Healthy Recipes

Lavash wraps

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 pieces lavash bread
• 1/2 cup tomato salsa
• 200g shaved pastrami
• 200g low-fat ricotta cheese (see note)
• 80g baby spinach, trimmed

Method

1. Preheat a sandwich press (see tip). Place lavash on workbench. Spread with salsa, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. Top with pastrami.

2. Crumble ricotta over the pastrami. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up lavash to enclose filling.

3. Place lavash, seam side down, in sandwich press. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted and heated through. Cut in half diagonally. Serve with spinach.

Notes

• Buy ricotta from the deli. Ricotta sold in tubs is too soft and watery to crumble.

• Tip: If you don’t have a sandwich press, preheat oven to 210°C. Place lavash on a baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until filling is warmed through.

  
  Fruit Smoothie
  Ingredients:
  
  1 cup reduced fat milk
  200 g reduced fat vanilla yoghurt
  2 tablespoons skim milk powder, (optional)
  2 tablespoons wheat germ, (optional)
  1 large banana, or peach or mango (peeled) or 1/2 cup strawberries
  
  Method:
  Put all ingredients in blender, blend until frothy and drink immediately.
  

  Cheese & spinach pies

   

  Preparation Time

  25 minutes

  Cooking Time

  35 minutes

  Makes

  6

  Ingredients

  • 2 bunches (about 600g each) English
  • spinach, leaves picked, washed, dried
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) water
  • 1 large brown onion, halved, finely chopped
  • 200g reduced-fat ricotta
  • 60g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh continental parsley
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 sheets filo pastry (Antoniou brand)
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp reduced-fat dairy spread (Devondale Light brand), melted

  Method

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Place the spinach and 2 tbs of the water in a large saucepan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain and set aside for 20 minutes to cool. Use your hands to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Coarsely chop spinach and place in a large bowl.

  2. Meanwhile, place the remaining water and onion in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until onion softens. Remove from heat. Drain.

  3. Add the onion, ricotta and feta to the spinach and stir to combine. Whisk together eggs and egg whites in a jug. Add to the spinach mixture along with the parsley and nutmeg. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Place filo sheets on a clean work surface. Cover with a dry tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent it drying out). Combine the oil and melted spread in a bowl. Lightly brush twothirds of 1 filo sheet with oil mixture. Fold crossways into thirds. Cut in half crossways. Line a 3cm-deep, round 11cm (top measurement) pie tin with half the pastry. Spoon one-sixth of the spinach mixture into the pie case and top with the remaining pastry to enclose filling. Press corners together to seal. Brush lightly with oil mixture. Repeat, in 6 more batches, with the remaining pastry, oil mixture and spinach mixture.

  5. Place pies on a baking tray and use a small sharp knife to cut 2 small slits in the top of each pie. Bake in preheated oven for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Carefully

      transfer pies to serving plates and serve immediately.
     
      
    Oat Bran and Apple Muffins
  
  Ingredients:
  1 cup oat bran cereal
  1/2 cup dried fruit medley
  1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  1/4 cup canola oil
  3/4 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
  3/4 cup white self-raising flour
  1 egg, lightly beaten
  2 medium apples, grated
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  1 cup skim milk
  canola or olive oil spray
  
  Method:
  
  
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
  
  
  2. Spray muffin tins lightly with oil spray. 
  
  
  3. Combine cereal, dried fruit and milk in a bowl; stand for 15 minutes. 
  
  
  4. Combine sugar, oil, egg, apples and cinnamon in separate bowl, stir in oat bran mixture and sifted flours. 
  
  
  5. Stir with a fork until just combined. Do not over mix. 
  
  
  6. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until muffins are firm to touch and golden brown.
  
  
  
  

  ‘Curried egg’ garden salad

  |

  A lovely light salad for all those who love curried egg sandwiches, but are looking for something a bit lighter. The curry powder gives the whole thing a kick, and the nigella seeds look very dramatic against the pale, soft colours.

  Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 butter lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 telegraph cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup micro cress (see Notes)
  • 150g thick low-fat Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds (see Notes)
  
  

  Method

  1. Fill a small pan with hot water and add eggs. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes until soft-boiled. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon, cool, then peel and quarter. Season and sprinkle with cayenne.

  2. Meanwhile, place yoghurt, curry powder and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir well to combine. Stir in oil and set aside.

  3. Divide lettuce among plates. Arrange the cucumber and the eggs on top and dollop over yoghurt dressing. Scatter with cress and nigella seeds and serve.

   

  Apples in passionfruit syrup

  

  Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 4 granny smith apples, peeled, cut into 1cm-thick round slices
  • 4 passionfruit, halved
  • 1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar
  • 2 strips lemon rind
  • Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
  
  

  Method

  1. Stir the apples, passionfruit pulp, sugar, lemon rind and 1/2 cup (125ml) water in a large saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cover and bring to the boil.

  2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until tender. Serve warm or chilled with a dollop of
     yoghurt.
     
     
     

     Apricot & muesli sesame balls

     
     

     Preparation Time

     15 - 35 minutes

     Cooking Time

     15 minutes

     Makes

     26

     Ingredients

     • 140g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) dried apricots
     • 125ml (1/2 cup) cold water
     • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
     • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
     • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
     • 1 x 30g pkt sesame seeds
     • 215g (2 cups) natural muesli
     
     

     Method

     1. Combine the apricots, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until apricots soften. Uncover and set aside for 20 minutes to cool.

     2. Meanwhile, place sesame seeds in a saucepan and toss over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

     3. Place the muesli in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the apricot mixture and process until a stiff dough forms (add a little extra water if required). Transfer to a bowl and use your hands to knead until well combined.

     4. Use your hands to roll 2 teaspoonfuls of mixture into a ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Toss balls in sesame seeds to lightly coat.

        
        
        

        Apricot yoghurt brulees

        
        

        Preparation Time

        5 minutes

        Ingredients (serves 4)

        • 1 x 825g can apricot halves in juice
        • 260g (1 cup) low-fat natural yoghurt
        • 2 tbs honey
        • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
        • 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
        
        

        Method

        1. Divide the apricot halves and a little of the juice among four 250ml (1-cup) capacity heatproof serving glasses.

        2. Combine the yoghurt, honey and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spoon the yoghurt mixture over apricots in serving glasses.

        3. Place the sugar in a medium frying pan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until sugar dissolves and caramelises. Remove from heat. Set aside until bubbles subside. Spoon the toffee over the yoghurt mixture and serve immediately.