BEEF & SWEET POTATO LASAGNE

I adapted this recipe from an Aldi magazine, which served their Beef & Eggplant Lasagne with roasted kale. Not being a big fan of eggplant (I just can not get past the texture!) I used sweet potato, which holds its shape beautifully when grilled and acts as a wonderful lasagne sheet replacement. I added lots of vegetables into the lasagne which omitted the need to make a vegetable side. I love fresh herbs, hence the addition of basil, oregano and parsley in the ingredients list. If you do not have herbs on hand or do not want to buy them, use cheaper dried options. However keep in mind that you can place herbs in a plastic zip lock bag in the fridge and/or freezer and they will keep for much longer. Also fresh herbs taste insanely better than dried herbs. You could even make this lasagne vegetarian by increasing the quantities of the vegetables and omitting the beef. This is the heartiest lasagne I have ever had and I love that I wasn't left with a 'too full' feeling that I often get after eating traditional lasagne with all the wheat and cheese. This recipe does take just shy of 2 hours to make from the prep to the eating stage, however it feeds 6-8 and is worth the time, particularly as 45 minutes of that time involves only the work of your oven! 

Ingredients

• 1 kg lean beef mince
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 a large red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped/crushed
• 1 large carrot, diced into even pieces
• 1 large zucchini, diced into even pieces
• 2 sticks of celery, diced into even pieces
• 1 capsicum, diced into even pieces
• 150g sliced mushrooms, diced into even pieces
• 700g passata
• Optional - 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce 
• 2 heaped tablespoons fresh basil
• 2 heaped tablespoons fresh oregano 
• 2 heaped tablespoons fresh parsley 
• 3 tomatoes (around 450g), diced into even pieces
• 800g sweet potato, peeled & finely sliced into even rounds
• 40 feta, crumbled 

Cooking 

1. Heat a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and cook, stirring with a strong spoon to break up the lumps, until the beef is browned. Next, add the onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, celery, capsicum and mushrooms and stir to combine. Cover the saucepan and cook the vegetables for 5 minutes. 

2. Remove the lid and pour in the passata. Fill the pasta bottle 1/3 of the way with water and pour into the pan, along with the Worcester sauce, fresh herbs and diced tomato. Cover the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer on low with the lid just ajar for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

3. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

4. After you have brought the vegetables & beef to the boil, heat a grill plate/pan over medium-high heat and brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Add the sweet potato rounds and cook until grill marks appear on each side, then remove from the heat and continue until all sweet potato has been grilled. 

5. In a deep oven proof dish layer the lasagne; start by pouring 1/2 of the sauce on the bottom, then cover with 1/2 of the sweet potato rounds then repeat this layer. Sprinkle the crumbled feta on top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the feta is golden brown and the sweet potato on the top layer is tender but not mushy. 

Serve with ground black pepper and more herbs, if desired. 

Serves / 6-8
Total Preparation time / 20-25 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 1 hr 30 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN BURRITO BOWL

I love going out for meals, as I love trying to recreate the dishes I order at home. This creation was based on a Chicken Burrito Bowl I had at Salsa's. Low in carbs & fat and high in veges and protein, this lunch filled me up for hours. If pressed for time like I was, shred a free-range cooked chicken including the skin. You can also cook and shred chicken breast by poaching; the link to my recipe for poaching is below. Add whatever vegetables you have on hand and for vegetarians you could substitute the chicken for a type of bean, such as  black beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, etc. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed under cold running water twice
• 500g free range chicken breast or 500g cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil
• 1 large broccoli head, cut into small florets & stalk chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, roughly cubed
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 medium green capsicum, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Place the rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 8-10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave the quinoa for 5 minutes, covered, then fluff with a fork. 

2. Meanwhile, either poach the chicken breast or shred your pre-cooked chicken. If poaching follow step 1 on this link: http://soulfulsandwiches.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/poached-shredded-pulled-chicken-with.html. Omit the ginger and thyme but do add the 2 garlic cloves. 

3. Meanwhile, combine the capsicum, tomato and spring onion in a medium bowl and toss well. 

4. Heat a large deep fry pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot add the broccoli. Stir well and cover for 3 minutes, before adding the zucchini and taco seasoning, stirring well and covering again for 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli and zucchini are just tender. NB: If the vegetables start to stick to the pan add a splash of water. 

5. Once the vegetables are cooked turn the heat to low, add the cooked quinoa and the shredded chicken to the pan and toss well to combine. Season to taste. 

Divide into six servings and top with the capsicum, tomato and spring onion mixture. 

Serves / 6 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes w/cooked chicken / 35 if poaching chicken 

x Emily