Yummy meals for the Festive Season
Treat your loved ones to delicious meals that are low-maintenance and time-saving.
Treat yourself and your loved ones to delicious meals that are low-maintenance and time-saving, leaving you with extra time to do the things you really love to do. Here are four effortless recipes to keep the whole family happy.
20-minute Chicken and Spinach Pasta
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
30ml olive oil
400g chicken thigh pieces – skinless and deboned, cut into strips
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced or 2,5ml dried chilli flakes
800g tinned tomatoes
5ml sugar
100g baby spinach leaves
1 handful basil leaves – roughly torn
125ml grated Parmesan cheese
Pasta of your choice
Method
Heat the olive oil in a deep pan. Season the chicken and brown on both sides. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a
further minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover partially, and let the mixture bubble quite vigorously for about 10 minutes.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, but remember to reserve 250ml cooking water for later.
Fold the baby spinach into the pasta sauce and allow spinach to wilt down. This should take only a minute or two. Empty the drained pasta into the sauce and toss to coat. Add some of the cooking water to thin the sauce down as the pasta will continue to absorb liquid when mixed into the chicken.
Add a generous handful of basil and half of the Parmesan cheese. Fold through to combine with the sauce.
Serve immediately with additional Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Peppery Cubed Steak and Salad
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Sautee: 4 minutes
Ingredients
Tomato Salad
1 kg beefsteak or plum tomatoes, seeds squeezed out, chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
15ml olive oil
15ml red wine vinegar
1ml salt
0,5ml black pepper
3 tablespoons of shredded basil
Potatoes and Steak
1,5 kg fingerling potatoes, larger potatoes cut in half
30ml olive oil
1ml salt
A pinch of black pepper
6 x 120g pieces of tenederised beef
3–4ml dry steak seasoning
Method
Tomato Salad
In a medium-size bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and basil. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Potatoes and Steak
Heat oven to 230°C. Coat a 38 x 26 x 3cm baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place potatoes in the baking pan and toss with 15ml olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once, or until fork-tender.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Season both sides of steaks with dry steak
seasoning. Sauté meat in batches for 2 minutes, then turn and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until medium-rare.
Serve steaks immediately with roasted potatoes and tomato salad.
Savory Meatloaf and Mushroom Gravy
Servings: 2 x 6-serving meals
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Bake Time: 205°C for 70 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Time-saving strategy: Make more than one
Making two meatloaves is almost as easy as making one. Just double the ingredients and bake both. Hold the second
one in the fridge for a few days or freeze for later.
Ingredients
Meat Loaf
30ml canola oil
1,5kg minced turkey meat
500ml chopped onion
500ml chopped carrot
250ml unseasoned whole-wheat bread crumbs mixed with 250ml low-fat milk
125ml grated Parmesan cheese
65ml tomato sauce
4 eggs, lightly beaten
5ml salt
5ml chicken seasoning
5ml garlic-pepper blend (or 2,5ml each of garlic salt and black pepper)
Gravy and sides
15ml canola oil
1 punnet sliced mixed mushrooms
65 ml all-purpose flour
750ml low-sodium chicken stock
125ml dry white wine
2,5ml chicken seasoning
1 ml salt
750ml cooked mashed potatoes (optional)
750ml cooked noodles (optional)
Method
Meat Loaf
Heat oven to 200°C and coat a large roasting pan with canola oil.
In large bowl, mix turkey, onion, carrot, bread crumb mixture, parmesan, tomato sauce, eggs, salt, chicken seasoning and garlic-pepper.
Divide in half; form into 2 loaf shapes. Place each in prepared pan. Bake at 200°C for 60 to 70 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160°C on an instant-read thermometer.
Gravy and sides
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes and then stir in flour; cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in stock, wine, chicken seasoning and salt. Simmer for 3 minutes.
If desired, serve 1 meatloaf with half the gravy and the mashed potatoes. Refrigerate second loaf and remaining gravy for a second meal with noodles.
Margherita pizza
Servings:
2 x 8-serving meals
Total cooking time: 15 minutes per pizza
Ingredients
30ml mealiemeal
Ready-made pizza crust dough for 2 large pizzas
250ml tomato puree
375ml sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
5 fresh basil leaves
Method
Heat the oven to 260°C and sprinkle mealiemeal over 2 pizza baking pans.
Divide dough in half; shape into 2 balls. Roll dough on a floured surface using a floured rolling pin to 30cm rounds and transfer to the prepared pans.
Spread with tomato puree and top with mozzarella. Bake until crust is golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Scatter with basil leaves and serve.
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