Five simple and yummy lunches
If you’re looking for ideas for lunchtime … look no further. We’ve teamed up with Dubliner Lighter to bring you our favourite cheese recipes that are perfect for lunch.
Dubliner Lighter Courgette Fritters
These are so gorgeous and they’re ridiculously easy to make.
Makes 9 – 12 fritters, depending on size, and has 102kcal/100g
Ingredients
2 Courgettes, grated
85g flour
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 eggs
100g Dubliner Lighter White, grated
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Method
Place all ingredients together in a large bowl then mix until all ingredients are combined.
Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat, when hot, lower temperature to medium heat then add a drizzle of olive oil.
Drop large spoonful’s of mixture into the pan, use the back of the spoon to flatten fritters slightly and cook for about 4 minutes. Flip fritters over and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.
Leave cooked fritters to drain on paper towel while you cook the remaining mixture.
Serving tip: Delicious served with a dollop of sour cream.
Dubliner Lighter Phyllo Pizza
Who doesn’t love pizza? This one is seriously tasty and makes a great homemade alternative to the shop bought ones.
This recipe makes one pizza, and 241kcal / 100g
Ingredients
Makes 1 pizza
Ingredients
3 phyllo pastry sheets
Olive oil
2-3 tbsp passata
4 slices Dubliner Sliced Lighter Red
4 slices Dubliner Sliced Lighter White
Salt & pepper
Toppings: tomato, mushroom, rocket, peppers, onions, corn – really anything you love
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C fan assisted and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Lay 1 sheet of phyllo onto the baking tray then lightly brush one half with olive oil. Fold pastry in half then brush the top lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo on top, making sure the edges are mostly lined up, then repeat above steps until you have 6 layers of phyllo in total.
Spread passata over the pastry then arrange Dubliner Lighter slices on top. Add your favourite toppings to your pizza then bake in the oven until edges are crisp and golden, about 4 -5 minutes.
Enjoy while hot.
Dubliner Lighter Sweet Potato Taco Fries
Sweet potato tacos are a real favourite of mine at the moment, perfect for a lunchtime pick me up, they’re tasty and warming. In fact, they would suit any meal time. This one is simple to pull together, and of course it’s with Dubliner Lighter cheese which has 33% less fat.
This recipe serves 4 and has 104 kcal / 100g
Ingredients
– For the fries
2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
– For the mince
500g beef mince
1 onion, roughly diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tbsp
tomato purée
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 can kidney beans, drained
– To serve
Dubliner Lighter White, grated
Crème fraîche
Fresh chilli, sliced
Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan assisted and line a baking tray with tinfoil. Cut sweet potato lengthways into wedges then loosely arrange on prepared baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and a bit of pepper. Lightly toss.
Bake until cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile for the mince, heat a large pan over high heat, when hot drizzle with olive oil then add the mince. Cook until mince is browned.
Lower heat to medium then add the onion, carrot and chilli. Cook until the onions have softened, 2-3 minutes.
Add the taco seasoning, tomato purée, salt and pepper, stir through. Add the kidney beans then leave to simmer on low heat until the sweet potato fries are cooked.
To serve, spoon mince on top of sweet potato fries then top off with a generous handful of grated Dubliner Lighter White cheese, crème fraîche and sliced chilli.
Dubliner Stuffed Aubergine Boats
This is a brilliant way to include Aubergine in your diet, providing you with fibre, vitamins B1, B6 and potassium. They’re also full of antioxidants (the skin especially), so if you’re not already eating them, start now.
This recipe serves 4 and has 133 kcal / 100g
Ingredients
2 aubergines
Olive oil
1 red onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
125g cherry tomatoes, quartered
100g quinoa, cooked in vegetable stock
200g Dubliner Lighter Red Cheese, grated
Pine nuts, optional
Method
Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan assisted and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways. Using a sharp knife, cut a 1cm boarder inside aubergine halves, then use a spoon to help remove the flesh from the middle. Roughly dice the removed aubergine flesh and set aside.
Brush hollowed out aubergine boats with olive oil, place cut side up on the baking tray then bake for about 20 minutes until cooked and the edges are starting to char slightly.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat then drizzle with 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Add the diced aubergine and allow to brown slightly, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium low and continue to cook until aubergine is mostly cooked through.
Add the onion, garlic and salt and cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cooked quinoa, cook for further 5 minutes until tomatoes start to soften and release their juices. Remove from heat and stir in 150g of the grated Dubliner Lighter Red cheese.
Spoon filling into the roasted aubergine boats and sprinkle each with pine nuts (or any other seed of your choice) and the remaining 50g grated Dubliner Lighter Red cheese.
Return to the 200°C / 180°C fan assisted oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top has melted.
Serve immediately.
Dubliner Burrito Bowl
Don’t spend a fortune at lunchtime buying these – not only are they expensive, but they won’t taste half as good as the one you make yourself.
This recipe serves 4 and has 110 kcal / 100g
Ingredients
For the mince
2 tbsp olive oil
500g beef mince
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 (400g) can chopped tomato
1 (400g) can kidney beans, drained
250ml beef stock
Salt & pepper
For the salsa
4 tomatoes, seeds removed & finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
To assemble
4 portions cooked basmati rice
Cooked mince
2 avocados, sliced
Salsa
150g Dubliner Lighter Red Cheese
Sour cream
Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method
To cook the meat, heat pan on medium high heat. Add olive oil then add the mince. Break up large pieces with a fork and spread out over surface of the pan. Brown the meat, stirring occasionally.
Lower heat to medium then add the onion, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook further 1 minute.
Stir in the cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Add the chopped tomato, kidney beans and beef stock. Stir to combine, then leave to simmer on medium low heat until half of the liquid has been reduced, stirring occasionally. Between 15-20 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add salt & pepper as needed. Remove from heat.
While mince is cooking, make the salsa. Combine all salsa ingredients and stir together. Chill in the fridge until needed.
To assemble the burrito bowl, spoon a layer of cooked Basmati rice into serving bowls. Spoon cooked mince over about half of the rice, then spoon fresh salsa next to the mince, covering about 1/8 of the rice. Arrange half an avocado on top, then sprinkle generously with Dubliner cheese. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with sour cream on the side.
These gorgeous recipes are all made with Dubliner Lighter which has 33% less fat, for more great recipe ideas you can follow them here on facebook or here on insta.