Chicken leek and mushroom pot pies

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 sheets frozen ready-rolled butter-puff pastry, partially thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, halved, washed, thinly sliced
150g button mushrooms, sliced
125g feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 quantity warm bechamel sauce (see recipe below)

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease four 1 1/4-cup capacity ovenproof dishes. Place 1 dish upside down onto 1 sheet pastry. Using dish as a guide, cut a circle 1.5cm larger than dish. Repeat with remaining pastry.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add leek and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until soft. Increase heat to high. Add mushroom. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until mushroom is tender.

Add mushroom mixture, feta, chicken, parsley and salt and pepper to bechamel sauce. Mix well. Spoon filling into dishes. Drape pastry over dishes to cover filling, pressing edges to seal.

Brush pie tops with water. Cut a small cross in tops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place onto an oven tray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed. Serve.

Cheesy meatloaf

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
750 gm lean minced beef
1 egg
freshly ground salt & pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup BBQ sauce or ketchup
1-2 tbsp tomato chutney
½ cup packet breadcrumbs
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
2 large sheets kitchen foil
grated tasty cheese
cooking oil spray

Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and gently saute onion and garlic until softish. Then combine with minced beef, egg, seasonings, Worcestershire, BBQ sauce, chutney, breadcrumbs and parsley (adding more breadcrumbs or chutney if needed).

Place foil on a workbench, shiny side up, and form meat into a log shape. Then sprinkle cheese on top to taste, pat down and spray foil with oil. Fold up, place in a lightly oiled baking tray and cook in oven, cheese side up, for 50 mins.

Serve with a simple green salad on the side.

Chicken prosciutto and bocconcini parcels

Preparation Time - 5 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 8)
•8 large (about 200g each) chicken thigh fillets
•Salt & freshly ground black pepper
•4 bocconcini, quartered
•8 large fresh basil leaves
•8 slices prosciutto
•2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the chicken, boned-side up, on a clean work surface. Season with salt and pepper. Top each fillet with 2 pieces of the bocconcini and a basil leaf. Roll up firmly to enclose filling. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each chicken parcel and secure with a toothpick.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken parcels and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a roasting pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven. Cover with foil and set aside for 5 minutes to rest.
3. Cut the chicken parcels in half crossways and serve with whatever you want!

Haloumi kebabs

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 packets haloumi cheese
1½ red onions
1 red capsicum
10 small button mushrooms
metal skewers
juice of ½ lemon
olive oil
freshly ground salt & pepper
1 heaped tspn thyme leaves
1 red chilli, seeded & chopped
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
juice of 1-2 limes
2 tbsp chopped coriander
olive oil spray


Method:
Cut cheese into cubes and then cut 1 red onion, capsicum and mushrooms into similar sized pieces. Carefully thread on to skewers.

To make the marinade, whisk up lemon juice, ¼ cup oil, seasonings and thyme. Pour over the top of the skewers and set aside for about 30 mins, turning every now and gain.

To make the salsa, mix together ½ chopped red onion, chilli, tomatoes, lime juice, seasonings, a splash of oil and coriander. Taste for seasoning.

Then grill skewers on a lightly oiled, preheated ridged grill (or BBQ), brushing with marinade as you do so.

To serve, mound salsa on individual plates and top with skewers and a garnish of coriander sprigs.

Mars Bars Slice

200g melted chocolate

3 cups rice bubbles

90g butter

3 Mars Bars

1. Grease and line slice tin with baking paper. Melt Mars Bars with butter and mix with rice bubbles.

2. Pour mixture into tin. Melt chocolate and pour over slice.

3. Let slice cool in fridge, then slice.

Salmon skewers

500g salmon fillet, cut into 2 1/2 cm squares
255g snow peas
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon thyme or thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsbp honey
1/2 bunch chives, chopped

1. Preheat the BBQ to a medium heat. Thread salmon and snow peas alternatively onto lightly oiled skewers.

2. Place mustard, thyme, cumin, lemon juice and honey in a bowl and mix to combine. Brush mustard mixture over salmon and cooked on BBQ grill for 2-3 mins on each side or until salmon is cooked.

Lemongrass beef, noodle and peanut salad

200g bean thread noodle
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp salt reduced soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
500g lean rump steak, thinly sliced
1 stick lemon grass, white part only, finely chopped
1 long red chilling, seeded, finely chopped
1 bunch choy sum, trimmed, stalks halved and leaves shredded
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp chopped, unsalted peanuts
lime wedges to serve

1. Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water to cover. Set aside to soak for 5 mins. Rinse under cold water and drain.

2. In a jug, combine lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Set aside.

3. Heat a wok on high. Spray lightly with canola oil. Add beef in two batches. Stirfry 2-3 mins until golden. Transfer to a plate.

4. Return wok to a high heat. Spray with more oil and add lemongrass and chilli. Stirfry for 1 min and toss through choy sum stalks and water. Stirfry for 1-2 mins.

5. Add noodles, beef, lime juice mixture and choy sum leaves. Toss together for 2 mins until heated and topp with peanuts.