A “healthy eating but still yummy kick”

As I briefly mentioned in my last and first blog post I am currently on a healthy eating kick – this includes lunches as well as dinners and I have been racking my brain (and recipe collection) to create shopping lists that include ingredients for about 10 meals a week – trying to be as cost effective about it as possible by using elements (i.e. leftovers) from the dinners for the lunchbox the next day

This has been going pretty well for the past 3 weeks but does get lost on the weekend where time flies and I just can’t help but being greedy - there are just too many yummy but deadly foods out there – such as BUTTER and CHEESE – which, if we all face it, are pretty damn yummy and I admit, my weaknesses

But healthy eating can still be delicious, quick and fun and there are a few ingredients that can really jazz up an everyday meal

..presenting HARISSA

Harissa can be found in own brand jars in many supermarkets but by far the best and the one that will last you the longest is Belazu. Belazu is a great brand specialising in Moroccan & European sauces / spices and accompaniments. I also love their preserved lemons which go great in salads and salsas

But harissa is super! On a basic level it is a chilli paste so is quite hot and spicy if used in large quantity. But it also contains lots of spices, including rose, which combine to give a great sweet smoky flavour if used sparingly. You can also use it in pretty much anything too... Mix a teaspoon into yog for a great dip to eat with grilled lamb chops and cous cous. Or mix it in scrambled eggs, pasta sauces or even jazz up beans on toast (which is mega yum)! It also tastes great as a marinade when mixed with garlic and oregano

As I found out last night it works with sweet potato wedges too, a recipe which I had spotted in the latest wave of new recipes on GoodFood (my favourite recipe site). They turned out ok but were a bit too mushy – next time I’ll do bigger chunkier wedges. But I love that about cooking – trial and error and learning

We ate the wedges with some simple lamb meatballs and a big batch of roasted veg which I used in a cous cous and chickpea salad for lunch the next day. The veg was mixed with a little olive oil, dried oregano, seasoning, and a splash of balsamic. I often go looking for any green dried herb I have in the spice draw and chuck that in too...

For the meatballs I mixed together some lamb mince with crushed garlic, salt and a mixture of dried mint, oregano and charmoula. I then fried them off in a tablespoon of oil and once browned I chucked in a can of toms. As there were lots of flavours going on with the wedges and roasted veg I did not need to add anything else to the sauce

Charmoula is a spice mix I discovered at my favourite local Moroccan restaurant (seriously yum). It is used in a lot of North African cuisine as a meat rub and marinade. It is also a key ingredient used in Keftas – traditional Moroccan meatballs which are boiled either in water or a rich tomato sauce. Charmoula is a combination of a number of herbs and spices which usually include; parsley, cumin, coriander and chilli. I have made traditional Keftas before and hope to get the recipe up here soon :)

I have found that if you are prepared you can make the best use of the time available while cooking a meal – it doesn’t have to be a slog. While my veg and sweet pots were roasting in the oven I got my meatballs on the go and prepared the cous cous for the salad the next day! But I always make sure I have moments to put my feet up with a glass of red wine in hand

I enjoy food too much so wanted to keep that desire alive while still making it as yum as it’s always been –more posts to come :)