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Easter is a great time of family celebration, where good food and feasting is central to any Easter get-together. In Australia, fish is the traditional favourite on Good Friday, while lamb is on the menu for Easter Sunday. And while big lunches are the order of the day, it is the unending supply of Easter Eggs and treats that turn your Easter feasting into a high fat-fiesta.
To prevent the four day break becoming a choc-fest extraordinaire, here’s some special family fish and lamb dishes from leading Australian dietitian Karen Inge APD and the makers of Gourmet Garden herbs in a tube, to ensure a little nutritional balance is bought to your table.
“Easter can be a rather indulgent time, with Easter eggs, hot cross buns with lashings of butter and lots of family meals to enjoy. Our recipes are really easy and perfect for entertaining, and you can serve them knowing they are nutritious,” said Karen.
“Easter eating should stay traditional and delicious, but you can simply reduce the fat and salt content by using herbs and spices and adopting healthy cooking methods. The beauty of herbs and spices is that they add flavour, while also giving you a nutritional boost due to their high antioxidant count. You can either use fresh, or have a few tubes of herbs in the fridge to see you through the holiday time.”
Fish is a popular choice on Good Friday and Australians have a great range of fish to choose from. Among the traditional favourites are barramundi and John Dory (also know as St Peter’s fish in Europe), a mild and delicate white flesh fish best when grilled whole or roasted in the oven. If you want to give your omega 3 levels a boost, then choose oily fish such as salmon or ocean trout.
Fish with Chilli is a simple recipe. Marinade fillets in a combination of lime juice, cumin, olive oil, Gourmet Garden Coriander and Chilli; season with salt and pepper; then add tomato, corn and onion to the marinade before BBQ or char-grilling.
Another simple but very tasty fish dish is the Easy 3 Stripe Grilled Fish Fillets, which takes less than 10 minutes to cook and tastes delicious. Simply coat fillets with one thin stripe each of Gourmet Garden Basil, Garlic and Chilli during grilling.
“There are many benefits from eating seafood,” says Karen. “Fish is low in saturated fat and is an excellent source of protein, essential Omega 3 fatty acids, iodine and a myriad of vitamins and minerals. Flavours can always be added to fish and a good way without boosting kilojoules or fat intake is through herbs and spices such as dill, oregano rosemary or chilli.”
A traditional slow-cooked Rosemary Roast Lamb is always a family favourite and is perfect for serving for Sunday lunch or dinner. Add some Gourmet Garden rosemary and garlic to a little olive oil and smear across the roast before cooking.
Serve lamb with a simple mint sauce which combines a teaspoon of Gourmet Garden Mint with half a cup of malt vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
For the traditional roast meal, baked vegetable flavours can always be enhanced by brushing them with a paste of olive oil and Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs and adding them, wrapped in foil, to the roasting dish to cook with the lamb for around 45 minutes.
If you would prefer a sensational salad to roast vegetables, Gourmet Garden have some fabulous recipes such as Chick Pea, Eggplant and Tomato Salad; Orange and Avocado Salad with Zesty Dressing; and White Bean and Capsicum Salad.
The Orange and Avocado Salad with Zesty Dressing, for example, is tasty, light and refreshing. For the dressing, place chopped onion, Gourmet Garden Basil, Gourmet Garden Chilli, orange juice, honey and olive oil in a screw-top jar and shake until well blended. To assemble the salad, peel, pith and slice seedless oranges into rounds; halve, pit, peel and thinly slice avocados. Spread baby rocket leaves on salad plate and top with oranges and avocados and spoon dressing over the top.
No Easter weekend of eating would be complete without a traditional Hot Cross Bun and an Easter egg or two. If you make your own Hot Cross Buns, try adding some Gourmet Garden Ginger to give them some added flavour and an antioxidant boost. With Easter eggs, if the rest of your meals are healthy then you should be able to have a small indulgence without too much concern.
With these quick and easy recipes you will be able to keep your entertaining as simple and easy as possible while also tasting delicious.
Gourmet Garden has over 150 recipes to see you through the holiday season and beyond at www.gourmetgarden.com