Tag: healthy

Quick & Easy Chicken Con Carne
Stylemesisteradmin
December 7, 2018

 

Speedy Chicken Mince Con Carne.

Sometimes we need to get dinner on the table asap and I’m no exception to that. My girls love meat. As much as I would love them to eat more lentils, pulses and vegetables red meat always wins.

I serve this awesome family favourite with basmati rice, minty yogurt and a few other trimmings.

The key to the speed of this meal is the fact the protein I am using is chicken mince. It’s healthy, quick to cook and also cheap.

To make a speedy Chicken Mince Con Carne for 4-6 you will need the following ingredients:

500 grams chicken mince
2 small onions sliced
5 cloves of garlic-crushed or 1 tsp garlic granules
2 TBSP rapeseed oil
1 400 grams tin of chopped tomatoes
1 400 grams red kidney beans rinsed and drained

Herbs & Spices:
1 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP cumin powder
1 TBSP coriander seed powder
1 heaped tsp of dried coriander leaves (feel free to use fresh if you have them as I keep dried herbs as they are easier to keep on hand).
1 TBSP salt
1/2 TSP red chili powder
1 TSP paprika
NOTE: for those looking for a real fast meal replace all the herbs and spices for half a sachet (check how much protein the recipe calls for on the packet. If it says 1 kg use half the pack. If it says 500 grams just use the whole pack) of any of the following spice mixes: Fajita/Taco/Chili Con Carne.

To serve (use what you have available this list is just a suggestion):

Cooked rice (boil the rice alongside the Chili cooking to save yourself time)
Tortilla chips
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced tomatoes
Jalepenos
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Sliced radishes
Shredded lettuce
Wedges of lime

Minty yogurt:
To make minty yogurt place 250 ml of low fat yogurt, a pinch of salt (or more if that’s what you use) juice of 1 lime and 8-10 mint leaves in a processor with a jug attachment (I use my smoothie maker as I often use it to make myself lassi-it’s about making equipment work hard not making you work harder). Whiz the ingredients and voila! Minty yogurt.

1) Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and fry for two minutes. Now add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes. Add the garlic.

2) Whilst the chicken is frying place the kidney beans on a chopping board and chop them up.

3) Add the chopped up kidney beans to the mince mixture. Fry for a minute. Add the herb and spice mix. Fry for a further one minute. If the mixture starts sticking to the pan and if that happens add 3 tablespoons of water.

4) Now add the chopped tomatoes. Stir well. Bring it to the boil and then turn the heat down.

5) After 20 minutes cooking time your chili con carne is ready.

6) Serve!

Additional notes:
Leftover mince can be served with Tacos or as filling for enchiladas.
If you like extra heat add another 1/2 spoon of red chili powder
Like a smoky flavour? Add liquid smoke to the chili
Fresh herbs can be used instead of dried. Fresh herbs are less intense in flavour so you’ll need double the amount of fresh ingredients compared to dried.
As long as you use fresh mince (and not pre-frozen) this recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.
For fussy eaters BLITZ the red kidney beans to a pulp and add them to the mince. This is a great way to get fussy eaters to eat more beans (it works on my 5 year old and if you end up reading this; Mama loves you Boo).

Meatfree Monday…Carrot Burgers
Alliyah Dawud
October 23, 2017

Carrot Burgers (Meat free Mondays)

The humble carrot. Apart from being a key player in Carrot cake (and being served in sticks with hummous) does it really get the press it deserves?

So here I present to you….Carrot Burgers. A great vegetarian alternative to the soya mince burgers. You could make a batch and freeze them (post frying) for a quick midweek meal option.

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots peeled & coursely grated
1 egg (whisked)
1 heaped tablespoon chickpea flour
1 TSP ground coriander seeds
1 TSP ground cumin seeds
1 small onion (I used red) diced
1 TBSP yogurt
1 TSP garlic salt (or plain salt if you don’t have it to hand)

Oil-for shallow frying .

1) Place the carrots in a large bowl. Add the onion and stir through.
2) add the salt, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and stir to distribute through the carrots.
3) Add the egg and yogurt and stir to blend all the ingredients together.
4) Add the chickpea flour. Stir it in. You should now have a gooey mixture.
5) Heat the oil in a pan.
6) With wet hands divide the mixture into 4 and create burger patties.
7) Shallow fry for 3/4 minutes on each side.
8) Drain on kitchen paper.

Note: I’ve had no problems with the formation of these burgers. Some may prefer to form these burgers and then place them in the fridge for an hour before frying. However the egg and chickpea flour are very bindings.

To serve:

Burger buns
Lettuce
Sliced Cheese
Fried mushroom slices (optional)
Sweet potato fried (optional)
Fries (optional)
Relish or Ketchup
Fried Egg (optional)

To assemble the burger:

Warm up the burger buns. Add some ketchup or relish to the burger buns. Add the burger fillet and the slice of cheese. If you like your cheese melted you can zap the burger in the microwave for 20 seconds. Add the sliced mushrooms (if using) and the lettuce. Place the burger bun top on top and serve with fries (or a side of your choosing).