As the spring weather warms up, it's time to think about new recipes for Easter and so here's some fresh ideas to make best use of scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork from QMS.

Enjoy ...

Scotch Beef and lentil cannelloni

A wholesome and hearty meal that goes a long way.

Serves: 2

Prep time: 45 mins, plus cooling

Cooking time: 1 hour 35 mins

Ingredients:

• 150g lean Scotch Beef mince

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

• Pinch of sea salt and black pepper

• 350g herb flavoured passata

• 40g red lentils, rinsed

• 75g carrot, peeled and grated

• 1 large courgette, trimmed

• 15g fresh Parmesan grated

• 15g low fat Cheddar, grated

Lean pork mince works just as well in this recipe as an option, or you can use half pork and half beef. If you're entertaining, simply double up the recipe quantities and bake in a larger dish of approximately 28cm diameter.

Method:

• First make the meat sauce. In a hot, non-stick saucepan dry fry the minced beef, onion and garlic for 5 minutes until browned all over.

• Season lightly, and add the passata and 150ml water. Bring to the boil, add the lentils, and simmer uncovered for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and the lentils are completely soft.

• Turn off the heat, and stir in the carrot. Leave to cool completely.

• While the meat sauce is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to slice down the length of the courgette and make long, thin ribbons. Keep the pressure steady as you slice, to make the ribbons as long as possible.

• When you reach the middle of the courgette, you may find it easier to slice it through with a vegetable knife. You should be able to make between 12 and 14 ribbons.

• Wrap each ribbon into a 4-5cm diameter tube and place on a board. Very thin or broken ribbons can be laid on top of each other to make up more rounds. Cover and chill until ready to cook. Finely chop the leftover courgette into small pieces, and stir into the meat sauce.

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan oven/gas 6. Cover the bottom of an approx. 20cm round or square baking dish with a layer of the meat sauce. Stand the courgette tubes side by side in the dish, then carefully fill each one with the remaining meat sauce – a teaspoon is useful for this.

• Cover the top of the dish with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cheeses and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes, uncovered, to melt the cheese.

• To serve, sprinkle with basil for a professional flourish. Accompany with crusty bread and salad, and invite everyone to tuck in!

Nutritional claims:

• 3 of your 5-a-day

• High in protein – 31g per serving

• Low in fat – 7.8g per serving

• Low in salt – 0.49g per serving

• Source of vitamins A and B12.

Teriyaki Scotch Beef lettuce cups

Easy finger-food that taste every bit as good as they look.

Teriyaki Scotch Beef lettuce cups

Teriyaki Scotch Beef lettuce cups

Serves: 4

Prep time: 30 mins plus marinading and standing

Cooking time: 4 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 x 227g lean Scotch Beef sirloin steak, trimmed

• 6 tbsp mirin

• 2 tsp clear honey

• 12 Little Gem lettuce leaves, trimmed

• 4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped

• 75g radish, trimmed and chopped

• 115g carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

• 125g white cabbage, trimmed and shredded

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 2 tsp Scottish rapeseed oil

Mirin is a traditional Japanese sweet rice seasoning which gives the dish its distinctive flavour. If you prefer, you can use a ready-made Teriyaki marinade mixture and leave out the soy sauce. Or, mix 2tsp honey with 2tbsp soy sauce and 1tbsp white rice or wine vinegar and use to marinate the meat. Try the teriyaki flavours with lamb or pork strips.

METHOD

• Mix together 2tbsp each of soy sauce and mirin with 1 tsp honey.

• Using a meat tenderiser or the end of a rolling pin, lightly beat the steaks to a thickness of about 1cm. Slice into thin strips and place in a shallow dish. Pour over the soy and mirin mixture, and stir well.

• Meanwhile, arrange the lettuce leaves in a serving dish. Reserving quarter of the spring onions, mix all the vegetables with 1tbsp each of the remaining soy sauce and mirin and 1tsp sesame oil, then cover and chill along with the lettuce until ready to serve. Soak 12 short bamboo skewers in water.

• Mix the remaining soy sauce, mirin, honey, and sesame oil together with the remaining spring onion. Spoon into a bowl, ready to serve as a dipping sauce. Cover and set aside.

• Preheat the grill to a hot setting. Remove the beef from the marinade and thread on to the skewers in ‘S’ shapes. Arrange the skewers on the grill rack and brush lightly with oil. Cook for 2mins. Turn over, brush with the remaining oil, and grill for a further 1-2 mins until the beef is just cooked. Cover lightly, and stand for 5mins.

• To serve, mix the chopped vegetables and spoon into the lettuce leaves. Serve with the beef skewers, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Accompany with dipping sauce and freshly cooked rice or noodles.

Nutritional claims:

• 1 of your 5-a-day

• High in protein – 25g per serving

• Source of vitamins A, B6 and B12

Easy Scotch Lamb pilaf

A delicious, lightly-spiced dish that everyone will want to tuck into.

Easy Scotch Lamb pilaf

Easy Scotch Lamb pilaf

Serves: 4

Prep time: 28 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 600g lean Scotch Lamb leg steak, trimmed and sliced

• 1 large red onion

• 1 lemon

• 115g Soft dried apricots, chopped

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• A pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp clear honey

• 2 x 250g packs cooked red and white quinoa

• 390g can cooked green lentils, drained

You can use any ready-cooked grain in this recipe, and other canned pulses like small aduki beans or cannellini beans will work perfectly. You could also add some peas and sweetcorn to add pops of colour and extra fibre to the pilaf. Or switch the lamb strips for lean beef steak or pork fillet.

Method:

• Heat half the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion, stirring for 2mins.

• Add the lemon juice, lower the heat, cover and gently cook for 15mins until softened and pink.

• Turn off the heat, add the lemon rind, apricots, cinnamon and a little seasoning, re-cover and leave to stand.

• Put the lamb in a bowl and mix in the cumin, honey and a little seasoning.

• Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and stir fry the lamb for 6-7mins until just cooked through. Cover and leave to stand whilst finishing the pilaf.

• Add the quinoa and lentils to the fruity onion mixture. Stir, and heat for 3-4mins until thoroughly hot. Then mix in the lamb, and heat through for a further 1min.

• Add to serving plates and sprinkle with mint and pomegranate seeds to garnish.

• Accompany with low fat natural yoghurt and fresh lemon.

Nutritional claims:

• 2 of your 5-a-day

• High in protein – 39g per serving

• Low in salt – 0.39g per serving

• Low in saturated fat – 4.2g per serving

• Source of fibre

• Source of vitamin B12 and folic acid.

Scotch lamb and chickpea bites

These tasty, tapas style bites are perfect for a quick meal that’s fuss-free and full of flavour.

Scotch Lamb and chickpea bites

Scotch Lamb and chickpea bites

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 250g lean minced Scotch Lamb

• 400g can cooked chickpeas, drained

• 1tsp ground cumin

• 1tsp ground coriander

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

• Pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

• 100g cucumber, chopped

• 200g cherry tomatoes, chopped

• 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped

• 15g fresh coriander, chopped

You can use crushed cooked frozen peas instead of chickpeas if you prefer. You could also try the recipe with lean minced beef. Add chopped mint and cucumber to yoghurt for a dressing, or mix together equal parts of low fat natural yoghurt and reduced fat hummus for a tahini sauce.

Method:

• Put the lamb in a bowl. Crush 100g chickpeas with a fork, and add to the lamb along with the spices, garlic and some seasoning. Mix well, then shape into 12 balls. Cover and chill until required.

• Mix the remaining ingredients together with the remaining chickpeas. Season lightly. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

• When ready to cook, preheat the grill to a medium/hot setting. Arrange the meatballs on the grill rack and cook for 8-10mins, turning frequently, until browned all over and cooked through.

• To serve, pile the salad on to wraps or flat breads, top with the lamb balls and serve with low fat hummus and salad.

Nutritional claims:

• 1 of your 5-a-day

• High in protein – 17g per serving

• Source of fibre

• Low in salt – 0.13g per serving

• Source of vitamin B12