Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

Jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise – or similar good quality mayo

2 cans artichokes drained

¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated

1 tsp minced garlic

Squirt lemon juice

Corn chips for serving

Method

1. Mix all ingredients

2. Bake until golden brown and serve warm with the corn chips.

This is enough mixture to make two decent sized dips, just split it before baking

smoked salmon on rosti

This is a great easy meal to serve when you have friends over for a leisurely breakfast. It's even better with a bottle of bubbly! Rosti are Swiss pan-fried potato cakes, and are best made from starchy potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 120g spreadable light cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 150 sliced smoked salmon

Method:

1. Coarsely grate potatoes; use hands to squeeze as much excess liquid as possible. Measure 1/4 cups of grated potato, placin each portion on a long sheet of baking paper.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non stick frying pan; place two portions of the rated potato in the pan, flattening each with a spatula. Cook rosti over medium heat until browned, turn with the spatula to cook the other side. Drain on absorbent paper, make six more rosti with remaining oil and grated potato.
3. Combinie cream cheese, herbs and juice in a small bowl.
4. Divide rosti among serving plates, top with herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Serves 4.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 salmon fillets
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tblsp white wine (or stock or water as substitutes)
1 tblsp honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tspn dijon mustard (you can use french as an alternative)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tblsp chopped fresh oregano

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick spray and over a medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft. Mix in wine, honey, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for approximately 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Arrange salmon on the foil lined tray and brush fillets with the glaze, leaving enough syrup for a final glaze at the end. Sprinkle with oregano.
4. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes if you prefer your salmon to be cooked all the way through. 10 - 15 if you like some pinkness in the middle.
5. Brush fillets with the remianing glaze and season with salt and pepper.

Greek Salad

This is actually one of Jodie's recipes that I've stolen and wanted to share!
And just a warning: these quantities make enough to feed a small army :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red capsicum, cubed
1/2 cup green capsicum, cubed
1 cup salad onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cupes contintental cucumber, cubed
1/2 bunch celery, sliced
1 cup tomatoes, cubed (or left whole if using cherry or grape tomatoes)
1 large cos lettuce
1 cup reduced fat feta, cubed
1/2 cup spanish olives
1/3 cup no oil fat free Kraft french dressing
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp french mustard

Method:
Combine the french dressing, garlic and mustard in a small leak free container and shake vigorously.
Mix together all the salad ingredients but don't toss the dressing though until you're about to serve.

Tomato Stacks

Ingredients:
500g vine ripened tomatoes
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons basil pesto
100g feta, finely crumbled
olive oil for drizzling

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (or 180°C for fan forced). Cut off tomatoes from the vine, leaving the calyx and some stem (the green bit that's stuck to the tomato).
2. Slice a small amount off the base of each tomato, this is so it won't fall over. Cut each tomato in thirds horizontally.
3. Combine the pine nuts, pesto and feta in a bowl. Arrange a spoonful of mixture between the tomato layers and press together firmly.
4. Place the tomatoes in a medium sized oven-proof dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Vegetarian Chilli

This is a recipe I've been meaning to blog for ages - it's an absolute beauty! Healthy, delicious and easy to make (if you can use a tin opener), it probably fits Del's call for a good slap together meal. Southern hemisphere dwellers may want to try it before the weather gets too hot...

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
225g chopped onions
2 medium green capsicum, seeded and chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (leave the seeds in for a hotter chilli)
3 tablespoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 x 400g tins of Italian style plum tomatoes, chopped
1 x 170g tin of tomato puree
1 x 565g tin red kidney beans, drained (bean lovers can add an extra tin)
1 x 425g tin pinto beans, drained
225g diced zucchini
Grated mature cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onion or spring onion, chopped tomatoes or chopped olives for serving on top of the chilli (yum)

Method
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, capsicum, garlic and jalapenos. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the chilli powder, oregano and salt. Add the tomatoes and their juice, tomato puree and beans. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and serve with toppings.

What's your favourite 'cook in a flash' meal?

Hi everyone, I would love to read about all your favourite quick meals. You know the ones. You come home late, tired and grumpy (and starving) and the pantry is looking a bit on the lean side...
For me, I trot out the old student meal - two minute noodles cooked with frozen mixed veg (stir fry mixes are great) and any old other veg lying around in the bottom of the crisper. Drain, chuck some grated cheese on top and voila! - dinner in about 4 minutes (and very cheap too)...
So how about you, what's your favourite 'chuck together' meal?

Spinach and Camembert Lasagne

Ingredients:

1 bunch english spinach
500g fresh ricotta cheese
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
fresh lasagne pasta sheets
125g semi-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
200g camembert cheese, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease your lasagne dish. Trim the stalks from the spinach and discard. Wash the leaves and shake off excess water, but don't dry them completely. Chop leaves.

2. Place ricotta in a bowl. Add parmesan, nutmeg and seasoning. Stir until well combined. Set aside one third of the mixture. Add spinach to the remaining ricotta mixture and mix until well combined.

3. Line the base of the lasagne dish with a sheet of pasta. Spread half the spinach mixture over the lasagne. Top with another lasagne sheet. Spread with the plain ricotta mixture and top with the semi-dried tomatoes. Add another layer of pasta and spread over the remaining spinach mixture. Top with a final layer of pasta.

4. Arrange camembert over lasagne and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. The top will puff up, but then settly when removed from the oven. Stand for 10 minutes.

Warm peach upside down cakes

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
415 g can peach slices in natural juice, drained
2 tablespoons reduced fat spread, melted
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self raising flour
150g light French Vanilla fruche
pure icing sugar to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Lightly dpray base of four 1-cup capacity ramekins with oil. Line bases with baking paper. Arrange 2 to 3 peach slices over base of each ramekin. Finely chop remaining peaches.
2. Combine spread and sugar in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg and vanilla together. Add to sugar mixture. Sift flour over batter and stir until well combined. Fold in chopped peaches.
3. Spoon batter over peach slices. Smooth surface. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Use a knife to loosen cakes. Turn out onto serving plates. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm with Fruche.

Serves 4

Variation: Try replacing canned peaches with fresh peaches when in season, or canned apricots or pears.

Mexican bean tortillas

For my birthday, Meegan bought me an annual subscription to Super Food Ideas! I love trying out new recipes each month. Here's two yummy recipes from the October magazine that I made for my mum and brother on Saturday night.

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
1 small brown onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tomatoes
420g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
4 flour tortillas
1/2 green capsicum
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup chunky tomato salsa
1/4 cup low fat yoghurt
2 iceberg lettuce leaves, shredded

Method:
1. Lightly spray a saucepan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Add onin and cook, stirring, for three minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Finely chop 1 tomato. Add chopped tomato, beans, 1/4 cup cold water, taco seasoning and chilli powder to saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until liquid has reduced and thickened. Using a potato masher, roughly mash.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lay tortillas on a workbench. Spread with bean mixture. Top with capsicum. Roll up tortillas tightly to enclose filling. Tranfer to a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas warmed through.
4. Meanwhile, dice remaining tomato. Combine tomato and cucumber in a small bowl. Slice tortillas in half and place on plates. Top with coriander. Serve with salsa, yoghurt, lettuce and tomato salad.

Serves 4