roll out the pastry. Preheat the oven to 200c (fan).

Roll out the dough large enough to make a 30cm square, but not too thick, about 3mm. There should be plenty of pastry left over. Cut the pastry and lay it onto a lined baking sheet. Heap the filling in the centre, into a diamond shape, allowing for the fact that the corners are going to be brought together to make a parcel. Brush all round the edges with beaten egg, then bring the corners up and crimp together. Brush all over with beaten egg, and add decorative trimmings if you like, brushing them with egg also. Remaining filling and pastry can be wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge for a day or so. You could use ready-made puff (feuilleté) pastry instead, in which case, if it is in a circle, make a pasty shape instead.

Bake in the oven at 200c for about 25 minutes, until beautifully golden.

Serves 4. I served it with air-fryed roasted potatoes and sprouts, cranberry sauce and a crisp mixed red and green salad.

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Turkey, Leek and Mushroom Pie

Course Main Course

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Servings 6

Calories 546kcal

Ingredients

for the pastry

225 g wholemeal plain flour (semi complet T80)
175 g unsalted butter well chilled
1 pinch salt
water as needed
1 egg beaten (for sealing and glazing)

for the sauce

100 g lardons or lean bacon, or cooked gammon or ham
1/2 onion chopped
1 leek trimmed, halved lengthwise and chopped
125 g mushrooms quarted or cut in chunks
1 tbsp plain flour heaped
300 ml gravy or turkey stock
100 ml cream any sort
2 tbsp armagnac or brandy
sea salt
black pepper
1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
300 g cooked turkey light and dark, roughly chopped

Instructions

to make the pastry

Add salt to the flour.
Chop the butter into cubes and add to the flour if using a mixer, or grate the butter into the flour if doing it by hand.
When the butter is well mixed in to the flour, add enough water to just bring the dough together.
Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge.

to make the filling

In a large frying pan, sauté the lardons over medium heat until just starting to turn brown around the edges.
Add the butter and olive oil, then the onion and leeks, and cook gently until softened, stirring often.
Then add the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and mix well to gather up all the lovely flavours in the pan.
Slowly add the gravy or stock, stirring well after each addition to keep it smooth and free from lumps, until you have a nice thick sauce.
Then add the cream and armagnac, and turn off the heat.
Check the seasoning, add the chopped parsley and then leave to cool while you roll out the pastry.
Preheat the oven to 200c (fan).

To make the pie

Roll out the dough large enough to make a 30cm square, but not too thick, about 3mm (there should be plenty of pastry left over).
Cut the pastry into a 30cm square and lay it onto a lined baking sheet.
Heap the filling in the centre, into a diamond shape, allowing for the fact that the corners are going to be brought together to make a parcel ( you may not want to use all the filling, I only used 2/3).
Brush all round the edges with beaten egg, then bring the corners up and crimp together.
Brush all over with beaten egg, and add decorative trimmings if you like, brushing them with egg also.
Bake in the oven at 200c for about 25 minutes, until beautifully golden.

Notes

Remaining filling and pastry can be wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge for a day or so. I will make two individual patties with them.

Serve with a crisp side salad, and maybe some sautéed potatoes and sprouts with a dollop of mayonnaise. Use up any remaining cranberry sauce too.

If I had a lot of gammon, I would use that, but this year we had a tiny joint and there wasn’t much left, so I opted for some lean lardons instead. If you use lardons or bacon, start with them, otherwise add cooked gammon or ham once the onion and leek is softened. You can use all onion, or all leek, but I had half an onion left and one leek. I always buy mushrooms on my last shop before Christmas, but you could soak dried ones, or use them from the freezer if you don’t have any fresh. I haven’t yet made turkey stock, but I always make a huge quantity of gravy to go with our turkey, and this is a great way to use it upI like to keep the ingredients simple, to appreciate the flavour of the turkey, but of course you could use other veg like celery, or add leftover cooked peas, carrots or parsnips to the cooked sauce.

Golden tangle pie

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Belinda Berry

Continuing with my theme of using turmeric in more dishes and making delicious, healthy, well balanced meals…

When you are cutting back on starchy carbs, but not cutting them out altogether, a little filo pastry can provide a fantastic (and also quick and easy) topping for a pie.

Here I have layered some softened leeks and mushrooms, followed by chopped cooked turkey, and pieces of cooked ham, topped with a creamy sauce with added golden paste. Then taking one sheet of filo per person, I cut each sheet into small squares and scrunched these up to cover the top of the dish. Sprayed or brushed very lightly with olive oil, then baked in a hot oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, until crisp and golden.

This would work equally well with fish or lentils, in fact there are probably hundreds of different possibilities! This is one of my favourite things to do with the Christmas leftovers – I put up a picture last year, but here is the recipe, complete with calorie counts.

My luxury version comes out at
Per serving:
490 kcals 25g Fat, 28g Carbs, 38g Protein
You could reduce this by 100 kcal per portion by using all semi-skim milk and swapping the cheese for a tsp of tamari soy sauce. So a delicious fast day main dish at only 390 kcals! Counts would be similar if you used about 100g of white fish or cooked lentils per person, instead of the meat. Calorie counts in brackets.

Golden Tangle Pie

2017-01-12 09:53:24

Serves 4

A lovely crunchy topping on a luscious creamy base. Mmm, works brilliantly with leftovers, or a great alternative for all kinds of pie. Layer the vegetables, followed by the meat, fish, beans or lentils, pour over the sauce and scrunch the filo on top. Quick and easy to prepare, delicious to eat! Calorie calculations are for the 'luxury' version, using cream and cheese in the sauce, and turkey and ham for the base.

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

300g cooked turkey or chicken, chopped into chunks (510)
130g cooked ham, cut into cubes (117)
7g unsalted butter (50)
2 medium leeks, sliced (100)
100g mushrooms, sliced (22)
4 sheets filo pastry (264)
1.5 tsp olive oil (60)

White sauce

15g / 1 tbsp butter (102)
20g plain flour (68)
200 ml semi skimmed milk (80)
100ml cream (292)
1 egg, beaten (72)
50g grated cheese (203)
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch cayenne powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp golden paste (22)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)
Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently sauté the leeks and mushrooms, until softened.
Meanwhile, to make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.
Stir well and cook over low heat for a minute or so, then gradually add the liquid, stirring well after each addition to keep it smooth.
Keep stirring until it comes to a simmer, then add the beaten egg, seasoning, grated cheese and golden paste and mix in well.
Put the vegetables in the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
Layer the meat, fish or pulses on top.
Pour the sauce over.
Now cut the filo pastry into 3 strips and each strip into 3 squares or rectangles.
Scrunch up the pastry and distribute evenly over the top of the pie dish, then spray or brush lightly with olive oil.
Bake in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Notes

I used a mix of milk and cream, as that is what I had leftover. A little cream does give a lovely luxurious texture, but you could cut the calories down by using all milk. Of course, you can use non-dairy milk if you prefer.
The cheese again, adds a little extra savoury kick to the sauce,and I had some scraps to use up - but for a non-dairy dish, you could add some other flavouring, such as soya, worcestershire or nutritional yeast.

Per serving

490 kcals 25g Fat, 28g Carbs, 38g Protein
You could reduce this by 100 kcal per portion by using all semi-skim milk and swapping the cheese for a tsp of tamari soya sauce. So a decent fast day main dish at 390 kcals!

By Belinda Berry

Adapted from Hairy Dieters

Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Turmeric is my latest go-to spice

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Belinda Berry

Did I mention Turmeric yet? Perhaps not. Since watching a recent ‘Trust Me I’m a Doctor‘ episode, I have been inspired to include more turmeric in our diet. In a really interesting piece of research, it was discovered that eating turmeric has effects on the methylation of DNA that are not achieved by taking supplements. It is hoped that this helps to unravel some of the negative changes that may occur, and in particular may help reduce our risk of cancer.

The use of heat, and the addition of oil and black pepper helps to increase the bio-availability of turmeric, so the ideal way of adding it to our diet is to make a curry! But actually, you can use turmeric in many different kinds of dishes and even in desserts. An easy way to increase your use of it is to make Golden Paste – you cook turmeric powder in hot water and then add in coconut oil (or olive oil) and freshly ground black pepper.

I’ve been experimenting with ways of using this. I’ve added it to bolognese sauce, stir fries, braised vegetables, in fact almost anything savoury can take the addition of some. We often start the day with some greek style yoghurt, with half a tsp of golden paste added in, some chopped fresh figs (which are abundant at the moment in our garden) and topped with chopped toasted hazelnuts. I also discovered that banana fried in butter with golden paste, honey and lime juice is amazing! For added spice benefits, I served it with fromage blanc mixed with ground cinnamon and decorated with lime zest.

Turmeric is often used as an inexpensive substitute for saffron, as it gives a strong yellow colour – the flavour is quite different, but it does tend to work agreeably with the same food partners. Here is my variation of an Ottolenghi dish. Roast Chicken with Turmeric, Hazlenuts and Honey.

Roast Chicken with Turmeric, Hazelnuts and Honey

2016-10-31 14:41:12

Serves 4

A comforting family meal or an exotic dinner party dish, the delicate spicy flavours and tantalisingly crunchy topping make this easy dish a winner.

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

4 chicken legs, divided into thighs and drumsticks
2 onions, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp golden paste
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp cold water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
100g shelled hazelnuts
35g honey
2 tbsp orange flower water

Instructions

In an ovenproof dish, mix the onion, spices, oil, lemon juice, water and seasoning.
Marinade the chicken pieces in the mix for at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 190c.
Bake the chicken for 35 minutes on a middle shelf.
While the chicken is cooking, spread the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and toast in the oven on a top shelf for about 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly golden.
Allow the nuts to cool for a little, then rub in a clean cloth to remove the skins.
Chop the nuts roughly and mix with the honey and flower water to make a rough paste.
Remove the chicken and spread with the nut paste.
Cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes, until the nuts are nicely browned.

Notes

See the link on this page for the method for making golden paste.
Alternatively you can use a good pinch of saffron strands.
I used orange flower water, but rosewater would be more authentic.
I served this with Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Orange (from The Cookbook by Ottolenghi) and Orzo (langues des oiseaux) pasta with vegetables.
The calorie count is per serving: 450 kcals, 35g Carbs, 30g Fat, 18g Protein

By Belinda Berry

Adapted from Ottolenghi

Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Beautiful Basil…

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Belinda Berry

It’s getting to the time of year when most of my gardening time is spent watering and harvesting. The first wave of beans and the raspberries are now coming to an end, but tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, summer squash, Swiss chard and perpetual spinach are growing abundantly, and the first chillies are ripening.
For these vegetables I’ve been trying out some new ideas, most of which I have captured on my Pinterest board – Seasonal Specials.

I also have some fabulous Basil plants. This year I have Purple, Sweet Green Genovese and Thai varieties.

So, what to do when you have a fabulous amount of basil? I make Basil Oil – it is wonderful drizzled over fish, chicken, anything with tomatoes, roasted vegetables, cheese…. This and the other following recipes are from my first book Focus on Flavour.

Basil Oil

I came across this in a book by Annabel Langbein and it was an instant hit with me, because I adore basil and mourn the end of the growing season. This is the perfect way to preserve the intensity of its flavour and colour. It gives a terrific visual lift to the Tomato and Feta Tartlets as well as giving its heady herbal warmth to chicken, fish, potatoes or other vegetables.

1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
Boiling water
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp sea salt

Pour the boiling water over the basil leaves and immediately refresh under cold water. Drain well and blot dry with paper towel. Blend with salt and olive oil until smooth. Store in the fridge or freeze in ice cube trays.

Approx 120 calories per tbsp

Tomato and Feta Tartlets with Basil Oil

These little tarts are really yummy. A wonderful mixture of tastes and textures. You could use mozzarella instead of feta.

Serves 6

Ready rolled Puff Pastry (373 kcal)
3 – 4 large ripe tomatoes (100 kcal)
½ pack (75 grams) feta cheese, sliced (200 kcal)
Sea salt and black pepper
3 tbsp Basil Oil (360 kcal)

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Cut out circles about 10cm diameter from the pastry. Lay onto a baking tray and prick the bottom with a fork. Chill for 20 minutes.

Slice the tomatoes and layer on the pastry, alternating with the cheese. Drizzle with basil oil and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a drizzle of basil oil on the plate.

Approx 175 kcals per serving

I also love to make my own Pesto, but instead of using Pine Nuts, I use Walnuts

Walnut Pesto

Until I discovered Basil Oil this was the only way in which I could capture the wonderful aroma of basil to use beyond the season when it grows fresh. We have plenty of walnuts here, so I used them instead of pine nuts and I think they give the pesto a really fantastic flavour. It also tastes delicious without the cheese for vegans or those avoiding dairy products.

I use this with pasta for a simple starter or lunch dish, mix it in to a vegetable soup just before serving, or spread over meat or fish (see Chicken Pesto Parcels).

1 cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
½ cup shelled walnuts
½ cup olive oil
Sea salt
25g finely grated Parmesan or other hard cheese (optional)

90 calories per tbsp
Fat 9.5g, Carbs 0.6g Protein 1.6g

Put the basil, garlic, walnuts and salt into a blender with about half the olive oil to mix to a paste. Stir in the cheese, if using. Transfer to a screw-top jar and pour in extra olive oil to cover completely. Screw on the lid and store in the fridge. Mix well before using and recover any remaining paste with olive oil again. Keeps well.

Chicken Pesto Parcels

A super simple way of dressing up a piece of chicken, full of flavour and great for a 5:2 fast day

Cooking the chicken wrapped in paper helps to keep all the flavour and juiciness in. This is a great way to cook if you need to cater for different preferences – meat, fish and vegetarian parcels can all be cooked at the same time without transferring their flavours.

Serves 4

4 escalopes of chicken (or turkey) (164 kcals per 100g)
2 tbsp Walnut Pesto (180 kcal)
4 slices Bayonne ham (183 kcal)

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Spread the pesto on the chicken. Lay the ham on top. Roll up each one and place into the centre of a sheet of baking paper, then fold up and seal into parcel. Bake for 30 minutes at 200ºC.

Lovely served with braised endive in a cheesy sauce.

Approx 250 calories per serving (based on 100g chicken)

Love Crispy Chinese Duck? Try Crispy Chinese Pork!

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Belinda Berry

Since we have been in France, one of the things we occasionally miss is going to the local Chinese restaurant for crispy duck with pancakes. I have been unable to find anywhere to buy the pancakes, though I think that doing crispy duck would be really easy, if you start with duck confit.

But this isn’t about duck, it is about pork. Over the last year or so I have heard a lot about Pulled Pork, but had never tried it. Then last week, there was a special pork promotion on and I bought a pack of two boned and rolled pork shoulders for a bargain price.

Turning to my frequent source of good ideas and inspiration, the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet Recipes from Around the World group on Facebook, I found a recommended recipe for Pulled Pork. I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter, with a little less sugar, although I was really worried that it was going to be too much smoky paprika flavour (it wasn’t).

I marinaded the pork overnight in spices. The next day I baked both the joints for 5 hours. Then I finished one of them off on the BBQ.

That first night we had it in a baguette (a treat in itself for us these days), with home made cole slaw alongside. It was really lovely. Graham said “this is very much like Crispy Duck, can we have it again but with pancakes, cucumber and spring onions?”.

So the next step was to see if I could find a good straightforward recipe for the pancakes. I had always imagined that they were made from rice flour, but no, just a very simple recipe using plain flour, water and a small amount of vegetable oil. The master stroke was in rolling two at a time, with a coating of sesame oil between them, then dry frying them as one and separating after cooking. It worked really well. A final steam for 10 minutes before serving. Here’s the recipe and method for Chinese Pancakes.

The Hoisin Sauce was based on some Black Bean and Garlic paste that needed using up (if you want to find ingredients like that in South West France, try Paris Store in Toulouse). I started with this recipe (but note I didn’t use that recipe for the pancakes and I used a lot less sugar in the sauce).

So our Saturday night Strictly supper on our laps, was Crispy Pork Pancakes. So good, we did it all again on Sunday….. 🙂

Kefta kebabs – 135 kcals each

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Belinda Berry

kefta, kofta, kufta, keftedes, albondigas, meatballs…. I put a recipe for Scandinavian meatballs in my book 5:2 Healthy Eating for Life, with a number of variations. This summer I have been making it as kefta kebabs, with Moroccan-inspired spices, which have proved to be hugely popular. Combining beef and pork helps to keep the cost down and they taste delicious. I find that one is enough for me on a fast day. Really good served with a tomato and cucumber salad topped with toasted cumin seeds, or stuffed into pita bread with chopped lettuce, some luscious sliced tomatoes, sliced onions and tsatsiki.

I love basic recipes like this which can be easily varied to suit different styles of cooking –

Italian meatballs – oregano, lemon rind, black pepper;
serve with a tomato and basil sauce on a pile of spaghetti or courgette ‘noodles’
Greek keftedes – garlic, chopped fresh mint, coriander seed;
serve as part of a meze, or stuffed into pita with tsatsiki and salad
Swedish meatballs – cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg;
serve with a sauce made with butter, flour, cream, pepper and parsley with mash
Moroccan kefta – garlic, cumin, paprika, ras al hanout, coriander seed;
serve with ginger yogurt dip, tomato, cucumber and cumin salad and couscous
Spanish albondigas – garlic, nutmeg;
serve with a chunky onion, green pepper and tomato sauce and saffron rice
Indian kofta – curry spices, garlic, ginger;
serve with raita and chappati or a spicy sauce with basmati rice
Lebanese kefta – parsley, allspice, pepper, salt;
serve with flatbread and herby green salad – or cook and then top with onion, tomato and potato, sprinkle with spices and bake in the oven

The kefta or meatballs can be frozen uncooked.

Makes about 18 kefta (75 grams each) or 40 meatballs (30 grams each)

600g minced beef 1115 kcals
400g minced pork 572 kcals
2 onions, roughly chopped 88 kcals
2 large eggs 143 kcals
1 cup of flour or fresh breadcrumbs 427 kcals ( I use wholewheat breadcrumbs)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
spices and herbs to taste

Whizz the onions and eggs in a blender (with garlic if using) and then add the flour/breadcrumbs, seasoning and spices.

Put this mixture with the meat in a large bowl and work it with your hands, adding water if needed to get a firm mixture that holds together.

Let it rest for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.

For the kefta I weigh into 75 gram amounts and form into rolls. Use a walnut sized portion for meatballs. Either can be prepared ahead and refrigerated or frozen (defrost before cooking).

For kefta, put a metal skewer through the middle and BBQ over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, turning regularly.

For meatballs, fry in a little butter or oil until well browned all over (add 40 calories per tsp of oil)

Per kefta (75 grams): 135 kcal
Per meatball (30 grams): 60 kcal

Baked Chicken and Vegetables <500 calories

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Belinda Berry

I love the idea of cooking everything at the same time in a single oven tray. So simple!

The chicken is ‘washed’ with lime juice and then sprinkled with jerk spice. The mushrooms have a little olive oil in the centre and about half a clove of crushed garlic in each one. The sprouts are drizzled with a little olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. Bake for about 30 minutes at 180c (fan). Roasting sprouts like this is really a great way of cooking them. I have just a few left growing in the garden, so I’m looking forward to finishing them!

This was a non-fast day for us and I served it with baked sweet potato and a knob of butter (put a skewer through the middle to help them cook more quickly. I gave them about 45 minutes).

Baked Chicken and Vegetables 469 kcals

Ingredients

1 chicken leg, eaten without the skin: 250 kcal
1 tsp jerk seasoning 0 kcals
1 tbsp olive oil 120 kcals
2 medium mushrooms 8 kcals
1 clove garlic 4 kcals
5 cherry tomatoes 14 kcals
1/2 cup brussels sprouts 19 kcals

Per serving: 469 kcals
Carbs 8g Fat 26g Protein 49g

1 sweet potato 100 kcals
15g butter 108 kcals

Per serving: 208 kcals
Carbs 24g Fat 12g Protein 2g

Focus on Flavour

5:2 Healthy Eating for Life

Category Archives: Meat & Poultry

Creamy Turkey, Green Pepper and Jalapeno Tacos

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Thai Green Curry Turkey

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Turkey Club Sandwich

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Turkey, Leek and Mushroom Pie