Healthy Spring Rolls: Be-Leaf it or Not

This 'recipe' was borne of a nearly-empty fridge. My poor shelf hadn't been stocked in a bit too long, and all that was to be found was half a head of iceberg, a handful of carrots, a bit of chorizo and a lone courgette. It was cold out, and I'd come home from a startlingly wild game of netball absolutely ravenous. So what on earth to make from my odd little collection of ingredients?

Spring rolls! Except without rice paper. And without being rolls. Whatever they are, they're a fantastically easy to make dinner that is jam packed full of colour, veg and crunch. Feel free to chop and change for different vegetables, or chicken/beef/beans in place of chorizo.

Be-leaf me, you'll want to try these. 

What You'll Need

Per Person

- 1 courgette

- 2 carrots

- 5cm of chorizo

- 1/4 head of lettuce

The How-To:

1. Chop chorizo into small pieces and pop into a frying pan over a low heat with a little oil for about 5 minutes until warmed through

2. In the meantime, wash and chop the carrots into pieces the same size as the chorizo, and add in to the pan

3. Use a julienne peeler to create 'courgetti' (or just chop into small pieces if no peeler to hand), and add in with the carrots/chorizo

5. Stir everything for 3-4 minutes until warmed through

6. Tear away each iceberg leaf individually and give a quick rinse

7. Scoop a generous amount of courgette/carrot/chorizo mix onto each leaf

8. Eat immediately!

Tzatziki: Easier to Make than Spell

The perfect refreshing dip for a picnic or backyard barbeque on a summers day, tzatziki a breeze to make and goes with just about anything!

(To make one bowlful, as pictured)

You'll Need:

1/2 cucumber

1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt (see my post about Greek yoghurt for more info)

2 cloves garlic

Sprinkling of mint - fresh if possible (I had none handy so use dried and seemed to work ok!)

A wedge of lemon

The How-To:

1. Grate the cucumber (the whole thing, skin and all)

2. Put the grated cucumber into a sieve and sprinkle little salt over. Set aside.

3. Finely chop the garlic (I recommend using the flat side of the knife to really really squash the garlic, unless you don't mind chunks!), and mix with the yoghurt and mint (finely chopped if using fresh).

4. Squeeze as much water out of the cucumber as possible through the sieve, then mix into the yoghurt

6. Finally, squeeze the fresh lemon over and stir through, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper if desired. 

Perfect with cut up carrots, apple, cucumber slices, peppers, celery, pita bread or even as a sauce over lamb, this dip is a low-fat, high-protein treat that will keep you going through all those games of backyard cricket. 

Dip in.