Sunrise nutritionist Sarah Di Lorenzo, shares some fresh dinner ideas with some summer staples are easy, nutritious, and best of all, they won’t break the bank.
THAI CHICKEN BURGER
Makes 6
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INGREDIENTS –
500 grams of chicken mince
2 tablespoons of curry powder
2 chopped spring onions chopped
1 egg
Pinch of Chilli flakes
1/3 cup of cottage cheese
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1 tablespoon of tamari
1/2 cup of chopped coriander
6 Bread rolls
Salad filling
2 carrots sliced length ways
Baby cos lettuce leaves
1 cup of chopped coriander
Sweet chilli sauce
METHOD –
Mix the mince, curry powder, onions, chilli flakes, egg, cottage cheese, coriander, fish sauce, tamari, and oats together well, roll into patties and cook in a fry pan, or you could do not a BBQ or grill.
Serve in the bread roll with the carrot, coriander, and lettuce with sweet chilli sauce.
SUMMER MANGO SALAD WITH A BBQ CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS –
1 BBQ Chicken
Mango salad
2 ripe mangos peeled and diced
1 capsicum diced
1 large cucumber diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of fresh chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped coriander
Easy dressing
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh minced ginger
Pinch of chilli flakes
Pinch of salt
METHOD –
There are 2 ways of enjoying the chicken with the mango salad, firstly remove the skin and then remove the meat and toss through the salad, or you can serve the salad alongside the chicken.
Add the dressing ingredients to a jar and shake well.
Add the salad ingredients to a bowl and mix.
Combine, toss and enjoy
BEAN TORTILLA CASSEROLE
INGREDIENTS –
2 cans of black beans rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1 teaspoon of cumin
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander
4 whole grain or wholemeal tortillas
1 cup of shredded cheese
1 1/2 cups of salsa (you can use a store bought one for convenience, or you can make your own, see recipe below)
METHOD –
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Add the beans, garlic, and oil to a pan and cook for a few minutes, add the broth, cumin, pepper, salt, and coriander. Stir.
You can use a cake tin or a casserole dish. Spray the bottom of the dish with olive oil. Add a tortilla, bean mix and some salsa and cheese. Repeat for the 4 tortillas.
Put the cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with greek yoghurt and fresh herbs of choice.
Sarah’s easy salsa
INGREDIENTS –
4 cups of fresh tomatoes
1/2 red onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
2 jalapeño peppers deseeded
2 limes juiced
Salt
1 cup of fresh coriander.
METHOD –
Chop the tomatoes well, add them to a strainer to remove the excess liquid.
Add the remainder of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse (not purée) so they are chopped. Add the tomatoes at the end and pulse.
Alternatively, you can chop all ingredients well.
MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED SWEET POTATO
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS –
4 small sweet potatoes
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 finely chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
Pinch of chilli
Salt and pepper
400 grams of ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup of fresh chopped coriander
METHOD –
Poke each sweet potato and microwave for 10 minutes, or put your sweet potatoes into the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes until cooked through.
Add the carrots, garlic, onion, cumin, vinegar to a fry pan with the oil. Add the beef. Put in 1/4 cup of water and cook for around 8 minutes. Add the vinegar.
Cut the sweet potato down the centre, scoop out some flesh and add it back into the pan with the meat mix.
Divide the meat mix into the cavity of each sweet potato and garnish with fresh coriander.