Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

Nasi Goreng Pork
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 12 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
600 grams assorted stir fry vegetables, diced. See our article on wok vegetables for stir fry.
400 grams pork fillet, quartered length ways then thinly sliced. Partially freeze to make cutting easier.
1 1/2 cups rinsed basmati rice.
1/3 cup hoisin sauce.
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
1/2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce.
1 tablespoon soy sauce.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger.
2 tablespoons peanut oil.
4 eggs, beaten.

Method
Place a pot of water on to boil and cook rice to packet instructions. Remaining dish requires about 10 minutes to finish, time rice and sauce to be ready at the same time.
Meanwhile, heat a wok over high heat.
Add 1 teaspoon of oil and swirl to coat.
Add eggs and swirl around wok to form a very thin omlette.
Cook for 2 minutes, remove to plate. Roll once cooled and slice thinly.
Add remaining oil and heat over high heat.
Add pork and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add garlic, ginger and hardy vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
Add any semi-hardy vegetables and cook for 3 minues.
In a jug blend the hoisin, five spice, soy, sugar and sweet chili and add to wok.
Drain rice, toss through wok ingredients.

Serving
Mound into bowls, top with sliced egg and serve.

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Sausage And Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 35-40 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
2 tablespoons butter.
1 onion, finely diced.
1 teaspoon minced garlic.
2 Italian style sausages.
500g Swiss Brown mushrooms, diced.
1 1/2cups Arborio rice.
250ml dry white wine.
1 teaspoon saffron strands soaked in warm water.
1 litre vegetable stock.
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.
2-3 tablespoons butter, extra.
2 tablespoons continental parsley, finely chopped.
Salt freshly ground black pepper to season.

Method
Heat a heavy based pan over medium heat.
Add the sausages and cook until done, 8-10 minutes. Set aside on absorbent paper.
Once cool, cut the sausages into a small dice.
While sausages cool, wipe out any fat and heat the oil over medium heat.
Fry the onion and garlic and mushrooms until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the butter and melt it into the oil.
Add the rice and fry gently for 2-3 minutes, until the rice becomes translucent.
Add the saffron, wine and stock and cover the pit and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid, stir in sausages and cook for 5 minutes.
For the remaining 5 minutes keep a careful eye on the risotto, stirring constantly. If it begins to catch add the smallest amounts of warm water.
Once the grains are “al dente”, or have only a slight resistance to your teeth as you chew them, remove risotto from the heat.
Stir in the extra butter and parmesan.
Season to taste.

Serving
Mound into pasta bowls, top with cracked pepper and extra parmesan if desired.

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Easy Cucumber Salad
Serves 4 as a side
Prep time : 5 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar.
1/2 tablespoon sugar.
2 Lebanese cucumbers, finely sliced.
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves.
1 tablespoon chopped coriander.

Method
Combine rice wine vinegar and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.

Serving
A refreshing side to hot spicy dishes such as chili and curries.

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Chinese Roasted Pork and Vegetables
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
4 pork fillets af about 250 grams each.
2 tablespoons of peanut oil.
2 large carrots, peeled and finely julienned.
2 red caspsicums, halved, deseeded and sliced.
200 grams snow peas, trimmed and sliced.
6 spring onions, cut into 3 cm lenghts then quartered.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger.
1/2 cup hoisin sauce.
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder.
1 tablespoon brown sugar.
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce.
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Method
Combine hoisin, sweet chili and soy sauces with brown sugar and chinese 5 spice and 2 tablespoons of warm water in a jug.
Place pork fillets in a shallow dish and pour over 2/3 of the jug contents, reserve remaining third.
Cover a refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat an oven to 200C.
Place pork fillets on a wire rack over a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven, cover in foil and allow to rest.
While pork rests, heat the peanut oil in a wok over medium high heat.
Add carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
Add remaining vegetables and heat through.
Add remaining sauce mix and cook for 1 minute.

Serving
Drain excess juices from the wok into a pouring jug.
Thinly slice the pork fillets.
Mound vegetables on to plate, top with pork fillet and drizzle warmed sauce over the top.
Serve with a side of steamed rice.

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

Ingredients
1 tabelspoon peanut oil.
1 teaspoon minced garlic.
1 red chili, sliced thinly.
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly.
1/2 tablespoon Malaysian curry powder.
1 tablespoon Garam Masala.
1 tablespoon cardamom powder.
1 green capsicum, sliced thinly.
3-4 yellow squash, sliced thinly.
1-2 bunches bok choy, washed and leaves removed.
1 red apple, diced.
1 1/2 cups coconut milk.
1/2 cup fish stock (or chicken stock).
400g firm white fleshed fish, cut into cubes.

Method
Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat.
Add the garlic, chili and onion and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the spices, and fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add the vegetables and apples, and stir- fry until just tender, 3-4 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and stock.
Simmer gently until sauce starts to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the fish pieces and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, or until fish has cooked through.

Serving
Spoon curry over jasmine rice.

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Tomato, Olive and Goats Cheese Salad
Serves 4 as a side or entree
Prep time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 punnet cherry tomatoes.
1 punnet grape tomatoes.
1 punnet Yellow tear drop tomatoes.
8 baby roma tomatoes.
1 red onion, haled and then thinly sliced.
4 tablespoons of olive oil.
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
16 kalamata olives, squeeze to remove pips and then halve.
160g soft goat’s cheese.
1 cup of fresh basil leaves.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method
Slice or quarter the tomatoes as you like.
Add them to a bowl, then break up the goats cheese and add it to the tomatoes.
Add in the onion, olives and basil leaves.
In a jug, whisk together the balsamic and olive oil.
Drizzle over the tomatoes and cheese, toss well to coat and combine the dish.
Test for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Serving
Ideal as the topping for a bruschetta as an entree or appetiser before a hearty meat mains.
To make the bruschetta, toast a thick slice of good sourdough bread, rub with a clove of garlic and then lightly brush with oil.
Mound with salad mix.

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Coq au Vin (Chicken in Wine)
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 35-40 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 kilogram chicken thighs, bones in and skin on.
2 tablespoons flour, seasoned.
4 rashers bacon, rind removed and chopped.
400 grams mushrooms, sliced.
8 eschallots, thinly sliced.
4 cloves of garlic, crushed.
1 cup dry white wine.
1 cup chicken stock.
1 bay leaf, 1 rosemary sprig and 4 sprigs thyme, bundled together with twine.

Method
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat.
Add the flour to a large freezer bag, add the chicken and thoroughly toss to coat.
In a single layer, fry the chicken in the oil 2-3 minutes each side, until browned. Repeat with remaining chicken and set aside.
Add bacon, mushrooms, eschallots and garlic to the pan, fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add remaining flour to the pan and mix well into pan juices, scraping all “browned” bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add wine and stock to the pan, stir well.
Add herb bouquet to the pot, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add chicken and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Test for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Serving
Serve over smashed new potatoes.

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Chicken Italiano
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 30-35 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts.
2 eggs.
1 cup dried breadcrumbs.
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan.
Olive oil to fry
400 grams English spinach, washed, dried and shredded. (You could use frozen spinach)
3 cups bought tomato pasta sauce, or try our basic italian pasta sauce.
1 cup grated mozarella cheese.

Method
Pat chicken breasts dry.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and in a large freezer bag combine the parmesan and breadcrumbs.
Dip each of the breasts into the egg then transfer to the breadcrumbs and coat well.
Preheat an oven to 220C.
Heat a non stick pan over medium heat, add enough olive oil to coat the base.
Cook the breast 3-4 minutes each side, or until golden.
Transfer cooked breasts to an oven proof dish.
Divide the spinach, pasta sauce and mozarella evenly amongst them, then bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Serving
A toasted slice of thick cut sourdough rubbed with a clove of garlic and a garden salad are excellent sides with this dish.

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Fried Rice
Serves 4
Prep time : minutes
Cooking time : minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1/4 cup peanut oil.
3 large eggs, beaten.
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger.
4 garlic cloves, diced.
1 medium-sized brown onion, finely diced.
1 cup roughly chopped roast pork.
1 teaspoon white sugar.
2 tablespoons Shao Hsing wine or dry sherry.
4 cups cooked long-grain white rice, cold.
1 tablespoon oyster sauce.
1 cup finely sliced spring onions.
1/4 cup frozen green peas.
3 tablespoons soy sauce.
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil.
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal.
1/4 cup light soy sauce.
1 large red chili, finely sliced on the diagonal.

Method
Heat 1/2 the peanut oil in a wok over high heat.
Pour beaten eggs into wok and swirl to make 1 large omlette. Cook for about 1 minute
Carefully remove omelette from the wok and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside.
Wipe out the wok with kitchen paper.
Add remaining oil and stir-fry ginger and garlic for 1 minute.
Add onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.
Add roasted pork and stir-fry for a further minute, or until lightly browned.
Stir in sugar and wine, then stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add rice, sliced reserved omelette, oyster sauce, spring onions, peas and sesame oil.
Stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until rice is heated through.

Serving
Divide rice between individual bowls and garnish with extra spring onions.
Combine soy sauce and chili in a small bowl and serve on the side.

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