Chargrilled Vegetables and Couscous

2 cups instant couscous
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
Grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
4 baby eggplant, thinly sliced lengthways
1 red capsicum, thickly sliced
3/4 cup low fat natural yogurt
1/4 cup chopped mint
1 garlic clove, crushed

1. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a saucepan on high. Remove from heat and add couscous. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff grains with a fork. Stir through coriander, lemon rind and juice.
2. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill on high. Spray vegetables with cooking oil spray and cook in batches for 3-5 mins each side, until tender.
3. Combine yogurt, mint and garlic. Season to taste. Serve with vegetables and mint yogurt on the side.

Roasted capsicum, bocconcini and basil tart

2 x 200g store bought puff pastry sheets
1/3 cup store bought olive tapenade
400g store bought roasted capsicum
220g tub bocconcini cheesed, drained
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
olive oil, to serve
cracked black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Cut each pastry sheet in half and place on a baking tray lined with non stick paper. Score a 1cm border around each pastry rectangle.
3. Spread with tapenade, keeping within the border and top with the capsicum and bocconcini.
4. Brush pastry edged with egg and bake for 12-15 mins or until pastry is puffed.
5. To serve tarts, top with basil and parmesan, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

Anna's Sticky Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 onion, diced
1 tin tomato sauce (not condensed)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp demure sugar
2 tsp english mustard

1. Add onion and chicken to sauce in a casserole dish and cook for around an hour and a half on 180.

Janelle's Thai Chicken Puddings

3 stalks lemongrass
4 kaffir lime leaves
4 cloves garlic
2 red capsicums, seeded and roughly chopped
50g Thai red curry paste
4 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
400ml coconut milk (premium quality)
1kg chicken mince

Garnish: coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves, red chillies

1. Put lemongrass, garlic and lime leaves into food processor and process until chopped as finely as possible. Add capsicum and process until smooth.

2. Add curry paste, fish sauce, salt and pepper and with the motor running add the coconut milk. Add the chicken mince. If your processor is small, do this in batches.

3. Preheat oven to 180.

4. Spoon filling into oiled mini muffin tins. The mixture shrinks so dome up above the level of the pan.

5. Garnish with a dot of coconut cream, coriander leaf and chilli slices or finely slice kaffir lime leaves and chilli rings.

6. Bake for 7 minutes.

Sue's Prawns with Fetta

500g peeled green king prawns
2 tblsp lemon juice
6 shallots
1 tblsp chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
400g crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
60g butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
185g fetta cheese

1. Sprinkle prawns with lemon juice.
2. Heat oil in a large pan and add chopped shallots and garlic
3. Cook 30 seconds and stir in tomatoes and tomato paste
4. Bring sauce to boil, reduce heat, simmer gently uncovered 15 minutes or until sauce thickens
5. Add prawns and wine to sauce mix and stir until prawns cook
6. Crumble fetta and stir through mix
7. Serve with chopped parsley on top

Serve as entree with toasted bread or as a main with pasta/rice

Brenda's Spicy Diced Lamb

1. Fry diced lamb with 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and 1 teaspoon of garam masala or curry powder.
2. Add two diced tomatoes and stir.
3. Add 1 cup of brown lentils and 2 cups water
4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally
5. Add 1 crushed garlic clove and continue to cook until liquid reduces (maybe 30 mins) and turns into a sauce.

Serve with brown rice and steamed bok choy.

Kel Baird's Double Chocolate Cookies

This series of recipes are gifts from my friends at Burnside - SJPC as I prepare for the wedding. The first in this series is a much coveted recipe of Kel B's.

110g unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
125g dark chocolate, melted
280g dark chocolate, extra, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until light and creamy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat for a further 3-4 minutes. Stir through flour, cocoa, bicarb soda and melted chocolate.

Add the extra chopped chocolate and stir to combine. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into rounds.

Place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, allowing room to spread.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until slight cracks have formed.