Friday, February 26, 2010

Core Tuna, Bean and Capers Salad


Serves: 1 large serving

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
  • 1 x small can chunk tuna in springwater, drained
  • 1 x 125 g 4 bean mix, drained
  • 1 x 125 g corn kernels, drained
  • 6 chery tomatoes, halved
  • diced red capsicum (not pictured), a few tablespoons
  • about 10cm of cucumber, diced fine
  • about 1/8th medium onion, diced fine
  • 1 tsp capers
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (3 TB)
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • handful of baby spinach leaves
  • pepper and salt

Method:
Mix all except baby spinach together in a bowl. Allow to sit for a few mins for flavours to mingle
Make a nest of baby spinach in your serving bowl and tip the mix in the middle.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 4pts

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Moroccan Carrot Dish with Salad, Side Dish or Dip Options - Moroccan Cooking School



No more "boring" carrots!
Versatile Carrot recipe which can be served as a hot side dish or cold salad or hot or cold dip!
Pictured is side / salad
Serves: varies as to use

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
  • 500g peeled and boiled carrots
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • fresh parsley, about 2 TB chopped
  • fresh coriander, about 3 TB chopped
  • 3TB lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to your taste

Method:
Heat a nonstick frypan coated with oil spray.
Add the garlic and fry on medium for about 3 mins until it is very aromatic
Options:
Side or salad - halve cooked carrots (quarter enormous ones) and slice to 5mm
Dip - mash carrots with no added moisture

Add carrot to fry pan, along with remaining ingredients and warm through for a few minutes.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 0! Yes, not a single point smeaked in here!

Almost Core Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Apricot - Moroccan Cooking School


Dried fruit and cinnamon make a wonderfully sweet tagine.
Serves: 6 -8

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 2 onions, sliced
  • cooking spray
  • 1kg of lean diced lamb
  • * 100g dried apricots, cut into 4 or 6 pieces each
  • * 200g dried prunes, cut into 4 or 6 pieces each
  • lemon juice
  • 1tsp cinnamon
    Note - cinnamon goes stale in a few months. Take a sniff and if smell is not very strong, go get some fresh cinnamon as it will have no flavour.
  • 1 heaped TB of Moroccan spice mix
  • fresh parsley, about 3 TB chopped
  • fresh coriander, about 3 TB chopped
  • * 2 TB sugar (you can also use honey)
  • saffron or artificial saffron colour (Hoyts in the refill bags)
  • salt
  • pepper

Method:

Heat a large soup saucepan to medium-high
Spray with oil and add onions and diced lamb and stir for about 2 or 3 mins.
Turn heat down to low and add 2 cups of water, parsley, coriander and moroccan spices.
Also add a few strands of saffron or about 1/8 tsp of the colouring.
Note - through this recipe you will need to monitor the liquid level and add more water as needed. You need somewhere between enough so it doesn't stick on the bottom and to just covering the contents, depending on how wet you like your "stews". I prefer mine to be thicker, while others prefer very waterey so the rice can soak up the fragrant sauce. Your choice, but keep adding water as needed.
Keep simmering for about 30-40 mins, stirring and checking water level.
Add salt and pepper, a good squeeze of lemon (about 1/4 cup) and dried fruit and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve on rice or couscous (points do not include)

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 39.5 pts, or 5pts serving 8

On Core you need to add the points for the starred ingredients, totalling 9.5 pts for the recipe or 1 pt each serving 8.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Core Moroccan Vegetable CousCous


Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 turnip
  • 1/4 cabbage, shredded fine
  • 2 zucchini
  • 500g pumpkin (3 cups)
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped fine
  • 1 TB Moroccan spice blend
  • colouring agent - either 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Hoyts artificial saffron colouring (sold in the racks of spices in bags for refilling jars) or a few strands of saffron
  • coriander, about 3 TB chopped fine
  • parsley, about 3 TB chopped fine
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • water

All of the vegies need to be chopped fairly chunky, like 1 cm thick by 3 cm wide.
You can also bulk this out by adding more vegetables, sorting them into hard (potato) and soft. If you count points, don't forget to account for any added vegetables which have points.
Pumpkin and sweet potato count as 'soft'

Method:

In a large soup or stock pot, add 2 TB of olive oil and the onion and cook for several minutes on medium.
Add the hard vegies (not the pumpkin) and about 1/2 cup water and cook for about mins
Add the cabbage and tomatoes and turn to lowest heat setting.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper, Moroccan spices and ginger.
As you are simmering, check the water level in the pot and add more if and when needed. You need about 1/2 cm in bottom of pot. Stir every few minutes
After another 10 mins, add the zucchini and saffron/colour.
At this point, we need to prepare the couscous. Add 1 cup couscous to heatproof bowl with 1 cup boiling water, allow to absorb for 5 mins and fluff with fork.
Simmer until vegies are done to your preference (test with a knife or fork)
Make a ring of couscous on the plate and serve the vegetables in the middle.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 17.5 pts or 4 pts each serving 4