Chickpea and Cous Cous Filled Capsicum

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 large (600g) red capsicums, halved, deseeded
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 140g (2/3 cup) couscous
• 310ml (1 1/4 cups) boiling water
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 300g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• 85g (1/2 cup) chopped dried pitted dates
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup loosely packed chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1 200g container natural set yoghurt, 99.8% fat free

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush capsicums with 1 tsp of oil. Place, cut-side up, in roasting pan lined with foil. Roast for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, place couscous in a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water, stirring with a fork. Cover, set aside for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 5-6 minutes or until brown. Reduce heat to medium, add couscous, chickpeas, dates, ginger, pepper and salt. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until combined. Add parsley.
3. Remove capsicum from oven. Spoon couscous mixture into each half. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until brown. Serve with the yoghurt.

Lamb Souvlaki

Ingredients:

500 grams lean lamb, cubed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano (dried or fresh)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:
1. Combine all the ingredients and let the meat marinate in the fridge, from 30 minutes to overnight. The longer you marinate it, the more tender the meat will become.
2. Remove the lamb from the marinade and skewer. Use wooden skewers soaked in cold water for 30 minutes to prevent burning, or steel skewers.
3. Grill the skewers for about 3 to 4 minutes each side, until medium rare.

Food tip 1: Serve with a salad of cubed tomato, cucumber and feta cheese, a bowl of low-fat Greek yoghurt and a platter of warmed wholemeal pita bread.

Food tip 2: Keep a plastic bag of soaked wooden skewers in your freezer, so you can repeat this recipe without having to wait for the skewers to soak for 30 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken

Chicken breast for each person
Tuscan seasoning (masterfoods)
Chicken stock approx 1 cup
Cream approx 1 cup


Brown chicken breasts in a little oil, then shake seasoning liberally over each piece. Turn and repeat seasoning. Continue to brown for another minute or so.

Pour in stock. Cook chicken, turning occasionally until stock is almost completely reduced (leaving lovely brown liquid coating bottom of pan).

Remove chicken, cover with foil. Set aside.

Add cream to pan, scrap up all brown bits off bottom and edges to add flavour. Bring to boil, then simmer til reduced by half. It goes all lovely and creamy, it thickens but not too much.

Plate up and serve the sauce over chicken.

Curried Lentil Lasagne

1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 diced celery stick
1 tsp curry powder
1 grated carrot
1 grated zucchini
400g can brown lentils
425g can crushed tomatoes
140g tub tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 x 250g packet lasagne sheets

Sauce
40g margarine
3 tbsp plain flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup grated low fat cheese

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute onion and celery until soft. Add curry powder and saute a further minute. Add carrot, zucchini, lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste and salt. Bring mixture to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes and set aside.

2. Place margarine in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 1 minute or until melted.

3. Stir through flour, then microwave a further minute. Gradually add milk then microwave for 8 minutes, stirring every few minutes until mixture boils and thickens.

4. Add cheese and microwave for 1 minutes.

5. To assemble, line the base of an ovenproof dish with lasagne sheets. Spread with half the lentil sauce, then half the white sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with the white sauce.

6. Bake in a moderate oven, 180 degrees for 40 minutes.

Carrot and pineapple cupcakes with cream cheese icing

10 cupcakes

2/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp caster sugar
3/4 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
1/3 cup oil
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup firmly packed grated carrot
1/4 cup well drained pineapple

Frosting

60g soft cream cheese
30g soft butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 180. Line a muffin tin with 10 cases.

2. Stir flour, caster sugar, bicarb soda, cinnamon and pineapple together until combined. Add carrot mix to dry ingredients.

3. Combine again and divide between 1o pans.

4. Bake 20-25 mins. Remove from pan and let cool for five minutes.


Icing

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy.

2. Add lemon juice and sift in half icing sugar. Beat until combined and sift in remaining icing sugar, mix, spread over cakes and top with pecans.

Spicy stuffed capsicums

Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
400g lamb mince
400g can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tbsp rogan josh curry paste
400g can diced tomatoes
4 small green capsicums

1. Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring for 3-5 mins. Add mince. Cook for 5 mins. Add curry paste. Cook for 30 seconds.

2. Add lentils and tomato. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 mins or until mixture thickens. Stir in peas and coriander. Remove from heat.

3. Cut a thin slice from the base of each capsicum and cut tops off. Using a spoon scoop out seeds and membrane and spoon mixture in.

Teriyaki beef with soba noodles

Serves 4

270g packet soba noodles
600g lean beef rump steak, thinly sliced
2 tbsp peanut oil
4cm piece fresh ginger
4 spring onions, cut into match sticks
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts, trimmed

1. Cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water, following packet directions.

2. Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 tbsp oils. Add half beef and stirfry until sealed. Then do second half.

3. Add remaining oil to wok. Add ginger and onion. Stirfry 1-2 mins. Return beef and juices to wok. Add sauce and noodles. Stirfry 2-3 mins or until noodles are heated through.

4. Stir in beansprouts and serve.