Recipes | Leah Itsines

This is my lovely cousin helens creation, who has been helping me smash out the BARE meals! Beef Chow Mein with cabbage is a beautiful Chinese inspired recipe that is SO delicious (and even better for left overs the next day!)  It's a super quick and easy dinner that the whole family can enjoy and great way to use up leftover beef mince. I love using thin hokkien noodles but you could also rice instead.Serves: 3-4  Prep time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes  Ingredients: 250g beef mince 450g thin hokkien noodles (or thin egg noodles)1/2 brown onion, finely diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 small carrot, finely diced 2 large mushrooms, finely diced 1 small zucchini, finely diced 1/4 Chinese cabbage, finely sliced  1 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 cup water (or beef stock) 1 tbsp olive oil Toppings (optional): Fresh coriander Sesame seeds Directions:  Cook noodles according to packet instructions.  Heat olive oil in wok over a high heat. Add onion, garlic and beef. Using your cooking utensil, break apart the mince into small pieces. Cook until the beef mince is browned.  Add curry powder and stir for another minute.  Add carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and cook for a further 5-6 minutes, or cooked to your liking.  Add water, stock, soy and oyster sauce and stir for a further minute. Add noodles and cabbage and heat though.  Serve hot. Top with fresh coriander and sesame seeds. 

Serves: 4Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 500g beef mince1 medium brown onion, diced1-2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 spring onion stalks, sliced thinly10 string beans, halved 1 small broccoli head, cut into florets Handful of fresh coriander (to top)1/2 lime, to garnish2 tbsp sesame oilSpices: 1 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp dried cumin 3 tbsp soy sauceSalt and Pepper to taste  Directions:  Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil over a hot wok Once hot, add onion, spring onion & garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Add mince and use a spatula break down into smaller pieces. Make sure you’re continually stirring and breaking to beef apart. When the meat is almost cooked through (around 6-8 minutes later), add the beans, broccoli and coriander (optional) here. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.  Add soy sauce and the spices to the mixture and mix well.  Serve on a bed of rice.  

You guys asked for chicken wings, and I got you!! The marinade is SO good, which gives the perfect amount of jazz to them to make these little wings taste insane! Plus, this is a super budget-friendly meal to prepare too! Here are my DELICIOUS Honey Garlic Chicken Wings 😍   Honey Garlic Chicken Wings Serves: 2-3Prep time: 15 minutes (plus 1 hour for marinading) Cook time: 30 minutes  Ingredients: 12 chicken wings6 cloves of garlic, crushed 1/2 cup honey 2 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp white vinegar 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated1/4 cup water Sprinkle of salt and pepper Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.   Add garlic, honey, soy sauce, white vinegar, water, sesame oil, ginger and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Mix well.  Add chicken wings into the bowl and coat well. If you have the time - leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.  Place chicken on a lined baking tray and put into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove after 20 minutes and turn over. Place back into the oven for another 15 or until they are beautifully golden!  Enjoy!

This is another one from my yiayia! It's a traditional greek dish, best served on its own with a sprinkle of feta (My favourite!!)  Some people say Fasolikia and others say Fasolia but either way this easy greek bean and potato recipe is super delicious. It's the perfect quick dinner idea and is also an amazing leftover for work lunches. Plus, it's healthy! YAY!   Serves: 4-5 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 1 brown onion, diced finely 2 garlic cloves, crushed1 long red chilli, deseeded and chopped1 tbsp tomato paste 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped2 tbsp. olive oil 8 baby potatoes, peeled and halved400g string beans, tips and tails cut 1 cup crushed tomato 1.5 cup vegetable stock or water  Directions:  In a deep pot, heat olive oil over a medium to high heat.  Add onion, garlic, chilli and parsley into the pot and stir for 3-4 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent.  Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Add potatoes and string beans and stir for 1-2 minutes.   Add tomato puree and water (or veggie stock) and stir. Season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and cook for 10-20 minutes or until your veggies are cooked through. If mixture is too runny, take out veggies and leave it on a high heat to thicken, then throw veggies back in.  For more flavour, serve with feta!  Hope you love this recipe! If you do, don't forget to SHARE it with your friends!  Love, Leah x

This Cheesy Eggplant Bake is the easy dinner and is super kid friendly. It's easy, healthy and so delicious! I love the combination of the eggplant, mozzarella, bocconcini and tomato napolitana sauce. Plus, this dish serves up as an amazing leftover - hello, work lunches - if you don't devour the whole thing at once!    Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 2 Medium eggplants 6 Cherry bocconcini 250g Shredded mozarella 3 Cups Napolitana sauce 1 Handful of basil leaves (optional) 3 Tbsp salt (for the water)  Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Cut eggplants lengthways, into 0.5cm slices (or as thin as you can do!) Place eggplants in a large bowl and fill with water until the eggplant is completely submerged. (if you don't have a big enough bowl, split it between two or three) Add the 3 tbsp of salt to the water and leave to soak for 15 minutes.  Drain eggplants and pat dry. Place onto a lined baking tray (or two) and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Using a deep baking dish, spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce and spread from edge to edge to ensure nothing sticks.  Layer with eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish and top with 3 bocconcini balls ripped in half. Add a ladleful of sauce and continue layering with the eggplants and alternating between mozzarella cheese and bocconcini balls on each layer.  The last layer should be eggplant, sauce and mozzarella.  Cover with alfoil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove alfoil for the last 10 minutes to brown. 

This Bacon and Pesto Pasta is the best thing ever! It's super healthy and delicious but also really quick and easy to make. I love making this for dinner to share with the family and it's also very kid-friendly. Plus, it's perfect as leftovers for work-lunches. Serves: 2Prep Time: 10 minutesCook time: 15-20 minutes Ingredients: Spaghetti, to serve 2 (250g)2 tbsp olive oil 1 small brown onion, diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 small red chilli, deseeded and sliced4 slices of shortcut bacon rashers, sliced in thin strips8 cherry tomatoes, halved 2-3 tbsp homemade pesto1 cup rocketSalt and pepper to taste Directions:  Cook pasta according to packet instructions Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan to a medium to high heat.  Add onion, garlic, chilli and bacon to the pan and cook for 5-7minutes.  Add cherry tomatoes and cook until they have begun to soften (3-4 minutes)  Add cooked pasta to the pan and stir through the pesto. Add rocket and mix until it begins to lightly wilt.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  EAT! 

These Red Curry Fish Cakes are so delicious and perfectly paired with my easy Noodle Salad. I love this healthy recipe because it's packed with flavour. Whether your cooking for two, the whole family or just your kids, everyone is going to love this tasty dinner idea. I also love it for lunch because it's really easy to meal prep. Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes  Ingredients: Fish Cakes:450g firm boneless white fish (ling, snapper, flathead)1 egg5-7 string beans, sliced thinly 1 Tbsp. Fresh ginger, grated1 Garlic clove, crushed 2 Tbsp. Red curry paste 1 small red chilli, deseeded and chopped1 small handful of coriander 1/2 Lime, Juiced1 Spring onion stalk, sliced thinly 1 Tbsp. Fish saucePinch of Salt & Pepper Noodle Salad: 100g vermicelli noodles, uncooked1 carrots, peeled in ribbions 1 cup of purple cabbage, shredded1 cucumber, peeled in ribbions 1/2 red capsicum, sliced thinly 5 mint leaves, roughly chopped5/6 coriander sprigs, roughly chopped  Dressing: 1 tbsp. Sesame oil1 tbsp lime, juiced1 tbsp. Fish sauce 2 tbsp. Soy sauce  Directions:  Ensure to de-bone the fish, you don't want any bones in the fish cakes! In a large blender, add the all the ingredients under "fish cakes" and blend until all combined and its almost like a chunky paste. Cook noodles according to packet instructions. Drain well. Add carrots, cabbage, cucumber, coriander, mint, capsicum and cooked noodles into a large mixing bowl and mix throughly. Taking 2 tbsp of the fish mixture at a time, form small patties. On a large frying pan, splash a small amount of olive oil and cook each patty for 2 minutes on each side, or until completely cooked through. Dress the salad mixture with all ingredients under "dressing". Divide the salad mixture between 3-4 plates and add 2-3 fish cakes each.Tip: Avoid dressing the salad as it can become soggy! Save the dressing until you're about to eat :)  I hope you absolutely love this - It's honestly one of my favourite meals to prep because they last for 3 days in the fridge! If you love this, Please come let me know over on Instagram or Facebook! Love, Leah x 

This vegan lentil bolognese sauce is the best! It's seriously delicious but also incredibly healthy and easy to make. You'll be loving every single bite! Plus, it's an amazing batch cooking recipe that can be enjoyed by the whole family, including kids, or be served up as leftovers for work lunches. It's a win win! Serves: 4  Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ingredients:  1/2 cup dried red lentils  1 brown onion, diced  2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 small red chilli, diced  1 carrot, finely grated  1 celery stalk, finely sliced  3 button mushrooms, finely diced  800g tinned tomatoes, crushed  Generous pinch of salt and pepper  2 cups of water or vegetable stock 2 tsp dried oregano  5 fresh basil leaves  1 tbsp olive oil, for cooking Pasta to serve 4  Directions:  Cook pasta according to packet instructions (up to you for how many you're serving!)  In a deep pot, heat olive oil over a medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chilli, carrot, celery and mushrooms to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or until veggies begin to soften.  Add dried lentils, tinned tomatoes and water (or vegetable stock) and season with salt, pepper and dried oregano. *Be generous with the salt and pepper here as it is a large pot :)  Leave to simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are completely cooked. If it's looking like it needs more liquid, add 1/2 a cup at a time until lentils are fully cooked.  In the last few minutes, throw in the fresh basil and serve with pasta. 

I love Teriyaki Beef Bowls! They're the perfect easy and healthy recipe idea but I have one strict rule... ...I have to make my own marinade! A lot of the store bought marinades have a crazy high sugar content BUT it's so easy to make your own. I will never get sick of my simple marinade of ginger, soy sauce, honey, chilli & sesame oil because it makes the beef SUPER delicious! Next level delicious! To finish off the meal, I love pairing the teriyaki beef with rice and broccoli! How easy is that?! Whether you're looking for a easy healthy lunch or dinner for two people or the whole family, I just know you're going to LOVE this tasty idea. Even your kids will love it.   Serves: 2-3 Ingredients: 450g beef strips, cut thinly  1/2 cup of soy sauce 3 garlic cloves (crushed) 2 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp organic honey 2 tbsp of mirin (sweet rice vinegar) 2 tbsp. of ginger (grated) 1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced  1/2 cup basmati rice, uncooked & washed  1 & 1/4 cup of chicken stock 1 small brown onion,diced 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp. sesame seeds (optional)  1 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)  1 small head of broccoli  Directions:  Place ginger, soy sauce, chilli, garlic, sesame oil, honey and mirin into a large bowl and mix. Add the beef to the bowl of marinade and let it sit for 1-2 hours to marinate. In a small pot (with a lid) heat butter over a medium heat. Once melted, add the brown onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add washed rice to the pot and stir. Add chicken stock into the pot and stir around. place lid on top and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and put a 12 minute timer on. Leave to cook.  In a small pan, heat a small amount of olive oil and add broccoli florets. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until cooked to your liking.  Remove broccoli from the pan and begin to cook the beef in batches. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan as you can "stew" the meat and it will become tough. Smaller the batch, the better!  Cook for 2-3 minutes on the pan or until cooked to your liking.  Serve with rice, broccoli and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and fresh coriander! 

This is the best ever Cheesey Broccoli Soup recipe! It's so warming and delicious, I'm promise you won't be able to stop eating... ... and that's no exaggeration! haha Plus, it's so incredible easy to make, is packed with veggies and also super kid friendly, making it the perfect dinner idea, especially in winter!! Serves: 6Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes  Ingredients:2 medium broccoli heads, cut into florets1 brown onion, diced2 spring onion stalks, sliced finely2 large garlic cloves, crushed1/2 tbsp fresh thyme8 baby potatoes, peeled and quartered Generous pinch of saltGenerous pinch of pepper200g cheddar cheese5 cups of chicken stock Directions: In a deep pot, heat olive oil over medium to high heat.  Add onions, garlic, thyme and spring onion to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent.  Add potato and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stirring constantly so the potato does not burn the bottom.  Add broccoli to the pot along with the chicken stock, salt and pepper.  Simmer the mixture for 20-30 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are soft.  Take the soup off heat. Using a stick blender, mash the broccoli and potatoes until a fine thick consistency. If it's too thick for you, add a touch more stock and keep blending!  Place the soup back on heat and add the cheddar. Stir to mix through. Season with salt and pepper here again if you think it needs it! (always taste test!!) Serve with some fresh thyme, spring onions or more pepper! 

Who doesn't love curry? And who doesn't love stuffed capsicums (or peppers as my American friends call them)? This recipe is next level! Filled with rice and curried chicken these stuffed capsicums are delicious, healthy and a super easy dinner idea that whole family is going to love. Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 50 minutes  Ingredients:  300g chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces 8 capsicums (red or green), tops cut and insides removed  1 brown onion, sliced finely 1 small broccoli heat, cut into small florets 5 button mushrooms, sliced finely 1 small red chilli, sliced finely 2 cups of spinach 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped finely 3 tbsp yellow curry paste 1 1/2 cup of basmati rice (uncooked)  400ml can of coconut milk 1.5 cups of chicken stock 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp soy sauce Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.  Heat oil in a deep sauce pan and brown chicken in small batches. Remove and set aside.  In the same deep pan, splash 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium to high heat. Add onion, chilli and curry paste to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, broccoli and spinach and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.  Add basmati rice and cooked chicken to the mixture and stir until mixture is mixed well. Add coconut milk and stock and bring to a boil. Add fish sauce, soy sauce  lime juice and coriander. Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the mixture to the capsicums (it's going to look runny, but the rice will expand and soak up the juices so try to stand the capsicums up to ensure doesn't pour out.  Toothpick the capsicums shut bring the lid that was cut off. Spray capsicums with spray oil and place into the oven for 40 minutes.  Remove and EAT! 

This is the easiest and the best cauliflower pizza base recipe you'll ever find! It's actually SO simply to make and the best thing is that can you freeze the pizza base, so it's ready to go for those pizza cravings. Yay! And honestly it's the perfect gluten free base for anyone who loves pizza but wants a healthy option.  Try it out this week and let me know your thoughts!   Makes: 1 large pizza base (or two medium ones) Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes  Ingredients: 1 medium whole cauliflower head 1 garlic clove, crushed1 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp chilli flakes 1 egg pinch of saltpinch of pepper2 tbsp cheddar cheese, grated Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Using a grater, grate the cauliflower into "rice". This step can also be done by adding the cauliflower to a food processor and blend until a rice like consistency.  Add the cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl with a couple tablespoons of water. Cover with cling wrap and pierce a few holes in the top with a fork. Place into the microwave for 10 minutes to steam.  Once the cauliflower is steamed, you need to draw out the excess water using a microfibre cloth. **NOTE - wait until this is cooled slightly! The water that will draw out is boiling!  Add the cauliflower back into the bowl and add the garlic, dried oregano, chilli flakes, egg, salt, pepper and cheese. Mix well and work the mixture.  Shape the mixture in a thin circle onto a lined baking tray. Place into the oven for 30 minutes.  Add your toppings and place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes!