Chili Sweet Potato and Eggplant Crisps

These tasty fried vegetable crisps go well with casual dishes, such as grilled chicken breasts on rolls with salad. Recipe serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 orange sweet potato
1 slender eggplant
Oil for deep frying
1/4 teaspoon ground chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chicken salt

Method:

1. Peel sweet potato. Cut sweet potato and eggplant into long thin strips, similar in size. Place in a large bowl, mix.
2. Heat oil in a deep heavy-based pan. Gently lower half the combined sweet potato and eggplant into the moderately hot oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Carefully remove the crisps from the oil with tongs or slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Repeat cooking process with remaining sweet potato and eggplant.
3. Combine chili, coriander and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle all the mixture over hot crisps. Toss until well coated. Serve immediately.

Wrapped Asparagus Chicken

A delicious make-ahead meal of boneless chicken breasts and canned asparagus wrapped in filo pastry - oven-baked until crisp and golden. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

Salt and freshly ground pepper
4, approximately 6 1/2 ounce (200 g) chicken fillets, or boned breasts, skin removed
4 ounces (125 g) butter
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
14 ounce (440 g) can asparagus spears, drained, liquid reserved
8 sheets filo pastry
Asparagus Sauce:
14 ounce (440 g) can cream of asparagus soup
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Method:

1. Season chicken fillets with salt and pepper.
2. Melt butter in a frying pan. Add garlic and chicken fillets. Cook for 5 minutes, turning to lightly brown both sides. Remove, set aside.
3. Brush a sheet of filo pastry with garlic butter, then layer with another sheet of pastry. Place chicken fillet in center and top with 4 or 5 asparagus spears.
4. Fold in edges and roll up into a parcel. Place on flat baking tray and brush with butter. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
5. Bake in a moderate oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a pan, adding reserved asparagus liquid. Stir over moderately high heat until sauce boils. Season with pepper.

Serve chicken with sauce. Accompany with oven-baked stuffed whole tomatoes and parsley-tossed, drained and heated canned baby carrots.

Ground Beef with Savoy Cabbage

This hearty and easy to make ground beef and cabbage stir-fry is the ideal dinner for cold winter months. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

10 ounces (315 g) Savoy cabbage
1 large onion
8 ounces (250 g) oyster mushrooms
1/4 cup sunflower or corn oil
3 cloves garlic
1 pound (500 g) lean ground (minced) beef
Salt to taste
Freshly milled pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup beef stock
Pinch of caster sugar

Method:

1. Separate cabbage leaves and remove pieces of hard stalk from each. Wash leaves well, drain thoroughly and shred with sharp knife.
2. Peel and halve onion and cut each half into thin slices.
3. Wipe mushrooms with absorbent kitchen paper, but do not wash. Cut flesh into thin strips.
4. Heat oil in wok until very hot, but not smoking. Add onion and stir-fry fairly gently until they begin to look transparent. Crush garlic directly into the hot oil.
5. Mix in beef and stir-fry briskly until brown and crumbly. Season generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Remove to bowl with draining spoon.
6. Add cabbage to remaining oil in wok and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Add mushrooms to wok and mix well with cabbage. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Moisten with soy sauce and stock. Add sugar and adjust seasoning.
8. Return beef to wok and combine with vegetables. Reheat until hot.
9. Serve with long grain rice.

Coconut Pork

An easy and deliciously creamy pan-fried pork fillet dish with a hint of curry spices and coconut. Recipe serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

13 fl oz (375 ml) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1 pound (500 g) pork fillets, trimmed, cut into 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick slices
1 large onion, peeled, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon each cumin and paprika
1 teaspoon salt
14 ounce (440 g) can unsweetened pineapple pieces
2 red dessert apples, cored, cut into thin wedges

Method:

1. Place coconut in a food processor. Bring evaporated milk to boiling point, stirring constantly, over a moderate heat.
2. With the motor running, pour hot milk over coconut. Blend for 1 minute.
3. Strain the mixture over a bowl, pressing out as much milk as possible. Set aside, reserve coconut.
4. Melt butter in a large frying pan. Fry pork, onion, spices and salt over a high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in pineapple pieces until boiling. Reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Stir in apple wedges, 3 tablespoons reserved coconut and the milk. Simmer a further 3-4 minutes.

Serve with boiled rice, fried poppadoms, cashew nuts, chutney and sliced bananas tossed in lemon juice.

Honey Chicken Muffins

Each one virtually a pocket-sized meal, savory muffins are great to make ahead and freeze, individually wrapped in aluminum foil. Pop them into your lunch bag in the morning and they will be thawed by midday. Recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray
1 cup unsifted all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup polenta
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons honey

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 380 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat 12 medium-sized muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, baking powder, mustard and bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the chicken and make a well in the center of the mixture.
2. In a 2-cup capacity (500 ml) measuring jug, stir together the buttermilk, oil, egg whites and honey. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
3. Fill each muffin cup about 1/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean. Will keep, wrapped in aluminium foil and refrigerated, for 2 days.

Potato and Poppyseed Focaccia

This recipe is open to many variations in flavor. Fresh or dried herbs may be kneaded into the dough, or you could try sprinkling it with sesame seeds or sliced olives instead of poppyseeds. The mashed potato adds moisture to the bread. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups mashed potato
1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons semolina
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and white pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons poppyseeds

Method:

1. Sift flour into large mixing bowl. Add yeast, sugar, salt and mashed potato. Pour in combined water and oil. Using a knife or spatula, mix to a soft dough.
2. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface, knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Sprinkle surface with more flour as necessary. Shape into a ball, place into a large, lightly oiled mixing bowl. Leave, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 30 minutes, until well risen.
3. Preheat oven to moderate 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Knead dough again for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the base of a greased 9 inch (23 cm) square cake tin with semolina. Press dough into tin with floured hands. With a skewer, prick four rows of four holes into dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for a further 20 minutes, until well risen. Brush lightly with the beaten egg and sprinkle with poppyseeds. Bake 40 minutes, until golden brown. Turn focaccia onto a wire rack to cool.

Mediterranean-Style Braised Lettuce

The beauty of this tasty vegetable side dish is in the quick cooking. Serve Braised Lettuce with barbecued fish or chicken. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

12 large cos lettuce leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 red pepper (capsicum), cut into fine matchstick strips
2 spring onions, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese
1/3 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Tear each lettuce leaf into four pieces. Heat oil in medium pan; add pepper. Stir over low heat for 1 minute.
2. Add lettuce to pan, toss over high heat 1 minute or until leaves are well coated with oil. Remove lettuce from pan. Reduce heat to low.
3. Add spring onions, chives and juice to pan; cook covered for 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat.
4. Combine lettuce and spring onion mixture. Place on serving plate. Sprinkle feta with black pepper. Serve warm or cold.

Tip: It is important to have all the ingredients on hand before beginning to cook, as prolonged cooking causes the lettuce to develop a bitter flavor and lose color.