Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

Thai-style Seafood
Serves 4
Prep time : 8 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
450 gram packet fresh thick rice noodles.
Canola oil cooking spray.
1/4 cup Thai red curry paste.
270ml can coconut cream.
1 tablespoon fish sauce.
2 tablespoons lime juice.
600 grams seafood marinara mix.
1 medium red capsicum, chopped.
4 green onions, cut into 5cm lengths.

Method
Prepare noodles according to packet instructions, then refresh under cold water.
Spray a saucepan with oil and place over medium-high heat.
Add curry paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add coconut cream, fish sauce and lime juice and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add seafood, capsicum and onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, covered. Seafood should be cooked and tender.
Add the noodles and stir to combine.

Serving
Cook until heated through and serve.

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Banana Coconut Loaf
Serves 8
Prep time : 7 minutes
Cooking time : 70 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 cup desiccated coconut.
1 cup caster sugar.
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted.
1 cup mashed banana.
1 cup coconut milk.
1 egg, lightly beaten.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Method
Preheat oven to 170 C.
Grease and line a loaf tin, 6cm deep 10.5 x 20.5cm.
To a large bowl, add coconut, sugar and flour.
Add mashed banana, egg, coconut milk and vanilla to a jug, and whisk with a fork to combine.
Pour the banana mixture over the flour, and gently stir through.
Transfer mixture to prepared tin, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes in the tin.
Remove from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Serving
Serve sliced with butter, jam or cream cheese.

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Chorizo and Broccoli Risotto
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

You will need a non stick pan with a fitted lid for this recipe. This recipe utilises our no fuss method of cooking a perfect risotto.

Ingredients
400 grams smoked chorizo sausage, quartered lengthways and finely sliced into quarter rounds.
1 cup broccoli florets, washed and cut into small pieces.
1 large red capsicum, diced.
1 onion, peeled and diced.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
2 sticks of fresh thyme.
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley.
1/4 cup grated parmesan.
1 cup arborio rice.
3 cups chicken stock.
1 cup dry white wine.
Salt and pepper to season.
Extra parmesan to serve.

Method
Heat a non stick pan over medium heat.
Add chorizo and once fat begins to render, add the thyme and stir while cooking for 5 minutes.
Remove thyme from pan.
Add garlic and onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until onion becomes soft.
Add the rice and stir until it starts to become translucent, about 1 minute.
Add the wine and 2 cups of stock, stir in then fit lid to the pan and let simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Remove lid, add half a cup of stock and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add broccoli and capsicum and stir through.
Taste test for seasoning and adjust to suit.

Note:
For the remaining 5 minutes you will need to regularly stir the risotto and add some stock in small amounts if needed to prevent it catching.
Risotto is cooked when the rice offers only slight resistance as your bite through it.
Cooked risotto should still be slightly wet in the pan.

Turn off the heat, stir through parmesan and parsley.

Serving
Mound into bowls, top with some extra parmesan and serve hot.
Serve with some crusty toasted bread, you’ll need something to mop up the last juices from your bowl.

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Spinach and Tomato Salad with Cumin Dressing
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 1 minute
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
70mL light olive oil
4 cups of baby spinach leaves
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes, deseeded and thinly sliced
30 grams peanuts
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves

Method
Heat a non stick pan over medium heat.
Add cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, set aside to cool.
Toss peanuts in pan until they begin to colour, set aside to cool.
In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind cumin seeds.
In a small jug combine the garlic, ginger, lemon juice, olive oil and ground seeds, whisk to emulsify.
Toss remaining ingredients together in the serving bowl, drizzle over the dressing then toss to coat.

Serving
Best made just before serving, a gutsy salad that goes well with any grilled meat.

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Warm Bacon, Mushroom and Potato Salad
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
750g chat potatoes, washed and halved.
1 eschalot, finely chopped.
1 garlic clove crushed .
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar.
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
4 short cut rashers, rind removed and roughly chopped.
12 button mushrooms, halved.
120 grams baby spinach leaves.
1 tablespoon chopped chives.

Method
Add the potatoes to a large saucepan of boiling salted water.
Cook until tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain well.
In a jug, combine the eschalot, garlic, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of oil and whisk to combine to form the dressing.
Add the warm potatoes to a large bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to coat. Set aside.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
Add the bacon and dry-fry for 2 minutes or until crisp.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil to the pan.
Add mushrooms and cook the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Serving
Toss to combine, season to taste then serve warm.

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Banana Coconut Loaf
Serves 8
Prep time : 7  minutes
Cooking time : 70 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 cup desiccated coconut.
1 cup caster sugar.
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted.
1 cup mashed banana.
1 cup coconut milk.
1 egg, lightly beaten.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Method
Preheat oven to 170 C.
Grease and line a loaf tin, 6cm deep 10.5 x 20.5cm.
To a large bowl, add coconut, sugar and flour.
Add mashed banana, egg, coconut milk and vanilla to a jug, and whisk with a fork to combine.
Por the banana mixture over the flour, and gently stir through.
Transfer mixture to prepared tin, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes in the tin.
Remove from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Serving
Serve sliced with butter, jam or cream cheese.

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Fettuccini with Olive Sauce
Serves 4
Prep time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
400 grams Fettuccini.
400 gram jar Olive sauce.
20 cherry tomatoes, halved.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
100 grams red capsicum, cut into strips.
100 grams yellow capsicum, cut into strips.
4 anchovy fillets, torn into pieces.
Salt, sugar and thyme to taste.

Method
Preheat oven to 100 C.
Line a tray with baking paper and arrange the cherry tomatoes, cut side up on the tray.
Sprinkle with salt, sugar and thyme, and bake for 30 minutes.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, following packet directions.
Drain, and return to the pan.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil.
Once to temperature, add the capsicum strips and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the olive sauce and anchovy pieces, and cook stirring for 1 minute.
Add the pasta and cook until heated through.

Serving
Serve the pasta in bowls, topped with caramelised cherry tomatoes, and grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Ricotta and Herb Tart
Serves 8
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 40 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour, sifted.
1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
Pinch salt.
100 grams butter, chilled, chopped.
5 eggs.
650 grams ricotta cheese.
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated.
1/4 cup pitted black olives, chopped.
4 slices prosciutto, chopped.
2 teaspoons rosemary leaves, chopped.
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped.

Method
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Place a baking tray on the lowest shelf in the oven.
To the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, salt and butter.
Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add 1 egg and 1 tablespoon cold water and process until the pastry comes together.
Transfer to a floured board, and knead gently until smooth.
Shape into a 10cm disc, and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill for 15 minutes.
To a bowl add ricotta, parmesan, olives, proscuitto, rosemary, parsley, 3 eggs and salt and pepper.  Stir until well combined.
Reserve one third of the pastry, and roll outthe remainder into a 32cm round.
Line the base and sides of a flan dish/tart pan 21cm in diameter with the rolled out pastry.
Spoon the ricotta filling into the pastry case.
Crack remaining egg into a small jug and lightly whisk.
Brush the edge of the pastry with egg.
Roll out reserved portion of pastry and place over filling.
Trim the edge, and pierce a cross in the top.
Brush with egg.
Place onto preheated tray and bake for 40 minutes, until golden.

Serving
Allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with a leafy green salad.

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