Merguez Turkey Meatballs with lentils and beetroot

Recipe taken from Balance Magazine, published by Diabetes.org

On the pulse – Pulses contain protein and fibre and, compared to other carb-containing foods, don’t give sharp rises to blood glucose levels. So if you have diabetes, there’s never ‘bean’ a better time to cook with them …

Serves: 2 Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 26 mins

Per Serving 584g:

Carbs: 39.9g Cals: 457 Sugars: 14.6g Fat: 7.5g Sat Fat: 1.6g Salt: 0.66g
Protein: 49.7g Fibre: 15.7g

3 portions of fruit and veg

Ingredients:
1 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp whole coriander
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
2 tsp paprika
3 garlic cloves, crushed
50g carrot, finely chopped
200g lean turkey mince
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 stick celery, chopped
200g cooked plain beetroot, diced
1 orange – grated rind of half and remainder sliced
200g cooked Puy lentils
350ml low-salt vegetable stock
1 tblsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Method:

Oil a medium roasting tin. Dry-fry the cumin, coriander and fennel on a medium heat until fragrant. Grind to a fine powder.
Stir the powder, paprika, 2 cloves garlic, carrot and 1tsp onion into the mince and season. Divide and roll into 10 balls.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the remaining onion until softened. Add the celery and remaining garlic and cook for 1-2 mins. Add the beetroot and orange rind and cook for 3-4 mins.
Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add the meatballs, cover and cook for 5 mins, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, fry the orange slices with 2 pumps of 1kcal spray until browning on each side. Set aside.
Add the lentils to the sauce and simmer for 5-10 mins until thickened, and the meatballs are cooked. Serve with green vegetables and the glazed orange.

Stir-Fried Duck

A whole duck tends to have lots of fat and not so much meat. Duck breasts, although pricy, have no wastage, and when cooked on a rack in a very hot oven, the skin goes really crispy and the meat stays nice and moist.

Serves : 4
Prep : 2 mins
Cook : 10 mins

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts
15ml (1 tblsp) runny honey
15ml (1 tblsp) dark soy sauce
30ml (2 tblsp) hoi-sin sauce
15ml (1 tblsp) stir-fry oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
340g pack prepared carrots cut into sticks
125g (4oz) beansprouts
5 spring onions trimmed and cut into strips
50g (2oz) sprouting beans (optional)
160g jar sweet and sour sauce

Step One : Preheat the oven to Mark 7 / 210oC / 420oF. Place the duck breasts on a roasting rack resting in a tin. Thoroughly mix together the honey, soy and hoi-sin sauces and brush generously over the skin. Cook for 10 mins.

Step Two : Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan. Add the garlic, carrots, beansprouts, spring onions and sprouting beans (if using) and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes.

Step Three : Add the sweet and sour sauce and heat till just warmed through, making sure that the vegetables stay slightly crunchy. Thickly slice the duck breasts and toss into the vegetables. Offer prawn crackers to serve alongside the stir-fry.

Tip : Look out for Hoi-sin sauce in the Chinese section of large supermarkets. It’s also perfect to use as a speedy glaze for spare ribs or as a dipping sauce for Peking duck.

Duck breast with orange sauce and breadcrumbs

Ingredients:

2 large duck breasts, with skin
30g (1oz) butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
50g (1 ¾ oz) fresh breadcrumbs
2 tsp thyme leaves

For the marinade:-

150ml (5 fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp runny honey
Juice half lemon
Finely grated zest of half an orange
Pinch of ground cinnamon

Serves: 2 Prep time: 15 mins plus marinating time Cook time: 20 mins
Cals per serving: 772 Fat: 49g

Step One: Score the skin of the duck breast in diagonal crosses and place in a ceramic bowl. Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the duck. Marinate in the fridge, turning occasionally, for about 8 hours.

Step Two: Heat the oven to 180^oC (gas mark 4). Remove the duck and dry with paper towels, reserving the marinade. Heat a large heavy frying pan over a moderate heat. Place the breasts skin side down in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until nice and golden. Transfer the duck breasts, skin side up, to a roasting tin and cook in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (for medium).

Step Three: Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes, or until reduced and slightly thickened. Season and keep warm.

Step Four: Drain any fat from the frying pan and add the butter. When foaming add the garlic, zest, breadcrumbs and thyme. Sauté until the crumbs are golden. Slice the duck breast either onto individual plates or on a small platter. Sprinkle over the crumbs and serve with a jug of the sauce on the side.

Tip: You can marinate the duck for up to 12 hours. It is important to boil the marinade well before serving it as the sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Easy Living

Pot-roasted Cockerel

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
250g (8oz) pancetta or thick-cut bacon,diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 leeks, washed and sliced into rounds
1 cockerel (3 kg – 4 kg / 6 lb – 7 lb)
600ml (20 fl oz) chicken stock
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves

Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 2 hours
Cals per serving: 339 Fat: 26g

Step One: Heat the oven to 180^oC (gas mark 4).

Step Two: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the pancetta, garlic and leeks, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until the leeks have softened.

Step Three: Place the cockerel, breast-side up, in a roasting tin that is just large enough to hold it and four in the stock to a depth of 2 cm. Add the pancetta, garlic and leeks and tuck in the thyme and bay leaves around the sides. Cover tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 2 – 2 ½ hours (plan the roasting time for your cockerel at 15 minutes per 450g / 1 lb), basting occasionally with the pan juices. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes to allow the cockerel to brown.

Step Four: Leave the cockerel to rest in the pan for 30 minutes and cover with foil while you finish off preparing the vegetables.

Step Five: To serve, remove the cockerel to a warm dish. Skim any fat off the sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove the thyme and bay leaves and transfer the sauce (and leeks) to a jug. Serve the cockerel with the sauce.

Tip: For the best results, the cockerel should be allowed to reach room temperature before going in the oven.

Recipe courtesy of Easy Living Magazine