CORE Lamb & Rosemary Mini Meatloaf

Tasty mini lamb meatloaf or terrines are cooked in muffin trays or friand trays (oval muffin trays) and wrapped in ham

Hot = mini meatloaf
Cold = terinne, "a luxurious cold meatloaf"

Serves: 4 people (2 mini meatloaf / terrines each)

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500g of premium lamb mince (5% fat)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 2 tsp dried rosemary (fine)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 125 g frozen spinach, thawed
• 8 slices thin smoked ham (approx 200g), needs to approx 20 cm long - eg Virginian
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp crushed garlic

Method:

Mix all apart from ham together in a large bowl with your hands
(Hint - try leaving the mince out of the fridge for awhile first. Trust me, mince straight from the fridge is cold, especially on your knuckles)
Get out your half cup capacity muffin / friand tins (or ramekins) and drape a slice of ham across each one. (I do not grease as the shrink back from the 5% fat means they will pop out easily)
Divide the meat mix into the 8 trays, push into the tin with the back of a spoon and fold ham over the top.
Cover tray with alfoil and put a baking tray on top to weigh down any bits of ham which don't want to stay flat.
Slide into a cold oven and put a tray of boiling water in the bottom of the oven.
Turn oven on to 180*C and cook for 1 hour (including the preheat time). Remove alfoil and bake another 15 minutes
If having hot as meatloaf, why not throw some potatoes in to roast? 100g potatoes (whole) will cook in the same time as the meatloaf (ie 1 h 15m)

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 20 points

Options:

Prefer beef?
Change lamb for beef (I bet you couldn't guess that) and rosemary for mixed herbs or basil.

Hate spinach?
Change spinach for 2 medium grated carrots

Hate ham?
With no ham the total for this recipe is 16 points

CORE Laksa Soup (Thai)

Serves: 3-4 as lunch (4-6 as starter course)

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup left over vegies or frozen vegies
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1 tsp coconut essence
• 1/4 cup skim milk powder
• 75 g rice stick noodles (vermicelli)
• 100-150 g left over chicken (or beef), or 1 small grilled chicken breast, chopped
• 4 cups of chicken stock (or beef if using beef)
• handful of beansprouts (if you have them)
• 1-2 tsp dry Thai herb mix (I use crushed herbs from fridge section of f+v - 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp coriander and 1/4 tsp lemongrass)

Method:

Bring stock to boil. Add noodles and vegies, cook 2-3 mins, add chicken and herbs. Turn off heat and stir through the coconut essence, skim milk powder and bean sprouts (if using)

Optional - serve with a little chilli

Not on Core? The total for the recipe is 7.5 pts
(assuming 150g roast chicken breast no skin, Trident rice stick noodles and all veg except corn is point free)

Core Apricot and Pineapple Cake / Muffins

Serves: 12+
This mix makes enough for :

1 x 20cm square/round tin or
1 loaf tin and 6 American muffins (the 1 cup type) or
12 large American muffins
24+ regular muffins

These keep well in the fridge, as the fruit keeps them lovely and moist. 30 - 45 secs in the microwave and brekkie is ready.
I double bagged the muffins in freezer bags as rough edges of the oats can snag the cheap freezer bags (OK, it was a medium bag, twisted, pulled back over and tied - for some reason I can't buy homebrand small freezer bags and mediums are cheaper than the small namebrands?!?)
Also freezes well - thaw on bench for an hour or 2, or microwave on LOW or DEFROST (high setting will make the fruit too hot and you might burn yourself)

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 200g oats
• 200g All bran
• 1 x 410 g tin apricots in juice
• 1 225 g tin pineapple pieces in juice
• 1 3/4 cups skim milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 TB baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TB vanilla essence
• sweetener, equivalent of 1/4 cup sugar

Method:
In a large bowl, combine the oats, All bran, milk and juice from the cans and leave to sit for 20 mins to soak
Meanwhile, turn on the oven to preheat at 180*C and cut the fruit pieces into quarters
Add the eggs to the bran/oats mix and stir with a wooden spoon, then add other ingredients.
Spoon mix into oiled tin(s)
Cook at 180*C for approx:
35 mins for muffins
45 min for loaf
50-60 mins for large tin

Two "are they ready" tests - (1) stick a skewer/toothpick in, should come out clean (2) if you press gently on the top with your finger, it should bounce back.

Not on Core? The entire recipe is worth 30 points (1 "serve" = 2.5 pts)

Almost CORE Cheesy Pepper Chicken CousCous

A tasty meal ready in 5 minutes!

NB - this recipe uses a small amount of low fat Cheddar cheese, which is not Core (1.5 pts)

Serves: 1

Difficulty: Easy - ready in 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 125 g chopped Smoked chicken breast fillet (or strongly smoked lean ham/bacon)
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup dry couscous
• NOT CORE * 20g grated low fat cheddar (eg Coon Light and Tasty 1.5pts)
• 1 1/2 cups of left over vegies or frozen vegies (I used frozen spinach and mixed veg)
• 1 spring onion
• ground pepper (coarse)

Method:
In a nonstick pan, warm the milk and milk, add vegies and simmer for 2 minutes before adding the chicken/ham. Simmer another minute, then add the couscous and as much pepper as you can take. After 2-3 minutes, the couscous should have absorbed the milk. Turn stove off and stur though the cheese and spring onion.

On Core? This is 1.5 pts for the cheese

CORE One Pot Chilli with Barley

It's a bigger serve than it looks - about 2 cups worth (serving 4)

Serves: 4 - 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500 g lean beef mince
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pearl barley (or brown/white rice)
• 2-3 cups of mixed vegies, chopped to 1cm cubes
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 can kidney beans or mixed 4 beans, drained and rinsed (or baked beans)
• 3 tsp cumin
• 2 beef stock cubes
• chilli - amount depends on your taste - start with 1 tsp for mild, more for wild

Method:
Fry mince, onion and garlic with oil.
Add tomato and barley, stock cube and 1 cup water. Cook at medium (covered to stop the tomato volcano mess) for 25 mins, stirring occassionally and adding more water if necessary
Add vegies, including tinned beans, and stock and cook for 5 mins until tender.
Add chilli to your strength (I use 3 tsp crushed chilli for medium) and cumin and cook for another 5 mins

Optional - serve on a bed of bean sprouts or baby spinach

Not on Core? This recipe total is 23 points
(assuming the 2-3 cups vegies are "free vegies")

Serving idea (great for kids)
Get a bread roll (grain of course for Core peoples) and make a hole in the side towards the top with a knife or apple corer. Pull out some of the bread, fill with warm chilli mix and put plug back in (use a toothpick to hold in if needed). Put in hot oven for a few minutes until crunchy and serve on a paper towel/serviette.
PS - A great way to "hide" the vegies for kids
PPS - Great for party finger food, using dinner size rolls
PPSS - Freeze the bread gizzards for next time you need breadcrumbs

CORE Smoked Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

This colourful pasta has a very subtle flavour. If you don't have smoked chicken, try with bacon for a stronger flavour, it's still nice.

Leftovers are great cold as a salad

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 250g Smoked Chicken Breast Fillet, skinless, sliced thin
• 250g dry pasta
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
• 200g green beans
• handful of baby spinach
• 150g low fat creamed style cottage cheese (I use WW)
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1tsp wholegrain mustard
• 8 basil leaves shredded (or dried)
• 2 spring onions
• can of asparagus cuts
• Coloured vegies - some bright vegies are needed to break up the green. I used 100g frozen corn and a grated carrot. You could use red capsicum, halved cherry tomatoes etc.

Optional - Parmesan

Method:

Boil water in a large saucepan, add pasta (note - I assume pasta is 9/10 minute to cook pasta, adjust timing if is the quick 6 minute type)
After 6 minutes, add broccoli, corn and beans and cook for 3-4 mins
Pour vegies and pasta into a strainer, rinse with a kettle-full of boining water (stops sticking together) and leave to drain.
In same (now empty) pot, add cottage, milk, and mustard and stir over low heat.
Add chicken, spring onions, basil and cracked pepper to season.
Add pasta back to pan and stir vigourously to mix, then add asparagus and stir gently for 2 mins.
Turn heat off and stir through the spinach and grated carrot just prior to serving.

Optional - serve with 2 tsp Parmesan for 0.5pts

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 21 pts, or 5 per serve.

Core Chocolate and Berry Cheesecake

By request, I have Cored up a cheesecake! It's not as creamy as a regular cheesecake, because funnily enough there's no cream cheese in it. However, it is sweet with a nice smooth texture.

Serves: depends on how big a piece of cake you want!
At least 4 decent sized serves - I made it square, approx 12 x 12cm and 4cm high

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Cheese layer:

• 1 sachet diet raspberry jelly (or try orange flavour for Jaffa fans)
• 100 g Yoplait ForMe Vanilla (1/2 tub single serve tub)
• 250g low fat Ricotta (I used Perfect Italiano Light)
• 2 TB cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• artificial sweetener, equivilant of 2TB sugar (if you like it sweet, double this)

Base Layer:

• 2 cup Weeties
• 1 1/2 tsp gelatin
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• artificial sweetener, equivilant of 2TB sugar

OK, first thing to know - I moved house recently to co-hab with almost-hubby. 2 kitchens' worth of stuff into 1 kitchen meant many boxes haven't been opened. So I haven't found my cake tins, so I made this upside-down in a sandwich size lunch box so the rounded corners would be on the top. If you have a cake tin, then by all means, please do the conventional way with the base on the ummm....base :)

Second thing - this makes a very small cheesecake (a-h not fond of, so only made as much as I was happy to eat). You may wish to double it as this makes one about 12cm square and about 4cm high.

Method:

Cheese layer:
Mix jelly with 60ml boiling water with a stab mixer.
Add rest of ingredients and blend.
Pour into a plastic tub, or cake tin and fridge for a couple of hours

Base layer:
In a tall narrow container, use stab mixer to reduce Weeties to crumbs (big bowl = mess!)
In a bowl, mix gelatin with 1/3 cup boiling water, add vanilla and sweetener.
Stir in the Weeties crumbs.
Top the cheese layer with the crumbs layer and smooth down (hint - do this with wet fingertips!)
Fridge until base is set.
Loosen from container (I use a butter knife around edge, then flip onto a plate and tap base. I find it easier to get jelly stuff out of flexible plastic rather than the dip-in-hot-water method used with metal moulds/tins)

Optional - Garnish with some berries

Alternatives:

• Jaffa
  Substitute orange jelly for raspberry jelly
• Chocolate
  Substitute 2 tsp gelatine for raspberry jelly and increase cocoa
• Mocha
  Substitute 2 tsp gelatine for raspberry jelly. Mix with a 60ml shot of espresso instead of water (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 60ml boiling water)
• Berry
  Omit cocoa, mix through 1/4 cup of crushed/chopped berries.

Not on Core? The total for this whole recipe is 7.5