BELINDA MaCDONALD LOVES CREATING super-fast modern low-carb dishes with clever twists to make you smile. Her passion is for fun, vibrant and flavourful food. During Covid lockdown she launched a new website and book called Flavourbomb to help people with kitchen confidence and clever ingredient swaps to make dishes low-carb, which took off like a rocket.
Her new book Flavour Kiss has over 150 recipes for you to fall in love with. There’s something for everyone, from cheeky and fast midweek meals when you’re short on time, right through to boujee tapas for entertaining with friends and family.
GUNPOWDER LAMB CHOPS WITH GREEN YOGHURT
Serves 4
Try these aromatic Indian lamb chops served with tangy cooling yoghurt. They’re simply delicious without being too hot, which means they are perfect for an easy, healthy, moreish family dinner.
Spice Mix
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek (methi) leaves
- 1 tsp whole green cardamom
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Gunpowder Lamb Chops
- 1 chilli, deseeded if desired
- 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic
- zest and juice of 2 limes
- ½ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt or creme fraiche
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 12 lamb chops, or you could use a whole rack or butterflied lamb leg
Green Yoghurt
- 1 cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
- big bunch of fresh mint or fresh coriander (or a mixture of both)
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- salt, to taste
For the spice mix, add all the whole chunky spices to a spice grinder first to break them down, then add the rest of the ground spices to the grinder and pulse together to create your mix.
For the lamb, place all the ingredients, except the lamb, in a food processor. Add the spice mix and blitz to create a paste. Rub the paste over the lamb and leave in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
For the green yoghurt, mix all the ingredients together to combine.
When ready to cook, bring the chops to room temperature while you preheat the barbecue or a grill pan. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. If you prefer to use the oven, preheat the oven to 200°C. Sear the chops in a cast-iron skillet over a high heat for about 2 minutes each side until charred, then roast for 8-10 minutes or cooked to your preference. Rest on a platter, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
Serve the lamb chops with the green yoghurt for dipping.
MIDDLE EASTERN CHILLI CHOCOLATE SLAB
Serves 10
Drop’n another F*bomb! Flippin’ heck – this deliciously easy and exotic chocolate slab is full of nuts, tangy dried apricots, coffee, cardamom, chilli and smoked sea salt. This will be a repeat recipe for sure – you can thank me later.
- ½ cup hazelnuts or almonds
- 250g dark chocolate (80% cocoa solids)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil or cacao butter
- 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 10 green cardamom pods, seeds extracted and crushed
- big pinch of smoked sea salt flakes
- ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 100g dried tangy organic apricots or sour cherries
- 1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Roast your hazelnuts for about 10 minutes, until golden and smelling toasty. I love to keep the flaky skins on, but by all means, remove them if you wish. Chop them roughly.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir through the espresso powder and crushed cardamom seeds. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of smoked salt to taste.
Pour chocolate mixture onto the prepared baking tray and scatter over the toasted hazelnuts, pistachios, dried apricot and a flurry of chilli flakes. Add a final sprinkle of smoked sea salt and leave to set in the fridge or freezer for a few hours before cutting into bite-sized squares.
Flavour Kiss by Belinda MacDonald, Penguin. RRP $50.
