Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

Apricot Pie
Serves 6
Prep time : 8 minutes
Cooking time : 55 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour.
1 tablespoon self-raising flour.
1 tablespoon caster sugar.
100 grams butter, chilled, chopped.
1 egg white, lightly beaten.
1 tablespoon raw sugar.
500 grams dried apricots.
2 oranges, juiced.
2 teaspoons vanilla paste.
1/2 cup caster sugar, extra.
40 grams butter, softened, extra.

Method
Preheat oven and baking tray to 180 C.
To a food processor bowl, add flours, sugar and butter, and process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
Add 2 1/2 tablespoons cold water and process until the mixture just comes together.
Turn out onto a board, sprinkled with flour, and knead the dough until just smooth.
Cut off one third of the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill.
Roll out pastry that is left, large enough to line a 4 1/2 capacity pie dish.
Place pastry in dish, trimming any excess pastry, and chill for 10 minutes.
Using a piece of baking paper, line the pastry case, and fill with uncooked rice.
Place on pre-heated tray and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove paper and rice and bake for a further 5 minutes. Pastry should be golden.
Allow to cool.
Return baking tray to oven to re-heat.
Place a saucepan over low heat and add apricots, 2/3 cup orange juice, vanilla and 2 cups cold water.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until the apricots have absorbed the liquid.
Remove pan from the heat and add extra sugar and butter. Stir until smooth and well combined.
Spoon filling into pie case.
Roll out chilled pastry to a 20 cm square, and cut pastry into 1/5cm strips.
Create a close lattice pattern over the filling, brushing with egg white to stick.
Trim any excess pastry.
Brush entire pie top with egg white, and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden.

Serving
Serve warm or cold, with cream or ice-cream.

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Cheesy Rolls
Makes 6
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour.
1/4 teaspoon salt.
50 grams butter, chopped.
1/3 cup tasty cheese, grated.
40 grams leg ham, chopped roughly.
1/4 cup parsley, chopped.
3/4 cups milk.
Extra butter to serve.

Method
Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Into a large bowl, sift the flour and salt.
Add butter.
With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add cheese, ham and parsley and stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the milk.
Stir the mixture with a flat-bladed knife until it just comes together – don’t over mix, as it toughens the dough.
Sprinkle a board with flour, and turn dough out onto it.
Gently knead, until dough comes together, then shape into a round.
Cut into 6 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
Place the dough balls onto the prepared tray, leaving room for them to spread.
Sprinkle with a little flour.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.

Serving
Serve warm with butter

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Grape and Cranberry Granita
Serves 6
Prep time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 kg red seedless grapes.
2 cups cranberry juice.
1 egg white.
1/4 cup caster sugar.

Method
Place grapes in a blender or food processor and process until crushed.
Strain and press flesh through a sieve with the back of a spoon to obtain as much juice as possible.
Transfer grape juice to a container and add cranberry juice.
Mix well.
Cover and freeze for 3 to 4 hours, until almost frozen.
Break up the ice crystals with a fork.
Place egg white into a small bowl and beat with an electric beater until soft peaks form.
Add sugar, a little at a time until a thick meringue forms.
Fold meringue into ice mixture, cover and freeze for 2 hours until firm.

Serving
Spoon into glasses and serve.

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Spiced Apple Cakes with Caramel Sauce
Serves 6
Prep time : 7 minutes
Cooking time : 22 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
3/4 teaspoon mixed spice.
2/3 cup brown sugar.
2 egg whites.
2/3 cup smooth apple sauce.
30 grams reduced-fat dairy spread, melted.
1/4 cup low fat yoghurt.
1 granny smith apple, grated coarsely.
2 tablespoons golden syrup.
1 cup evaporated milk.
1 teaspoon cornflour.

Method
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Grease a 6 hole 3/4 cup capacity Texas muffin pan.
Into a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and mixed spice, and then add 1/3 cup sugar.
Mix well.
Place egg whites, apple sauce, melted spread, yoghurt and apple into a bowl, and stir to combine.
Add apple mixture to flour mix and stir with a metal spoon until just combined.
Spoon into muffin holes evenly, and bake for 20 to 22 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow to stand in pan for 5 to 10 minutes, before turning out to a wire rack.
Add golden syrup, milk and remaining 1/3 cup sugar to a saucepan, and place over medium heat.
Cook stirring for 3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.
Cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
To a small jug, add cornflour and 2 teaspoons cold water. Stir to combine.
Add cornflour paste to sauce and return to a low heat.
Cook stirring until sauce boils and thickens slightly.

Serving
Serve cakes warm, drizzled with warm sauce.

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Hot Spiced Apple Cider
Serves 4
Cooking time : 5 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 1/4 litres non-alcoholic apple cider.
2 cinnamon sticks.
6 cardamom pods, crushed.

Method
Place a saucepan over medium-low heat and add apple cider, cinnamon and cardamom.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Strain into a jug.

Serving
Serve hot.

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Macadamia, White Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins
Makes 6
Prep time : 8 minutes
Cooking time : 20-25 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1/2 cup white chocolate buds.
3/4 cup caster sugar.
2 cups self-raising flour.
1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamias.
1 cup frozen raspberries, chopped roughly.
1 egg, whisked lightly.
1/2 cup macadamia oil. (see notes)
3/4 cup buttermilk. (see notes)

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Grease a six 3/4-cup (185ml) capacity Texas muffin pan.
In a large bowl combine the white chocolate, sugar, flour and macadamias.
Add the raspberries, and stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre.
In a small jug, whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk.
Pour into the flour mixture and gently stir until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan holes evenly.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through.
Remove from oven and allow to stand in the pan for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Serving
Serve warm for an appetizing desert.

Notes
Substitute peanut oil for the macadamia oil and full cream milk for the buttermilk. Original ingredients are more tasty, the substitutes still produce and excellent muffin.

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Mulled wine
Serves 4
Prep time : 2 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
10 cloves.
2 cinnamon sticks.
1/4 cup caster sugar.
1 nutmeg, grated roughly.
2 cups water.
1 orange, rind grated roughly.
1 apple, chopped roughly (skin on).
750ml light, fruity red wine (such as a merlot).

Method
Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add cloves, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, water, orange rind.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add red wine and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Strain into a jug.

Serving
Serve hot.

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Hot Mocha Chocolate
Serves 2
Prep time : 4 minutes
Cooking time : 4 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 cup freshly made espresso coffee.
60g dark chocolate, chopped finely.
whipped cream and dark chocolate, grated finely, to serve.

Method
Place a small saucepan over low heat and add chocolate and coffee.
Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes, until the chocolate has completely melted.

Serving
Divide the mocha mixture evenly among serving glasses and top with whipped cream and finely grated dark chocolate.

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Apricot and Almond Loaf
Serves 8
Prep time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 55 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
300 grams dried apricots.
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.
1/3 cup apricot nectar.
2 cups plain flour.
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.
2/3 cup caster sugar.
2/3 cup milk.
2 teaspoons vanilla essence.
1/3 cup slivered almonds.
Cream cheese and apricot conserve, to serve.

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Line and grease a loaf pan with baking paper.
Place a saucepan over medium-low heat and add apricots, vinegar and apricot nectar.
Bring to the boil, then allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Almost all of the liquid should have been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and set to one side to cool.
Into a large bowl, sift flour and bicarbonate of soda.
Stir in sugar, and then add milk, vanilla and apricot mixture. Stir until well mixed.
Pour mixture into loaf tin, and smooth over top until level.
Sprinkle almonds over the top, and press lightly to secure.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. When pierced with a skewer, it should come out clean.
Allow to stand in tin for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.

Serving
Cut thick slices and spread with cream cheese and apricot conserve. Can be served warm or cold.

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