slowcooked

Indian Brisket

September 20, 2021 | Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Red meat, Slow Cooked

This pull apart Indian Brisket is a lovely set and forget meal. It’s a rich, flavoursome meal that is delicious paired with the zesty slaw and yoghurt. Brisket is the perfect meat for a slow cooker. It needs to be cooked ‘low and slow’ to tenderise the meat and the longer time develops the depth…

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Slow Cooked Beef Ragu

October 12, 2020 | Budget Friendly, Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Red meat, Slow Cooked

This slow cooked Beef Ragu is a delicious, easy meal. My family call it fancy or ‘real spag bol’ after a trip to Italy when they were little made them experts in Italian cuisine. Interestingly, the main difference between ragu and bolognese is the ratio of meat to sauce. Ragu is a meat-based sauce while…

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Indian Spiced Lamb Shoulder

August 31, 2020 | Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Red meat, Slow Cooked

This delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Indian Spiced Lamb Shoulder is a meal I know you’re going to love. It takes about 5 minutes of prep, then it’s slow cooked in the oven to create the tastiest meal. With Father’s Day just around the corner this is a fabulous ‘roast’ for dad for lunch or dinner. My hubby…

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Asian Sticky Pulled Pork

June 8, 2020 | Make-ahead Meals, Pork, Slow Cooked

This Asian Sticky Pulled Pork couldn’t be quicker or easier to prepare and when you take it from the oven, you’ll have a melt in your mouth, sticky sweet pulled pork to enjoy.

The zesty slaw is the perfect accompaniment to offset the sweetness of the pork so I highly recommend you make it. Sometimes we have this all piled into tortillas which is also extremely delicious.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit any specific dietary requirements.

This Asian Sticky Pulled Pork couldn’t be quicker or easier to prepare. The zesty slaw is the perfect accompaniment to offset the sweetness of the pork.

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5 from 23 votes

Asian Sticky Pulled Pork

This simple Asian Sticky Pulled Pork is so easy to prepare. The zesty slaw is the perfect accompaniment to offset the sweetness of the pork so I highly recommend you make it.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Author: Georgia Harding

Ingredients

1 kg pork shoulder – or collar, boned, fat trimmed
3 tbsp ginger root – fresh and finely grated (approx. 50 g)
4 clove/s garlic – crushed
1 red chilli/s – long and halved (optional)
3 star anise
75 ml tamari – or coconut aminos (⅓ cup)
115 g rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup (⅓ cup)
120 ml dry white wine (½ cup)
120 ml chicken stock or bone broth (½ cup)
1 ½ tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder

Asian Slaw

½ red or white cabbage
1 green apple – sliced into matchsticks or a cup of diced pineapple
½ bunch/s fresh mint leaves
1 red capsicum/s – sliced

Dressing

1 lime/s – juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup
1 red chilli/s – optional and diced

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 160°C/ 320°F (fan-forced).
Place the pork in a cast iron Dutch oven or casserole dish with a heavy or tight fitting lid (if not tight, place a layer of foil under the lid or wrap the dish tightly with foil so the pork steams).
In a small jug mix the ginger, garlic, chill, star anise, tamari, sweeter, wine, stock and five spice and pour over the pork.
Cook for 3 hours, turning after an 1½ hours.
Remove the lid, break up the pork and increase the heat to 200°C (390°F) and cook for a further 20 minutes (uncovered) or until the sauce reduces and the pork is sticky and tender. Watch it carefully to get the caramelisation perfect.
Make the slaw by mixing all the salad ingredients together. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a jar and shake well to combine. Dress the salad just prior to serving.

Serve

Serve the pork with the salad.
Great inside tortillas too.

Slow cooker

This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.
If you end up with a lot of liquid, you may need to reduce this on the stove top or in the oven to caramelise the meat and make it nice and sticky.

Make Ahead

Re-heat in a low oven (covered) until just hot.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

Wine-free

Replace with stock or broth plus a tsp of vinegar.

Soy-free

Replace the tamari with coconut aminos.

Seafood-free

Replace the fish sauce with a tablespoon of sea salt.

Fructose-friendly

Choose rice malt as your sweetener.

Grain-free

Choose maple syrup as your sweetener.

Garlic-free

Omit or replace with garlic oil (if tolerated).

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe. Post a comment below and rate this recipe, thanks so much.

Lamb Korma with Spiced Cauliflower Rice

April 7, 2020 | Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Red meat, Slow Cooked

This slow cooked Lamb Korma with Spiced Cauliflower Rice is one of my favourite ways to eat lamb. Despite the long list of ingredients, this dish is actually very easy to make and is a beautifully spiced, delicious meal. It’s also a great curry to introduce to young kids as there’s no heat. For a…

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Chinese Five Spice Beef Brisket

March 17, 2020 | Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Red meat, Slow Cooked, Vegetarian

This really easy to prepare Chinese Five Spice Beef Brisket is a delicious meal with melt in your mouth meat, creamy mash and a zesty slaw. I really love cooking with brisket. It’s a cheap cut that does best when slow cooked. When combined with the warming and nourishing spices, immune supportive Shiitake mushrooms and…

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Fresh Tomato, Olive and Basil Spaghetti

March 16, 2020 | 30 Minute Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Side dishes, Vegetarian

This delicious Fresh Tomato, Olive and Basil Spaghetti is perfect for a simple dinner or light lunch. It’s really quick and easy to make, literally in the time it takes to boil pasta, you have a meal on the table. It can be served at room temperature or chilled as a pasta salad. When I was…

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Beef Fillet with Garlic Tahini Sauce

October 15, 2019 | Holidays & Entertaining, Red meat, Slow Cooked

With the festive season sneaking up quicker than I’d like (seriously, where has this year gone??), I thought I’d share one of our go-to recipes when feeding a crowd… Beef Fillet with Garlic Tahini Sauce. We tend to make it as it’s quick and easy and you can rest it for as long as you like so it’s pretty forgiving. We have even rested it for several hours and had it just warm and it was divine.

In case you’ve not heard, in just two weeks I’m launching the Well Nourished Family membership. I’m bursting with excitement and I really can’t wait to share all of the delicious details. It’s been a long time coming… over a year of working with a fabulous team, to develop the technology to make meal planning and eating well a whole lot easier and very well nourished.

I’ve been flat out creating exclusive, members only recipes and developing everything you need to feed you and your tribe ‘well’. The ‘Well Nourished Family’ not only includes customisable and done-for-you weekly meal plans, but event plans too. I’ve got you sorted for Kids Parties, Christmas Day feasting and entertaining friends and family with absolute ease. Plus shopping lists, kitchen storage and waste reducing tips and much, much more.

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But in the mean time, I hope you love this supremely tender cut of beef fillet with garlic tahini sauce as much as my meat loving family does.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements (dairy and garlic-free).

This Beef Fillet with Garlic Tahini Sauce is so quick and easy to make and is one of the most delicious ways to eat beef. It's the perfect entertainer too.

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5 from 2 votes

Beef Fillet with Garlic Tahini Sauce

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Author: Georgia Harding

Ingredients

1.2 kg Scotch Fillet - or rib eye
2 tbsp olive oil - extra virgin
1 tsp sea salt - or to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste

Sauce

1 clove/s garlic - minced
1 tbsp hulled tahini
250 g full-fat natural yoghurt (1 cup)

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C / 300°F (fan-forced).
Rub the fillet in the olive oil so it is well coated. Then season with the sea salt and pepper.
Heat a cast iron or oven proof pan over a moderately high heat and sear the beef on all sides so it is dark brown and caramelised on all edges. Use tongs to turn it.
Then, simply place in the oven to roast (uncovered) for about an hour or until almost cooked to your liking.
I have a meat thermometer which I think is invaluable for getting this perfect. I cook this to med-rare, then wrap it tightly in foil to rest for about 30 minutes or more. This is really important and makes it super moist.
To make the tahini sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a serving bowl.

Serve

When ready to serve, slice the beef and then pour over the pan juices and juices from the foil wrapping.
Enjoy immediately with the tahini sauce and your favourite sides and salads.
My family also love this with various mustards.

Store

In an airtight container in the fridge.
Left overs are great to make a roast beef sandwich, roll, wrap or salad.

Notes

Dairy-free

Replace the yoghurt with coconut yogurt or cashew cream.

Sesame-free

Omit the tahini and replace with horseradish cream.

Garlic-free

Omit the garlic and replace it with 1 tsp of ground cumin and a pinch or cayenne.

I'd love to hear how you enjoy this. Post a comment below and don't forget to rate the recipe too. Cheers!

Beef Massaman

June 5, 2019 | Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Members only, Red meat, Slow Cooked

This Beef Massaman curry is one of my families current favourite meals. Please don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients. They are mostly beautiful, healing spices and I’ve made the method super simple so your preparation time is minimal. Plus, the end result is phenomenally delicious! This is one of my go-to recipes…

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Easy Lamb Harira

June 6, 2018 | Budget Friendly, Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Red meat, Slow Cooked, Soups

Hearty stews and soups, especially when they contain warming herbs and spices are super nourishing in the winter time. This Lamb Harira can be prepared in 15 minutes in just one casserole dish, then it’s into the oven to slowly braise. Set and forget is my type of cooking! You can also adapt this delicious soup come stew to cook in your slow cooker if you have one.

Health benefits

This is one nutritionally balanced meal – lots of plant based fibre and available protein thanks to the lamb (on the bone) and broth. The addition of the spices further supports the digestive and immune systems, with a boost of liver supporting greens (kale and parsley or coriander) to finish it off.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements. There are also instructions to make it vegetarian too!

Easy Lamb Harira - This tasty, hearty Lamb Harira soup is a nourishing meal that's great to make ahead as the flavours just get better and better with time. You can make it a couple of days ahead of eating and it can also be frozen.

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4.84 from 24 votes

Lamb Harira

This tasty, hearty soup is a nourishing meal that you can make ahead as the flavours just get better and better with time. You can make it a couple of days ahead of eating and it can also be frozen.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 15 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Servings:

Author: Georgia Harding

Ingredients

1 onion/s (large) diced
4 clove/s garlic -chopped
2 carrot/s (large) diced
2 stick/s celery -diced
1 sweet potato/s -peeled and diced
680 g tomato passata (puree)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
200 g puy (French) lentils (1 cup)
100 g split red lentils (½ cup)
1 tsp sea salt - or to taste
Ground black pepper
1 ltr chicken stock or bone broth
2 lamb shanks
1 bunch/s kale -leaves torn off the stems (stems diced)
½ bunch/s fresh coriander leaves -or flat leaf parsley leaves, to serve
1 lemon/s -cut into quarters, to serve

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 250℃/480℉ (fan-forced).
In a large oven proof casserole dish with lid, add all of the ingredients except the shanks and kale (add the stems though).
Mix well to combine. Add the shanks and submerge them in the liquid.
Cover the dish (with a lid or foil) and put in the oven, turning the temperature down to 150℃/300℉ immediately. *
Cook for 3-4 hours or until the lamb falls off the bone.
Remove the dish from the oven, stir in the kale, replace the lid and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes so the kale wilts.

Slow Cooker

This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.

Serve

With a wedge of lime and garnished with coriander or parsley.

Make-ahead

Re-heat in a pot over a low heat until just hot.

Store

If you are storing or freezing it, strip the meat from the bones of the shanks and discard the bones (or freeze them to re-use to make a bone broth - there will still be some goodness remaining).
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
You may need to add more liquid (water or stock) when reheating.

Notes

Vegetarian and Vegan Harira

Replace the lamb with 250grams (approx. 2 cups) diced mushrooms (or chickpeas) and the bone broth with vegetable stock. Cook for 2-3 hours.

Onion and Garlic-free

Replace both with finely diced fennel, a extra teaspoon of cumin and chilli powder to taste.

Make it spicy

You can serve this with chilli flakes - we always do.

Leftovers

Leftovers are fabulous the next day and this is a great dish to make ahead or freeze (in an airtight container). My kids love it in a thermos for their school lunch.

I'd love to hear how you and your family enjoy this delicious, super nourishing meal. Let me know what you think- post a comment below and rate this recipe!

Lamb Shoulder with Mint Chutney

November 23, 2016 | Make-ahead Meals, Red meat, Slow Cooked

This is the last of the series of recipes I have developed for JamieOliver.com and his series of ’10 recipes to save your life’. Slow cooked Lamb Shoulder with a mint chutney is probably one of my most cooked meals when entertaining a crowd as it can be prepared ahead and requires little time of me in the kitchen once the guests arrive (I hate missing out). This makes it a timely recipe ahead of the festive season and one I know you are just going to love.

The chutney is optional but highly recommended. We make it spicy, but you can always leave out the chilli if spice isn’t your thing. It does seem to loose some of it’s spiciness when combined with the lamb (my kids handle a two chilli chutney fyi).

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements.

Lamb shoulder with mint chutney - My Lamb Shoulder with Mint Chutney is so quick easy to make & is a great dish to entertain with. The lamb melts in your mouth & the mint chutney is divine.

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4.89 from 9 votes

Lamb shoulder with Mint Chutney

One of my all time favourite meals, this slow cooked Lamb Shoulder is a firm family favourite. The fresh Mint Chutney is so worth a little extra effort, it takes the lamb to another level.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Ingredients

1 lamb shoulder (1.5-2kg approx.) bone in (if it has the shank attached, have your butcher cut the tendon at the base so it doesn't pop up when it is cooking and pierce the foil)
1 lemon/s -halved and bases trimmed so they can sit flat, flesh side up
6 clove/s garlic -peeled and halved (or quartered if large)
160 ml water (⅔ cup)

Baste

2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves - chopped finely
1 clove/s garlic - peeled and crushed
1 tbsp olive oil - extra virgin
1 tsp sea salt - or to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste

Mint Chutney

1 bunch/s fresh mint leaves - large (1 cup firm packed), leaves picked off the stems
1 clove/s garlic - crushed
1 red chilli/s - whole
½ tsp sea salt - or to taste
1 lemon/s - juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250℃/480℉ (fan-forced).
Prepare the baste by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Place the lemon halves in a large roasting tray, flesh side up. Sit the lamb on top of the lemons (so the lemon acts like a rack).
Pierce the flesh of the lamb with a pairing knife 12-14 times. Push the slivers of garlic into the holes.
Rub the lamb with the marinade and add the water to the bottom of the tray.
Now cover with foil making sure the edges are sealed well. I use at least 3 pieces of foil and tuck it under the tray so it is firmly sealed. The lamb needs to steam to make it fall apart when it's done. Any gaps in the foil it can dry out so take your time and seal it carefully.
Put it in the oven and immediately turn it down to 150℃/ 290℉. Cook for 4 hours.
Whilst that's cooking make the chutney by combining the mint, garlic, chilli and salt in a food processor and processing to a paste. Mix in the lemon juice and vinegar and store in the an airtight container in the fridge until the lamb is ready to serve.
When the lamb is ready, remove the foil and put it under the grill for 5-10 minutes or until the top is crispy.
Rest the lamb for a few minutes before serving with the mint chutney and tongs to pull apart the meat.

Make-ahead

If you want to make this ahead, cook it for the full 4 hours, but don't remove the foil until you are ready to serve.
Reheat it in a 150℃ oven (still covered) for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and put it under the grill for 5-10 minutes or until the top is crispy.

Store

Any leftover meat in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

Serve

I love this with a big fresh salad or steamed veggies simply dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. My ebook 'Well Nourished - Sides and Salads' has plenty of fabulous accompaniments to this delicious meal - it's a bargain at $9.95. Check it out HERE.

Garlic-free

Replace the garlic in the baste with 1 tsp of cumin powder and a good pinch of chilli flakes. Replace the garlic (that's inserted into the meat) with pieces of anchovy fillets. Omit the garlic in the mint chutney.

I'd love to hear how you like this, one of my families all time favourite meals. Post a comment below or rate this recipe.

Mum’s Lemon Chicken

November 4, 2015 | Budget Friendly, Chicken, Make-ahead Meals, Vegetarian

My mum has always been a great cook; well except for a short time when she was following the Pritikin Diet. She stopped cooking in fat and if you’ve ever eaten a roast chicken, skin removed and cooked in nothing but water, you’ll know just how awful it is – chicken and potatoes definitely need fat and salt to taste good! As you can tell, I’m a little scarred by that fat-free stage of my childhood!

Anyway, on a recent trip to Perth mum cooked me delicious dinners many nights, but this one was a standout. She threw it together (like me she’s a freestyler in the kitchen) and it was delicious.

I just knew I had to share this one with you because it’s budget friendly, really easy to make and tastes divine. My whole family adored it when I recipe tested it, so here it is – my mum’s Lemon Chicken!

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements.

Lemon Chicken - This budget friendly, really easy to make meal is not only super nourishing, but tastes divine. Gluten, grain, dairy, nut-free.

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4.89 from 17 votes

Mums Lemon Chicken

This is my kind of meal, one with a little bit of prep that I can throw in the oven and forget until it's cooked. This one pan Lemon Chicken is a delicious, nourishing meal.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Ingredients

12 chicken drumsticks (or Marylands)
2 tbsp butter, ghee or coconut oil
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp rice malt syrup or honey
2 red onion/s -peeled and diced
250 ml chicken stock or bone broth (1 cup)
2 clove/s garlic -peeled and sliced
2 stick/s celery -diced
2 carrot/s -sliced
2 potato/s (Dutch cream or Kipfler) peeled and roughly diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fresh turmeric -grated (or ½ teaspoon dried)
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves -chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried)
Pinch Chilli flakes (optional)
1 lemon/s (large) -sliced into about 8 wedges**
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper -to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F (fan-forced).
In a big bowl, toss the chicken with the sweetener, paprika and a pinch of sea salt to coat it.
Place a large baking dish (I use a cast iron one) on your stove top and over a low to moderate heat, sauté the onion in a little butter to ghee (or olive oil for dairy-free) until just translucent.
Push the onion to the side (away from the heat), turn up the heat and brown your chicken on all sides. Remove from the heat.
Add the bone broth, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, cumin, turmeric, rosemary and optional chilli flakes.
Gently mix it through the chicken and season again if needed.
Arrange the lemon wedges, flesh side down between the pieces of chicken. **** If your lemon has a really thick pith / white part (more than 5mm) then don't add as the pith can impart a bitter flavour to the pan juices. Instead add a little lemon juice to the pan juices after cooking.
Pop in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.

Serve with all of the delicious pan juices...

On a bed of greens (they will wilt under the casserole).
With fresh parsley or peas. I love a green hit with any meal.
On cauliflower rice, quinoa or rice (for gluten-free) or cous cous (if okay with gluten).
Over mashed potato or sweet potato.

Extra fast, lazy version

Just throw it all in the roasting pan and straight into the oven. You may need to pop it under the grill prior to serving to crisp up and brown the chicken.

Make-ahead

Re-heat (covered) in a low oven until just hot.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can also be frozen.

Notes

Vegetarian

Replace the chicken with large field mushrooms (halved), reduce the cook time to 45 minutes and add in a can of drained chickpeas for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Also use vegetable stock. Serve with rice or quinoa to ensure a complete protein.

Onion-free

Replace the red onion with one finely diced bulb of fennel.

Garlic-free

You can simply omit the garlic or add an extra teaspoon of ground cumin.

Fructose-friendly

Choose rice malt as your sweetener.

Different veggies

Feel free to experiment with different vegetables.

I hope you love this dish as much as I do and I'd love to hear from you. Write a comment or rate this recipe.

Middle Eastern Beef Brisket

October 21, 2015 | Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Red meat, Slow Cooked

Beef brisket is such a delicious, simple and economical way to feed a family. It is really quick to prepare, but does require a lot of time to cook, so plan ahead for this meal.

The basic recipe will leave you with a ‘pulled’ style of meat which you can serve with salad, in a burger, wrap or tortilla, or on a bed of creamy mashed potato. The tahini sauce adds a lovely citrus hit to balance the richness of the meat. I hope you enjoy this really versatile and very satisfying meal.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.

Print Recipe

4.75 from 24 votes

Middle Eastern Beef Brisket

This Middle Eastern Beef Brisket features on my dinner table very regularly. I love it because I can simply prepare it and then let it slow cook in my oven so dinner is done when I'm late home from after school activities.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 hrs

Total Time5 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Ingredients

2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cloves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 kg beef brisket (approx.)
370 ml chicken stock or bone broth (1½ cups) or water
1 onion/s - halved and sliced
2 clove/s garlic - sliced

Tahini Sauce

3 tbsp hulled tahini
1 lemon/s (small) juice
¼ tsp ground cumin
Pinch sea salt
water - to thin sauce

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 150°C/300°F (fan-forced).
In a small bowl mix together the spices, salt and pepper.
Rub the beef with about 1½ tablespoons of the spice blend to coat it and place in a medium sized Dutch oven, casserole dish (with a lid) or roasting pan. Place the remaining spice mix in a small jar for your next brisket.
Add the garlic, onion and pour over the stock (it should cover or almost cover the meat).
Cover with a lid or foil wrapped tightly to seal.
Cook for about 2 hours, turn the meat and cook for another 2-3 hours (total 4-5 hours cook time). It is cooked when the meat easily falls apart when pulled at.
Remove the lid or foil and turn the oven up to 200°C. Pull the meat apart and cook for approximately 30 minutes to caramelise and thicken the sauce.
To make your tahini sauce, combine all of the tahini sauce ingredients together. Add the water tablespoon by tablespoon until you have a slightly runny sauce that can be drizzled over the meat.

Slow Cooker

This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.

Serve this buffet style so you can build your own meal. Here are some ways we eat this...

In a lettuce cup with julienne vegetables
In a burger, wrap or tortilla with lots of salad/grated veggies
On a creamy mashed potato or cauliflower puree with steamed green vegetables
Over rice, quinoa or cous cous.
Or any way you like really

Make-ahead

Re-heat (covered) in a low oven until just hot or in a pot with a splash of bone broth.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Shredded meat can also be frozen.

Notes

Onion-free

Replace the onion with a small bulb of finely diced fennel.

Garlic-free

Replace the garlic with a pinch of chilli flakes.

Sesame-free

Replace the tahini with almond butter.

This recipe is a firm family favourite. If you like it as much as we do, add a comment or rate this recipe.

Rustic Tarragon Chicken

September 24, 2013 | Chicken, Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Slow Cooked

By now, you know I love super quick, delicious and nutritious one pan meals. This Rustic Tarragon Chicken is supposed to be rustic so don’t get hung-up on chopping everything up perfectly.

Health benefits

This healthy Rustic Tarragon Chicken recipe is a nourishing one pan complete meal, and is fast and simple to make! Plus it can be pre-prepared and reheated as needed. It contains a perfect balance of protein, fats, fibre and a rainbow of vegetables and herbs.

This Rustic tarragon chicken recipe is a nourishing one pan, complete meal, fast and simple to make! Plus it can be pre-prepared and reheated as needed.

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4.8 from 5 votes

Rustic Tarragon Chicken, a nourishing one pan bake

This Rustic Tarragon Chicken is a nourishing, easy to prepare one pan bake and is delicious.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Ingredients

1 onion/s -roughly chopped
2 clove/s garlic -chopped
700 g chicken thighs -or drumsticks
400 g can cannellini beans -drained and rinsed
2 carrot/s -peeled and roughly diced
2 stick/s celery -diced
1 red capsicum/s -diced
2 sweet potato/s (small) washed and diced
3 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves -picked and chopped or 1 tbsp dried
60 ml dry white wine (¼ cup)
120 ml chicken stock or bone broth (½ cup) - or vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper -to taste
¼ bunch/s fresh parsley leaves -to serve

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180℃/350℉ (fan-forced).
Use an oven proof deep pan (with a lid) or a casserole dish. On a stove top, begin with softening the onion and garlic in a little coconut oil or butter over a moderate heat.
Push aside and brown the chicken. Take off the heat.
Now add the cannellini beans, vegetables, tarragon, wine, stock, and seasoning. Mix together roughly to make sure the herbs are evenly distributed.
Place on the lid and throw in the oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
Finish with parsley leaves (which adds a real freshness to the dish and more nourishment).

Slow Cooker

This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.

Time-saving tip

If you are pushed for time and want to pre-prepare this meal, don't worry about sautéing the onion, garlic, and meat. Just throw all together, cover and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. You will just need to bake it for an extra 10-20 minutes to ensure the meat is cooked. I also often take the lid off for the last 10 -15 minutes to brown the chicken.

Serve

Over chopped salad greens, chopped kale, steamed broccoli and mashed (pureed) cauliflower or potato.

Make-ahead

Re-heat (covered) in a low oven until just hot.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can also be frozen.

Notes

Vegetarian and vegan

Replace the chicken with 300g of firm tofu or chickpeas and 300g of mushrooms. Choose vegetable stock. Cook for 1 hour.

Legume-free

Simply omit the beans.

Onion-free

Replace the onion with a small bulb of diced fennel.

Garlic-free

Simply omit the garlic or replace with a pinch of chilli.

Different vegetables

If you dislike or don't have a particular vegetable, just substitute it or leave it out. This is a very versatile dish - anything goes!

Don't like Tarragon?

Simple, thyme is a delicious alternative.

Love you to try this tasty dish and let me know how you like it? Did you make any changes, love you to share?

Lamb, Bacon and Lentil Pot

June 19, 2013 | Budget Friendly, Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Red meat, Slow Cooked, Vegetarian

Another one pot wonder. There’s nothing like a tasty stew to warm you up on these cold winter nights (yes even in QLD it’s cold)! This healthy lamb shank recipe is so simple to make, it’s sure to become a family favourite.

You don’t really need a whole shank per person here. I’m all for spending extra money on quality meat, buying less of it (so it’s still affordable) and bulking it out with other good stuff. Not only is this approach kinder to your hip pocket, but it’s also a healthier way to eat. You know I’m all for variety too, so including the lentils for extra protein is a winner.

The bone stock I’ve raved about here, and by slow cooking the shanks this way, even more, immune boosting, nutritious goodies are added. The onion, garlic, vegetables and rosemary give further immune support.

You can either throw it in the slow cooker or cook in the oven at a low temperature (like below). The meat just melts in your mouth and the flavour of the lamb with bacon and rosemary is a match made in heaven.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements.

Print Recipe

4.83 from 23 votes

Lamb, Bacon and Lentil Stew

This delicious slow cooked meal is so nourishing and easy to prepare. It's sure to become a firm favourite.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Ingredients

2 onion/s -peeled and sliced
2 clove/s garlic -sliced
4 lamb shanks -small, or two large ones (depending upon your appetite)
400 g can brown lentils -drained and rinsed or 1 cup cooked brown lentils
3 carrot/s -sliced roughly
4 rasher/s bacon -diced roughly
250 ml chicken stock or bone broth (1 cup)
60 ml red wine (¼ cup)
100 g mushrooms -Swiss brown or button, sliced (1 cup)
3 stick/s celery -sliced roughly
2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves -chopped (or 1 tablespoon of dried)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional extras

1 zucchini/s - or eggplant or parsnip, diced

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 160℃/320℉ (fan-forced).
In a large oven proof dish (I like my cast iron pot), place the lamb shanks and brown quickly on the stove top (in a little olive oil or ghee) over a medium high heat. This is not essential and I have to confess, I'm a bit lazy and tend to take the just throw it all in approach.
Next, add all of the ingredients, season and stir to combine. Make sure the lamb shanks are toward the bottom of the dish and covered with the liquid and other ingredients.
Place the lid on the pot and cook for 3 hours. I aim for 3 hours, as the longer it cooks the more tender the lamb. I tend to put it in the oven before school pick up and it's ready in time for dinner. It's very forgiving so can easily cook for longer. *
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley (good way to hide this very nutritious green) and serve alone or with one of the following...

Slow Cooker

This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.

Serving suggestions

Steamed and buttered vegetables.
Mashed potato, sweet potato or pumpkin (soaks up the delicious juices).
Pureed or mashed cauliflower.
Cauliflower, broccoli and lemon salad (recipe on the website).
Green beans, steamed and dressed with lemon juice, zest and EV olive oil.
A simple bowl of greens or a salad.

Make-ahead

Re-heat in a low oven until just hot.

Store

Airtight in the fridge and can also be frozen (remove the bone to freeze).

Notes

Vegetarian is Possible

Double the lentils, use vegetable stock, add 300g mushrooms and add a tablespoon of smoked paprika (to add a smoky flavour like bacon). You could also add tempeh if you'd like and cook for only 1 hour.

Legume-free

Leave out the lentils and add in extra veggies. I love adding parsnip and sweet potatoes but you can add whatever you like really.

Onion-free

Replace the onion with a small bulb of diced fennel.

Garlic-free

Replace the garlic with a good pinch of chilli flakes.

Green boost

Stir in a bunch of kale (leaves trimmed and diced) at the very end of cooking (last 5 mins).

Wine-free

Replace the red wine with more stock or broth and a tsp of balsamic vinegar.

Let me know what your think. I love receiving your comments.

One Pan Moroccan Dinner

June 10, 2013 | Chicken, Freezable Meals, Make-ahead Meals, Slow Cooked

I love this super quick, delicious and nutritious one pan meal. It takes just minutes to prepare and it is supposed to be quite rustic, so don’t get hung-up on chopping everything up perfectly.

Health benefits

This healthy meal has everything you need to nourish the family. Protein, especially if on the bone will introduce those bone derived nutrients I posted on here. The spices improve digestion and offer immune support. The vegetables are of course full of fibre, vitamins, minerals and protective Phyto (plant) chemicals.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for many suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

One pan Moroccan dinner

This delicious, one pan meal is super simple to make and so, so tasty.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Ingredients

500 g meat of choice -approx. such a whole chicken thighs, chicken legs or diced lamb, lamb shanks or casserole chops (see below for vegetarian)
1 onion/s -roughly chopped
2 clove/s garlic -chopped
425 g can chickpeas -drained and rinsed
680 g tomato passata (puree)
2 carrot/s -peeled and roughly diced
2 stick/s celery -chopped
1 zucchini/s -diced (or grated for fussy people)
1 red capsicum/s -diced
75 g peas (½ cup) fresh or frozen
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cinnamon quill
1 tsp ground coriander
1 lemon/s -zest (peel off a few strips with your peeler)
Chilli flakes -to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper -to taste

Serve...

¼ bunch/s fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon/s -juice

Optional extras

1 tsp dulse flakes

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 150℃/300℉ (fan-forced).
Use either an oven proof deep pan (with a lid) or a casserole dish.
On a stove top, begin with softening the onion and garlic in a little-refined coconut (tasteless), butter or ghee over a low heat. Push aside and slightly brown the meat of your choice. Take off the heat. Now add the rest of the ingredients.
Mix together roughly, place on the lid and throw in the oven for 1-3 hours (depending upon the cut and size of the meat) or until the meat is tender. Chicken will cook in an hour, lamb will do better with a longer cook time. *
Finish with the fresh herbs and lime or lemon juice which adds a real freshness to the dish.

Slow Cooker

This can certainly cooked in a slow cooker. However, as the speed and temperature varies between the many brands of slow cookers, base the amount of liquid you add and the cook time on a similar style of recipe in the guide book for your specific slow cooker. The general rule of thumb is to halve the liquid and double the cook time, but understanding your own slow cooker is the best guide.

Serve

Serve with cous cous or one of the variations below.

Make-ahead

Re-heat (covered) in a low oven until just hot.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can also be frozen.

Notes

Gluten free

Serve with brown rice or mashed potato.

Vegetarian and vegan

Double the chickpeas or and add in 2-300g of diced organic firm tofu. Cook for 1 hour.

Grain-free

Serve on mashed potato or sweet potato.

Legume-free

Leave out the chickpeas.

Garlic-free

Replace the garlic with a teaspoon (extra) of ground cumin and a pinch of chilli flakes.

Onion-free

replace the onion with a small bulb fennel, diced

Different vegetables

Substitute any of the vegetables. Root vegetables work well. If using broccoli or cauliflower mix through about 10-15 minutes before the end of the cooking time (I really dislike soggy cruciferous).

Time saving tip

If you are pushed for time or want to pre-prepare this meal in the morning so you can throw it in the oven later that evening, don't worry about sautéing the onion, garlic, and meat. Just throw all together, cover and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. You will just need to bake it for an extra 10-20 minutes if it's straight out of the fridge, to ensure the meat is cooked. I have even pre-cooked this the day before and just reheated it prior to eating.

Money saving

I find organic chicken drumsticks or drumettes cost the same as conventional free-range thighs. I stock up on these for casseroles as the bone-derived nutrients add so much goodness to a slow cooked casserole.