I hear of a lot of people who have made all the healthy eating and regular exercise resolutions. Today, two recipes that might help. Turkey mince is very lean, very healthy and good value – be sure to look out for the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark.

You may be thinking that you have had enough of turkey at Christmas but this recipe is definitely for all year around. You can also make it with pork mince or chicken mince, but the turkey is super lean.

The lentils add good texture to this vegetable-packed meal. Some chilli powder or some nice harissa sauce add a nice kick. The Simply Better Oko collection of spices made in Athlone are all organic and worth trying.

Turkey is very good for taking up flavours. The Simply Better chopped tomatoes are from Puglia where they have fantastic volcanic soil. This is a part of the world that I am looking forward to filming in soon.

The satay noodles dish is also packed with vegetables. I like the colour of this meal and children love it.

When buying soy sauce you might like to try Kecap Manis, which is Indonesian and low salt, I really like it. Thai Gold, from Wexford, produce very good sweet chilli sauce and coconut milk.

This recipe is also lovely with rice and you could add some cooked chicken. My mother loved to use duck. I am a big fan of Thai food. It is aromatic, not too spicy and full of flavour.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Recipes

Turkey & black bean chilli. \ Photography: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith

Turkey & black bean chilli

Serves four to six

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp mild chilli powder

225g (8oz) lean minced turkey

100g (4oz) red lentils, well rinsed

450ml (3/4 pint) vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)

400g (14oz) can finely chopped tomatoes (good quality)

400g (14oz) can black beans

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lime wedges, Greek-style yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

  • 1 Heat the oil in a large deep pan over a medium heat and sauté the vegetables for 8-10 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the turkey mince and cook for another 2-3 minutes until lightly golden, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.
  • 2 Stir the lentils into the vegetable mixture and pour in the stock. Give everything a good stir and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the lentils are almost tender.
  • 3 Stir the tomatoes into the lentil mixture with the black beans and season to taste. Remove the lid and simmer gently for another 5 minutes. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with lime wedges, dollops of yoghurt and a scattering of fresh coriander leaves.

    • Satay noodle vegetable stir fry

    Serves four

    275g (10oz) fine egg noodles

    1 tbsp rapeseed oil

    1 large red pepper

    225g (8oz) fine green beans

    175g (6oz) baby corn

    2 garlic cloves, crushed

    400g (14oz) can coconut milk

    100g (4oz) crunchy peanut butter

    2 tbsp dark soy sauce

    2 tsp sweet chili sauce

    1/2 lime, pips removed

    1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

  • 1 Place the fine egg noodles in a pan of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender, or according to packet instructions. To prepare the vegetables, cut the red pepper in half and remove the core, then thinly slice. Trim the green beans and cut in half. Cut the baby corn in half lengthways.
  • 2 Heat a wok until very hot. Add the oil and swirl around the edges. Then tip in the red pepper, green beans, baby corn and garlic and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender, sprinkling over a tablespoon of water if the mixture is getting too dry.
  • 3 Drain the noodles and add to the wok with the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, chilli sauce and squeeze in the lime juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes until all of the ingredients are piping hot. Divide among warmed bowls and scatter over the coriander to serve.

    • Food profile:

    OHCo. (The Organic Herb Company)

    If you’re looking to spice things up in the kitchen, Neven recommends the Simply Better OHCo. spices and spice blends from Dunnes Stores. OHCo. (or The Organic Herb Company) is produced by VOA Foods and based in Athlone, Co Roscommon.

    They specialise in organic seasonings, herbs and spices that are freshly milled and blended using the finest ingredients.

    Because OHCo. obtains the earliest harvests from farms across the world, they are able to guarantee freshness, optimum flavour, texture and colour in all of their spices and spice blends. Try their harissa spice blend to give the turkey chilli an extra kick.