Healthy lunch recipes
Recipes from the Centenary Institute’s Good Gut anti-inflammatory diet book. Recipes from Fast Ed Halmagyi.
PARSLEY, DILL & BROAD BEAN FALAFELS
WITH MINT-GARLIC YOGHURT
Preparation time: 20 minutes + overnight soaking
Cooking time: 10 minutes • Serves: 4
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
500 g dried broad beans
1/4 cup (30 g) chickpea flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 leek, finely chopped
4 green shallots, finely sliced
1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/2 bunch dill, finely chopped
1 bunch mint, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (75 g) sesame seeds
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
11/2 cups (375 g) Greek-style yoghurt
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Cover the broad beans with warm water and soak for 4 hours. Drain, cover again with water, then soak overnight.
2 Drain the broad beans, then blitz in a food processor until a fine paste forms. Add the chickpea flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices, leek, shallots, coriander, parsley and dill. Add half the mint and garlic, then blitz until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3 Form into 20 balls and roll into football shapes. Coat with the sesame seeds, then fry in batches until golden. Drain on paper towel.
4 Mix the yoghurt with the lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining mint and garlic, then serve with the falafels.
PRAWN & ONION KEBABS WITH GRILLED CORN & BEAN SALAD
Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 20 minutesServes: 4 • Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
16 extra-large raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
1 red onion, cut into wedges
4 green shallots, cut into 4 cm lengths
4 corn cobs
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 cups green beans
4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
400 g can black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (80 g) torn radicchio
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons green goddess dressing
1 cup (30 g) croutons
1 Thread the prawns, onion and shallots onto skewers and set aside.
2 Toss the corn in half the olive oil and cook on a hot barbecue grill for 10 minutes, turning often, until lightly blackened. Slice into rings.
3 Blanch the green beans in a pot of boiling water, then add to the corn with the tomatoes, black-eyed beans and radicchio. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the green goddess dressing and scatter with croutons.
4 Drizzle the skewers with the remaining oil and cook on a hot barbecue grill for 5 minutes, until firm.
5 Serve the skewers with the salad.
ROAST CHICKEN, SAUERKRAUT & PROVOLONE PAN BAGNAT
Preparation time: 5 minutes + 30 minutes resting
Cooking time: 10 minutes • Serves: 4
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
2 cups (300 g) shredded roast chicken
1/2 cup (125 g) aioli*
1 bunch chives, very finely snipped
4 ciabatta rolls, split
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
11/2 cups (225 g) red sauerkraut
120 g provolone cheese, finely sliced
1/2 bunch basil, leaves picked
1 cup (100 g) grilled eggplant slices
baby salad leaves, to serve
1 Mix the chicken, aioli and chives in a bowl. Spread the ciabatta rolls with the butter, then top the bases with the sauerkraut, chicken, cheese, basil and eggplant. Put the ciabatta lids on top.
2 Arrange the rolls on a tray, then top with a second tray and weigh down with at least 5 kg (a pot of water is good) for 30 minutes.
3 Cook in a hot sandwich press for 10 minutes, until deep golden and crisp. Serve with baby salad leaves.
- If you can find it, truffle aioli transforms this dish from incredible to unforgettable.
