Donna Hay's weeknight tacos and oven-baked super-green falafels
Add spice to your night with simple flatbreads and tacos packed with flavour and crunch.
Chipotle chicken and cauliflower tacos
Corn tortillas are pliable but have a firm texture, perfect for saucy fillings. Purple cabbage adds an extra crunch along with a colour burst.
INGREDIENTS
1 x 215g can chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, chillies chopped and sauce reserved
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and quartered
500g cauliflower florets (about 1 head)
sea salt and cracked pepper
12 small corn tortillas (330g), lightly toasted
3⅓ cups (300g) finely shredded purple cabbage
1 cup (12g) coriander sprigs
pickled red onions and lime wedges, to serve
Lime dressing
½ cup (140g) plain Greek-style (thick) yoghurt
1½ tbsp lime juice
sea salt and cracked pepper
METHOD
Step 1
Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan-forced). Line two oven trays with baking paper.
Step 2
Place the chillies and sauce in a bowl. Add syrup, garlic and oil and combine.
Step 3
Place the chicken in a separate large bowl and top with half the chipotle mixture. Toss to coat.
Step 4
Add the cauliflower to the remaining chipotle mixture and toss to coat. Transfer the chicken and cauliflower to the trays and season. Roast for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is just charred on the edges, the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Step 5
Combine yoghurt, juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Fill tortillas with cabbage, chicken, cauliflower and coriander. Drizzle with yoghurt dressing and serve with onions and lime wedges.
Serves 4
Oven-baked super-green falafels
Keep any of your leftover falafels in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. They make a great snack and add substance to a work salad. I used charcoal flatbreads. They look striking against the colourful vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup (120g) frozen peas, slightly thawed
2 tbsp white chia seeds
1 cup (90g) finely chopped broccoli
2 cups (70g) firmly packed shredded kale leaves
1 cup (24g) flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ cup (8g) mint leaves
1½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp baking powder
sea salt and cracked black pepper
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
flatbreads, rocket, sliced radishes, labne, to serve
METHOD
Step 1
Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan-forced). Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Step 2
Place the chickpeas, onion, peas, chia seeds, broccoli, kale, parsley, mint, cumin, baking powder and salt and pepper in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Step 3
Press two-tablespoon portions of the mixture into patties and place on the tray.
Brush the patties generously with oil and bake for 15 minutes. Flip, brush the patties with more oil and bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Step 4
Divide the flatbreads between individual serving plates and serve topped with rocket, radish, labne and the falafels.
Makes 16
Recipes extracted from Week Light by Donna Hay, RRP $45.00 available at all good bookstores and donnahay.com.au, recipes and styling Donna Hay, photography Con Poulos.