Aromatic Lamb and Giant Cous Cous – 13sp

I love that lean lamb mince is now readily available in supermarkets (at one time I used to have to hunt it down and stock up!!). Its a lovely flavour alternative to regular beef mince and can be used in lots of different ways to make a quick and easy evening meal. This one I created very quickly when trying to use up some of the ingredients I had in the house already.

Its nice and easy to prepare, quick to cook and tastes so, so good. The cashews and pomegranate seeds that finish the dish really make this meal so if you can get hold of them they are worth adding. If you don’t fancy the cashews, simply omit and count as 12sp per person rather than 13sp.

For those of you who aren’t fans of lamb mince, you can make this with the same amount of lean beef mince (5%) and the points are 10sp per serving with the cashews or 9sp without.

(n.b I forgot to add the pomegranate seeds before taking the picture however I added them before digging in!!)

Aromatic Lamb and Giant Cous Cous

Serves 4 = 13sp per person (Flex)

Ingredients

500g lean lamb mince (10% fat – I got this in Sainsbury’s)

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Either 2 tbsp Ras el Hanout powder (or if you can’t get this replace with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and ginger, 1 tsp ground coriander and cumin and 2 tsp paprika)

1 tsp crushed chillies (optional if you want to add a bit of spice)

2 tbsp tomato puree

½ tbsp. honey

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 lamb stock cube diluted in ½ litre boiling water

200g giant cous cous, dried

Handful of fresh parsley and mint, finely chopped (reserve a little to garnish at the end)

4 tbsp fat free natural or greek yoghurt

Small pack of pomegranate seeds

20g cashews, toasted (optional – adds a bit of crunch- if omitted the dish is 13sp per serving)

Method

Spray a large frying pan with 1kal and then fry the mince, onion and garlic for 5 minutes until the mince is browned, then add the spices and fry for another minute. Next add the tomato puree, honey and lemon zest and fry for 2 minutes. Then add half lamb stock and cook on high until the liquid starts to reduce. Add the rest of stock gradually. As it reduces the sauce should thicken and so shouldn’t be too watery.

Cook the cous cous according to packet instructions (mine needed to be simmered in boiling water for 8 minutes). Drain the cous cous and add to lamb mixture with the parsley, mint and the juice of one lemon (the lemon you previously zested). Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required.

If you are having the toasted cashews, pop on a baking tray and under the grill for a few minutes. Remove and roughly chop.

To finish pop the cous cous and lamb into a nice big bowl, drizzle with the yoghurt and top with the parsley and mint you reserved along with a sprinkle of cashew pieces and pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy!