Hot summer days means quick and easy meals. I am not keen on spending hours in a hot kitchen preparing dinner in sweltering heat especially whilst pregnant! On a balmy evening I would rather relax with family and friends over a vino and good conversation. A winner dish should be easy to prepare, use fresh seasonal organic ingredients and of course be delicious. This meal ticks all the boxes and all of the ingredients can be found in most kitchen pantries.

It is going to take a lot of work but I am committed to picking fresh tomatoes off the vine from my kitchen garden next summer. Yes, I need to prepare the soil, plant them and love them everyday and my years of dreaming needs to become more doing before another season passes me by. The sweetness of homegrown tomatoes remind me of the Island of Santorini in Greece where I would eat them by the handful as the sweet bursts popped in my mouth one by one!. The next best thing would be ones that I have grown myself.

I like to cook or prepare in bulk as it saves time, is energy efficient and economical for our family of four and soon to be five. The koftas freeze well and I usually make double or triple batches so they are always on hand. They are great for kids lunches served cold on a bread roll with lettuce and a splash of tomato sauce. Bring along a big bowl of homemade tabouleh to your next BBQ or picnic it will sure to be a hit. For those last minute surprise guests popping in you can whip up the tzatziki and once you know how easy it is to prepare you will never buy a store bought one again. Otherwise make the trio of recipes, buy a loaf of good crusty bread, chill the wine and invite a couple of friends over for a relaxing afternoon.

KOFTAS (makes 16)

INGREDIENTS

500g organic lean minced beef or lamb

small onion, finely diced

1 tbsp garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

100ml tomato sauce

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg, whisked

1 tsp ground pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

rice bran oil for pan frying

 METHOD

(1) In a medium sized bowl place the beef mince, onion, garlic, cinnamon, and cumin using your hands combine well. Add the tomato sauce, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper using your hands, mix until all ingredients combined evenly.

(2) Shape the mixture into oval shapes and flatten until about 15mm thick. This mixture will make approximately 16 koftas.

(3) Place a large non stick pan on medium to high heat. Lightly spray the pan with rice bran oil and cook 8 koftas at a time. They should take 3-4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Serve warm.

QUINOA TABOULEH

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 punnet (250g) cherry or egg tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 generous handful of mint, chiffonade

1 stick of shallots, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic, crushed

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

ground pepper

salt

1-2 tbsp buckwheat (optional)

METHOD

(1) In a medium sized bowl mix together quinoa, tomatoes, parsley, mint, shallots and garlic.

(2) If you are serving straight away add the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Otherwise complete step 1 refrigerate overnight and complete step 2 before serving. For an optional crunch sprinkle buckwheat over tabouleh.

Tip: Chiffonade is a chopping technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin strips.

TZATZIKI

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup natural Greek style yoghurt

1-2 cucumbers, grated

1-11/2 tsp garlic, crushed

1 tbsp lemon juice

ground pepper

salt

METHOD

(1) Place yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl and mix together with a spoon until evenly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. It will stay fresh in the fridge for a few days. Depending on whether you like a thicker or runnier tzatziki use 1 or 2 cucumbers.

End your meal with a refreshing homemade granita, seasonal fruits or a cheese platter. Bon Appetite!

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

{Summer Days Recipe} Koftas, Quinoa Tabouleh + Tzatziki

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Cooking up a big pot of soup and freshly baked bread with lashings of organic butter is my perfect winter meal. One of my favourite soups is Pea and Ham Soup and I like to add either cooked brown rice or quinoa for a complete meal. Otherwise my go to bread is Teresa Cutter’s Irish Soda Bread – a quick and easy to prepare recipe with no proving needed. This soup does take a bit of time but is well worth the effort. It tastes better on the second day when the flavours settle and it becomes thicker which I prefer. Using both green and yellow split peas gives a lighter and sweeter flavour instead of the traditional green split peas. The ratio of green to yellow is up to you, you might like all green.

PEA AND HAM SOUP

INGREDIENTS

300 grams yellow split peas

300 grams green split peas

1 organic ham hock

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium onions, diced

3 carrots, diced

bouquet garni – handful thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns

salt to taste

3 litres water

rice bran oil for frying onions

METHOD

(1) Soak the split peas overnight in a glass bowl and add water until it is 4 cm above the peas. Ensure the bowl is large enough to hold the peas as they will double in size.

(2) In a large pot add enough oil to brown onions and then add garlic and fry until garlic is cooked.

(3) Now everything goes in the pot. Split peas, carrots and ham hock. I like to cut some of the meat off the hock and place it in the pot. Add 3 litres of water and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil. Then reduce heat to medium to low and simmer stirring occasionally over 4-5 hours. The peas will soften and the ham will fall off the bone. Be sure to keep an eye on your pot as it thickens because you don’t want it to stick to the pot and burn. If needed add more water.

(4) Remove the bouquet garni and the bone. I take out any ham skin so there is just ham meat in the soup. I also like to pull apart any bits of meat so it is not so chunky.

TERESA CUTTER’S SPELT IRISH SODA BREAD

I met Teresa Cutter a few years ago at our restaurant Agape Organic soon becoming a regular with her husband. She is passionate about organics, health and fitness. As a qualified chef she knows ingredients and creates healthy recipe alternatives and they are always scrumptious! A couple of years ago she developed a range of nutritional supplements including an Organic Pea Protein Powder and Organic Superfoods which are my pantry staples. Her quality is supreme, sourcing the best ingredients available.

I came across this recipe when I had guests coming for lunch and the bread recipe I had required overnight proving. Since then I have tried it with rye flour and added olives to the recipe with delicious results! It makes a great loaf bread or pull apart rolls add a farmhouse rustic feel to the dinner table. Many thanks to ‘The Healthy Chef’ Teresa for sharing her recipe with us.

 INGREDIENTS

500 g whole meal spelt flour
½ cup (50g)  ground flaxseed (linseed) or chia seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda (bicarb soda)
2 cups milk (soy, rice, almond or seed)
1 tablespoon honey
(60 ml) ¼ cup cold pressed olive oil or macadamia nut oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 C. (160 C fan forced)
Combine flour, flaxseed, salt and soda then mix through.
Combine honey, olive oil, lemon and milk.
Pour over the dry ingredients all at once and mix through lightly with your fingers. The dough should be lovely and moist much like a scone dough.
Place dough onto a lightly floured board and form into 1 large loaf or 2 smaller round loaves.
Place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Cut a small cross over the top of the bread.
Brush the top with a little extra milk then sprinkle with seeds.
Bake for 40 minutes then reduce the heat to 160 and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes until cooked through and the crust is lovely and golden brown. If baking smaller loaves reduce the time to 30 – 40 minutes total.
Cool for at least 10 minutes before you eat.
Makes 24 delicate slices

NOTES:

You need to treat this bread much like a scone dough.
Don’t kneed it too much, but just lightly enough for it to combine.
Make sure all the dry ingredients are distributed evenly before adding wet.
Make sure you add the bicarb?
Let it rest for 30 minutes before baking if you overwork the dough.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn x

Teresa Cutter is a qualified chef, author, blogger and has a range of nutritional supplements. Be sure to follow her website which has great healthy and delicious recipe alternatives.

{Pea + Ham Soup + Teresa Cutter’s Irish Soda Bread}

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Keeping warm and cozy in the cooler months means a lot more time at home to prepare food to pop in the freezer. These croquettes are a favourite in our house and the zucchini salad is a go to dish that is quick and easy to assemble. I like to make a double batch of the croquettes as they freeze really well and they are time consuming to make. You can use regular breadcrumbs or gluten free ‘breadcrumbs’ which are made from rice. I like the panko crumbs because they are crispier. Note that the gluten free breadcrumbs don’t freeze well because they absorb a lot of water making the croquette soggy.

When it takes time to prepare something that is methodical and repetitive I find it quite therapeutic because you can just be in the moment or get lost in thought. The worlds worries and deadlines seem distant and unimportant. I hope you enjoy making and eating these delicious recipes!

TUNA, SWEET POTATO, CAPSICUM AND PARMESAN CROQUETTES WITH RED PEPPER AIOLI

Makes approximately 24 croquettes

INGREDIENTS

425 gm tin of tuna in springwater, drained

1 kgs sweet potato, mashed

3/4 cup cooked white quinoa

1/2 small red capsicum (pepper), finely diced

1/2 cup cooked corn kernels (frozen is fine)

1/2 cup caramelised onion

1/4 cup tasty cheese, grated

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

1 3/4 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stick shallots, finely chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tbsp paprika

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp ground chilli

salt and pepper to season

1 egg, whisked

rice bran oil for deep frying

CRUMBING MIXTURE

2-3 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 1/4 cups spelt flour

2 eggs

2 tbsp water

AIOLI

1/2 cup homemade aioli or a good store bought brand

1/4 cup roasted red peppers

METHOD

(1) In a large bowl, combine tuna, sweet potato, quinoa, capsicum, corn, caramelised onion, shallots and garlic. I like to use my hands for this to ensure all the ingredients are combined evenly. Gradually add the cheeses and breadcrumbs. Followed by the chia seeds, lemon juice, lemon rind, paprika, oregano, thyme and chilli. Finally add the whisked egg and salt and pepper to season.

(2) With your hands mould the mixture into long oval shaped croquettes. Approximately 7cm in length and a diameter 3cm. Place them on a tray lined with plastic freezer bags so the croquettes don’t stick to the tray.

(3) Crumbing croquettes – Add the water to the 2 eggs and beat well. Place the spelt flour, breadcrumbs and egg mixture into separate bowls for crumbing. Coat the croquette in flour, then dip into the egg mixture making sure that it is completely covered and then cover with breadcrumbs.

(4) Deep fry with oil heated to 180C cook until golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.

(5) Place the roasted peppers and aioli into the blender and give it a quick whiz. Garnish with sprigs of continental parsley.

They are great for lunches – either on a roll with lettuce and mayo for the kids or with carrots and cucumber sticks. Serve them on a platter or on those lovely bamboo boats as a canape for your next party. 

ZUCCHINI, FETA, ALMOND, PEPITA, MINT, CHIA SALAD

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchinis, grated

125 grams feta or goats cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped

2 1/2 tbsp pepita seeds

handful mint, chiffonade (set a few mint leaves aside for garnish)

1 tsp black chia seeds

olive oil

salt and pepper to season

TO ASSEMBLE

Spread the grated zucchini evenly on a medium sized serving plate, sprinkle the feta, mint, almonds, pumpkin seeds over the zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chia seeds over the salad and garnish with the remaining mint leaves.

In all things beautiful.
Lyn xx

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