Ghagin il-forn (Maltese baked pasta)

Here's what you will need:

Ingredients:

• 200g wholemeal penne (or your desired pasta shape)
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp polpa
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 spoonful of tomato paste
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• a bunch of basil 
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 5 tbsp mirepoix (made with finely chopped celery, onion and carrots)
• 250g ground beef/pork (or mixed)
• 1 egg 

1. Start by making the mirepoix, in a food processor, finely chop 2 carrots, 1 celery stick, and one whole onion. Heat a pan with some olive oil and add the mirepoix, saute gently on low heat and season accordingly.
2. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. 
3. Next, add the tomatoes, polpa and paste together with the garlic. Simmer gently on medium low heat until the salsa thickens. Add basil if desired. 
4. Meanwhile, start boiling a pot of water and cook the pasta shapes as instructed on the package.
5. Once the pasta is done, drain and mix in with the ragu sauce prepared earlier. Whisk the egg together with some grated Grana Padano if desired and add to the mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in a baking dish. 
6. Top the pasta with mozzarella shavings and Grana Padano.
7. Bake in the oven until the mozzarella is bubbly.
8. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

Spiced salmon with a warm Bulgar wheat salad

Let's jump right to it!

Ingredients: (for 2 persons)

• 2 120 g salmon steaks (skin removed) 
  
• 2 tspns of smoked paprika
• 1 tspn ground cumin
• 1/4th of a tspn ground ginger
• 100 g bulgur wheat 
• A bunch of baby spinach leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 7 cherry tomatoes
• 1 tub of greek yogurt 
• 1 tbspn of honey 

Method:

• Prepare a pot with around 300ml of boiling water and add the bulgur wheat. Cover and let it sit for around 15 minutes or as indicated on the package.
• Add the spices in a separate bowl and mix until homogeneous
• Next, rub the salmon steaks with the seasoning and spice mixture and place immediately on a hot pan (you may use cooking spray or sunflower oil for pan-frying the salmon).
• Let the salmon cook for at least 5 minutes on both sides. 
• While the salmon is cooking, add the garlic to a separate pan, with a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the Italian seasoning, cherry tomatoes and baby spinach. 
• Add the vegetable mix to the Bulgar wheat to create a warm side salad. 
• Add the salmon on top.
• For the yogurt sauce, simply combine with the honey and mix well.
• Serve on the side and enjoy this tasty, Mediterranean dish! 

Mediterranean Pasta bake!

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 eggplant, finely sliced
• 2 button mushrooms
• 1 large carrot
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tspn. garlic powder
• 2 tspn. oregano
• 2 tspn. rosmary
• 5 leaves of fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 2 tbspn. extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tspn. sundried tomato pesto
• 150g penne 
• grana padano shavings
• grated mozzarella 

Method:

Boil the pasta as directed on the packet. After chopping and seasoning the vegetables accordingly, add some olive oil and oven bake at 180 degrees celcius for approximately 20 minutes. Once the pasta and veggies are done, mix together in a pot, add the sundried tomato pesto and transfer into a dish. Top with desired amount of grana padano shavings and mozzarella. Place back in the oven until the mozzarella is melting on top. Serve, savour and enjoy this healthy Mediterranean dish!

Mediterranean Salmon Bake

Welcome to this new section dedicated to healthy lunches, ideal for all the family to enjoy! The first lunch option is a delicious baked salmon on a bed of red potatoes and mixed vegetables. Let's dig in...

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 salmon fillets (around 170 g each)
• 400g of red potatoes, peeled and sliced 
• 1/2 a broccoli chopped into florets
• A handful of black olives
• 5 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3 teaspoons of sundried tomato pesto (to be rubbed on salmon)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning (or oregano & rosemary)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (extra virgin)
• Salt & pepper to taste 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius 
2. Assemble the ingredients as can be seen in the picture above, mix the potatoes with the seasoning and garlic powder, together with the olive oil in a separate bowl before adding to the main dish.
3. Rub the pesto on the salmon fillets and season with salt & pepper accordingly 
4. Add the broccoli florets, tomatoes and olives
5. Oven bake for around 20 minutes, depending on your oven, be sure to turn the potatoes over half way in order to ensure an even-bake.
6. Serve and enjoy!!!