Basil’s bacon pasta

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
240gm pasta twirls

1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ punnet button mushrooms, sliced
100gm x-lean bacon, chopped
80gm sugar snap peas, sliced
80gm baby corn, sliced
125gm fat free smooth cottage cheese
125ml skim milk
1 Tblsp cornflour
Handful fresh basil leaves, chopped

Method
Cook the pasta, in plenty of lightly salted boiling water, until al dente.
Drain and set aside.

In a jug, mix the cornflour, milk and cottage cheese.
Set aside.

Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat.
Dry fry the bacon, onion and mushrooms until the onion starts to soften.
Add the sugar snaps and baby corn.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the milky mix into the saucepan with the bacon and veg.
Raise the heat and cook, while stirring, until the sauce thickens.
Check the seasoning – you may want to add a little salt and some black pepper.

Tip the pasta and the basil into the sauce and stir well to combine.

Serve with a mixed green salad, if desired.

Chilli beef and beans

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
400gm extra lean minced beef
1 – 3 tsp chilli paste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp dried thyme
300ml beef stock
1 x 400gm can chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
3 Tblsp tomato puree
1 Tblsp cocoa powder
1 x 400gm can red kidney beans
200ml fat free natural yoghurt
240gm rice

Method
Pour the oil into a large saucepan
Fry the onion and garlic until the onion starts to soften.
Add the mince and stir fry until the mince becomes crumbly and brown.
Now you can add the chilli paste, paprika, cumin and thyme.
Give everything a good stir.
Pour in the stock and tomatoes and tomato paste and toss in the chopped pepper.
Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to minimum.
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix the cocoa to a paste with a little water.
Add this to the mince along with the beans and stir well.
Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Check the seasoning – you will want to add salt and black pepper, and perhaps some tobacco.
Remove from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

While the flavours of the chilli are all mingling, cook the rice in lightly salted water.
Drain well.

Serve the chilli over the rice, with a tablespoon of yoghurt.

I ran out of chilli paste making this so I bolstered the flavour with tobasco sauce. You can barely taste 1 teaspoon of chilli paste – it needs more.

Rib eye steak

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quickish

Ingredients
400gm rib eye steak
Portuguese spice
200gm asparagus spears
4 thick slices butternut
6 Italian tomatoes, halved
12 large mushrooms
480gm baby potatoes

Pillow pack beetroot and cranberry salad

Method
Remove all visible fat from the steak and shape into 4 portions.
Sprinkle with Portuguese spice.

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water then drain.
Boil, steam or microwave the butternut slices and asparagus, then drain and keep warm.

Spray a large ridged pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat.
Arrange the cooked potatoes, mushrooms and tomato halves in the pan.
Cook until nicely browned and beginning to char, turning occasionally.
Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Spray the pan again and place over high heat.
Sear the steak for about 5 minutes each side, or until cooked to your taste.

Plate up by placing a butternut slice on each plate.
Top with steak and finish with asparagus.
Arrange remaining vegetables and salad around the sides.

The salad I used came ready-made from Woolworths – it is a lovely combination of baby spinach, mint and basil leaves with grated raw beetroot and dried cranberries.

Egg and bacon pie

Serves 4 : Very easy : About ! hour prep and cooking time
Ingredients
Pastry:
240gm plain flour
120gm margarine
Pinch salt
±100ml milk
Filling:
6 eggs, beaten with
60ml milk and
1 level tsp dried mixed herbs
4 slices lean back bacon, chopped
½ onion, finely chopped

Method
Heat the oven to 180ºC.

Spray an oven proof pie dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Rub the fat into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the milk, a little at a time, and stir with a knife to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other (about 1/3 and 2/3).
Roll the larger piece into a circle to fit the pie dish, covering the base and up the sides.

Scatter the onion and bacon over the bottom of the pie.
Pour over the beaten eggs, milk and herbs.

Roll out the remaining dough to cover the pie.
Lay this over the pie dish and seal the edges.
Brush the top of the pie with egg.
Snip a few vents with a pair of scizzors.

Bake for 45 minutes until well risen and golden.

Serve, hot or cold, with a salad.

You can reduce the calories in this meal by using filo pastry.
This is a general purpose pastry recipe that I use it for both savoury and sweet pies.
To ensure light pastry, avoid excessive handling.

Bratwurst and cabbage

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quickish

Ingredients
4 bratwurst sausages
4 bread rolls
Cabbage:
1 medium cabbage
1 tsp caraway seed
½ cup vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
Tomato relish:
1x410gm can tomato & onion
½ tsp curry powder
2 tsp cornflour
1 Tblsp water

Method
Spray a ridged frying pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Fry the sausages over a medium heat until nicely browned and cooked through.
Keep warm.

For the tomato relish:
Mix the curry powder, cornflour and water to a smooth paste.
Tip the tomato and onion into a sauce pan.
Bring the tomatoes to the boil.
Add the cornflour paste.
Stir over a medium heat until the relish has thickened slightly.
Keep warm.

For the cabbage:
Measure the vinegar and sugar into a small bowl.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Finely shred the cabbage and cook until soft.
Drain well.
Add the caraway seeds and vinegar syrup and stir well.
Keep warm.

Split the rolls and pile the cabbage on one half and the tomato relish on the other.
Top with a sausage.
Serve with mustard and a salad if you like.