Unislim's 30 Day Diet was written by Fiona Gratzer and published by Ebury Press.
Ingredients
These homemade meatballs are so easy to make, and they taste amazing with our harissa yogurt dip. We've cooked them in an air fryer with a light misting of oil, but if you don’t have one, no worries; there are instructions for making them an oven in the tip below.
The colourful Greek salad adds a touch of summer to your plate, as well as lots of gut- friendly vegetables.
Serves: 2
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10-12 minutes
kcals per serving: 10-12 minutes
- 250g lean minced beef
- 15g fresh wholemeal
- breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 medium free-range egg,
- beaten
- 1 small onion, grated
- handful of flat-leaf parsley,
- chopped
- a few mint sprigs, chopped
- olive oil spray
- sea salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
For the Greek salad
- 2 juicy tomatoes, cut into
- chunks
- 1⁄4 cucumber, cut into chunks
- 1 green pepper, cubed
- 1⁄4 red onion, very finely sliced
- 6 black olives
- 100g feta cheese, cubed
- 1⁄2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp fruity olive oil
- red wine vinegar, for drizzling
For the harissa yogurt dip
- 120g fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp harissa paste
Method
- Combine the minced beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, egg, onion and herbs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well, then use your hands to scrunch everything together.
- Take a small amount of the mixture and, using your hands, roll it into a ball, a little larger than a walnut and
- smaller than a golf ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture. You should end up with 8–10 meatballs.
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C.
- Lightly spray the meatballs with oil and place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving a little space between them – you may have to cook them in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer. ]Cook for 5 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another 5–7 minutes on the other side until browned and cooked right through.
- Meanwhile, make the Greek salad. Put the vegetables and olives into a bowl and mix well. Top with the feta and sprinkle with oregano. Drizzle with the olive oil and red wine vinegar, and season to taste.
- To make the harissa yogurt dip, pour the yogurt into a bowl and swirl in the harissa paste. Serve with the meatballs and Greek salad.
Tip: If you don't have an air fryer, bake the meatballs in a preheated oven at 190°C (gas mark 5) for 15–20 minutes until lightly browned and cooked inside.
