Za'atar Lamb Meatballs with Spiced Lentils

You can make this in a smaller number of pots and pans than I did, but I’m not sure if my big pot is oven-proof so I transferred it to one of my lovely oven dishes to cook. I was just thinking how I never use my various mismatching Le Creuset stuff so I’m glad I was able to get some use out of them!

One of my favourite flavours that I tried in Lebanon was za’atar – traditionally a mixture of thyme, sesame, and sumac. It is earthy and nutty and sometimes almost tart. And it absolutely sings when spread on fresh hot bread and rolled up into a wrap. My mouth is actually watering thinking of this wrap I had.

And of course it’s cracking with a bit of lamb.

Serves 4, you get 3 meatballs per person

Turkey Meatballs with Honey Sesame Sriracha Sauce

Taking a very short break from my regularly scheduled programming of cake and brownies.

Turkey mince is healthy, but it isn’t always the easiest meat to work with. I find that if you’re not careful, it can turn out a bit bland. Adding a highly flavoured sauce is the answer here. You cannot go wrong with spicy sesame, honey and paprika and it’s a combo that I rely on often. The sauce here is delicious and full of flavour, and would also be great with shredded chicken breasts.

I was also sceptical about cooking meatballs in the oven, I didn’t know how they would survive being cooked like that – and I was pleasantly surprised! They came out perfectly cooked and perfectly formed!

I made this as a main meal with rice and roasted veggies, but these meatballs would make an amazing pita sandwich. Just imagine them, stuffed inside the bread pocket with that sauce drizzled all over, some shredded red onion and salad to make an incredible lunch.

Makes 20

Baked and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I’m in love! With a tuber!

Seriously, in my eyes there’s nothing that a sweet potato can’t achieve. They make all meals better, and you can even use them in brownies – versatile is what that is.

I have eaten them baked before, with a little butter and salt, which is a perfectly delicious way to eat them. But, if you feel like going a bit decadent, a bit over the top, a bit STUFFING SPILLING OUT FROM ITS POTATO SHELL then you need to give this a go.

The filling part can be anything of your choosing. Lamb mince would be delicious. And actually, a drier Bolognese would be incredible as a filling (with mozzarella on top, BRB making this now). But I went for my recipe for Mexican-style Pytt I Panna, since it already uses sweet potato, so I knew the flavour would be right.

I am still doing this healthy eating malarkey, so you can see that I’ve served my cheesy, spicey potato with salad. Progress!

Serves 4 (I had it for dinner for two, two nights in a row. I am smart)

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, cleaned
• 1 tbsp oil
• 400g turkey mince
• 3 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 leek
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pepper
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• Salt and pepper
• 75ml pasatta
• 150ml chicken stock
• 1 can of pinto beans
• A good handful of cheese – I went with spicy Mexicana

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Put your sweet potatoes on a baking tray and pierce a few times with a fork. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Baked and delicious!

Meanwhile, make the mince filling. Begin with the turkey mince – heat half the oil in a large pan. Fry the turkey mince with 1 tsp paprika and oregano. Set aside when cooked, and heat up the rest of the oil.

Now, chop the leek, scallions, garlic and pepper in preparation. Add this to the pan, along with the rest of the paprika, oregano, chilli powder and seasoning. Stir well, then add in the pasatta.

Give another good mix and add the cooked turkey mince back into the pan. Then gradually add in the stock until all incorporated.

Allow to simmer away for 5 minutes, then stir in the beans/sweetcorn. Turn down to a low heat and allow to simmer until the sweet potatoes are cooked (give it at least 10 minutes on low).

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, and sit for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Begin by slicing  off the top, and carefully scoop out the insides. Mash them up in a bowl, and add the mince mixture. Mix until well combined, and put this all back into the sweet potato shell.

Stuffed full of flavourful goodness!

Top with cheese and stick back in the oven for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is golden.

Serve with a side salad, and enjoy!

Mexican Style Pytt i Panna

Happy Valentine's day, my lovelies. This is not a themed post, however I think any date would be extremely happy with this cheesy, spicey, meaty, beany triumph served up for dinner! Equally, for the single among you, it is delicious eaten from a bowl, smothered in sriracha, in PJs in front of the TV. Seriously. It's amazing both ways.

I found this delicious-looking recipe a few weeks ago and it reminded me so much of pytt i panna that I had to give it a whirl (with my own tweaks!). Full disclosure – I had planned to make this way  earlier in the year, but have you ever tried buying turkey mince in early January (aka diet season)? Can’t be done.  The shelves are empty.

So, I had to wait a good few weeks to actually find the damn ingredients for this bad boy. I didn’t really know what to expect with this meal, but I love one-pot meals. So once everyone's diets had lapsed I managed to get the mince in my possession and I made it immediately!

This is an interesting concoction, like a Mexican-spiced pytt i panna mixed with lasagne. I am a big fan – it’s comforting, spicy, and packed full of my favourite things (sweet potatoes not least!). I also like the versatility, just put in the veggies and beans you like – I made it once with pinto beans and once with sweetcorn, and I think next time I’m going to put BOTH in. Whoa, calm down, son.

Easy to serve up, I have gone with salad leaves for a quick side, and paired it with guacamole the second time. Also would be amazing with baked sweet potato or served on top of a tortilla wrap.

I’m getting really hungry just typing this up. That’s how good this meal is.

Creamy Cumin Pasta

I have a confession to make. I am a recipe stealer. If I go to your house and like what I eat, I will either hound you for the exact recipe, or subtly muscle the ingredients out of you and recreate it at home.

To my family and friends, sorrynotsorry.

This is one such recipe. My aunt brought a veritable vat of it to a family gathering and I hovered over it most of the evening, gorging and trying to tease out the ingredients. It is incredibly unusual, creamy, yet spiced and sweet. Delicious hot for dinner, or cold for lunch. This is my homage to one of the nicest pasta dishes I've ever had, so thanks Auntie Mandy!

Chilli Con Carne

There is truly nothing more comforting to me than a big old bowl of homemade chilli. And with the World Cup happening, I think it's tastiness and versatility makes it the ideal game-day food.

And this one is simple, you can let it simmer away in the background while you get on with making the delicious sides (or watching the football!). I went with rice and guacamole, but there are so many options when it comes to chilli.  When I lived at home with my mum, we would live on a big pot of chilli for days. The first night we would normally eat it with rice, then the next night with baked potatoes, and sometimes even baked on top of a baguette and topped with cheese.

Spices!

Two additions for next time: I will add chillies (just didn't have any in the fridge) and I will take some of the delicious chilli leftovers and sprinkle them over nacho chips to make some ultimate nachos. So much YUM.

Lamb Lasagne

New Year’s resolution FINALLY activated! Basically, I wanted to cook with a more varied meat selection. Lamb, bring it.

This is my first foray into the world of lamb, and I chose a simple way to start: lamb mince.  Recipe gratefully stolen from my aunt, who cooked it on a recent family outing and it went down a storm. Clearly, I had to try it out myself.

This is a great recipe if you’re not a fan of the creamy, occasionally stodgy, béchamel because it just leaves it out. Instead, you get a great meat ragu topped with some crème fraiche and peppers. Really scrummy.

The flavours from the lamb give a brilliantly exotic taste to the dish, and it is something I’ll definitely be making again. Leftovers are also a sheer delight, it reheats beautifully.

Lasagne

This is unhealthy and delicious. Comfort food at its best for the miserable winter evenings: a warm rich meat sauce, creamy cheesy layers and a sliver of pasta between. This is probably my boyfriend’s favourite pasta dish and he gets extremely happy when it is served up.

Don’t be daunted by making the white sauce, it’s so much more flavourful when you make it yourself, and bonus: you can add as much cheese as you want! That's what sold it to me.

Adapted from a Nigella recipe.