Baked Falafal

Here is another healthy one for you guys. Healthy and absolutely AMAZING!

Since discovering this recipe on Thursday I have made this three times. They are brilliant to pop in a salad for lunch and are only 46 calories in a serving! Ive been putting them with a few spoonfuls for giant couscous in a salad, making a fantastic Moroccan salad.

Makes 14 (3 in a serving)

Ingredients

1 can/240g drained chickpeas
1 small white onion
40g wholemeal flour
Handful of fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cal spray oil

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C / 400 F & put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until the ingredients start to combine and are well mixed. 

2. Cover a baking tray with baking paper and give it a spritz with 1 cal spray

3. Use a spoon to scoop out some of the mixture and roll into a ball using your hands. Placing on the baking tray and pressing down slightly.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, turning over after 10 minutes.

Simply Scrumptious Sausage Rolls

My Sister-in-law to be has just had a baby so I wanted to make them a few meals that they could grab quickly, heat up and enjoy with little effort. I also made some simple sausage rolls as a quick snack or lunch and they turned out fantastic!

They are so simple to make and take just 15 minutes to prepare. I am going to confess that I didn't make my own puff pastry but I don't think there is anything at all wrong with shop bought! Like I've said in the past, pastry is something that I am working myself up to making so one day I will have a post on here for my own puff pastry!

Serves 9

Ingredients

Sausage Meat

Puff Pastry

Tabasco

Worcester Sauce

Thyme

1 Egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4

2. Combine the sausage meat, thyme, Tabasco and Worcester sauce and give it a good mix.

3. Open out your puff pastry, cut into 9 portions and lay out onto a baking sheet.

4. Make sausage shapes with the meat and pop onto one side of the pastry, leave about 3cm at the end for crimping. 

5. Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg and fold the pastry over the sausage meat. Using a fork, push down the edges so they make a seal. 

6. Using a knife, score slits into the top of the sausage rolls and then brush with the remaining beaten egg. 

7. Pop in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. 
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Pop your feet up and enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Filo Pie

After a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen making an evening meal. I like to be able to come home, throw together a nice delicious meal and relax for the rest of the evening.

One great recipe book I have come across that is prefect for this is Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals. I have tried a few recipes so far but our favourite that we have made a few too many times but never gets boring is the Spinach and Feta Filo Pie.

The end result of this pie is fantastic. It looks like so much work has gone into it but you literally combine all of the ingredients, layer the filo and then fold it all over. Simple, quick and delicious! 

Now I know this recipe comes from Jamie's 30 Minute Meals and i'd like to say I can make it in 30 minutes but unfortunately I can't and it does usually take me a bit longer.... but it's totally worth the time!

This dish also lasts for a few days is the fridge and is great hot or cold. I like to serve it cold with a nice fresh salad. It is also great to take on a picnic or just pop it in your lunch box for work the next day!

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

100g pine nuts
5 free range eggs
300g feta cheese
50g Cheddar cheese
Dried oregano
1 lemon
A knob of butter
400g prewashed baby spinach
1 x 270g pack of filo pastry
Cayenne pepper
1 whole nutmeg

Directions

1. Turn oven on to 200°C / 400°F / gas mark 6
2. Put the pine nuts into a dry ovenproof frying pan and toast, tossing occasionally - make sure you keep an eye on these. I usually toast them for about 3 minutes.
3. Crack 5 eggs into a mixing bowl and crumble in 300g of feta cheese.
4. Grate in 50g of Cheddar cheese and add a pinch of pepper, a couple of pinches of dried oregano, the zest of 1 lemon and a lug of olive oil.
5. Once the nuts are light golden, add them to the egg mixture and mix well.

6. Pop the empty frying pan back onto the heat, add a little olive oil and a knob of butter and pile in half of the spinach. Gently move the spinach around, adding more as it wilts down. Make sure it doesn't catch and keep on adding the rest making sure to stir frequently.
7. Meanwhile, take the pastry out of the fridge and lay a large a large sheet of greaseproof paper, approximately 50cm long on your work top. Rub it all over with olive oil and scrunch it into a ball and then lay it flat out again.
8. Pop 4 filo pastry sheets in a large rectangle, overlapping at the edges so that they almost cover the paper. Rub some olive oil over them. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt & pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Repeat until you have 3 layers - don't worry about any cracked bits.
9. Once the spinach is nice and dense, take the pan off the heat and add the wilted spinach to the egg mixture. Grate in ½ a nutmeg and mix well.
10. Carefully move the greaseproof paper and filo into the empty frying pan so the edges spill over. Push it down into the sides of the pan, then pour in the egg mixture and spread it out.
11. Fold the filo sheets over the top and let them fall where they will. Put the pan back on a medium heat for a couple of minutes to get the bottom cooking, then put the pan into the oven on the top shelf to cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

If you don't have a frying pan that you can put in the oven, you can also use a pie or cake tin (I use an 18cm spring form cake tin and it works perfectly). Just be careful when putting it on the heat before putting it in the oven as the paper may catch and the tin will be hot!