British veal meatballs with courgetti

Now before I get in trouble for cooking veal I would like to stress this is British / rose veal which can be bought in the supermarket and is a great alternative to beef. It isn't associated with the crates or live export that normally goes with veal and it's actually been given the ok by the RSPCA. If you've never had it I would really recommend trying it.

In this case I had my parents coming round for lunch (aka putting up pictures) so I needed to make sure I had a decent meal to keep dad happy. Mum's been trying to eat clean too so I wanted to choose a healthy option. The meatballs seemed to be filling enough to keep dad happy as he never once complained at the lack of spaghetti!

Meatballs and courgetti

British veal meatballs - bought mine from Waitrose but you could make your own or use beef instead
2 red onions, diced
3 large garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
Roasted and skinned peppers, diced (I normally use jarred)
Tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
Dried basil and oregano
Coconut oil
Fresh basil
3 courgettes, raw, spirulised or cut into ribbons with a speed peeler
Parmesan

Fry the onions and garlic in the coconut oil until soft, add the peppers, tomato, puree and dried herbs.
Rinse the tinned tomatoes out and add the water to the pan.
Let it cook down for a while then add the meatballs and cook for another half hour.
Just before serving stir the courgette through and some fresh basil.
Spoon out into bowls then top with parmesan.

Steak two ways

My housemate was away the other weekend so I stopped off at M&S to treat myself. I found a delicious pink grapefruit liquor which, when mixed with gin, makes a delightful cocktail (picture at the bottom)! I also went for steaks because they were two for £5 which seemed a bargain. I've done steak two ways below. The left hand picture is of steak marinated in a wet rub of Szechuan pepper and soy on top of Chinese greens in miso soup. The right is za'atar crusted steak with green salad and balsamic dressing.

Both steaks were marinated in their rubs for about 30 minutes and fried in a hot pan - I'd suggest oiling the steak not the pan and get the pan on the highest heat possible. You should only need to fry the steak for a couple of minutes on each side for a rare steak (obviously if you like it more well done then a few more minutes). I think the best test for a steak is the hand test if you're not sure I'd go on the soft side as they will need to rest for about 5 minutes. As you'll see from the pictures a dry rub will normally blacken more but don't worry, the steak inside will still be succulent and the crust will taste amazing.

This is the cocktail - so yummy!

Aubergine 'lasagne'

I love lasagne! It's one of my favourite cheat meals but it does always tend to make me feel a wee bit ill. Unfortunately, however much I love wheat (pasta and bread mainly) it doesn't seem to feel quite the same about me. To combat this problem I've replaced the pasta in my lasagne with grilled aubergine slices so I can eat it anytime I like. Not only is it much lower in calories and therefore technically healthier, I can eat vast quantities of it without looking slightly pregnant and it tastes absolutely delicious.

Aubergine 'lasagne'

Mince sauce:
Coconut oil
2 onions
Several large cloves of garlic
500g beef mince
Tinned tomatoes
Tomato puree
Red pepper
Dried oregano and basil
Salt and pepper

Cheese sauce:
2 tbsp cornflour
1 heaped tsp mustard powder
Milk
Cheddar cheese
Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Aubergine layers - grilled aubergine, salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to to 180 degrees.
Fry the onion and garlic in the coconut oil.
Once softened add the beef, fry until brown.
Then add chopped peppers, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
Let this cook down for about half an hour, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
In the meantime warm the milk in a non-stick pan, once warm pour a small amount of milk into a jug with the cornflour and mustard powder, blend to a paste and return to the pan.
Stir this constantly until it begins to thicken, add the cheese and season to taste.
Layer up a large dish with mince, cheese sauce and aubergine, repeat until you fill the dish with the top layer as cheese sauce then top with more grated cheese.
Put in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Crustless quinoa and feta quiche

Right, apologies for the massive gap in posts. I moved jobs to a great new role with a food tech company. The only downside is that I've been super busy for the last month and a bit. There has still been lots of cooking but taking the time to write it up has been tricky! Going to try and power through the recipes for the last month to make up for the gap tonight. We'll see how far we get!

I've always struggled with breakfast, I don't like to eat very first thing in the morning but can't make it all the way through to lunch with no food. I may have come up with the perfect solution. I love omelettes but they don't tend to travel well. Instead I've gone with a cross between a frittata, omelette and (crustless) quiche. This was an experiment so I didn't write quantities this time but I will make a note for in the future.

Crustless quinoa and feta quiche

Quinoa - cooked and cooled
Kale
Cabbage
Beet tops
Garlic
Butter
Fresh basil
Dried oregano
Chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Free range eggs - I used 13 but they were pullet eggs from the farmers market
Feta

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees.
Cook the kale, cabbage and beet tops in butter and garlic, allow to cool with the quinoa.
Add the herbs and spices including the salt and pepper.
Beat the eggs and mix through.
Pour the mixture into an oiled cake tin (I use a silicon mould because it's easier to get out - if you're using a standard one then line it to stop any leaks) then top with the feta.
Put in the oven for about 40 minutes until it's fully set.
Allow to cool and cut up into portions.