Here is a really quick and easy meal… Right now when we are in the depths of our school year and our house guests do not abate because we are busy!!! I still want to be able to have folks round for a meal at the drop of a hat but I just don’t have hours of preparation time. So here is super quick meal, that is easy enough for a nine year old to whip up on her own, and that is working for us right now.
Let’s Meet the Players:
- For every pound of mince:
- We use about a tablespoon of crushed garlic.
- One small onion chopped.
- One egg.
- A generous teaspoon of ground cumin.
- A generous teaspoon of coriander.
- A half teaspoon of cinnamon (of course I always leave something out of the photograph).
- And a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Wooden skewers. These are called craft sticks in our house – but really they are skewers.
Let’s Play the Game:
Step 1: Pop your skewers in a sink of cold water to soak before you get going with all your other preparation.
Step 2: Slightly grind all those lovely spices… just a bit – no need to haul out the pestle and mortar.
Step 3: Toss all the ingredients into a bowl… and smoosh it together.
Step 4: Divide your mixture up into the number of skewers you want and roll them into balls and poke a skewer stick through them. Squish them round the skewer.
Step 5: At this stage I usually pop them in the fridge until we are almost ready to eat. Total time so far: fifteen minutes max. And then I make a quick Salsa – with whatever is lying around…
Step 6: When we are ready to eat I pop them under the grill for about ten minutes. Turn them half way.. While they are grilling we make a bowl of couscous. Just follow the directions on the packet… ours are add equal amounts of dry couscous and boiling water (a cup for a cup and so on) and three minutes later stir it through with a dash of butter or some olive oil and it is ready to serve. Pop your salsa onto your couscous with a dash of lemon juice and you are good to go.
Step 7: Literally dinner for many in minutes.
That’s it!!! Quick and Easy!!!
You make it sound so easy, we will have to give it a go. I am so stuck in a rut when it comes to suppers at the moment, that I am keen to try something new. Thank you for sharing.
Oooh, this looks yummy and it is just what I needed for this week of craziness – thanks for sharing!
Is it really a pound or do you mean a kilogram??!! I am going to try this recipe – you make it seem so easy! A lovely new version for mince in our house rather than my usual version with spaghetti or rice!
Hi Cheryl, It really is easy and the yummy flavors are a nice change form our spaghetti and meatballs mince!!! Have a fun week!!!
Hay Joyful Mama – So good to hear from you!!! A very yummy meal and there are absolutely no complaints from anybody!!!! Have a fun week!!!
Oooh S, I usually feed my family with a about a half a kilo pack of mince – so that would be about a pound!!! That’s enough mince for anything we do with mince: meatballs, Bolognese, shepherds pie, beef wellington…. I’ll stop already!!! But we eat mince usually once if not twice a week. Hope that helps!!!
I love the slow cooker for making dinner easier.
Ooh. this will def go in my ‘recipes to try’ folder. My kids are always asking what they can do to help and this it perfect.
Half a kilo for all of you? That’s how much we use now with 3 littlies eating. I have visions of teenagers eating that much each!
Hi Tara… I have never tried a slow cooker. The father person likes his food fresh out of the pan so to speak… no lingering dishes for him!!! So I have never tried anything that I can make way in advance… believe it or not!!! Have a fun weekend!!!
Sorry Olivia – My kids are indeed the last of the big eaters!!! I have this belief that a lot of food is wasted because folks pile their kids plates way too full and then half of it doesn’t get eaten. So I have always given my kids smaller portions and if they ask for more I will get some… but they pretty much never do!!! Often times friends come over for dinner and say our kids eat like fleas and load up their kids plates… my kids lick their platters clean and their kids don’t, what more can I say!!! Have a good weekend!!!
Well, I DID end up making these, but not for supper…we turned it into quick and easy picninc fare for a trip up the West Coast on Sunday. It was super quick to make, and delicious served cold. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hay Joyful Mama, What a great idea!!! Why didn’t I think of it as picnic food!!! Hope you have a fun week!!!
Ooh… picnic! That IS a good idea, Thanks Joyful Mama!
I do have the same philosophy regards serving food, tho and so far we have one who eats the bare minimun and one who always asks for more, another is still struggling with the idea that only the plate in front of his is his and baby’s not interested yet (phew!)
Hi O, I also have one that likes to clear the table so that he can eat the scraps off ll the plates!!! Aren’t kids so funny!!! Have a good weekend!
I tried these tonight and they worked well. I have 1 child who is not enthralled by any of the usual mince dishes and so I was looking for something different to do with mince. Easy peasy and qick. Definitely going to add them to the list of regulars but also have to find a vegetarian version for my husband, not sure what will stay on a stick!!
Hay Debbie, Glad you enjoyed them!!! There must be a vegetarian version… meantime my kids often just make vegi-skewers… I put out an array of stab-able vegetables and they pack their skewers… done!!! I tell you it really works: If they cook it they do eat it!!! Hope you guys have a great week…