CORE Chicken, Ricotta & Rocket Pasta

This colourful pasta tastes as good as it looks.
Mild "creamy" ricotta sauce gets its flavour from the rocket

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 300 g chicken mince
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1/2 red capsicum, cut in strips
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 250 g pasta (spiral or penne)
• 1 large carrot (at lest 2cm thick), peeled
• 2 small/1 large zucchini
• 1/2 cup mint peas, frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen beans
• 1/2 bag rocket (about 50g)
• 1/2 a 250 g tub Perfect Italiano Light Ricotta
• 2 small or 1 large spring onion, sliced
• 2 tsp seeded mustard
• 3 tsp finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c non-fat milk

Method:
Using a vegetable peeler, make ribbons of carrot and zucchini, ensuring some green skin is visible on each zucchini ribbon. Put ribbons in base of strainer/colander.
Heat a large frypan with the olive oil.
Fry the onion, garlic and capsicum until the onions go clear, then add chicken mince.
Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and add pasta.
When chicken is cooked (chicken mince does not brown, it will still be white), add frozen vegies and a few TB of water to steam them.
When pasta is al dente (around 9 mins), pour into strainer over vegie ribbons, give a good shake and straight back to pan. Stir through rocket and set aside for a couple of minutes while you make the pasta sauce.
Add ricotta, milk, mustard, basil, spring onion and some cracked pepper to the chicken/veg mix and stir through.
Add sauce to pasta and stir through.
Serve immediately.

Optional - add 2 tsp of parmesan cheese for 0.5 pts (well worth it)

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is approx 25 points

CORE Quick Noodles - 10 mins - No preparation

This is a throw together meal using my favourites from the freezer.

No preparation. You can of course use fresh vegies etc.

Some of you girls know one of my lifesavers is cooking mince up with onion and garlic and freezing it in meal size portions. Another is frozen chopped onions and frozen bacon.

Serves: 2

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of "savoury mince" (or 200g premium mince cooked in garlic and onion)
• 50 g frozen bacon pieces
• 100g frozen onions (or chopped fresh)
• 80g rice noodles
• 1 egg
• chinese 5 spice mix
• soy sauce
• frozen veg
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp crushed ginger

Method:
Soak rice noodles in boiling water while your big frypan/wok is getting hot.
Scramble one egg in a little olive oil and put aside.
Add a couple of tsp olive oil and fry onion for a few mins, then add bacon (I add while still frozen), garlic and ginger.
If it starts to stick, add a few TB of water
Meanwhile microwave frozen mince for 1 min to defrost, then add to pan.
Microwave frozen vegies until just defrosted. I used approx 1 cup beans, 1/2 c corn, 1/2 c mint peas.
Sprinkle the mince/onion/bacon mix with Chinese 5 spice mix (a good couple of tsp) and add a splash of soy and a splash of water.
Add vegies and stirfry for a few mins.
Drain noodles. I cut mine up a bit with scissors. Add to pan, add scrambled egg mix, cook a min or 2 and serve (optional - drizzle of soy)

Not on Core? The total of this recipe is 13.5 pts, plus points for corn or peas if used

CORE Fruit Salad Chicken Curry

Ok, this sounds totally weird, but is only Apricot Chicken with pineapple and orange.
A sweet and mild curry

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken thigh fillets, diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 x 410 g tin of apricots in juice
• 1 x 225 g tin of pineapple pieces in juice
• 2 small oranged, peeled and diced
• 3 tsp mild curry powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 1/5 tsp cummin powder
• 3 cups stir fry vegies
• Optional - splenda

Method:
Cook chicken and onion in olive oil.
Add fruit and cook for 5-10 mins with lid off.
Add spices and vegies and cook for a further 10 mins.
Optional - add a few tsp of Splenda

Serve on a bed of rice

CORE Morrocan Pumpkin & Roast Capsicum Soup

Serves: 4+ as mains (lunch), 6+ as starter course.

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 750 g butternut pumpkin
• 350 g carrot
• 350 g sweet potato, peeled
• 1/2 onion
• 4 chicken stock cubes (vegetarians - use vegetable stock)
  
• Morrocan spice mix
• cracked pepper
• parsley, chopped or dried
• 1 large red capsicum or 2 small ones
• oil spray

Method:
Deseed pumpkin and chop into 1 inch chunks, leaving skin on.
Chop other vegies to about an inch
Add to pot with stock and 6 cups boiling water
Simmer with lid on for about an hour, then take off heat and cool

Meanwhile, deseed the capsicum and cut into wide strips. Put in one layer on baking tray and spray lightly with oil. Bake for close to an hour, until there is some blackening around the edges.

Blend all and put in another pot or bowl.
Add cracked pepper, some parsley (for colour mainly) and Moroccan spice. The amount of Moroccan spice will depend on brand, mine was 6 tsp. Add 3 tsp and taste before adding more.

Note - it is important for the soup to have cooled somewhat before putting in the blender as hot air rises, blowing the top off the blender and decorating your roof. If in a hurry, seperate vegies and broth and it cools quicker (about 10-15 mins, instead of about an hour)

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is approx 8 pts