A week’s worth of healthy meals: Spiced fish tortillas with an Asian coleslaw

So yesterday there was no post because there was no new healthy meal… I was living off leftovers! My fridge at home is a little infamous among our friends and family. My mom is a terrible grocery shopper (yes, there is such a thing), as she has a habit of buying whatever catches her attention, quite absent mindedly, without any meal plan in mind. She is also very easily influenced to spontaneously go out for dinner, as I don’t think she likes cooking that much anymore, and any excuse not to is warmly welcomed! She’s also a very busy person who rarely looks into the fridge with any intention of organising it. So the cumulative result of all this is that our fridge is packed with half-used and slowly decaying food, and there’s very little space to put anything new. Needless to say, we all have very strong stomachs, and our motto happens to be, ‘What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger’. I would, however, still not recommend this way of life!

Today’s recipe is taken and adapted from Food and Home Entertaining.Their original spice mixture was incredibly hot, and almost unbearable (my poor gran was subjected to said meal), so I’ve altered it a little to make it a little milder. Remember to always taste a spice mixture before adding it to anything (my mistake!) so you know approximately how much you should add. Start by sprinkling a little bit on, and if it’s not strong enough, then just add more. This salad is fantastic and keeps for a long time (a major pro in our fridge!).

Spicy fish tortillas with an Asian coleslaw

Spiced Fish Tortillas with an Asian Coleslaw

For the Asian Coleslaw:

3/4 red baby cabbage, sliced

1/2 big carrot, peeled and sliced

Handful mange tout, sliced

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

Drizzle of honey

Drizzle of olive oil

Handful lightly toasted sesame seeds

For the spiced fish:

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground allspice

500g hake/other fish, sliced into strips

1 cup plain yoghurt

4 tortillas

A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

Mix the ingredients for the Asian coleslaw dressing together until combined, then pour over the remaining ingredients.

Mix the fish spices together, then heat a little olive oil in a pan, quickly coat the fish slices in the spices and fry the fish until opaque and cooked through.

Serve the tortillas with a base of salad, then top off with some fish strips, sprinkle over some chopped coriander and drizzle over some plain yoghurt, with a squeeze of lemon juice. Wrap up and enjoy!

A week’s worth of healthy meals: Nutty, Herby Wholewheat Couscous

The thing about experimenting with new recipes, although incredibly fun and occasionally rewarding, is that they can turn out horribly wrong, and offend both your guests and your budget. Plus I hate apologising for a meal that has gone awry. The meal featured in this post had areally delicious and repeat-worthy element, and some not so great elements.

I wanted to try out a dish I had seen made by Nigel Slater on his BBC Lifestyle show, which was lamb cutlets with a herby lemony feta dressing. Sounds delicious right? It looked amazing, and seemed so simple to make, therefore a weekday winner. Hmm… not so much. Cutlets were nowhere to be found, therefore lamb chops had to suffice. Bad choice, as the recipe called for grilling, and the packaging of the chops agreed. Let’s just say the meat wasn’t as tender as was desired. The dressing, which had few ingredients (which is usually a good sign, as there is less to pull the recipe off track), could have been promising, but was almost unbearably strong, as the saltiness of the feta combined with the tart lemon made you pucker! It was good in moderation, but not one of those madly successful recipes you just have to try again.

The couscous I had made to accompany it, however, was just one of those recipes. It was silky, light, nutty and herby, and the next day, everyone greedily ate the leftover couscous by itself. As good as it is by itself, if you want to bulk it up a little, it’s great as a salad with grilled marinated artichokes and roast pumpkin, or just a variety of roast veg and a little bit of crumbled feta. It would also go amazingly well with a saucy casserole, stew or curry, or a Morrocean lamb. This recipe is taken and adapted from the cookbook Sumptious by Marlene van der Westhuizen.

Nutty, Herby Wholewheat Couscous

Ingredients:

2 cups wholewheat couscous

2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Handful flatleaf parsley, chopped

3 red salad onions, finely chopped

Handful pinenuts

Handful flaked almonds

Method:

Pour the olive oil over the couscous in a bowl, and stir until the grains are well coated but separate.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil, then pour over the couscous until it just covers (you might have some stock left over). Cover with cling wrap or a lid and allow to absorb.

Meanwhile, lightly dry fry the pine nuts and flaked almonds in a pan over the stove until you can smell the nuttiness and they have turned a light golden colour.

Once all the stock has been absorbed, fluff the cous cous with a fork and add all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Nutty, Herby Wholewheat Couscous

Note on couscous:

Couscous, while quite exotic to the Western world, is a constant with every meal in North African countries like Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya. It’s a man-made grain, and in North African countries, women congregate to labouriously roll pellets from semolina, water and flour to seperate it, which would be done over days to create huge batches, and then cooked in bulk in big food steamers. These days, couscous is made mechanically in factories to reach the shelves of our closest supermarket, and is conveniently pre-steamed and dried so as to make the cooking time a fraction of what it was originally.

A week’s worth of meals: Pea and Goat’s Cheese Fritters with Tzatziki

One day down and I’m still going strong, which I take to be a very good sign, agreed? Here’s another fantastic recipe that’s inspired by Food and Home Entertaining, with my own little twist. It’s green and packed with vegetables, and is a light meal for dinner. A little frying never did you any harm 😉 The yoghurt of the tzatziki is perfect with the fritters, as it soothes the palate that is slightly tinged by the dried chilli in the fritter batter. I tried it out with some roast wild mushrooms with garlic and olive oil the other day, which worked out very well. I’ve also been thinking the fritters would be a yummy base for poached eggs and a creamier sauce!

Pea and Goat’s Cheese Fritters with Tzatziki

Ingredients:

100g cake flour

1tsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

150ml milk

3/4 cup frozen peas

100g goat cheese, crumbled

3 spring onions, or red salad onions, finely chopped

1tsp mint, finely chopped

1tsp fennel or dill, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes (or to taste)

For the tzatziki:

1 cup fat-free Bulgarian yoghurt

1tsp lemon juice

2tsp finely chopped fennel

1/2 cup roughly chopped cucumber

Method:

Mix together the flour and baking powder, make a well in the centre, and add the milk and egg in the middle. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the middle to create a smooth batter.

Add the peas, goat cheese, herbs, spring onion, chilli flakes and season with salt and pepper, then mix.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add a little drizzle of olive oil. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan (the amount is up to you and how big you want your fritters) and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through, then transfer to a plate linesd with paper towl.

While the fritters are cooking, combine all the tzatziki ingredients together, then serve the fritters with a little tzatziki on top.

A note on goat cheese:

Goat cheese is considered to be the healthiest choice of cheese, and yet because it has a strong flavour and creamy texture, not many health addicts complain! It’s known to be lower in kilojoules and fat, and higher in protein and calcium. It’s also a good option for those who are mildly lactose intolerant, and has probiotics, the good bacteria that helps with digestion. As it is a strong-flavoured cheese, it’s great accompanied by sweet flavours, such as caramelized onion on sandwiches, quesadillas and pizzas, and fruit in salads.

A week’s worth of healthy meals: Courgette and Creme Fraiche Pasta

I know it’s a cliche to start off the the new year on a healthy note. It’s the reason Virgin Active gives away hundreds of red adidas backpacks if you join  at the beginning of the year (do they still do that?), and also the reason you see these backpacks on nearly everyone’s backs around Cape Town. Students, I observed, seemed to be particularly vulnerable, maybe because at that young age we believe a new year will cause us to become entirely new people. Like the type of people that actually go to gym regularly and eat healthily 90% of the time. And I, also being a student, am entirely guilty of this mind set, believing I might have a life-altering revelation that will cause me to be become like those few higher mortals. But, alas, like all normal and less-than-perfect people, I’m still stumbling after the first month. How could I make this year be different?

So I figured if I made it a type of project, to discover, try out and blog as many healthy meals as I could, it will appeal to the dominant foodie side of me. Now don’t get me wrong, I will still be making and enjoying home-baked cakes and forbidden foods like risotto and pasta and pizza. I mean, I tried out a new cake recipe just the other day. But I’m going to try and include as much fruit and as many vegetables as I possibly can into a meal, and do the whole yadda-yadda-moderation thing. And I share more of my cake, so my friends and family are happier too. It’s a win-win situation.

Monday starts with a healthy twist on my absolute starchy favourite: pasta. This recipe was actually thought up by my friend Daniela, who passed it on to my roommate, who kindly shared a bite and got me hooked. It fulfils all the requirements for a delicious meal, being starchy and cheesy and gooey, but also packs the wholegrain and vegetable dose in. It’s also incredibly quick to make, so it’s perfect for a weekday meal, and there’s very little cooking involved, i.e. less dishes to wash ! You see, a student at heart.

Courgette and Creme Fraiche Pasta

Ingredients:

250g Wholewheat Pasta

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

300g courgettes, grated

125g creme fraiche

1/2 chopped up green chilli (optional, and to taste)

Handful parmesan, to serve (optional)

Method:

Bring a pot of water with 1 Tbsp salt to the boil, then add the wholewheat pasta and garlic cloves and continue boiling until al dente (about 15 minutes).

Drain the pasta, leaving 2Tbsp of the cooking water over, and remove the garlic cloves. Add the grated courgette, creme fraiche and chilli, and continue cooking, continually tossing, until glossy and thick.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then divide into bowls and sprinkle grated parmesan over.

Serves 3-4 people.

A little tip: As you might have noticed, when I write out a pasta recipe, I also include saving a little of the pasta cooking water, adding the sauce, and tossing over heat until glossy and thick. I’ve read over and over again that this is the secret to perfectly coated pasta like the restaurants make it.

A note on courgettes:

Courgettes are one of my favourite vegetables, and not only because I have more than one name to to call it (zucchini and baby marrow can be substituted). It can be used in salads, stews, traditionally in ratatouille, but is often best sliced thinly, grilled, and served among braai meat or in salads (I have an amazing courgette, mint, pea and quinoa salad I’m intending on sharing sometime soon). A more exotic use of courgette involves the flowers, which can be stuffed, dipped in a batter, and deep fried, which is traditionally Italian. I’m on the lookout for them, as they’re usually only sold at fresh farmer’s markets, and not often in supermarkets, so I can try it out! Courgettes are well paired with chilli, garlic, mint and strong cheeses.