Mince Surprise

I had mince and a bunch of veggies in the fridge which needed to be used up so I threw this together and called it Mince Surprise. We all loved it and went back for seconds. This serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 600g lean beef mince
• 4 shallots roughly chopped
• 400g tin kidney beans
• 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 zucchini ends removed and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup green pitted olives
• 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoons chopped chilli
• Salt & pepper
• 2 cups pasta
• 2 cups water
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup grated cheese

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven for 10mins on 180 degrees celsius
2. In a large oven-proof pot on the stovetop, add olive oil and heat on a high heat
3. Add mince and brown while stirring
4. Once the mince is brown add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir through
5. Add everything else, except the cheese, and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling, remove from stovetop, top with grated cheese and place in the oven on 180 degrees for 40mins
7. Garnish with torn basil leaves if you have them...D-E-L-icious  XD

Caponata

Caponata is a traditional Maltese dish which is vegetarian and full of colour. This recipe is easy to make, low-fat and very tasty. You'll need to set aside about an hour in total for preparation and cooking. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 3 capsicums, chopped (I used one yellow, one red and one green)
• 1 large eggplant, peeled, salted and cubed
• 5 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon sliced black olives
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Pepper to taste (you shouldn't need salt as the capers and olives are salty)

Method:

1. Place the chopped eggplant in salted water and leave it for about 5mins
2. In a large saucepan, cook the chopped onions in 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil until clear
3. Add the chopped capsicums and cook for about 4mins on medium heat
4. Add some water to prevent sticking
5. Remove the eggplant from the water and add it to the saucepan
6. Cook for about 5mins until they soften slightly
7. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well
8. Add the curry powder, pepper, oregano, olives and capers and stir well
9. Cook for 40mins on a low heat
10. Serve with either rice or pasta sprinkled with either Parmesan or Fetta cheese.

Note: This is nice served warm or cold and can also be used as a pizza topping, or as a side dish for meat...D-E-L-icious  XD

Healthilicious Pizza

This home-made pizza is extremely low fat, very healthy, deliciously tasty and so very simple. This serves 1 pizza (6 pieces).

Ingredients:

• Flat Lebanese bread (wholemeal)
• Low-fat Fetta cheese, finely chopped
• Sliced black olives
• Pineapple pieces
• Capsicums - red, green & yellow, finely chopped
• Garlic, finely chopped
• Shallots, finely chopped
• Mushrooms, finely sliced
• Salsa (mild)
• Chili flakes (optional)
• Oregano, thyme & rosemary

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven for 10mins on 180 degrees celsius
2. Spoon a tablespoon of salsa onto a piece of Lebanese bread (this is the tomato base)
3. Add all the toppings
4. Sprinkle the chili flakes if you like it spicy
5. Cook for 10-12 minutes
6. Serve sliced into 6 pieces

I've also made one of these pizzas with tinned tomatoes as the base, topped with grilled eggplant, garlic and crumbled low-fat fetta cheese. Once cooked - garnish with whole basil leaves. Check this out...

D-E-L-icious  XD