Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

Salt and Pepper Squid
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 1 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
800 grams cleaned squid hoods and flaps.
2 eggs.
2 tablespoons light soy sauce.
2 cloves of garlic crushed.
2 teaspoons rock salt.
2 teaspoons sechuan pepper corns.
2 teaspoons black pepper corns.
1 teaspoon Chinese five spicepowder.
1/2 cup of corn flour.
Oil for deep frying.

Method
Combine egg, soy and garlic in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Cut the tubes open, score the inside of each into a fine diamond pattern, then cut into bit sized pieces.
Score the flaps and cut into bit size pieces.
Add the squid to the egg mix, coat well and marinade for 4 hours.
When squid is ready to be cooked, combine the rock salt sechuan and black pepper corns in a spice grinder and grind until powdery.
Sift into medium sized freezer bag using a tea strainer, add the cornflour and five spice powder and toss well to combine.
Drain the excess egg from the squid, add to the bag and toss to coat well.
Shake off excess flour.
Cook in 2 batches for no more than 1 minute a time.

Serving
Serve immediately with flavoured rice, a fresh green salad and a little sweet chili sauce to dip the squid in.

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Chicken Lasagne with Antipasto
Serves 6
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 50 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 roasted chicken, meat removed and finely chopped.
300 grams of mixed antipasto – sundried tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, chargrilled eggplant and chargrilled capsicums.
250 grams of dried lasagne sheets.
250 mL of pasta sauce. Try our Italian tomato pasta sauce.
125 grams of thinly sliced mozarella cheese.
100 grams bacon, dinely sliced.
1 large brown onion, diced.
1 tablespoon olive oil.
1 clove of garlic, crushed.
Bechamel
60 grams of butter.
1/3 cup plain flour.
4 cups of milk.
1/4 teaspoon white pepper.
100 grams grated parmesan.

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Make the bechamel
Heat the butter over low heat unitl melted.
Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat, whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until lump free.
Return to heat and cook for 5 minutes, until thickened.
Add parmesan and stir until melted.
Add pepper, stir then remove from heat and set aside.
Make the lasagne
Heat half the oil in a non stick frypan.
Add the onion, bacon and garlic and cook until onions are softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove to a large bowl, add the chicken and antipasto mix, mixing well to combine.
Pour in about half the bechamel, mixing thoroughly.
Grease an 18×25 cm baking tray.
Spread a very thin layer of bechamel into the dish, top with lasagne sheets, breaking to fit as needed.
Spread half the pasta sauce over the sheet.
Top with half the chicken mix.
Place another layer of lasagne sheets, repeat layerings of pasta sauce and chicken mix.
Top off with remaining lasagne sheets.
Top with remaining bechamel, place mozarella on top and place in oven.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serving
Stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

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Eggplant, Spinach and Sweet Potato Curry
Serves
Prep time : minutes
Cooking time : minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 kilogram sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 cm cubes.
1 large onion, diced.
6 japanese eggplants, cut into 1 cm rounds.
400 grams tinned diced tomatoes.
400 mL coconut cream.
200 grams baby spinach.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 tablespoon ginger.
2 small red chilies, diced.
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
6 cardamon pods, crushed with the back of a knife.
6 whole cloves.
1 teaspoon garam masala.
1 teaspoon tumeric.
1 teaspoon ground cumin.
2 cups water
1 teaspoon dijon mustard.
1 cinnamon stick.

Method
Heat oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat.
Pat dry the eggplant rounds, fry in the oil 2 minutes each side.
Drain well on absorbent paper.
To the oil, add the onion and sweat until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and chili, fry for 1 minute.
Add the cardamon pods, cloves, garam masala, cumin, tumeric and toast spices for 1-2 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and fry them in the spice mix for 5 minutes.
Add tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, 1 cup of water and the cinnamon stick and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potato is tender.
Test for seasoning at this stage and adjust as necessary.
Add the fried eggplant and reheat.
Add more water if necessary.
Add spinach, cook until wilted.

Serving
Serve over rice with papadams.

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Crispy Chili Squid
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 1 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
800 grams cleaned squid hoods and flaps.
2 eggs.
2 tablespoons light soy sauce.
2 cloves of garlic crushed.
2 teaspoons rock salt.
1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice.
1 tablespoon of chili flakes.
1/2 cup of corn flour.
Oil for deep frying.

Method
Combine egg, soy and garlic in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Cut the tubes open, score the inside of each into a fine diamond pattern, then cut into bit sized pieces.
Score the flaps and cut into bit size pieces.
Add the squid to the egg mix, coat well and marinade for 4 hours.
When squid is ready to be cooked, combine the rock salt, 5 spice and chili in a spice grinder and grind until powdery.
Sift into medium sized freezer bag using a tea strainer, add the cornflour and toss well to combine.
Drain the excess egg from the squid, add to the bag and toss to coat well.
Shake off excess flour.
Cook in 2 batches for no more than 1 minute a time.

Serving
Serve immediately with flavoured rice, a fresh green salad and a little sweet chili sauce to dip the squid in.

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Fruit Salsa and Chicken Drumsticks
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
12 chicken drumsticks.
1/4 cup fruit chutney.
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
200 grams firm sweet fruit flesh – plums, peaches, nectarines.
2 finely chopped green onions.
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves.
1 small chili, deseeded and chopped.
1 tablespoon lemon juice.
1 tablespoon peanut oil.

Method
Preheat oven to 220C.
Mix chutney with olive oil.
Brush over chicken, set aside for 10 minutes in refrigerator.
Rebrush chicken then place chicken on a wire rack over a baking paper line baking tray. Spray rack lightly with the oil.
Lightly spray the chicken with oil.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the juices running after a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the drumstick are clear.
While chicken is cooking, remove fruit from stone and cut into small cubes.
Add onions, chili and mint and toss to mix.
Whisk lemon juice and oil together, pour over salsa.

Serving
Mound salsa over drumsticks.

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Chili Prawn Cocktails
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 kilograms cooked king or tiger prawn tails. Peeled but retain the tail tip. Devein.
60 grams of baby spinach leaves.
1/2 cup homestyle mayonnaise. See our tangy homestyle mayonnaise recipe.
1 tablespoon of lime juice.
1 tablespoon of hot water.
1/2 cup fresh chopped coriander leaves.
1/4 cup coriander leaves to serve.
1 teaspoon sambal oelek OR chili paste.

Method
Combine mayonnaise, coriander, hot water, lime juice and sambal oelek in a bowl. Stir and combine well.
Add prawns to the mayonnaise mix, coat well and refrigerate, covered for 2-4 hours.
In 4 serving bowls, layer the spinach leaves to cover the bowl.
Spoon in prawns, top with coriander leaves.

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Sweet Potato and Chickpea Eggplant Stew
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 40 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 kilogram of sweet potato, peeled and cubed.
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced into cubes.
1 large red onion, roughly diced.
400 grams tinned diced tomatoes.
400 grams tinned chickpeas, well rinsed and drained.
200 grams pitted prunes, chopped.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger.
2 teaspoons ground cumin.
1/4 teaspoon chili powder.
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
1/2 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.

Method
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat and add the onion.
Sweat onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic, cumin, cayenne and chili and cook for 1 minute.
Add sweet potato and 1/4 cup of water.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add eggplant, chickpeas and 3/4 cup of water and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in prunes, season to taste.
Heat through prunes and serve.

Serving
Ladle into soup bowls, top with chopped parsley and serve with good crusty bread.

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Chili Lemon Potato Crisps
Makes 8 serves
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 kilogram waxy potatoes, peeled. Store submerged in water until needed.
Enough vegetable oil to fill a saucpean 5 cms deep for deep frying.
1 teaspoon chili flakes.
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning.
1 teaspoon rock salt.

Method
Combine chili flakes, lemon pepper and rock salt into spice grinder.
Process until a fine powder.
Heat oil to 190C – a wooden spoon dipped into the oil will bubble like it is being fried.
Working with 1 potato at a time, pat dry and peel strips off the potato.
About every 100 grams of potato strips, add them to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per batch.
Using a slotted spoon, remove from oil and place on a wire rack.
While chips are still hot, sprinkle with the chili and lemon salt seasoning.
Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

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Sticky Citrus Chicken Drumsticks
Serves 4
Prep time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
12 chicken drumsticks.
2/3 cup marmalade.
1 tablespoon dijon mustard.
1/4 cup chicken stock. Shop bought is OK, or use our easy to make chicken stock recipe.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
Olive oil cooking spray.

Method
Combine marmalade, mustard, chicken stock and garlic in a bowl.
Add the chicken and mix to coat, cover and refrigerate overnight, or 4 hours minimum. Mix occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Place chicken on a wire rack over a baking paper line baking tray. Spray rack lightly with the oil.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the juices running after a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the drumstick are clear.

Serving
Serve with a side of steamed vegetables and plain basmati rice.

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