You don’t have to give up on your health goals to enjoy a hearty Easter lunch! We’ve got everything you need here to craft a fun spread that will wow the entire family. Here are 3 recipes loaded with nutrients, tasty ingredients and aromatic herbs.
Whether you’re hosting Easter lunch or heading down to a friend or relative’s place, you’ll probably be wondering what to make that won’t be loaded with trans fats, sugar or preservatives. From the store-bought sauces to the sugary marinades that are so popular this time of year, it can be hard to stick to our health goals. But, that’s what we’re here for! These recipes have everything you could want in a delicious lunch, minus the sugar crash, of course.
Crunchy Roast Potato Salad
Our IQS recipe developers outdid themselves with this rendition of the classic potato salad. And who doesn’t love a good potato salad? The problem is the sugars hiding in the sauce and dressing – but we’ve taken care of that. Find the full recipe HERE.
Ingredients:
- 6 medium new potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1lemon, juice and zest
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 red capsicums, thinly sliced
- 2 medium red onions, cut into quarters
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cups rocket
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 and line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over a high heat. Add in the potatoes and cook for 7 minutes. Drain in a sieve, shaking up the potatoes so that they roughen up a little. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic and a few crunches of sea salt and pepper. Add in the potatoes and stir with a spoon to coat well in the marinade. Place on the lined tray and roast for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add remaining oil to the same large bowl. Add in capsicum and onions and coat well. Once potatoes have roasted for 25 minutes, add the veggies to the second tray, spreading out evenly so that no veggies don’t overlap. Roast for a further 15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, switch your oven to the highest grill setting and cook until potatoes have started to crisp up.
- Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, add in the parsley, spinach and rocket. Once potatoes and veggies are ready, add them to the bowl and stir through the leaves until they are coated in the residual oil from the veg.
Crispy Roast Chook with Sweet Potato Casserole
This is the answer to all your Sunday lunch dreams – loaded with nourishing ingredients and delicious flavours, you can’t go wrong with this meal. Find the full recipe HERE.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, preferably organic and free range.
- 1 onion, thinly sliced (keeping the end cuts).
- whole head garlic, chopped in quarters.
- 1 tablespoon butter.
- sprigs of fresh (or dried) thyme or oregano.
- sea salt and pepper.
- 2 lemons, halved.
- a big splash of apple cider vinegar.
- 2 cups green vegetables (broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts or beans work well).
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
- Pat down the chicken, inside and out, with paper towelling to ensure it’s dry. Using your fingers and working from the chicken’s "bottom" end, pull the skin from the breast and slide your fingers all the way up. Poke half the butter and some of the herbs up under the skin. Rub the chicken on both sides with lemon juice, and rub down with salt, pepper and remaining herbs. Stuff squeezed lemon halves in chicken cavity.
- Place onion and garlic in roasting pan and place chook on top. Sprinkle with remaining butter.
- Cook in preheated oven for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes with the juices from the pan. The chicken is ready when you poke a drumstick with a skewer and the juices run clear, not pink'
- Meanwhile prepare the Sweet Potato Casserole (link below) and add to the oven when the chicken has approximately 25 minutes to go.
- At around the 50-minute mark, steam the green vegetables.
- Remove the chicken to a serving dish, along with the garlic and lemon, cover and leave in the still-warm oven (you can turn off the oven).
- Place the pan with all the juices over heat. Scrape the bottom of the pan, add vinegar and bring to a boil, scraping the onions and fatty bits. Add a little more liquid if you like and reduce. Strain the sauce into a gravy boat or small jug.
- Pull chicken meat off the bones and divide into six portions. Freeze four portions.
- Divide Sweet Potato Casserole in to six portions. Freeze four portions.
- To serve, divide remaining Sweet Potato Casserole and chicken between two plates, or a plate and a lunch box. Divide green vegetables between the two serves and serve with the sauce.
Baked Stuffing Loaf
Light up the table with this delicious stuffing loaf. It's the perfect addition to the festivities! Find the full recipe HERE.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups chopped raw veggies (a combo of cauliflower, sweet potato and celery is great; or a combo of parsnip, pumpkin and carrot also works well)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, skin on
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, plus extra sprigs to garnish (optional)
- good pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons flour (any kind)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup chopped pistachios
- 3 knobs butter
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 150 g button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup cream
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and line a baking tray and a loaf tin (23cm x 13cm) with baking paper.
- Place the vegetables and garlic on the baking tray and roast for 30 minutes. Transfer to a food processor (squeeze the garlic out of its skin first) and pulse until the vegetables resemble breadcrumbs. Add the eggs, herbs and salt and blend until combined, leaving some chunks. Stir through the flour, coconut oil and pistachios.
- Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin and bake for 40–50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. (Remove from the oven after 25 minutes and press the extra thyme sprigs into the top of the loaf, if you like). Set aside to cool a little.
- To make the mushroom sauce, place the butter, salt, pepper and mushrooms in a skillet over a low heat. Cook the mushrooms for 10 minutes until softened, then stir in cream. Reduce the sauce until the desired consistency is reached.
- Lift the loaf from the tin and slice into thick slices. Serve with the mushroom sauce.
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