Last night’s dinner was determined by a reduced pack of turkey mince that wouldn’t fit in the freezer and loads of salad odds and ends that needed using up… Turkey is a fantastic meat. People often think of turkey as exclusively a ‘Christmas’ (and normally a dry and bland) meat. But as long as it’s cooked properly it can be really versatile and delicious. It handles lots of different recipes really well, and is incredibly low fat and high protein. It’s also normally pretty cheap. I did a bit of a cheat and used a Pakistani spice mix that I bought from an international food shop to season the kebabs, which I served these with a selection of simple salads (I will give the recipe for these also), and some toasted brown pitta bread. This served 4.

Ingredients:

For the kebabs

Turkey mince
500 grams turkey mince (between 2%-7% fat)
1 onion
3 bulbs garlic
Spice mix of your choice 2-3 tablespoons
1 egg
1-3 chillies (dependent on taste preference)
Coriander (stalks or leaves) – non essential
Salt and pepper

For the salads:
Tomato salad:
ripe cherry tomatoes (on the vine if possible)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Couple of oregano leaves – finely chopped

Potato salad:
Potatoes – a small handful per person (I used Charlotte, but you can use anything really – just chop them into smaller chunks if you are going to use large potatoes)
1/2 yohurt 1/2 low fat mayonaise – 1 heaped tablespoon per person. (so for 2 people, 1 heaped tablespoon of yoghurt, 1 heaped tablespoon of mayo).
Couple of spring onions finely, chopped
Squeeze lemon
Salt and pepper

Beetroot salad:
Cooked beetroot (up to 2 per person), diced
Diced feta cheese
Mint leaves (optional) finely chopped

Method:

For the kebabs:
1. Finely chop the onion, garlic, chilli and coriander

2. Add this and all the other kebab ingredients to a mixing bowl – thoroughly mix together.

3. Shape the mixture into balls, ‘sausage’ shapes, or put onto skewers if you have them

4. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes or until cooked through (try not to overcook – particularly if the mince had a low fat percentage). You may choose to drizzle with olive oil before baking if you wish, I didn’t as I was trying to cut down on fats. Entirely optional.

I served pomegranate seeds on the top for extra colour and flavour. Toast a single pitta bread and cut in half for each person.

For the salads:

Tomato salad:
1. Chop the tomatoes into quarters and add to a serving bowl
2. Add a drizzle of olive oil, salt, oregano and finely chopped galic
3. Mix together

Potato salad:
1. Boil the potatoes until soft. Allow them to cool
2. Add to a bowl with all the other ingredients and mix together well

Beetroot salad:
Dice the beetroot and feta
Add to a bowl and mix. Add the mint if you have it.