Find your love for cooking again, The Merrymaker Sisters show us how Emma and Carla Papas are founders of The Merrymaker Sisters (and real-life sisters!). Self-proclaimed bliss followers, Yoga/Pilates teachers and health coaches, they quit their full-time government desk jobs in July 2014 to pursue their passion of bringing health and happiness to the lives of others. Since then they’ve created the #1 mobile recipe App Get Merry, published the healthy cookbooks Make It Merry, and Get Merry, host the #GetMerry podcast as well as created MerryBody: an online Yoga, Pilates and Body Positive Studio.
The Get Merry cookbook is filled with healthy recipes that are quick, easy and delish. Buy your copy at getmerry.com. The Get Merry recipe app has over 300 healthy recipes at your fingertips! Download it on iPhone and Android
PORK GYROS WITH CHIPPIES
This recipe is EPIC. It’s real food that tastes oh so yum. We LOVE that there is extra leftovers too! Yay!
SERVES: 4* PREP TIME: 20 min COOK TIME: 8 hours
STUFF YOU NEED
For the pork 1 kg (2 lbs.) pork loin/roast/ tenderloins
2 garlic cloves crushed
½ cup water
¼ cup red wine (or water)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika salt and pepper
For the chippies
750 g (1 ½ lbs.) sweet potato peeled and chopped
coconut oil
salt and pepper
Serve with
2 baby cos lettuce or 1 iceberg lettuce
2 tomatoes diced
1 red onion diced
1 cucumber diced
1/2 cup natural or coconut yoghurt (optional)
*with extra leftovers
NOW WHAT
In a slow cooker add the pork, garlic, water, wine, apple cider vinegar, herbs, spices and a little salt and pepper.
Pop the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for about 4 hours.
Once cooked, use 2 forks to shred the meat. Stir really well and allow to cook for an extra 10 minutes.
About 40 minutes before your pork is ready, get onto the sweet potato chips!
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl coat the chopped sweet potato in coconut oil and salt and pepper.
Lay sweet potato onto prepared baking trays, be careful not to overlap too much.
Place into oven for 20 minutes.
Check, turn and cook for a further 15 minutes.
While the chips cook, prepare the other salad stuff.
Serve pork inside lettuce leaves, top with tomato, onion, cucumber and a dollop of natural yoghurt and a side of chippies!
PULLED BEEF NACHOS
Hands up if you LOVE nachos? We’re pretty sure every Merrymaker’s hand just went up. Nachos are the best darn invention ever. #fact
SERVES: 4 PREP TIME: 20 mins COOK TIME: 8 hrs
STUFF YOU NEED
For the beef
1 kg (2 lbs.) sirloin steak (or whatever beef is on sale)
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic crushed
½ cup stock or bone broth
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chilli powder
salt and pepper
Serve with
600 g (1.3 lbs.) sweet potato peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes diced
1 red onion diced
1 avocado mashed
3 tbs. fresh chopped coriander
1 tbs. coconut oil
1 tsp. paprika
Cashew cheese
½ cup raw cashews (soaked overnight then drained)
1 clove garlic crushed
½ lemon juiced
3 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. water
1 tsp. turmeric
salt
NOW WHAT
Place all the beef ingredients into the slow cooker, stir around to combine then cook on low for 8 hours. When you turn on the slow cooker, also start soaking your cashews!
Once the beef is cooked, pull apart with 2 forks to shred. Talk about delicious.
About an hour before the beef is ready preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl add the sweet potato slices, coconut oil, paprika and a little salt and pepper. Stir well to coat the potato in spices and oil.
Lay the sweet potato slices onto the baking trays and bake for about 25 minutes, turn and bake for another 10 minutes or until nice and crunchy.
While the chips cook, place all ingredients for the cashew cheese into a food processor or blender.
Whiz until super dooper smooth (SO YUM!)
Place a layer of chips, top with beef, tomatoes, onion, avocado, cashew cheese and fresh coriander.
DELISH STUFFED EGGPLANTS
Oh, these babies are going to please. We love stuffing food in other food, makes it fancy and oh so fun!
SERVES: 4 PREP TIME: 25 mins COOK TIME: 40 mins
STUFF YOU NEED
500 g (1 lbs.) beef mince
100 g (3 ½ oz.) baby spinach
100 g (3 ½ oz.) parmesan cheese grated (optional)
4 small or 2 large eggplants
3 tomatoes chopped
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic crushed
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 tbs. fresh parsley
1 tbs. macadamia oil
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
coconut oil
salt and pepper
NOW WHAT
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 1 baking tray with baking paper.
Slice the eggplants in half length ways. Scoop out flesh of the eggplant, leaving about 2 cm (1 inch) edge of flesh around all sides of the eggplant. Be sure not to go too deep and make a hole!
Don’t chuck the flesh, chop it all up and set aside.
Sprinkle eggplants with salt and drizzle with macadamia oil, place on the baking tray and put into oven for 30 minutes, or until eggplants are soft.
While the eggplants cook get onto the beef!
In a large fry pan heat a little coconut oil on medium, add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato, eggplant flesh, spices and continue to stir for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat up a little and add the beef mince, cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Stir through the spinach, fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Fill your cooked eggplants with delicious beef, sprinkle with pine nuts and a little extra parsley.
SLOW COOKED MOROCCAN LAMB
Far out we love slow cookers, especially when they’re this easy. Best invention ever! Don’t you agree?
SERVES: 4 (with extra leftovers) PREP TIME: 30 min COOK TIME: 8 hrs
STUFF YOU NEED
1 kg (2 lbs.) lamb diced (casserole meat or shoulder)
2 tomatoes diced
1 medium sweet potato peeled and chopped
1 onion diced
1 garlic clove crushed
1/2 cauliflower chopped
1/3 bunch coriander (cilantro)
1 cup stock (or bone broth)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1 cm (½ inch) piece ginger grated
coconut oil
NOW WHAT
In a large fry pan on medium, heat a little coconut oil. Cook the lamb for 5 minutes, sealing all sides until just brown.
Transfer lamb into slow cooker and add all the other ingredients except for the fresh coriander.
Cook on low for about 8 hours.
Serve with fresh coriander.
Don’t forget to freeze your extra leftovers or enjoy for a few more days!
While the eggplants cook get onto the beef!
In a large fry pan heat a little coconut oil on medium, add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato, eggplant flesh, spices and continue to stir for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat up a little and add the beef mince, cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Stir through the spinach, fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Fill your cooked eggplants with delicious beef, sprinkle with pine nuts and a little extra parsley.
