Here are fake-away recipes that hit the cravings, no matter your dietary preferences.
For the flexitarian: Rice and red kidney bean burgers with cucumber-garlic yoghurt
Serves 6 // Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the rice and red kidney bean burgers
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
¾ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt
1 cup yoghurt
½ cucumber, grated and drained
1 garlic clove, crushed
To serve
6 seeded brown rolls, halved and toasted
Handful baby spinach
2 carrots, ribboned
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced
Method
For the rice and red kidney bean burgers
- Pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor until well combined.
- Shape the mixture into 2cm-thick patties. Rest on a baking tray
For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt
- Combine all the ingredients and set aside.
- Preheat a pan with olive or coconut oil. Once hot, add your patties and gently fry for 10–12 minutes until heated through.
To serve
- Toast your bread rolls. Spread on the yoghurt, then top with a burger patty, baby spinach, carrot ribbons and red cabbage.
Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za
Cheat’s pizza: No-knead pizza tray bake
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the dough
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
1 tsp (5ml) fine salt
⅔ cup (160ml) boiling water
⅓ cup (80ml) canola oil
For the topping
50g tomato paste
3 Tbsp tomato sauce
⅔ cup canned chopped tomatoes and onion
6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
100g mozzarella, grated
10 slices salami or Pepperoni Basil, for serving (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Spray a 3cm deep oven tray, of about 25x40cm, with non-stick spray.
- For the dough, combine ingredients in a plastic food container and seal with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until dough comes together.
- Turn out dough into prepared tray and spread out using your fingers, covering the entire base of your pan.
- Spread tomato paste and tomato sauce over base.
- Blitz chopped tomatoes and onion until smooth using a stick blender. Spread onto the base and sprinkle with herbs. Season.
- Top with cheese and salami or pepperoni.
- Bake at 200°C for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and base is golden.
- Slice into squares. Use a spatula to dish up and serve.
Cook’s tip
Use a container that won’t open while shaking the hot contents. We always use a container with flap locks.
Recipe by: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine
The classic: Traditional fish and chips
Serves 4–6 // Cooking time 25 minutes
Ingredients
For the tartare sauce
1½ cups mayonnaise
2 gherkins, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped dill
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
For the chilli salt
⅓ cup sea salt flakes
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1 tsp paprika
For the chips
6 potatoes, cut into wedges
For the fish
1½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
½ tbsp paprika
1 cup beer
1 egg
4 hake fillets, cut into strips
Method
For the tartare sauce
- Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate.
For the chilli salt
- Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
For the chips
- Heat enough oil to deep-fry in a pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the wedges to the pot and deep-fry until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
- Season with the chilli salt.
For the fish
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
- Whisk the beer and egg together and then add it to the dry ingredients.
- Dip the hake fillets into the batter, allowing any excess to drip off.
- Working in batches, deep-fry the fish for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Gareth van Nelson // HMimages.co.za
