Reduced-fat chicken and leek potato bake

A creamy, dreamy delicious dish that is also low fat

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 large (280g) chicken breast fillet, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 leek, trimmed, halved, washed, sliced
• 800g desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup reduced-fat grated tasty cheese
• 300ml light cooking cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 7cm-deep, 19.5cm (base) square baking dish.
2. Spray a non-stick frying pan with oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic, thyme and leek to pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened.
3. Layer one-third potato over base of prepared dish. Top with half the chicken and leek mixture. Sprinkle with one-third cheese. Drizzle with one-third cream. Repeat layers, ending with potato. Add remaining cream. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove cover.
4. Increase oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

Step-by-step basic bread dough recipe

This recipe works every time - use it to make all sorts of breads and rolls.

Makes

1 loaf

Ingredients

• 450g (3 cups) plain bread flour (see note)
• 1 tbs (12g/2 sachets) dried yeast
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 250ml (1 cup) warm milk
• 2 tbs melted butter

Method

1. Combine flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in salt. Make a well in the centre. Add milk and butter.
2. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until well combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Brush a large bowl with olive oil to grease. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
4. Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes or until the dough is elastic and has returned to its original size. Continue following your recipe (see related recipes).

Notes

• For best results, use a plain bread flour (also known as bakers flour). This has a high protein content, which helps to create the elasticity the dough needs to rise. If bread flour is unavailable, use ordinary plain flour instead.

Red curry paste recipe

Ingredients

10 large dried red chillies
1 stalk lemongrass, white section only, sliced
2cm piece galangal, sliced
Rind of 1 kaffir lime
1 eschallot, sliced
7 cloves garlic
1 cm piece fresh turmeric, sliced
1 tbs shrimp paste
2 to 3 red birds eye chillies
½ cup water

Preparation

Soak dried chillies in warm water for 10 minutes until soft. Drain and place into a blender with remaining ingredients. Process until it forms a smooth paste.

Fry paste in vegetable oil for 10 minutes to remove the raw taste. Spoon into a clean dry jar and store in the refrigerator.

Thai green chicken curry

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbs sunflower oil
• 2 baby eggplants, halved lengthways, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2-3 tbs green curry paste (see related recipe), to taste
• 500g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 cups (500ml) coconut cream
• 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (see note), roughly torn, plus
• 2 finely shredded leaves to garnish
• 125g fresh baby corn, halved lengthways
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 2 tsp grated palm sugar (see note)
• Sliced red chilli & Thai basil (see note), to garnish
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok or deep frypan over high heat. Add eggplant and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until golden. Set eggplant aside.
2. Add paste to wok and stir briefly. Add chicken and stir-fry, tossing to ensure paste doesn't burn, for 2-3 minutes until seared. Add coconut cream, stock, lime leaves and corn and bring to the boil. Return eggplant to pan, then reduce heat to low and simmer for a further 5 minutes until chicken is cooked and corn is just tender. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and heat through for 1 minute.
3. Garnish with red chilli, extra lime leaves and Thai basil.
   Serve with steamed rice.
    

Thai Green Curry Paste

Thai green curry paste is surprisingly easy to make, and it's so much healthier & fresher-tasting than the store-bought variety. Added to your favorite meats or seafood, noodles, vegetables, tofu, or wheat gluten, this paste will create sumptuous curries. Or use it to make delicious soups or noodle dishes. Cook with the paste right away, or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and use it as you need it. The paste can also be frozen for future use. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 1 cup (enough for 1 large curry)

Ingredients:

• 1 stalk lemongrass, minced OR 3 Tbsp. prepared frozen or bottled lemongrass (available at Asian stores)
• 1-3 green chilies, sliced (Thai green chilies OR jalapeno)
• 1 shallot, sliced, OR 4 Tbsp. minced purple onion
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-size piece of galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves & stems
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (available in most supermarket spice aisles)
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce; Vegetarians: substitute 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. shrimp paste (available at Asian stores); Vegetarians: substitute 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk (enough to blend ingredients together)

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, chopper, or blender.
2. Process well to form a fragrant Thai green curry paste. Taste-test it for salt and spice. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Add more chili for more heat. Your curry paste is now ready to be used. You can bottle up any leftovers and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze thereafter. ENJOY

To Make a Thai Green Curry with this Paste (+ More Cooking Tips):

• Heat a wok or large frying pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste. Stir-fry until fragrant (1 minute), then add 1 cup stock plus your curry ingredients (meat, seafood, or tofu/wheat gluten + vegetables). Simmer until ingredients are cooked, gradually adding 1/2 to 1 can coconut milk until you're happy with the taste/thickness/amount of sauce.
• As you're cooking, you can also add 2-3 kaffir lime leaves (left whole) as well as any leftover lemongrass stalk pieces for even more flavor.
• When your curry is done, always perform a taste-taste for salt and spice. Add more fish or soy sauce if not salty enough, or some fresh-cut Thai red chilies if not spicy enough (OR add some dried crushed chili). If too spicy, add more coconut milk. If too salty or sweet, add a squeeze of lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add a touch more sugar. Finish your curry by sprinkling over generous amounts of fresh basil.
• This paste is also excellent added to noodles, soups, or used as a marinade for fish, shellfish or chicken. For beef, I find it best to make it into a curry (as noted above), slicing the meat very thinly and adding vegetables like eggplant and chopped tomatoes. ENJOY!

Chunky beef and vegetable soup

Cuisine type: Modern Australian
Cooking time: More than 2 hours
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Beef, Soup
Convenience recipes: Budget

Try this delicious chunky beef and vegetable soup recipe, perfect for cold winter nights.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
600g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped coarsely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1.5 litres (6 cups) water
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
400g can diced tomatoes
2 trimmed celery stalks (200g), cut into 1cm pieces
1 medium carrot (120g), cut into 1cm pieces
2 small potatoes (240g), cut into 1cm pieces
310g can corn kernels, rinsed, drained
½ cup (60g) frozen peas

METHOD

Heat half of the oil in large saucepan; cook beef, in batches, until browned.

Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Return beef to pan with the water, stock and undrained tomatoes; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1½ hours.

Add celery, carrot and potato to soup; simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add corn and peas to soup; stir over heat until peas are tender. Add chillies or black pepper if you want it hot and spicy

Chargrilled salmon with avocado salsa

Here's a healthy spin on convenience food — add four ingredients to your shopping basket, then head home to create a delicious family meal in a matter of minutes.

Preparation Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 (about 150g each) skinless salmon fillets
• 2 bunches asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 avocado, stone removed, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, halved, deseeded, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat a barbecue grill and flat plate on medium-high. Brush the salmon and asparagus with the oil. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Cook the salmon on the grill for 4 minutes each side or until the fish flakes when tested with a fork. Transfer to a plate.
3. Meanwhile, cook asparagus on flat plate, turning, for 2-3 minutes or until bright green and tender crisp. Transfer to a plate.
4. Combine the avocado and tomato in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the asparagus among serving plates. Top with the salmon and the avocado salsa