Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

No Fuss Satay Lamb
Serves 4
Prep time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
600 grams lean cubed lamb.
3 large onions, sliced into fine wedges.
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger.
1 clove garlic, crushed.
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce.
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter.
1/2 cup chicken stock.
2 tablespoons peanut oil.

Method
Heat half the oil over high heat in a wok, until smoking.
Add the lamb cubes and toss until sealed.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
Add the onions, fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger, fry until garlic is fragrant.
Add the stock to the pan, mix in sweet chili sauce and peanut butter.
Test for seasoning and add salt if necessary.
Return lamb and any juice to the pan, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Remove lid, increase heat and stirring constantly, cook until satay sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serving
Serve over basmati rice.

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Moroccan Flavoured Beef
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
4 T-bone steaks, bone in.
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
2 teaspoons ground cumin.
1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
1/ teaspoon chili powder.
1 clove garlic, crushed.

Method
Combine oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika and garlic in a bowl.
Add steaks to a tray, pour over the marinade and coat well.
Marinate for 30 minutes, turning and recoating steaks twice.
Drain marinade from steaks.
With a ridged grill pan on high heat, grill steaks for 5 minutes.
Baste, turn and cook for another 5 minutes.
For rare, remove from pan.
For medium rare, allow 1 extra minute per side.
For medium, allow 90 seconds extra per side.
For medium well, allow 2 minutes extra per side.
For well done, allow 4 extra minutes per side.
Rest steaks, covered by foil, for 3 minutes before serving.

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Quick and Tasty Lamb Curry
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
600 grams lean cubed lamb.
2 potatoes, peeled and diced smaller than the lamb.
2 carrots, peeled, trimmed and diced.
2 large onions, diced.
1 teaspoon ginger.
1 clove garlic.
1 teaspoon curry powder (use the hotness that is right for you).
1/2 cup chicken stock. (water is ok)
1/2 cup sultanas.
2 cups frozen peas.
1 1/2 cups basmati rice.
1 1/2 cups frozen peas.
200 grams of Greek or natural yoghurt.
1 tablespoon olive oil.

Method
Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy based pan.
Add the lamb and seal.
Add the curry powder, onions, garlic and ginger, fry until onions are softened.
Add the potatoes and carrots and cook until potatoes colour.
Add the sultanas, stock and yoghurt, cover the pot and reduce to a slow simmer.
Put rice on to cook.
When rice is almost ready, about 10 minutes, stir in peas and cook for a further minute.
Drain rice and serve.

Serving
Mound each plate with rice, spoon over the lamb curry.

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Chili Beef with Plum Sauce
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
600 grams lean beef, cut into thin strips.
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
1 onion sliced into thin wedges
1 large zuchinni, halved then slice diagonally.
1 red capsicum, halved deseeded and sliced thinly.
1 cup bean sprouts.
100 grams snow peas, trimmed and sliced into 1-2cm pieces.
400 grams fresh baby corn, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water, or 1 425 gram can drained.
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger.
2 teaspoons chili paste.
1/2 cup plum sauce.
2 tablespoons peanut oil.

Method
In a very hot wok, heat half the oil until smoking.
Add half the beef and stir fry until browned, about 1 minute.
Remove beef and repeat these first steps with remaining beef.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan, stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chili paste and ginger and fry for 1 minute.
Re-add the beef and all juices to the pan, and toss well through the wok contents.
Reduce heat to medium, add the capsicum, snowpeas and baby corn, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the plum sauce, stirring well to coat all ingredients.
Add the zuchinni and bean sprouts, cook for 2 minutes.

Serving
Delicious served with rice noodles or over rice.

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Beef Olives
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 25 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
4 slices of skirt or topside steaks, about 150 grams each.
4 tablespoons dijon or wholegrain mustard.
4 fresh spinach leaves, washed and stalks discarded.
4 slices good tasty cheese.
1/2 cup tomato puree.
12 chat potatoes, peeled and halved.
2 cups frozen peas.
2 tablespoons dried chives.
Fresh chopped parsley to serve.

Method
Place steaks between 2 sheets of cling wrap, and flatten with a mallet until all are uniform thickness, about 5mm.
Spread mustard across the top of each steak, sprinkle the chives across the steaks and then top with a spinach leaf and cheese.
Roll steaks into a log, secure with toothpicks.
Boil a pot of water and add the potatoes, which will need 12-15 minutes to cook.
Heat a non stick pan over medium heat and fry the rolled steaks for 5-6 minutes, until sealed all over.
Add the puree to the pan and cover and cook for a further 5-6 minutes, frequently turning the steaks. Add water if necessary.
Add peas to a pot of boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until tender.
Remove the steaks, cover with foil and allow to rest while rest of dish is finished.

Serving
Remove toothpicks from the steaks, slice in 1-2cm thicks pieces.
Serve the potatoes and peas sprinkled with parsley, drizzle some of the puree over the sliced steaks before serving.

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Mongolian Beef
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
800 grams lean beef strips.
1 1/2 cups of basmati rice.
3 tablespoons peanut oil.
4 medium brown onions, cut into thin wedges.
1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced.
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
3 green onions, cut into 3 cm pieces then thinly sliced lengthways.
2 red chilies, finely sliced (remove seeds and membrane for less heat).
2 tablespoons light soy sauce.
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce.
2 teaspoons of cornflour.
1/2 cup of chicken stock.

Method
Rice will need 10-12 minutes and can sit in the warm pan once cooked. Cook rice.
Mix soy, oyster sauce, stock and conrflour in a jug.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over high heat. Heat until smoking.
Add half the beef and stirfry until sealed. Remove to a clean dish.
Heat another tablespoon of the oil and cook the remaining beef. Remove to dish.
Heat the remaining oil, reducing heat to medium.
Add the onions and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chili and garlic, fry until they become fragrant.
Re-add the beef and any juices to the pan.
Add the sauce mix to the pan, and stir until sauce becomes thick.
Add the green onions and capsicum to the wok, heat for 2 minutes.

Serving
Pile rice into serving bowls and top with the beef.

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Decadent Lamb Sandwich
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15-20 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
400 grams trimmed lamb steaks.
4 large brown onions, halved and thinly sliced.
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut each into 4-6 thick slices.
8 large iceberg lettuce leaves.
3 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
2 cloves garlic, peeled.
3 teaspoons sambal olek OR chili paste.
8 crusty slices of good quality sourdough bread.
1/4 cup sugar.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan.
Add the onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the sambal olek paste, and fry until the onions are collapsed and soft, 8-10 minutes.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Wipe pan clean, add sugar and over a low heat melt sugar to a caramel.
Remove from heat, and VERY carefully add the balsamic vinegar, stirring until the caramel dissolves into the vinegar.
Re add the onion mix to the pan, and cook gently over low heat until the sugar sauce thickens and becomes syrup like.
While the sauce is thickening, cut the lamb into 8 pieces.
Place the pieces between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and flatten until uniformly around 5mm thick.
Mix the dijon, crushed garlic and remaining sambal olek in a bowl add the lamb steaks and mix well to coat. Alloow to marinate while you prepare the bread.
Toast the bread, when done lightly rub each piece with the peeled garlic cloves.
Lightly brush the rubbed surface with olive oil.
Heat a ridged grill or other frying pan, adding a little oil to the pan.
Add lamb steaks and cook for no more than 2 minutes each side.
Set steaks aside, cover with foil to rest.

Serving
On 4 slices of the bread, cover with the tomato slices and lettuce.
Top the lettuce with 2 pieces of the lamb, and finish off the sandwich with a generous serve of the onions.
Top off with remaining bread slices, serve immediately.

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Rich Fig Pudding
Serves 8-10
Prep time : 25 minutes
Cooking time : 3 1/2 hours
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
375 grams soft figs, chopped
200 grams dried apricots, chopped.
60 grams glace ginger, finely chopped.
75 grams pecans, chopped.
200 grams butter.
1/2 cup golden syrup.
2 cups self raising flower.
3 cups fresh white breadcrumbs.
3 eggs, lightly beaten.
1/2 cup milk.

Method
Combine the fruit, ginger, butter, golden syrup and 1/3 cup of water in a large saucepan.
Gently bring to the boil, stirring to melt the butter.
Remove to a large bowl to cool, stirring occasionally over 15 minutes.
Add the flour, pecans, breadcrumbs and eggs to the bowl and stir to combine well.
Grease a 2 litre pudding basin.
Spoon the mix into the basin, covering the basin with a sheet of non stick baking paper, then a sheet of foil.
Use kitchen twine to secure the covering.
Stand the basin on a rack inside a large stockpot, pour boiling water into the pot until 2/3 of the way up the side of the pudding basin.
Bring the pot to the boil, cover allowing a small gap for steam to escape.
Cook for 3 1/2 hours, replenishing water as needed.

Serving
Carefully remove the basin from the pot. Allow to stand for 10 minutes then invert onto a plate.
Serve with rich brandy custard, fresh blueberries and dust with icing sugar.

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Savoury Vegetable Cake
Serves 6
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 cup tasty grated cheese.
1 large carrot, grated.
1 large zuchinni, grated.
4 spring onions, finely sliced.
150 grams pumpkin, grated.
1 cup diced mushrooms.
1/2 cup flat leaf parsely.
1/2 cup canola oil.
1 cup self raising flour.
5 eggs.

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease a 20cm square baking dish.
Combine eggs, oil and flour into a bowl, whisk well to combine.
Add all other ingredient, mixing well with a metal spoon.
Spoon mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.
Cake is cooked once a skewer is inserted and removes cleanly from the center of the cake.
Stand for 15 minutes before removing from dish.

Serving
Cut into generous squares, serve hot or cold.

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