Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

Lettuce and Orange Salad
Serves 8
Prep time : 7 minutes
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Ingredients
2 oranges, peeled and pith removed, sliced into rounds.
3 oranges, juiced.
1 lettuce, leaves roughly torn (iceberg or cos).
1 avocado, diced.
1/2 cup kalamata olives.
200 grams feta cheese, crumbled.
1/2 cup olive oil.
1/3 cup white wine vinegar.
1 tablespoon caster sugar.
1 red onion, diced finely.

Method
Place lettuce into a large salad bowl and add orange slices.
Randomly scatter feta, olives and avocado over the top.
To a small jug, add 2/3 cup orange juice, oil, vinegar and sugar. Whisk to combine, until sugar has dissolved.
Add onion and season with salt and pepper, then whisk again until thoroughly combined.
Pour dressing over salad and serve.

Serving
This salad is delicious with chicken, pork or lamb.

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Warm Beetroot Salad
Serves 4
Prep time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 50 minutes
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Ingredients
8 baby beetroot, washed and dried, leaves and stems trimmed.
1/2 bunch silverbeet, leaves torn.
2 teaspoons olive oil.
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped.
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar.
70 grams feta cheese.

Method
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Discard, large beetroot leaves and stems, but put small leaves to one side.
Place beetroot in baking dish, covered tightly with foil.
Cook for 45 minutes. The skin should peel away easily when rubbed.
Remove from oven, and leave aside until cool enough to handle.
Wearing gloves, peel and halve each beetroot, and place in a large bowl.
Cover to retain heat.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add garlic and walnuts. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until walnuts are toasted.
Add leaves to pan and cook until just wilted.
Remove from pan and add to beetroot along with vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Serving
Crumble feta over the top. Serve.

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Grilled Cabbage with Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Prep time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 12 minutes
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Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray.
1 mini red cabbage, quartered.
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil cooking spray.
1 clove garlic, crushed.
1/4 cup dry white wine.
1 cup thickened cream.
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard.
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped finely.
2 green onions, sliced thinly.

Method
Spray a barbecue plate or chargrill with oil, and place over a medium high heat.
Liberally brush each cabbage wedge with olive oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Cabbage should be lightly browned.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add remaining olive oil.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and then add wine, cream and mustard.
Bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer until sauce thickens, slightly.
Remove from heat and add chives and onion.

Serving
Serve cabbage topped with creamy sauce.

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Corn with Honey Mustard Butter
Serves 4 (as a side dish)
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
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Ingredients
4 corn cobs, husks on.
60 grams butter, softened.
1 tablespoon honey.
3 teaspoons dijon mustard.
2 tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped.

Method
Peel back corn husks, and remove silks.
Re-tie husks using cooking string.
Place corn in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
Remove and shake off the excess water.
Cook corn in Microwave for 5 minutes on high, turn and cook for a further 5 minutes on high.
In a small bowl, add butter, honey, mustard, parsley and salt & pepper.
With a wooden spoon, beat ingredients together.
Remove husks from corn, and cut in half.

Serving
Place corn in a bowl, and add butter mixture. Turn to coat. Serve.

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Smashed Herb Potatoes
Serves 8
Prep time : 3 minutes
Cooking time : 70 minutes
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Ingredients
1.6kg small chat potatoes.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
2 tablespoons sea salt.
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped.
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped.

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Bring a saucepan with potatoes and enough cold water to cover to the boil over a medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook potatoes for 15 minutes, until tender.
Drain, and return potatoes to pan over medium heat.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking pan to draw moisture out of the potatoes.
Place the potatoes in a large roasting pan, and with a potato masher, lightly press down on each to flatten slightly.
Add oil and toss to coat.
Cook potatoes, turning once during cooking, for 40 to 50 minutes. Potatoes should be golden and crisp.
Place a frying pan over low heat and add salt, oregano, and rosemary.
Cook for about 5 minutes until herbs have dried.
Remove to a board, and with the back of a knife, lightly crush herbs.

Serving
Serve potatoes with herbs sprinkled on top.

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Chinese Coleslaw
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 to 12 minutes
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Ingredients
1/2 medium Chinese cabbage (wombok), chopped roughly.
4 green onions, sliced thinly.
1 large carrot, cut into fine matchsticks.
1 medium red capsicum, cut into fine matchsticks.
1 1/2 cup beansprouts, trimmed.
1 cup fresh coriander leaves.
1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted.
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce.
2 tablespoons lime juice.
1 tablespoon soy sauce.
2 tablespoons sesame oil.

Method
To a large salad bowl add Chinese cabbage, onion, carrot, capsicum, beansprouts, coriander and almonds.
Combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, soy sauce and sesame oil in a jug.
Whisk for one minute.
Pour over salad.

Serving
Toss salad gently, and serve.

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Pumpkin Scone Loaf
Serves 8
Prep time : 25 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
300 grams pumpkin, cut into 2.5cm pieces.
3 cups self-raising flour, sifted.
2 tablespoons brown sugar.
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
100 grams tasty cheese, grated finely.
1/3 cup thickened cream.
1/3 cup milk.
Butter, to serve.

Method
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Line a flat biscuit tray with baking paper.
Cook pumpkin in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.
Drain and mash with a fork.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, nutmeg and cheese.
In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream and 1/4 cup milk. Add this to the flour mixture.
Using a flat bladed knife, mix until the dough comes together, adding a little more milk if required.
Lightly flour a board and knead the dough until just smooth.
Roll out dough to a 20cm x 30cm rectangle.
Starting at one long side, roll up like a Swiss roll, and place on lined tray.
Make a few diagonal cuts across the top of the loaf.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.

Serving
Serve warm with butter.

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Sesame & Garlic Asian Greens
Serves 4 as a side dish
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 bunch baby bok choy, base trimmed, washed & leaves and stems separated (chop stem & keep separate).
1 bunch choy sum, base trimmed, washed & leaves and stems separated (chop stem & keep separate).
1 bunch gai lum, base trimmed, washed & leaves and stems separated (chop stem & keep separate).
1 bunch broccolini, base trimmed & cut into thirds.
2 tablespoons sesame seeds.
1 tablespoon peanut oil.
4 cloves garlic, crushed.
3cm piece ginger, peeled & grated.
1 tablespoon soy sauce.
1 tablespoon honey.

Method
Dry-fry sesame seeds in wok over high heat, stirring constantly, until showing color.
Remove to a plate.
Re-heat wok until hot and add the oil.
Add only the stems of the asian greens and all of the broccolini.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the ginger, soy, honey and the remaining leaves.
This will require only 1-2 minutes of cooking – just until the leaves start to wilt.
Stir through the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Serving
This dish is a good accompaniment to Steamed Rice and a Green Chicken Curry.

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Brussel Sprouts With Garlic and Almonds
Serves 4 as a side
Prep time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
300 grams baby brussel sprouts, halved.
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed, scrubbed.
60 grams butter.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1/2 cup slivered almonds.
3 garlic cloves, crushed.

Method
Place sprouts and carrots in a steamer basket or insert over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
Cover and steam for 7-10 minutes or until just tender. Set aside.
Melt butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until butter is foaming.
Add almonds and garlic, cooking until golden.
Increase heat to medium-high.
Add sprouts and carrots, cook, tossing in the pan for 1-2 minutes or until coated in garlic butter.

Serving
Delicious served with any grilled meat.

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