Dinner

We emphasise foods that will not only assist you in losing weight but also taste delicious and fill you up without overloading your body with starches. Try not to eat a big meal in the evening. Remember, you can always have a healthy desert or try an  Energy Slim Weight Control Shake if you are still hungry later on.

Turnip & Mushroom Ravioli (as seen on Masterchef)

• 1-2 Large turnips – Sliced finely to make around 30 slices
• 2 cups mushrooms (any type is ok)
• 1 shallot finely diced
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons choped chives & sprinkle Thyme
• Poaching Liquid – 1ltr Milk, 100g Icing Sugar 50g butter.

In this recipe, the turnips are the ravioli sheets. Combine poaching ingredients and simmer gently. Add sliced turnip until just soft then drain (don’t over-cook). Saute shallots for 30 seconds then add mushrooms & garlic adding thyme and chives at the end – 2 minutes. remove from heat. Place larger turnip slices on a board & centre mushroom filling onto these slices. Place another turnip slice on top of the filling and press gently but firmly to the under turnip. The stickiness from the sugar will stick the turnip slices together. Heat for a further 30 seconds in the microwave before serving. Serve with side salad and feta cheese.

Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta

• 300g farfalle or other pasta shape
• 3 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise (use full-fat if you prefer)
• 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp clear honey
• 300g cooked chicken, torn into rough pieces
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced (or use ½ red onion, thinly sliced)
• small bunch basil, leaves roughly torn
• 4 tomatoes, quartered, then each chunk halved

• Honey mustard dressing

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Boil the pasta, then cool under running water. Mix the mayo, mustard and honey in a large bowl and loosen with a little water to make a dressing the consistency of double cream. Add the pasta, chicken, onions, basil and tomatoes, season to taste, then gently mix together.

Nutritional information

Protein	Dietary Fibre
31g	3.0g
Fat Total	Energy
11g	1027kJ
Fat Saturated	Sodium
3g	0.55g
Carbohydrate Total	Cholesterol
62g	120mg

 

Mushroom Crust Pizza

Any diet can make space for this mushroom pizza. 

Ingredients

• 4 large brown mushrooms
• 15 ml olive oil
• 125g grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 red peppers – diced

• 4 spring onions – chopped
• 4 slices of salami – diced
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. 

Put the mushrooms on the baking sheet, season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15minutes.

Scatter the remaining ingredients on top of the mushrooms and bake for another 10minutes or until the cheese has just melted.

 

Healthy Chicken and Vegetable Sausage Rolls

• 1/2 cup (35g) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 500g chicken breast mince
• 1 egg, plus 1 extra lightly beaten egg
• 1 zucchini, finely grated
• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 4 sheets frozen low-fat  puff pastry, just thawed
• 1 tbs sesame seeds (optional)
• Tomato or sweet chilli or sauce, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease 2 baking trays or line with baking paper.
Process crumbs, chicken and unbeaten egg in a food processor until well combined. Place in a bowl, mix well with vegetables and herbs, then season.

Place 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface and cut in halve. Spoon an eighth of the mixture lengthways along centre of each piece. Fold 1 edge of pastry over and tuck in beside filling, then fold over other side to make a roll, pressing down lightly to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Cut rolls into 3cm pieces and cut two small incisions into each roll to prevent splitting. Place on baking sheets, cover and chill for 30 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned and cooked through. Serve with sauce on the side.

Deliciously Sticky Chicken Drumsticks

½ cup plum sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
finely grated rind of 1 lime
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 Kg chicken drumsticks

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large, shallow baking dish with non-stick baking paper.

Place plum sauce, honey, ketjap manis, lime rind, ginger and allspice in a bowl; stir to combine.

Place drumsticks in prepared dish, and spoon plum sauce mixture over drumsticks.Bake 30- 40 minutes, basting regularly, until sticky, golden and cooked through. Serve hot or cold. Serves 4.

 

Prawn Salad with Croutons

• 2 pink grapefruits, zest and juice from 1, segments cut from the other
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• 300g cooked, peeled prawns
• ½ cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scooped out with a teaspoon, diced
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 handfuls frisée, torn
• 2 handfuls rocket
• 100g pack pomegranate seeds

Whisk together the grapefruit zest and juice, oil, vinegar, sugar and dill to make a dressing. Mix half with the prawns and allow to marinate for 10 mins.

Just before serving, gently toss the cucumber, shallots, frisée and rocket with the remaining dressing. Add a pile to each of 6 starter plates, along with the prawns and grapefruit segments. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Crustless Quiche

• 8 eggs – 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp. light sour cream – beaten lightly
• 100g low-fat feta cheese
• Pepper to taste
• Add your choice of cooked ingredients: chicken, mushroom, spinach, red onion, diced capsicum, sliced olives or proscuitto

Combine eggs, milk, cheese and sour cream in a bowl and mix gently. Cook added ingredients including spinach leaves.  Pour egg mixture into a greased quiche dish and add cooked ingredients, Bake for 30-35 minutes in 180 degree moderate oven. Serves 4-6 people.

Nutritional information per serve

Low-fat Poached Chicken with Pesto

Lean Chicken, Turkey, Lamb or Beef Rissoles

• 250-500g minced beef, chicken or turkey
• 1 onion – diced finely
• 1 carrot – grated
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley – cut roughly
• (optional)  egg, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, spinach, chilli
• Sea Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form flattened patties with your hand. Stand in fridge for 30 minutes if possible. Spray pan with oil, BBQ or grill for 5-6 mins each side or until cooked.  Note: do not add egg if using chicken or turkey mince. Drain on paper towel before serving. Serve on a plate with steamed vegetables or a fresh salad.

Variations:

1 – Gyro – Slice patties into 3 strips, place onto Sorj (flat) bread with salad and Tatziki yogurt for a great Souvlaki.

2 – Meal Balls – Form smaller round meat balls. Brown in a fry pan with onions, then add to tinned tomatoes.

• 3 chicken breast fillets
• 2 tbs rice vinegar
• 2 tbs gluten-free tamari (see note)
• 3 tsp sesame oil
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbs sesame seeds
• 3 bunches asparagus, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, refreshed
• mixed baby salad leaves

Place chicken in a saucepan and pour over enough water to just cover. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a lid. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and stand the chicken in the liquid for 10 minutes. Drain, thickly slice & set aside. Combine vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, spring onions and sesame seeds in a bowl and whisk to combine. Divide the asparagus, salad leaves and chicken among serving plates and drizzle with the dressing.

Souvlaki

• flat (Sorj’ or Mountain) bread
• Roasted lamb, beef or chicken, cut into thin strips
• lettuce – shredded
• onion, salad or red – diced
• (optional) roasted vegetables – eggplant, pumkin, carrots etc.
• tzatziki (refer recipe in snack menu)

Spread the tzatziki sauce in an even layer down one edge of the flat bread. Add your salad and / or vegetables, then layer your meat (hot or cold) on top. Roll the bread, folding up the bottom halfway through, to complete the Souvlaki.

Pan Fried Fish with Herb Sauce

Baked Salmon Parcels

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry – thawed
• 1 tbs basil pesto
• 2 x 100g skinless salmon fillets
• 2 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon  – juiced , plus extra wedges to serve
• 1 egg – beaten (for pastry)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Line tray with baking paper placing 2 halved pastry sheets. Spread on pesto, leaving a 3-4 cm border. Place salmon & tomato, drizzle with lemon juice and brush the pastry border with some beaten egg. Cut 4-5 long slits in the centre of the remaining pastry pieces and over a salmon fillet, pulling slightly to separate strips, then press down the edges and trim, making each parcel into a neat rectangle. Brush the pastries all over with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with lemon wedges and a green salad, if desired.

Warm Beef Salad

• 1 red onion – 1/2 chopped finely, 1/2 sliced finely
• 2 garlic cloves – crushed
• 1 small red chilli – remove seeds & chop finely
• 400g fillet or porterhouse steak (or beef strips)
• 1/2 small tin beetroot balls – or slices cut into pieces
• 1/4 small Chinese cabbage (wombok) – shredded
• 150g (1 cup) snow peas – roughly cut
• 200g cherry tomatoes –  halved
• 1 cucumber – sliced
• oil – for cooking

Dressing

• 2 tbsps fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 lime – juiced

Place chopped onion, garlic and chilli in a dish, then add beef and coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, if time permits. Heat pan or bbq, cook until cooked to your liking, rest for 5 minutes. Now make the dressing whisking all ingredients until combined. If required, thinly slice beef across the grain. Place cabbage, snow peas, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, sliced onion and beef in a large bowl. Pour over dressing, toss and serve.

Asian Chickpea Salad

• 1 small can chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 medium cucumber, chopped
• 1 red capsicum, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup raw corn kernels sliced off cob or tinned
• 3 tbsp. hoi sin sauce
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. garlic-chilli paste
• 1 tbsp. natural yogurt Ð optional

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently. Place on top of fresh spinach and lettuce leaves. Top with yogurt – optional.

Note: Round out the meal with some whole-wheat pita bread (simply spoon the salad into a half pocket)