By Ayesha Marium
Whip up some delicious and easy-to-make dishes for the whole family! When cooking, it’s very important to provide healthy food as well as reduce wastage. These recipes are just right up that alley.
Eggplant Boats with Mint Pesto, Feta and Yogurt Dressing
Eggplant is a staple in Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. In addition to being a delicious and versatile ingredient used in stews, dips and grills, eggplants are loaded with benefits, even its skin! They’re a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, fiber, folic acid and potassium. Studies claim eggplants promote a healthy heart, prevent certain cancers, helps control blood pressure as well as help with anaemia and diabetes.
This recipe uses the whole eggplant which reduces wastage and is a great vegetarian option. You can add meat if you like. For a vegan version, omit the cheese in the recipe.
Mint Pesto
2 cup mint leaves
1 cup coriander leaves, with stem
1/2 cup almonds, skinned and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cups olive oil
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Place the mint leaves, coriander leaves with stem, almonds, garlic and lemon zest together in a blender or a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Stop the machine a few times to scrape down the sides of the blender.
2. Season with salt and pepper, then add half of the olive oil and blend. If the consistency is too thick, add in a little more olive oil until you get a nice green paste with very little chunks.
Yogurt Dressing
2 cups yogurt, plain
1 cup laban, plain
1 tbsp sumac
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate until use.
Eggplant Boats
2 medium-sized eggplants
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup feta cheese in oil, broken with a fork
1/4 cup mint pesto
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Directions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
2. Cut the eggplants length-wise and use a spoon and hollow out eggplants, leaving about a 1/2-inch-thick border around skin to create a boat; transfer to baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and salt.
3. Roughly chop the scooped-out pieces into bite-sized chunks.
4. In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the garlic till fragrant. Add in the red bell peppers, chopped eggplant and onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture is soft.
5. Transfer the eggplant mixture to a large bowl and mix in the pesto and feta cheese with oil. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
6. Carefully divide and stuff the prepared eggplant boats with the mixture.
7. Pour a cup or so of water into the bottom of the dish so that eggplant doesn’t dry out on the outside, to about 1/4 inch depth.
8. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour, until the eggplants are soft and the tops are browned.
9. Transfer the eggplant boats to a serving dish and drizzle the yogurt dressing. A side of green salad goes perfectly with this dish.
Veggie Potato Cakes for Kids
The vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants in fresh vegetables and fruits are vital in building kids’ immune system and fighting against illnesses. However, many children are picky eaters and many parents struggle getting their children to eat vegetables.
This recipe is a great trick to sneak veggies into your child’s diet. It comes together quickly, and you can add any vegetables into the potato mixture. I love adding cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken into the mixture to make it a complete meal. This version involves frying the cakes in shallow oil but you can bake these in 180°C pre-heated oven for 7-8 minutes on each side.
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized potatoes
1 cup carrots, diced
1/4 cup onions, diced
1 cup chicken, cooked
1 egg, separated
2 tbsp butter, soft
2 cups breadcumbs
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Sunflower oil, for frying
Directions:
1. Peel and dice potatoes. Add a teaspoon of salt to a pot of water and boil the potatoes in it until tender. Once cooked, strain the water and place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and let them cool.
2. Separately, boil carrots until they’re tender and strain the water.
3. In a small saucepan, sauté the onion in a tablespoon of butter. Once the onion is translucent, add in the boiled carrots and sauté further for 2 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a small bowl and let it cool.
4. Take the bowl of potatoes and using a masher, mash the potatoes gently. You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you like.
5. Add in the carrot onion mixture, cooked chicken, egg, the remaining butter and give it a good mix. Season according to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Divide the mixture into 4-6 portions and shape balls then flatten into cakes using your hands.
7. Dip the cakes into the egg white then coat them in breadcrumbs.
8. Shallow fry the cakes in sunflower oil until golden brown on each side and serve.
