This meal is bursting in the flavour department, with a little extra nourishment in every bite.
Every herb and spice adds its own beneficial plant goodness to the plate, which our gut microbes absolutely love.
Legumes deserve a lot more love too. Beans, chickpeas and lentils are cheap, easy to find and packed with fibre, plant protein and nutrients. They feed the good bacteria in our gut, and those little guys help look after our gut lining and keep inflammation in check. Eating them more often is one of the simplest, most budget friendly ways to look after your gut.
Legumes are fab as a protein top-up alongside the main protein. They help stretch the meal budget further, which is always a win when you’re feeding a hungry family.
For this one, the optional step is turning a humble tin of chickpeas into a creamy homemade hummus.
Served alongside a fresh herb salad, roasted eggplant and warmly spiced beef, it’s big on flavour with nourishment in every bite.
It’s already a quick meal (30 min to prep, a bit longer waiting for the eggplant to roast). If you’ve got a spare half hour on the weekend, make the hummus and pickle some red onions ahead of time (which you’ll love as a garnish on lots of meals).
With a couple of things ready in the fridge, a weeknight dinner is just roasting the eggplant, cooking the mince and chopping up a salad. Warm some flatbread and dinner’s done 🍏💚
Ingredients
For the eggplant and beef:
2 whole eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil for cooking (approx. 2 tsp)
500 g extra-lean beef mince
2 tbsp harissa paste, preferably red, although green works too
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1½ tsp maple syrup
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt (make sure you check the seasoning, taste and adjust if needed before serving)
Optional: toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts to serve
For the hummus:
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp water, plus extra if needed
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup fresh mint, optional
For the salad and serving:
1 cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup loosely packed fresh dill, chopped
¼ cup loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Pickled onions - Finely slice 1 red onion and place in a clean jar. Pour over equal parts white vinegar and apple cider vinegar until the onion is covered. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey, then stir well to combine. Leave for 30 minutes, then serve. Keep refrigerated and use within 2 weeks.
Flatbread or pita
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced. Prick the whole eggplants a few times with a fork and place on a lined baking tray. Roast for approximately 40–60 minutes, depending on their size, until completely soft.
Blend the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, water and garlic until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, adding the mint if using. Add a little more water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
Stir together the harissa, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mince and press it into an even layer. Leave it undisturbed for a few minutes so it develops a golden crust before flipping it in sections and breaking it into chunks. Continue cooking until browned.
Stir through the harissa mixture, reduce the heat and let it cook until the beef is cooked through and coated in the sticky sauce. Add a small splash of water if the pan becomes too dry.
Combine the cucumber, tomato, dill and parsley, then dress with lemon juice.
Cut the roasted eggplants in half lengthways and place one half on each plate. Spoon over the salad and top with pickled onions. Smear hummus alongside, spoon the sticky harissa beef over the hummus and serve with warm flatbread or pita.
Top the mince with toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts
Happy Cooking!
Em @ Enzy Nourished
