CORE Guilt Free Guacamole Dip

Is also lovely spread on sandwiches or as a hot/cold sauce to grilled beef, chicken or lamb.

Serves: About a cup

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 x 340g tin asparagus in spring water, drained
• 1/3 jar of mild salsa
• 1 "clump" of coriander
• 1 spring onion
• 1 tsp garlic
• cracked pepper
• carrots or other crudities (raw vegies) as dippers

Method:
Whiz all until mixed. Peel a carrot or 2 and dive in.

Note: If you make the day before, it will seperate a little in fridge overnight. This is fine - it's 2 "wet" vegies :) Just stir it before serving

Not on Core? This recipe is ZERO points

CORE Chicken Balls / Patties

I made these with Thai style herbs and served with hot chilli sauce (since sweet chilli isn't Core). The flavouring was subtle.

If you have kids, you might prefer using just parsley and perhaps serving with BBQ sauce.

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 600g chicken mince
• 2 tsp dry French Onion soup mix
• 2 egg
• 30 g (1/3 cup) rolled oats
• 1 tsp crushed chilli paste (or hot chilli sauce)
• 3 tsp finely chopped basil
• 2 tsp finely chopped coriander

Method:
With a fork, mix together all except the oats.
When thouroughly mixed, add oats.
With wet fingertips and a bowl of water handy (stops sticking) make into 2cm balls and place on baking tray. I made 36 this size, but you could vary the size.
Bake at 180*C for 30 minutes

NB - chicken mince takes a lot to brown. If you like the look of browned meat, slide under the griller for a few minutes (I did)

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 21 points

CORE Tuna (or Salmon) Mousse / Pate

Serves: at least 4, more as an appetiser

Difficulty: Very Easy

Note - You could substitute 1 1/2 cups of cooked seafood for the tuna, but since I'm allergic to shellfish, I'll leave that testing up to you ;)

Ingredients:

• 425 g can tuna in springwater (or salmon), drained
• 1 tsp chicken stock
• 4 tsp gelatine
• 4 TB low fat cottage cheese
• 2 TB lemon (or lime) juice
• 2 cubes of frozen spinach, thawed (about 80-100g)
• parsley, a few sprigs, chopped, about 3 or TB
• sping onion (leaf only) or chives, chopped, about 3 or 4 TB
• cracked pepper, 1/2 tsp+ (I love pepper and put 3 tsp)

You may wish to add dill - I don't have any

Method:

In a large dry bowl, add 125 ml of boiling water, the gelatin and the stock.
Blend well with stab mixer, add 125ml ice water, blend.
Add cottage, lemon (lime) juice and tuna (salmon) and blend again.
Add the spinach and herbs and mix with spoon.
Put into mould(s) and put in fridge to set

You can set this in jelly moulds, cake tins, ramekins, bowls or something creative (I used silicone patty pans as I don't have little jelly moulds).

It sets like pate - firm enough to slice, yet soft enough to scoop and spread.

Serving suggestions:
On toast, rice crackers, or cucumber. I like Salada 97% fat Free Wholegrain (Core as bread allowance)
As a sandwich spread

If making as pate
You may wish to add a decorative clear layer to top or bottom (depending on whether you are serving in a ramekin with pate knife or inverting onto a plate to be sliced).
Mix 1 tsp of gelatine with 60ml hot water (you may not need all of this mix). You may wish it to be flavoured slightly with lemon/lime juice.
If pouring over top of set mousse, allow mix to cool on counter for half hour.
Make a pretty design with something like: chives or parsley leaves (flat Italian), grated lemon rind, grated carrot, slices of lemon or oranges, canned peppercorns or cracked pepper etc and gently pour gelatine mix over the back of a spoon, so it doesn't disturb your design.
Back in fridge to set.

Once this is set, I do recommend covering it as gelatine products can develop a skin uncovered and also the fish smell in the fridge...

Not on Core? The total points for this is 5 points (not counting toast/crackers etc)

NB: On the tracker, tuna weights is the drained weight - a 425g can drained is only 250g or 4 points, not 7.5!