Spiced Meatballs with avocado crema

Ingredients

  • 500g minced beef
  • 200g cooked rice
  • 3 spring onions, roughly chopped
  • Handful of coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1tsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 1/2tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 1/2tsp salt

Avocado Crema

  • 1 avocado
  • 4tbs sour cream
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2tbs fresh coriander, chopped
  • Pinch sea salt
  • FOR THE SALSA:
  • 4 tomatoes, diced and drained
  • 1/2 red or yellow pepper, diced
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 2tbs coriander, finely chopped
  • 2tbs jalapeñonos, finely diced
  • Juice of 1 lime

To Serve

Soft corn tortillas or tortilla chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place all of the ingredients for the meatballs into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until evenly combined.

Using wet hands, shape tablespoons of the meat into 20-25 balls. Arrange evenly on a large baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through until cooked through. I usually thread these on skewers for novelty and ease.

Meanwhile, make the crema. Blitz the avocado, sour cream, lime juice, coriander and salt until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Mix all of the salsa ingredients until combined. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Serve the meatballs right away with warm soft tortillas, the avocado crema and the salsa.

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 225g cooked chicken, brown and white meat
  • 1tbs marjoram
  • ½tsp rosemary
  • 1 egg
  • 1tbs mayonnaise
  • 50g Parmesan, grated
  • 80g breadcrumbs

Serves 18-20

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Brush a baking tray with oil. Place the onion, chicken and herbs into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz briefly until chopped but still rough in texture.

Add the egg, mayonnaise and Parmesan. Blitz until just combined. You don't want a paste but rather a uniform mix that comes together.

Roll tablespoons of the mixture into little balls, then flatten slightly. Coat them in the breadcrumbs and place on the tray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake for a further eight to 10 minutes until golden.

Serve with chips, salad or baked potatoes.

Easy Bibimbap

Ingredients

  • 200g shortgrain or basmati rice
  • 500g mixed stir-fried vegetables
  • 2tbs soy sauce
  • 2tsp chilli sauce
  • 4 eggs
  • From the pantry
  • Sunflower or olive oil

Method

Rinse the rice well in a sieve under running water. Place in a medium saucepan with one pint of boiling water. Bring to the boil, then lower to a bare simmer, cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, then leave to steam for a further five minutes.

Meanwhile heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the vegetables, frying and stirring for five minutes or so until the vegetables are only just cooked. Season with the soy sauce and chilli or sriracha sauce. Fry for a further minute or so and set aside to keep warm.

Heat two to three tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolk still very soft.

Serve by dividing the rice into four bowls, then adding the vegetables and then topping each with an egg. Finally, stir the contents of the bowl together until mixed and add extra soy sauce and sriracha to taste.

Serves 4