No cook, no fuss – perfect for when life gets super busy as it always does!
Just grab:
- store bought hot smoked salmon
- avocado
- raw coleslaw mix
- baby spinach
and place on a pumpkin chive GF bread roll. Tasty!
Tag: healthy dinner
Vegan Pumpkin Soup
Warms the soul as well as the belly!
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
- 200g butternut pumpkin
- 4 large carrots
- 125g can coconut cream
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- Chives to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C and roast the pumpkin and carrots until soft and golden. Allow to cool slightly.
- Place the roasted pumpkin and carrot, sage, rosemary, stock and coconut cream in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, place the mixture in a large bowl or saucepan and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
- Serve hot with chives on top.
Pie Maker Savoury Muffins
After a recent baking spree for night shift, I can now truly appreciate why people are going nuts over these pie makers!
You’d be surprised at what people can create in such a short space of time with one of these (a real bargain considering they’re only $29 from Kmart). For some epic recipe ideas, definitely look up the Australian Kmart pie maker recipe group on Facebook!
As part of my experimentation, I made an old recipe of mine, a cross between a muffin and a frittata – a fruffin if you will (because mufftata sounds a bit risky).
I made two different flavours of these by changing the spice, otherwise the base recipe is the same!
Ingredients (makes 12)
- 1 cup self raising flour (can use GF)
- 1 cup low fat milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
- 150g baby spinach leaves
- 3 large slices of Gouda, quartered
- Spice mix of your choice – I tried the Smokey BBQ and tangy turmeric dip bases by Morlife
Method
- Turn on the pie maker.
- Beat the eggs, then add the milk, flour, yogurt and spice mix and stir well to combine.
- Place spinach leaves at the base of the pie mould, then pour 1/8th cup of filling mixture on top. Place a small piece of cheese, then add another dollop of filling mixture to cover.
- Cook in the pie maker until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). These will cook more evenly the more full the mould is.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge if they don’t all get eaten!
Lemon quince Pterodactyl wings
Sorry for the radio silence! Between studying for fellowship and moving, I’ve barely had time to function this year.
Now, I know this is not my normal kind of recipe, but if these make dinner easy and delicious for anyone else who’s busy like me then I’ll be happy!
These enormous turkey wings were cooked in my brand new oven, and what can I say, I’m impressed!
Ingredients
- Turkey wings (about 800g which was 5)
-
- 2 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil (I used
- )
- 2 tablespoons quince paste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170*C.
- In a bowl, mix the lemon olive oil and quince paste together. Spread the mixture on top of the turkey wings.
- Wrap the turkey wings all together in a parcel of baking paper (so that the quince doesn’t burn) and bake until cooked through (about an hour). Allow to rest before serving with your favourite greens!
Pumpkin Poulet Patties
These are based on my turkey rissoles, and make for some great chicken burgers (although they’re just as tasty on their own too!).
Ingredients (makes 8 large patties)
- 500g chicken mince
- 1 small piece sourdough
- 1/4 cup quinoa flakes
- 100g pumpkin
- 1 egg
- herbs: 2 sprigs dill, 4 sprigs parsley, 6 tarragon leaves
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Chop the pumpkin into small pieces and roast until soft (~ 20 minutes). Leave the oven on.
- Place the bread in a food processor and process into crumbs. Add the mince, egg, herbs and pumpkin until combined, then stir in the quinoa flakes.
- Heat a large fry pan over medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Roll 2-3 tbsp of mixture into balls and drop onto the pan, squishing with the back of a spatula. Lightly brown both sides of the patties, then remove from the pan, place on the oven tray and return to the oven until cooked through (~ 15-20 minutes). Serve hot or cold.
Served above with a beetroot and cauliflower dip (essentially my lemon beetroot hummus but with roasted 1/2 head small cauliflower instead of chickepeas).
Best Ever Veggie Patties
What do you get when you mix protein-rich chickpeas, nutty LSA and a tasty range of vegetables from the market? Some of the best veggie patties I’ve ever made!
Ingredients (makes 12)
- 100g pumpkin
- 100g sweet potato
- 1/2 small head broccoli
- 150g baby spinach
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas
- 1/2 cup LSA (linseed, sunflower seed, almond meal)
- 1 large egg
- herbs from the garden – sage, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Chop the pumpkin and sweet potato into small pieces and roast until golden and soft (approximately 30 minutes).
- Place the roast pumpkin and potato, broccoli, spinach, chickpeas and herbs into a food processor and process until combined. Add the egg and LSA, and mix well.
- Heat a large frypan over medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Roll 2-3 tablespoons of mixture into balls, place onto the pan and flatten with the back of a spatula. Lightly brown both sides (don’t cook all the way through).
- Transfer the patties to a lined baking tray and bake until firm (approximately 30 minutes). Serve as veggie burgers, as part of a buddha bowl, or as a delicious snack straight from the fridge!
Roasted Cauli Salad with Tahini Turmeric Sauce
Another easy meal-prep option that’s vegan and gluten friendly, packed full of nutrition with a hint of spice!
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 small cauliflower
- 1 large eggplant
- 200g pumpkin
- 4 large kale leaves, washed and de-veined, then finely chopped
- 1/8 cup cranberries
- 1/8 cup flaked almonds
- 1/2 cup plain coconut yogurt (can use plain Greek instead)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tsp turmeric
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180*C and line a tray with baking paper.
- Wash and chop the cauliflower, eggplant and pumpkin into similar sized pieces. Roast the cauliflower and eggplant on the same tray until slightly charred around the edges (about 40 minutes), and roast the pumpkin until soft and golden (about 30-40 minutes).
- Make the yogurt sauce by mixing the yogurt, tahini and turmeric until well combined.
- To assemble the salad, place the kale on the bottom, then top with the vegetables, then add the yogurt sauce, and sprinkle the almonds and cranberries on top.
One Tray Chicken, Pumpkin and Mushroom Bake
This was a crazy Saturday afternoon experiment. While it didn’t turn out Insta-pic perfect, it did make for some fantastic meal prep with minimal washing up.
Ingredients (serves 4) 
- 200g Kent pumpkin
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 500g mushrooms
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 150g baby spinach leaves
- 4 small chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup reduced salt chicken stock
- 1.4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 4 fresh basil leaves
- 1 microwave packet of brown, red and wild rice
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C. Lightly spray a baking dish with oil.
- Wash and chop the pumpkin and potatoes into small pieces and add to the dish. Bake until starting to soften (15-20 minutes).
- Add the mushrooms, asparagus and chicken breasts to the dish and bake until the chicken is almost cooked through (20 minutes). Add the spinach leaves and herbs and bake for a further 5 minutes until the leaves are wilted.
- Just prior to serving, cook the rice as per the packet directions and add to the dish.
Granola-Crusted Salmon
I know, it sounds ridiculous, but trust me, it works! The trick is to use a granola that’s nut-based and doesn’t contain added refined sugars.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 salmon fillets, skin off
- 1 small sweet potato
- 100g baby spinach
- 1 bunch asparagus (I prefer raw, but it can also be blanched in boiling water for 1 minute just prior to serving)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C. Chop the sweet potato into rough chunks and place on a lined baking tray. Bake until soft (20 minutes).
- On another lined baking tray, place the salmon and bake for 10 minutes. Crust the granola in a small bowl, and while still hot, place the salmon skin side down into the granola and press firmly to stick. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, and allow to rest before serving.
- Serve the salmon with potato, spinach and asparagus.
Roast Pumpkin and Eggplant Bake
This is one of my favourite meal-prep dishes ever, and I have been known to exist off it when I’m on a week of night shift. This is vegetarian soul-food at it’s finest – packed full of veggies and unbelievably tasty, plus easily adaptable to suit the vegans, dairy-free and coeliacs among us!
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 250g kent pumpkin
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 tin of diced tomatoes
- 4 fresh basil leaves or 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 clove of garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup salt-reduced stock (use either veggie or chicken – use a gluten free stock to make this coeliac friendly!)
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 2 large carrots
- 150g bag of baby spinach leaves (can also substitute for green kale)
- shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top (portion dependent on how cheesy you like it, can be substituted for dairy-free cheese instead)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200*C. Slice the pumpkin into 1cm thick slices and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake until just soft (about 20 minutes – continue the rest of the recipe in the meantime!).
- Prepare the sauce: Place the tomatoes, stock, garlic and herbs into a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. If you like your sauce thicker, you can also add 1 tbsp tomato paste or substitute the tinned tomatoes for passata instead.
- Prepare the rest of the veggies: Slice the eggplant width ways into discs. Dice or slice the capsicum into small strips. Also slice the carrots length ways into small discs.
- In an oven-proof baking dish, start by laying down a layer of eggplant slices. Top with the spinach leaves, then a layer of pumpkin, followed by the capsicum and carrots, then half the sauce and a small sprinkle of cheese. Repeat the process with another layer of eggplant, then spinach, pumpkin, capsicum and carrot, with the rest of the sauce spooned over the top and sprinkled with cheese to your liking.
- Bake until the eggplant is soft and the cheese on top is golden brown (about 20-30 minutes). Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Note that even when it has been cooked, the eggplant skin can be a little tough to slice, so go slowly with a big knife! Also feel free to experiment with different types of cheese – I have used combinations of Jarlsberg, Edam, feta, mozzarella, ricotta, goats cheese and provolone with great success!
Oats and Cheesecake 