Core Moroccan Eggplant Dip - Moroccan Cooking Class

Serves: makes about 2-3 cups

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants, diced to about 1.5cm
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp Moroccan spice mix
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• fresh coriander, about 4 clumps, cut fine
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (Sugar Bello style tomato puree is fine - the ones in the really tall jars)

Method:

Boil eggplant on medium heat for about 30 mins.
Drain.
Add all to pot and simmer on lowest setting for 15-20 mins, stirring every few minutes.

Serve hot or cold with bread or as a side dish

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 0 pts, not counting bread

CORE Apple, Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Serves: 1-2 (makes 2-3 cups)

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, diced about 1 cm
• 1 carrot, peeled, diced about 1 cm
• 1/2 cucumber, skin on, diced about 1 cm
• 1 spring onion
• 1-2TB non fat natural yoghurt
• 1 TB lemon juice
• ground pepper

Method:

Mix together and serve straight away (or the apple will brown)

Optional - add 5 almonds to your serve for 1/2 pt

Yummo and very crunchy

Not on Core? The total of this recipe is 1.5 pts

CORE Frozen Fruit Salad

An excellent way of dealing with fruit which ripes quickly in the heat.

And very refresing on a hot day

Serves: 1+ depending on amount of fruit used

Difficulty: Very Easy, but needs some lead time

Fruit which is great frozen:

• ripe banana/s - peeled and cut into slices about 1.5cm thick
  
• ripe stone fruit, like nectarines (leave skin on) or peaches (peel) - chop into slices/pieces, no more than 1cm thick, sprinke with lemon juice
  
• seedless grapes - stalk removed
  
• oranges - cut into slices/wedges no more than 1-1.5cm thick

Method:
Lay fruit out flat on a tray and freeze. When frozen you can put into a dry tub in the freezer.

Arrange as many peices and types of fruit as needed on a plate and eat with your fingers

Notes -

• If your freezer makes icecream rock hard, I'd suggest letting it sit for a few minutes before eating, otherwise eat straight away
  
• For kids or for some pizazz, thread fruit on a skewer and freeze
  
• You can also stick pop sticks into banana to make creamy "ice cream"

CORE Mango Frozen Yoghurt

I made this last week when had a Core friend over and she licked the bowl (see bottom)

Serves: 2 large servings of around 1 cup

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe mangos, chopped - 1 in freezer, 1 in fridge
• 1 x 200g/175g tub mango (or vanilla) diet yoghurt, frozen

Note - you could try frozen mango and unfrozen yoghurt - all depends on blender power

18 November - I tried 2/3 cup frozen berries and unfrozen yoghurt - yummy too, but a slightly gritty texture

Method:

Take frozen bits out of freezer and leave on bench for about 10-20 mins to soften.
In blender, blend unfrozen mango with frozen mango, then with frozen yoghurt.
You may need to add a few TB of fluid to get it moving, depending on power of your blender.
The object is to end up with a semi solid liquid like soft gelato

The crowning touch
Not Core, but totally lifts this into *extraordinary* for only half a point

Top with 1 tsp of flaked almonds and 1 tsp of Tia Maria or Grand Marnier (coffee or orange liquer) and a sprinkle with teeny pinch of cocoa or drinking chocolate (for colour)

This easy dessert gets Dr Lisa's stamp of approval!

Not on Core? The total of this recipe is approx 4.5 points (without toppings)

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 - Tropical Fluff / Mousse

This tropical mousse is made just from jelly and yoghurt,
so is Core for snacks or dessert.

Only 0.5 points per serve.

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of raspberry diet jelly crystals
• 1 packet of peach and apricot diet jelly crystals
• 2 x 200g tubs of non fat vanilla yoghurt (I used Nestle Diet)

Method:

In a 6 cup capacity bowl, add jelly crystals and 1 cup boiling water.
Stir with fork to dissolve and allow to cool on bnch for 30-60 minutes.
Add 1 cup cold water and yoghurt and mix with hand beater or whisk.
Pour into four 200ml glasses or glass bowls.

Try different combinations of jelly flavours, just be mindful of the colours you will create (ie green + orange = looks disgusting, even if it tastes good)

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 2 points (0.5 pts per serve)

CORE IceCream in a Bag

It can be eaten straight from the bag, but I tipped into a bowl so you can see it better.

Yes, you read that right....Core IceCream!

It's a fun activity for kids, especially at picnics and BBQs and there is so little you need to bring, most can be bought on-the-road.

I did this for my nieces at a picnic and they thought it was magic (maybe because I said the salt was "powdered eye of newt" and got them to chant silly "magic" words while they shook it??). They were 3 and 5 at the time and loved making their own icecream from a carton of strawberry milk in the park.

For kids:
Use full cream milk and throw in some baby M&Ms (or buy a carton of flavoured milk)
Maybe an adult should close the bags and they should be shaken outside :)

Serves: 1

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup nonfat milk (I used Pura Tone)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• artificial sweetener, eqiv of 1 TB (4 tsp)

You'll also need:

• 6 tablespoons rock salt (it reacts with the ice somehow)
• ice (about 1 1/2 trays per serve)
• medium size ziplock bag
• large ziplock bag
• a spoon

NB: The snack size bags are a bit small for easily closing with fluid inside. You can use 2 medium bags, with the milk one folded down and ice/salt packed around it.
If it's not a hot day, I suggest wrapping the baggies in a tea towel.

Method:
Put the milk, sweetner and vanilla in the small ziplock back and seal firmly
Half fill the large bag with ice cubes, add rock salt and but the milk baggie in and seal well. Shake it for about 5 minutes or until the icecream inside begins to harden.
Open the bag carefully, wiping the top off first.
Voila! Ice cream in a bag! Dig in!
Enjoy!

Variations that are still Core:

1. Chocolate - add 2 tsp cocoa
2. Coffee - add 1 tsp instant coffee
3. Mocha - add cocoa and coffee
4. Brandy - add a few drops of brandy essence (or other flavour)
5. Banana - put banana and milk mix into blender, then into small baggie and shake
6. Banana Split - as per banana, add 1-2 tsp cocoa
7. Maple - add 2 tsp of sugar free maple syrup (not Core, but 0 pt at this level)
8. Smoothie - put a few TB of diet yoghurt, 1/3 cup nonfat milk and 1/4 cup fruit through blender, then into small baggie and shake
9. Whatever flavour sugar free topping you have....

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 1 point for the milk

NB - it clicks over to 1 point at just under 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup is also 1 point....

CORE Spiced Fruit Cup Jelly

Pictured without banana, will update when latest batch sets
3 June - I ate it without checking the picture quality - they were too dark to use. So meanwhile, imagine some banana floating on the top :)

A lovely jelly for snack or dessert

Jelly with fruit always reminds me of my nanna. She was diabetic and made jelly with bananas every time we came to visit.

Serves: 2-3

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 sachet diet raspberry jelly
  
• 12 grapes
  
• 1 small banana
• 3TB frozen berries
  
• allspice or cinnamon
  
• 1 tea bag, English Breakfast
  

Method:
Pour 1 cup boiling water into jug or bowl. Jiggle tea bag 4 - 6 times and remove.
Dissolve jelly in tea.
Add a pinch of all spice or cinnamon.
Top up with 200 ml water.
Get out 2 or 3 small tubs or glass bowls.
Cut grapes into halves, removing seeds if necessary and add to bowls.
Slice banana into bowls
Add 1 TB frozen berries to each bowl.
Pour in jelly, stir and set.

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 1.5 points, or 1/2 point per serve

Note 1 - because of the banana, this should be eaten in 1-2 days

Note 2 - No fresh fruit? Add 2 TB of drained tinned fruit to each bowl.
If using tinned fruit, cut water down a little more to 400ml total or it may not set very firm

CORE Peach / Apricot Mousse

This is a great recipe when you have visitors, as it separates into 3 layers and looks like you've spent all day making a fancy layered dessert. It doesn't tend to layer well in wide glass bowls, so if for dessert, I suggest using plain el cheapo juice glasses (like the ones jam come in). You can use champagne glasses if you like, but they don't fit well in my fridge.

Is is also Core for snacks - put in plastic containers or disposable plastic glasses.

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 x 200 g Yoplait ForMe yoghurt in apricot, peach or vanilla flavour
• 2 x sachets Aeroplane Peach Apricot Diet Jelly
• 1 x 400g can (or half a big can) of peaches or apricots in juice

Optional - a few drops of sweetener

Method:

Empty the jelly crystals into a heatproof mixing bowl with a capacity of at least 2l.
Add 1 cup of boiling water and use stab mixer to mix.
Add 1 cup of cold water.
Optional - if using sweetener, add here. I only use if having regular people for dinner who expects sweets to be ummm......sweet :)
Leave on bench and allow to cool to room temp (1 hour or so)
Meanwhile, drain the canned peaches/apricots. Slice half and arrange at the bottom of the glasses. It is OK for a little juice to be pooled around them - for some strange reason it seems to cause a layer.
When the jelly mix is cool, add the rest of the tinned peaches/apricots and blend.
Add the yoghurt and blend. Tilt the blender at an angle to it breaks the surface of the mix to add air to the mix. It needs bubbles on the top. (You can put in fridge for 30 mins and blend if you don't get bubbles).
Pour into the glasses with fruit and put in fridge to set for a few hours.

Notes:
You can use whatever flavour canned fruit, jelly or yoghurt you have to hand to make interesting flavour combos, however, I do not recommend using lime jelly (green colour is way too weird). If using a strong flavoured jelly, go for vanilla flavoured yoghurt to tone down a bit.

I also do not recommend using berries as you get that gritty seeds messing up the smooth texture (like in smoothies).
I also do not recommended any type of acidic fresh fruit like oranges or kiwi as it might make the yoghurt separate (and they have enzymes which can break down the setting power of gelatine).
You could use fresh stoned fruit which has been peeled and steamed.

Not on Core? The total of this recipe is approx 4 points