Easy Read Recipes by Leanne Foreman

Real food recipes in an easier format that makes it as easy as possible for as many as possible to read and follow a recipe.

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Lamb Kofta

Adapted from a recipe by Qaisar Bari

Making kofta from scratch can seem daunting, until now. This easy-to-read Lamb Kofta recipe will help you have an impressive kofta meal on the table in less time than you think.

The original recipe is from our friends Qaisar and Annie from Cleveland, Ohio. Whenever we visit them, most of our time is spent in or near the kitchen. We all chat while the food is being prepared. I reckon food cooked with love and laughter always tastes so much better. Don’t you?

Yes, there is a longer-than-usual list of spices, but once you have them on hand you will use them again and again. You can use them to make my Madras Beef Curry, Super Easy Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef, Slow Cooker Spiced Beef Cheeks, or Chilli con Carne.

Variations

This kofta recipe is suitable for lamb or chicken. If you use chicken then chicken stock rather than beef stock is more suitable.

If you want it spicier, then use dried chilli powder instead of flakes. This is how Qaisar and my husband like it, however, it is a bit hot for a newbie to spicy food. To reduce the level of spiciness, remove the chilli seeds.

How to serve

I serve this recipe over basmati rice and topped with a good dollop of natural yoghurt, a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes, and a handful of coriander/cilantro leaves.

Easy San Choy Bow

by Leanne Foreman

This adaptive and easy San Choy Bow recipe is a favourite in our household when we have mince in the fridge and want a meal that is more on the light side.

Don’t be put off by what initially appears to be a long list of ingredients. The recipe has many options so that you can hopefully pick and choose and use what you have in the fridge and pantry. Chopped bamboo shoots and chopped mushrooms are also great additions. Bean sprouts are perfect as an extra topping.

Slow Cooker Spiced Beef Cheeks

Adapted from a recipe by Vered DeLeeuw

This Spiced Beef Cheeks recipe could not be any easier – sprinkle on the spices and slow cook for 8 hours. The beef cheeks release their own juices to make a rich sauce subtly spiced with the flavours of Morocco. The meat ends up so deliciously succulent.

If you haven’t tried Beef Cheeks, then this is the best way to do so. Ask your local butcher for them. I can’t believe I have been missing out on this moist and succulent cut of meat until this year.

These Beef Cheeks can be served over mashed, sweet potato, pumpkin, or potatoes, or this Soft Polenta recipe courtesy of Australian celebrity cook, Maggie Beer.

This Beef Cheeks recipe is adapted from a recipe by Vered Deleeuw. See the original recipe here.

Chilli con Carne

by Leanne Foreman

This tasty but not-too-hot version of Chilli con Carne couldn’t be easier and is pretty much foolproof. This Tex-Mex dish has been around since I was young and is still a favourite in many households.

It took me a while to decide whether to be true to Chilli con Carne’s North American origins and use the spelling”Chili” or stick to my Australian roots and spell it “Chilli”. I decided to be consistent with the Australian spelling throughout the rest of my website so “Chilli” it is!

If you are a fan of anything with chilli in it, then try my Madras Curry or Baked Jalapeno Poppers.

Ingredients for Chilli con Carne

Using lean minced/ground beef prevents too much oil from floating on the top of the finished product.

Bottled tomato passata is found in the supermarket aisle near the pasta sauce. I use passata instead of the usual canned diced tomatoes because I prefer to use foods from glass rather than cans. I haven’t yet seen bottled kidney beans. They would also be hard to find and I want cooking to be easy.

The ground chilli powder is ground dried chillis and not the chilli, sugar, etc. mix also known as “chilli powder”. If you are worried about the amount of heat, then substitute the ground chilli powder with dried chilli flakes.

Cooking Tips for Chilli con Carne

Canned diced tomatoes can be easily substituted for the passata. The cans here are 400 g so two cans would work.

The cooking time for the Chilli con Carne will depend on your consistency preference. Some like it more liquid to serve over rice, whereas I like to cook it for the full 40 minutes so that I can easily eat it on its own with a fork. It is also great served over a baked potato.

 

 

Madras Beef Curry

by Leanne Foreman

Forget packet or bottled Madras spice mixes! Cook this well-known Madras Curry from scratch! It is made more simple for you by using the same measure for most of the spices.

Madras Curry Ingredients Shopping

This may look like a long list of spices, however, once you start cooking from scratch you will find that your spice collection will naturally increase. I use these spices over and over. See the recipe for my Super Easy Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef.

Skirt or chuck steaks are cuts of meat suitable for stewing. Stewing requires a long, slow, moist method of cooking in order to break down the muscles fibres of these cheaper cuts of meat. Each country has its own unique names for stewing cuts of meat. If you can’t find “chuck” or “skirt” then look for “flank”, “blade”, or “round”. These are all suitable for the stewing method used in this Madras Beef Curry recipe.

If you use Stock or Broth powder to add more flavour, for the sake of the health of you and your family, avoid the stock cubes that have MSG disguised as “yeast extract”.  I use a premium powdered bone broth from Broth of Life.

Tomato Passata is a bottled tomato puree. I always have a bottle or two on hand to add extra nutrition and flavour to a number of dishes such as my Italian Zucchini Boats. Passata is also my secret ingredient for making more flavourful and moist taco meat.

Cooking Tips

In order to cater for different pots and stovetops, I have been generous with the amount of liquid used. If you like curry with a thicker consistency, simply remove the lid after an hour of cooking. Keep checking that it doesn’t get too thick.

 

Super Easy Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef

by Leanne Foreman

For busy cooks, this Super Easy Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef is a flavoursome alternative to a usual boring beef casserole. The recipe perfectly combines the exotic flavours of Morocco with the sweetness of some dried fruit. I’m sure this Moroccan Beef recipe will become a favourite.

If you like the Moroccan combination of cinnamon, paprika, turmeric and cumin, then you may also like my Moroccan Carrot Salad.

 

Ingredients Shopping

The best cuts of beef for a long cooking casserole or stew are the cheaper and tougher cuts like Chuck (Blade), Shin, Brisket or Skirt steak.

A couple of equally delicious alternatives to the currants, sultanas or raisins are quartered dried apricots or dates.

When buying dried fruit I always look for sulphate free. Sulphites are added as a preservative or to retain the colour, especially in apricots. Sulphites have the ingredient list numbers of 221 to 227 and can cause respiratory or skin reactions. I personally get an itchy rash on my neck whenever I unknowingly eat anything containing sulphites.

I also search for dried fruit that doesn’t have “vegetable oil” in the ingredient list. This is often added to keep the fruit separated, however, the processing of vegetable oil makes it a product best to avoid if you are wanting to put the best ingredients into your body. To avoid these added “nasty” ingredients I stock up on organic dried fruit when it is on sale. I know the online shop at Changing Habits sells organic dates that naturally do not have sulphites or vegetable oil.

 

Cooking Tips

This Moroccan Beef recipe can also be cooked on the stovetop by sauteing the onions in a tablespoon of oil, adding the spices and then browning the meat before adding the liquid. Simmer on low for at least 2 hours before checking if the meat is tender. This method gives even more flavour but is not as convenient as simply putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker. If set to “low” the slow cooker can usually be left unattended overnight or during the day. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for your particular slow cooker.

Of course, sweet potato takes less time to cook than the beef. So, if you don’t want your sweet potato to be very soft, then add it halfway through the cooking time. Personally, I like the way the soft sweet potato starts to thicken the casserole. Stir gently if you want to keep the pieces in tack.

I usually serve any beef casserole with cooked spinach, green beans, Brussel sprouts, or zoodles (spiralized zucchini noodles). If you want something to mop up the yummy juices then try basmati, brown or cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes.

 

Italian Zucchini Boats

Inspired by a recipe from Easy Budget Recipes

Do you want a spaghetti sauce recipe but without pasta as the base? Then these Italian Zucchini Boats are just the answer.

Zucchini is used as a “boat” to hold the pasta sauce. They are then topped with freshly grated Mozzarella cheese that melts and browns in the oven. Yum!

This recipe was inspired by the girls at Easy Budget Recipes. I saw the recipe on their Instagram feed and thought it was a great way to use zucchini.

 

Ingredient Shopping

Passata is sold in tall bottles rather than in tins. It is an uncooked tomato puree devoid of any additives – just 100% tomatoes. Some have citric acid added but I avoid those brands. It is very smooth because the tomato skins and seeds have been strained away.

A prepackaged Dried Italian Herbs mix can be substituted with 1 teaspoon in total of your favourite mix of any or all of the following dried herbs – oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, basil, and sage. Of course, you can add more to suit your taste.

Note that “Italian Herbs” is different from “Italian Seasoning”. You can use it as a substitute however you may have to cut back on the other seasonings – salt, garlic, etc.

Mozzarella Cheese seems to come in many forms. In Italy, I discovered that mozzarella is more soft and white, and traditionally made from buffalo milk; what we call fresh mozzarella or the smaller bocconcini here in Australia. It was definitely not found pre-shredded in a zip lock packet.

For this recipe, I grate the Mozzarella from a firmer more yellow Mozzarella block, ball or “pear” because it:

  1. Does not have the anti-caking agent that is often added to the pre-shredded mozzarella
  2. Is often cheaper
  3. Seems to melt better
  4. Tastes better

Chicken Liver and Orange Pate

by Leanne Foreman

A smooth and delicious pate with the flavour of orange to make it extra special! It is sure to impress at your next picnic or gathering.

Pate traditionally has butter, however the dairy-free option using coconut oil tastes just as good.

This pate recipe is enough for two ramekins (or three if they are small). I use one and the other I freeze for later.

 

Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs

A flavoursome Swedish Meatballs recipe that avoids gluten by including the added protein in almond meal instead of using bread. There are also dairy and grain free options.

Hints and tips for this recipe:

Step 1 – Using an unrefined cold pressed extra virgin oil is the best for your health. The more processed oils have had petroleum based chemicals used in the extracting process or have been heated to temperatures that make the oil unhealthy. Heat the unprocessed oils to a medium heat (on my electric stovetop I go no higher than 6) so that they don’t burn and smoke.

Step 2 – If you like nutmeg, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg here.

Step 3 – Using a guide like a measuring tablespoon makes the job so much easier. I bought online a cookie dough scoop which is much like the old ice-cream scoops. I have found it invaluable for getting even meatballs, protein balls, and cookies. This step is also a great place to get the kids involved.

Step 4 – Be gentle with the meatballs in this step, so that they don’t break apart.

Step 5 – This is the step where you can choose your cooking fat depending on what diet you may follow.

Step 6 – If you are using a starchy thickener, by coating the starch grains in oil, it helps to separate them and prevent a lumpy sauce.

Step 7 – By mixing in your liquid a little at a time, it also prevents lumps. But don’t be worried, as mixing it in off the heat makes it pretty foolproof.

Step 8 – A mixture that is being thickened needs to simmer for at least 1 minute in order to burst the cell wall of the starch grains and prevent a “floury” taste.

Step 9 – Let the meatballs simmer for 5 minutes to get them nice and hot again, then taste to see if you want to stir through more salt or pepper. In order to get more nutrients than are found in the traditional mashed white potato that these meatballs are traditionally served over, I serve them over mashed sweet potato or cauliflower.

Enjoy!

Gingered Beef

This easy, yet impressive, beef steak recipe is courtesy of the lovely Tracey Pattison. It is just one example of a dish from her beautiful cookbook, “Healthy Meals: Love to Cook”.

The photograph is courtesy of Steve Brown Photography.

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