Great Meals in NO TIME AT ALL!

Here I am sitting at my kitchen table on Sunday night. The kids are all tucked into bed, the sound of the dishwasher is my current companion, the washing machine and dryer are both going at full speed (when do they EVER stop?) I have washed my kitchen floor, folded two baskets of laundry and finally have found time to sit down and relax…..what a GREAT feeling.

We’ve had a fantastic weekend full of fun, friends, laughter, a day out on the boat, great food and being chased by the police (yes, that’s true but it’s another story for another time….we weren’t doing anything illegal just found ourselves in a funny spot at a funny time).

Anyway……today I ran into a friend and she said she had made Annie’s ‘Carrot and Coconut Soup’ from the blog this morning – I’m sure it was great. I told her I was going to post my weekend recipes tonight because they were fantastic. So Liz this is for you – thank you for trusting our tastebuds and trying some of our family favourites.

I planned my weekend menus on Thursday which allowed me time to pick up all that I needed and time to organise what I was cooking and when. Both meals required overnight marinating which sometimes puts us off (I know) however both of these recipes are so easy and so healthy it’s worth it. And to top things off, they literally take about 10 minutes to prepare, pop in the fridge and then pull out to either pop on the bbq or in the oven.

Both recipes are great for company (I served the Portuguese Chicken to friends on Saturday night and they loved it), a busy weekday dinner or a lazy weekend lunch with friends. Plus my kids all gave the all important familyroom tried and true thumbs up of approval – a definite bonus.

Here you go I hope you enjoy:

Lamb Souvlaki with Tomato and Onion Salsa (you can easily substitute with chicken or a firm fish if you aren’t a meat person):

➢ Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to prevent burning.
➢ Add some rich hummus to your grocery list and serve it with this it’s a perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients:
800g lamb, chicken or firm fish cut into 1 inch x 1-inch cubes
4 medium pitta breads
2 small Spanish onion (the red one) chopped roughly
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup low-fat plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
4 medium egg tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons tahini

Method:
Marinade – Process together until well combined 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, ¼ cup low-fat plain yoghurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves, 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar. Place meat in a large, shallow dish, mix marinade through, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Tomato and Onion Salsa – Combine chopped egg tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 teaspoon paprika in a medium size bowl.

Yoghurt Sauce – ¾ cup low-fat plain yoghurt, 2 teaspoons tahini, 1 tablespoon hot water. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

Pita Bread – warm pita bread in the oven and serve. You can either cut the pita’s in half and put filling inside or simply use the pita as a base, cover with sauce (both yoghurt and hummus) followed by the lamb, chicken or fish and then the tomato salsa.

Recipe #2 – Spiced Portuguese Chicken

Ingredients:
1 small red onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 ½ teaspoons chilli flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (this is beautiful)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1.4 kg chicken thighs
1/3 cup (20g) chopped fresh parsley
Lemon wedges to serve

Method:
Put the onion, garlic, lemon rind, chilli flakes, paprika, oil and vinegar in a processor and mix until a smooth paste forms.
Score the chicken thighs with an X, place in a large shallow dish and cover each piece. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven or bbq to moderately hot (approx. 200C or 400F). Place chicken under or on the bbq grill and cook for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a roasting tin and roast for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through (if you don’t want to do this just leave it under the grill and turn after 10 minutes and cook until done – same on the bbq).
Sprinkle the chicken with the parsley and drizzle with any pan juices. Serve with lemon wedges

Serve this with a simple salad, avocado slices, corn on the cob or even as a chicken sandwich with Turkish bread. It’s beautiful and very light. Enjoy!

Susan xoxo