Lahembajin (Middle Eastern meat pizza) is one of those foods which signify gathering together to me and reminds me of the weekly parties my parents and relatives would hold when they migrated to Australia. There was always an abundance of food, music, and dancing!

These meat pizzas are easy to serve and share with family and friends so I decided to recreate them and boy, did they go like hotcakes!

Don’t be fooled by the length of the recipe below, it really is simple to make. It looks long because I’ve included Thermomix instructions as well as traditional instructions for the pizza dough.  Noting, I just used a basic pizza dough recipe for the base which can be found in the Everyday Thermomix Cookbook

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Lebanese Meat Pizza (Lahembajin)

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 9

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

• 500 grams white all-purpose flour or unbleached plain flour
• 280 grams warm water
• 2 teaspoons dry instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Meat Topping Ingredients

• 250 grams lamb mince
• 250 grams beef mince
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 large red capsicum, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 500 grams passatta
• 100 grams tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano or dried mint

Instructions

Dough Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix together yeast with 1 cup warm water and allow to proove for 5 minutes until it becomes frothy.
• In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, oil and remaining warm water plus the yeast preparation. Mix together with your hands and knead until a smooth, soft dough forms, adding more water or flour if needed. Form it into a ball and place into a bowl. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm location until dough rises to double the size (can take 1-2hrs).
• Once the dough is ready, on a lightly floured surface, form the dough into golf ball size balls (approxiately 9 in total) Roll out balls thinly into circles (mine are never perfect!) should be around 19 cm in diameter. Place on baking tray.

Thermomix Dough Instructions

• Place water and yeast in the mixing bowl and heat 1min/37/speed 1.
• Add all remaining ingredients and mix 6 sec/speed 6 then knead for one and a half minutes.
• Form a ball out of the dough and transfer it to a bowl. Cover with a tea towel and allow to prove for 1-2 hours in a warm place if possible.
• Once the dough is ready, on a lightly floured surface, form the dough into golf ball size balls (approximately 9 in total) Roll out balls thinly into circles (mine are never perfect!) should be around 19 cm in diameter. Place on baking tray.

Meat Topping Instructions

• Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and preheat oven to 220 degrees celcisus.
• In a medium bowl mix the meat toppings together and pop into the fridge until the dough is ready.
• Place 1.5-2 tablespoons meat mixture on top of the dough circles and spread it evenly across the whole surface.
• Bake for 10-15minutes or until meat is cooked and dough is slightly golden.

If you make this recipe and share on Instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise, feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

While you’re here you may like to check out my recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar-free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved! 

Other Middle Eastern recipes you might like are…

Mjaddra (lentils and rice)

Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice

Bren x

Garlicky Ginger Miso Noodles with Roasted Asparagus and Broccolini is a perfect healthy and satisfying meal to get you through a busy week.

I served it warm with bbq’d salmon and lemon wedges and I think it would go well with prawns, tofu, tempeh, pork mince…you name it. It would be great the next day eaten cold with some rocket and baby spinach stirred through also.

Come follow me on instagram and facebook for daily recipe, health and nutrition inspo!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Extra virgin olive oil
Tamari soy sauce
Sesame seeds
Ramen noodles

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Garlicky Ginger Miso Noodles with Roasted Asparagus and Broccolini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 bunches broccolini, trimmed, cut into thirds
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into quarters
• 50 grams butter, softened
• 50 grams extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsps white miso paste
• 4 tbsps tamari or soy sauce
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 shallots, finely sliced
• 270 grams dried ramen noodels, or you can use any noodles I get the Hakubaku brand from The Wholefood Collective as linked above
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tsps sesame seeds, toasted, plus extra to serve

Instructions

• Place butter, olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the miso paste, 2 tablespoons tamari, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Mash together well. Stir through the shallots.
• Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced. Place a large baking tray with baking paper. Line broccolini and asparagus onto prepared tray.
• Dot broccolini and asparagus with the miso mixture. Roast for 10 minutes. Turn oven off and leave in there for further 5 minutes.
• While this is cooking, prepare noodles as per packet directions. Drain well but save half a cup of noodle water and pop back into the saucepan. Stir through 1 tablespoon of miso paste plus the hoisin sauce and tamari.
• Place noodles in a large bowl. Add broccolini mixture and extra sauce. Toss well to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my new recipe ebook which is getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life.

Similar recipes you might like:

Asian Style Noodle Salad

San Choy Bow

Spicy Pork and Vegetable Nasi Goreng 

It was a Monday night and I was caught out for dinner because I hadn’t had a chance to meal plan on the weekend and my husband and I couldn’t figure out what we wanted for dinner.

All we knew is that we wanted something light but tasty and my mind wandered to all the things I felt would tantalise my tastebuds and we were rewarded with this simple, fresh, vegetarian pasta dish which served as leftovers in the kids lunch boxes the next day and went down a treat.

Tip: While you’re cooking the pasta get started on the other bits and you’ll have dinner on the table in under 15 minutes.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration take a look at my ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved and take the guess work out of what delicious, healthy food to make your kids for lunch!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Pasta
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper

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Simple Zucchini, Pea, Mint and Ricotta Pasta

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 6

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 500 grams pasta, whatever type you like
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 medium size zucchinis, cut in half lengthways and finely chopped into half discs
• 350 grams fresh ricotta
• 2 lemons, zested
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• sea salt or river salt and black pepper
• parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)
• handful greens like baby spinach and rocket to serve

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet.
• Add the peas to the pasta pot for the last three minutes of the cooking time. Drain and rinse with cold water once cooked.
• In the meantime, heat oil in a large pan and gently saute garlic for a minute. Add zucchini and cook for another minute or so.
• Add drained pasta and peas, lemon zest, lemon juice and mint leaves and toss well to combine.
• Crumble over the fresh ricotta and season with salt and freshly ground pepper and gently stir through.
• To serve stir through baby spinach and/or rocket and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and chilli flakes if you like.

Other easy light and fresh recipes you might like are…

Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Rice Salad

San Choy Bow

Garlic Prawn and Pea Spagetti

Fresh and Raw Zucchini Noodle Salad

Sometimes it’s hard to get the family on board when it comes to salads but when you load them up with a variety of cooked and raw vegetables, spices, flavour, protein and carbs they become an exciting meal that everyone will actually want to eat.

The leftovers are perfect for kids lunchboxes the next day too.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration take a look at my ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved and take the guess work out of what delicious, healthy food to make your kids for lunch!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Basmati Rice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ground Cumin
Turmeric
Coriander
Onion Powder
Chilli Flakes
Chickpeas
Sea salt
Cracked Black Pepper

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Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Rice Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1/2 medium cauliflower
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp each ground cumin, turmeric, coriander, onion powder (onion powder optional)
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red capsicum, sliced
• 1 tin chick peas, rinsed well
• 1 block Greek or Danish feta, cubed
• handful olives
• 2 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 handfuls baby spinach

Dressing

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard
• pinch sea salt and cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 180 C and prepare a large tray with baking paper.
• Cut the cauliflower into small florets and place in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, add all the spice, stir well and place on the large tray to one side.
• Put the sliced onion, capsicum and garlic into the bowl, drizzle with olive oil, stir, then place on same tray as the cauliflower and pop into the oven for 10 minutes. Check and put back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking in the oven, cook the rice as per packet instructions.
• Once rice and vegetables are cooked add them to a large salad bowl and mix together.
• Stir through the chickpeas, mushrooms, olives, baby spinach and finally gently toss through the feta.
• Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad and serve.

Notes

This salad can be served warm or cold and is great for lunchboxes. 

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Other rice based dinner recipes you might like are Easy Paella, Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice and Garlic Prawns and Coconut Rice.

Lately, with lots going on, I’ve been feeling quite exhausted and have found myself looking for cooking shortcuts to take the mental load out of cooking. Thoughts of “how can I avoid having to stand over the stove” and “what’s the shortest possible route to dinner” have been occupying my mind…

Thankfully, the oven and cookware in my current rented apartment are superior to what I had at home (currently being renovated, doesn’t look like we’ll be moving back in mid-December though and you’ll agree if you’ve been watching my instastories).

The apartment has a couple of pieces of French oven cookware. Need I say more. I have discovered the joys of one-pot cooking in this amazing cookware which gives me fast results, less clean up, and better-tasting food!

I am loving having a home-cooked meal without all the hassle. The French oven is so easy to clean, uses much less heat to cook at high temps, goes stove to oven, can roast meat in it, make curries, broths, pasta, anything!

I can’t wait to slowly fill my new, big kitchen (so excited!) with some French oven cookware. I’m so glad I got to road test it out first because now I know it’s definitely worth it. It’s expensive but it’s for life, and you can pass them on to the kids too. I think this Chasseur 5.2 litre oven will be the first cab off the rank! And I simply adore the look of this Neoflam retro 5.6 litre low casserole pan. How good does it look!

Don’t worry, you can use any French oven, Dutch oven or casserole dish you might have to make the One Pot Chicken and Vegetable Pilaf. So put your feet up and let the cookware and oven do all the heavy lifting and discover the deliciousness that comes when all the ingredients are brewed together, creating deep, complex flavours to enjoy.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh, and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Turmeric powder
Cumin powder
Paprika powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Basmati Rice
Sea salt
Pepper

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise, feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Other rice-based dinner recipes you might like are Easy Paella, Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice, and Garlic Prawns and Coconut Rice.

This recipe was born out of my craving for mushrooms and something earthy, hearty and comforting.

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Mushroom and Brown Lentil Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 500 grams mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tspn dried thyme or sage
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 450gm tin brown lentils
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter optional
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute until cooked and translucent, stirring frequently, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for a further 2 minutes.
• Stir in mushrooms and thyme or sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 5-6 minutes.
• Stir in rice, lentils, salt and pepper and broth. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a very low heat and gently simmer until rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in butter and allow to melt.
• Remove from heat, stir in parsley and serve.

Do you love mushrooms too?

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Other rice based dinner recipes you might like are Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice (Mjaddra) and Garlic Prawns and Coconut Rice and Spicy Pork and Vegetable Nasi Goreng or Easy Paella.

And with only one pot required, it’s truly a dish that keeps on giving.

The trick in achieving the signature crispy golden crust on the bottom, is in using a wide, flat surface to create maximum surface area, allowing liquid to evaporate and to form the crust. So I recommend cooking this dish in a large skillet or even a wide pot or of course, a paella pan if you’re lucky enough to have one.

Your house is going to smell amazing while you cook this dish and everyone’s tummies will be rumbling!

You can also add all sorts of seafood like squid, mussels, clams and white fish, which I think would be make for quite a special meal if you were entertaining guests.

If you don’t have paella rice, don’t panic, you can use arborio rice instead!

Excuse the average photo taken at night just before I served it. This is real time bab

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Easy Paella

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 150 grams cured chorizo, sliced into discs
• 4 chicken thighs, chopped
• 1 small red capsicum, deseeded and diced
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 300 grams paella rice
• 2 tspns smoked paprika
• 500 grams chicken stock
• 225 grams filtered water
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 12 whole green prawns
• 1 handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic, onion, carrot, chorizo and chicken and saute for 5 mins.

  While this is cooking add chicken stock and water into a separate saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Into the large skillet, add capsicum and smoked paprika and saute for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and saute for a couple more minutes.
• Add the paella rice and stir for a few minutes. Then add the boiling stock/water mix. Add saffron and stir well.
• Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until rice is almost tender but not totally cooked through.
• Add peas and prawns (press prawns down into the rice, and cook for a further 5 minutes or until prawns are cooked. Turn heat up to high and cook for 2 minutes with the aim of creating the signature crust of rice on the bottom of the pan.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve on plates with a generous sprinkle of parsley and wedge of lemon.

Notes

If rice looks like it's drying out too much towards end of cooking, just add in a splash or two of water as needed. 

Enjoy!

Other rice based dinner recipes you might like are Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice (Mjaddra) and Garlic Prawns and Coconut Rice and Spicy Pork and Vegetable Nasi Goreng. 

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

I can always rely on my daughter to help me with meal planning inspiration. Like me, she lives to eat, and shoots out her dinner requests faster than a speeding bullet.

A recurring theme is Mexican, boy does she love it! Maybe it’s the spices or just the overall flavour profile or the fun component. Who cares, we all love Mexican food! From nachos, to tacos, to Tex-Mex Burrito Bowls, to chicken tortillas, even Taco Popcorn! Recently she had burritos at a friend’s house and has now requested ‘that soft flat bread mum’.

So this week I made Mexican Beef and Beans with soft flour tortillas and dear god it was just about the best thing we’ve eaten! I hope this recipe becomes a staple with your families too. It’s a great budget-friendly options that’s got veggies and red kidney beans, and with all the additions like avocado, charred corn, tomatoes and sour cream, it’s bursting with flavour the whole family will love.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Tinned Black Beans
or, Red Kidney Beans
Sweet Paprika
Coriander 
Cumin Powder
Chilli Powder
Tomato Paste
Tamari Sauce 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

If you make this recipe let me know if your family loves it as much as we do, and please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

You might also like these other family-friendly dinner ideas, Slow Cooker Chicken and Potato Curry and Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice.

Gosh, it can get tiresome can’t it!

Thankfully there’s one person in my household I can turn to to help me meal plan, my daughter! When she shoots out all her suggestions I feel the relief wash over me that I don’t have to do all the heavy lifting thinking on my own.  She’ll usually choose familiar recipes, mostly from my blog, but occasionally she’s come up with something random, like San Choy Bow!

So clearly she also provides me with inspirational ideas for recipes and it’s always refreshing adding new meals to my meal planning repertoire. Below I share my new recipe for San Choy Bow which my whole family absolutely loved by the way.

By the way, my daughter’s ALL TIME favourite meal is my Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs. She can’t get enough of it and luckily it’s probably one of the easiest recipes on my blog!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh, and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Noodles
Tamari
Chicken broth powder
Cornflour
Extra virgin olive oil
Cloves garlic
Sesame oil

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San Choy Bow

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 cake vermicelli noodles or any time of noodel you prefer
• 2 tbsps mirin
• 3 tbsps soy sace or tamari
• 3 tbsps oysster sauce
• 3 tbsps chicken broth or you can use chicken broth powder (linkied above)
• 21/2 tspns cornflour
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small corn cob, kernels sliced off
• 140 grams green beans, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tspn ginger, minced
• 300 grams chicken mince
• 5 large mushroom, finely chopped
• 8 large lettuce leaves, cos or iceberg
• roasted peanuts, crushed for serving
• coriander, chopped for serving
• 2 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

• Prepare noodles as per packet instructions.
• In a small cup or jar, mix together mirin, soy sauceor tamari, oyster sauce, chicken broth, and cornflour and mix together well.
• Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute for a couple of minutes then add carrot and corn kernels and green beans cook for a minute. Add garlic and ginger cook for a minute then add chicken mince. Cook for a few minutes then add the mushrooms until just soft and chicken is cooked through.
• Chop up the noodles into small pieces and stir through. Add sauce and stir through for cook for a minute or two.
• Transfer filling into a serving bowl and stir through the sesame oil. Put lettuce leaves onto a serving plate with the peanuts and coriander on the side to serve. Everyone can fill and enjoy their own lettuce cup! 

If you make this recipe and share on Instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise, feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Some other delicious dinner recipes you might like are Spicy Pork and Vegetable Nasi Goreng and Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken and Potato Curry.

I was going to buy some from a local takeaway but my daughter warned me that the dough was more like Lebanese bread than the Gozleme dough which just wouldn’t cut it in the craving Gozleme department. I absolutely love the gozleme you can buy at food stands at markets and sporting events, but because of lockdown during Coronavirus, I had no choice but to DIY!

I made the pastry from scratch which was dead easy but had to ring in number one son to roll out the dough which I never enjoy doing as a bit of effort and elbow grease is required. I filled it with savoury fillings such as lamb, spinach and cheese and was able to more than satisfy those incessant cravings satisfied and the whole family absolutely loved them too!

The recipe made one gozleme each for the four of us which I served with a side salad and we found these to be a lot more filling than we expected so it made for quite the hearty dinner. Noting we’re a family of big eaters too!

If you make this recipe and share on instagram remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Some other delicious dinner recipes you’ll love are Quiche Lorraine with Kale and Hearty Black Bean and Sweet Corn Quesadillas.