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

CORE Hedgehogs (Meatballs)

Hedgehogs are beef meatballs with raw rice mixed in. As they cook, the rice absorbs fluids and puff up so they look like hedgehogs :)

These are great for kids and parties (For finger food - drain off the tomato soup and cook for a couple of minutes extra to "dry out")

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, grated (or 1tsp French Onion Soup powder)
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 2 eggs
• 500g extra lean mince
• 1/4tsp nutmeg
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 cup water

Optional - use a tin of crushed tomatoes, 1/4 can water and basil/Italian mixed herbs instead of the 1 can water. For kids, best to stick to the soup. For adults, a little chilli or Tobasco sauce in the sauce adds a zing!

Optional 2 - Add potato to the sauce for lovely Italian style potatoes in tomato. In picture is 1 can soup, 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1/4 can water, Italian herbs mix and a 100g potato each, cut in half.

Method:

Mix above ingredients excluding water & soup.
With wet hands, shape into golf ball sized balls and put in casserole dish.
Mix water & tomato soup together and pour over meatballs
Bake covered at 200*C for 1 hour to 1h 15m.

Serving hint - serve on a bed of garlic mashed potato, drizzled with the tomato sauce and lots of vegies.

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 24 points (without potato), and it makes about 24 golf ball sized meatballs

CORE Pasta Bolognaise Bake / Mock Lasagna

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Fairly easy

Points on Core: some for the white sauce, but minimal

This dish is best served as individual servings in ramekins or soup bowls holding 2 cups. If making a large dish, please let cool for 5-10 mins before serving.

Ingredients:

Base

• 300g of small size roundish or flatish pasta. eg elbows, penne raviolini. Large pasta like shells do not work, there is too much room for air.
• 2 eggs

Sauce

• 600g lean beef mince
• 1 onion
• garlic - 1tsp
• tomato based pasta sauce
• 2 tsp olive oil

Topping - 2 Options (both have some Points)

Option 1 - white sauce

• 1 cup Skim milk
• 3 TB of flour (1.5 point - you won't need it all)
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Option 2 - grated tasty cheese

• 20g Coon Extra Light Tasty Cheese (1.5pt) for WWers, can add more for others.

Method:

Boil water and cook pasta until firm and not quite cooked (about 2 mins from al dente)
Drain and rinse well in cold water until pasta is cold. (This stops pasta sticking together) Leave to drain for at least 15 minutes
Meat layer
Heat your olive oil, add onion, garlic and mince and cook well.
Add pasta sauce and stir through. You may need to cook off some moisture - with lid off, have pasta sauce simmering away and stirring until the liquid drops a little below the solids and little bumps of meat stick make it look lumpy. Put aside to cool.
Option 1 - white sauce
If you don't have a nonstick saucepan, I suggest you do this in the microwave.
Mix flour with a few TB of water until it makes a thick paste which is more liquid than solid.
Heat the milk until it bubbles, then turn down low. Add about 3/4 of the flour paste and the mustard to the warm milk and whisk through. Simmer milk mix, strirring often until it starts to thicken - we want it to get to a consistency like cream. If after simmering for about 5 mins, it isn't thick enough, add the last bit of the flour paste and stir as it thickens.
Building the bake:
If making a large dish, you need eggs to bind the pasta (for individual serves I skip this). Whisk eggs in large bowl and toss (cold) pasta through. Pour into casserole or ramekins and push down gently with a spatula (potato mashers are great in round ramekins).
Pour over the meat layer, smoothing across the pasta
Add final layer - the white sauce or grated cheese (or both for something truly special)
Bake at 180*C for 20-30 mins until top is browned.
Allow so sit and serve with salad.

CORE Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

This recipe was given to me by a friend almost 20 years ago who was an apprentice butcher.

Serves: 4-6 depending on size of roast

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg leg of lamb (or whatever size to suit your family)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Rosemary, fresh or dried

Method:

With a sharp thin knife, pierce the lamb about 10 times.
Using a skewer, push a slice of garlic into each slit with a leaf or 2 of rosemary (if using dried rosemary, spray the garliced lamb with oil and rub rosemary in)
Cook at 180*C
How long?
For every 500g of roast, 20-25 mins for rare, 25-30 mins for medium, or 30-35 mins for well done
ie a 1.5 kg roast 1 - 1/4 hours for rare, 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 for medium or 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 for well done

In the last 45 - 60 minutes, add vegies to pan or a seperate pan.
My Roast Vegetables with Sea Salt and Rosemary is lovely with this recipe

Dietary Guidelines and Serving Sizes

These are the minimum suggested daily requirements. Each dot point equals 1 serve in that category.

Fruit
2 serves

• 1 medium piece of fruit
• 2-3 small pieces of fruit eg 2-3 apricots
• small bunch of grapes
• 1 cup chopped fruit or tinned in juice

Vegetables
5 serves

• ½ cup cooked vegetables
• 1 medium potato
• 1 cup salad vegetables
• ½ cup cooked legumes (chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans)

Cereals
5 serves

• 1 slice of brown or grainy bread
• 1 medium bowl (45g) high fibre cereal
• 30g raw rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cooked pasta, noodles or rice

Meat, Poultry and Eggs
1 serve

• 95 – 150g raw meat or poultry
• 120 - 180g raw fish
• 2 small eggs
• 100g raw tofu
• 1/3 cup nuts
• 1/4 cup raw seeds

Dairy
2 serves

• 1 cup skim, non-fat or low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk
• 200g diet, non-fat or low-fat yoghurt
• 30g reduced fat cheese
• 100g low-fat cottage or ricotta cheese

Why Drink 8 glasses of water a day?

• Water naturally suppresses the appetite
• Water helps the body to metabolise or burn stored fat
  The kidneys need sufficient water to function properly. When kidneys aren't working at full capacity, some of the kidney's load is shifted to the liver. The liver's primary function is to covert (metabolise) the fat stored in the body into usable energy (this is how you lose excess fat). If the liver is doing some of the kidney's work, it can't work efficiently to convert as much stored fat, so more fat remains stored in the body, and weight loss slows or stops. For this reason, apparently an overweight person actually needs more water than a slimmer person (approx 200ml extra per 10 kg overweight).
• Water helps the body to eliminate waste
  While losing weight, there is more waste to get rid of (where do you think that metabolised fat goes?)
• Adequate water can prevent or relive constipation
  When the body doesn't get enough water, it gets what it needs from internal sources, including the colon, which leads to constipation. Normal movements return when the body has enough water.
• Water also helps prevent saggy skin that often follows weight loss.
  Shrinking cells are filled with water, making the skin clear, healthy and “plump”.

CORE Oats and Yoghurt Slice

This is similar to those yoghurt slices - Alaskan Slice??

Serves: 2 for breakfast or dessert

Difficulty: Easy

Alternatives: Mix up your flavours. I used peach and apricot because that's what I had.
Try raspberry jelly and strawberry yoghurt, melon jelly and vanilla yoghurt, port wine and vanilla yoghurt, orange-mango jelly with mango yoghurt, lemon jelly and vanilla yoghurt (it's "almost" a lemon cheesecake)
I don't recommend lime - bright green is so wrong if you are out of junior primary school!

Ingredients:

• 1 peach apricot diet jelly sachet
• 1 x 175g tub Yoplait Forme Apricot (or 3/4 cup of Core yoghurt)
• 75g Rolled oats
• 1 cup water
• liquid sweetener (or powder), equiv 2tsp sugar

Method:

Dissolve jelly in 1 cup boiling water
Add oats and sweetener
Microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes to cook oats
Add yoghurt (is OK if still hot) and stir
Pour into a rectangular tub.
Set in fridge overnight
Run a blunt knife around edge to loosen, tap out onto a plate.
Cut in half and eat.

This sets quite firm, you could wrap in Gladwrap and eat in hand, rather than on a plate

Not on Core? The total Points for this is 5, or 2.5 per serve

CORE Berry Pancake

Serves: 1 for breakfast
This is a very filling breakfast, the equivalent of a big bowl of porrige for brekkie

You could make in egg rings as a dessert and serve with low fat ice cream (points)
NB - Cereal is limited to once per day. If you've already eaten cereal, you'll need to count the oats

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• rolled oats or quick oats - 1 x 34g sachet or 1/3 cup
• 1/2 cup diet berry fizzy (I use DietRite Cranberry Boysenberry) or 100ml diet lemonade and 25ml diet cordial (maybe a splash of the diet Ribena?)
• 1/3 cup frozen berries
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp olive oil
• 100g Yoplait Forme Vanilla to serve

Method:

Mix egg, soft drink, baking powder and oats with a stab mixer.
Add the berries, still frozen, reserving a spoonful or 2.
Mix with Spoon - do not blend the berries!
Put pancake mixture in fridge overnight, same for remaining berries.

In the morning:
Heat a small nonstick skillet to medium high, add the oil and turn back to medium.
(I use a skillet about the size of my hand with the fingers spread)
Stir the pancake mixture and pour in
NB - these are moist pancakes (not stodgy) and take longer to cook than normal pancakes. The batter is also "heavier", so turning them too early will break them.
It's time to turn when there is a 2cm "ring" around the outside, and when you tilt the pan, the batter moves very little. (You'll see what I mean)
Use a wide egg flip, slide it gently under to make sure it's not caught, then flip quickly and cook the other side. It will not take as much time as the first which cooks about 75%. Second side will also not be as brown.
Serve onto a plate, add the reserved berries (including the berry juice), 1/2 tub vanilla yoghurt.

Optional - sprinkle with artificial sweetener (1 tsp equivalent) to tone down the tartness of the berries

Feedback from Almost Hubby:
"Mmmmm.....doesn't taste like diet food. You could feed this to my nephew [9 years old] and he'd love it."

Not on Core? The total Points for this is 5

This recipe is based on a lemonade pancake recipe posted by MTHERESEN

CORE Asian Noodle "Nest" / Salad

A fantastic "twist" to the Asian lettuce cups. The nest of lettuce and carrot is very filling and crunchy and a nice textural change to the noodles with the lime - soy flavour

Serves: 4 - 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500g slimmers beef mince (or pork or chicken mince)
• 2tsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1.5 tsp ginger
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 2 tb lime / lemon juice
• 1 small iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 150g rice stick noodles
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup frozen peas (try mint peas)
• 2 cup frozen beans
• 2 cup broccoli (or cauliflower), cut into very small pieces like grated
• 2-3 tsp Chinese five spice
• 2-4 TB of chopped coriander (I buy tubes of crushed cori from the fridge in f+v section)

Vegie options - add any "normal" stir fry vegies in as long as diced fine - bok choy, cabbage, capsicum, spinach, bean sprouts etc. If no fresh vegies, increase the frozen vegies.

Salad options - any watery crunchy vegies can be added. Pictured is baby spinach leaves, iceberg lettuce and carrot. You could try rocket etc too.

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, heat oil, add mince, onion, garlic, ginger and fry until meat is browned (if white meat, until cooked.)
In a bowl, cover the rice noodles with boiling water for 5 mins, then rinse in cold water
Add soy and lime juice to the pan, the frozen vegies and cauliflower, and herbs and strifry until vegies soften.
Cut noodles into 5cm lengths and add to pan and stir for a few minutes until noodles warmed through.

To serve:

Arange a nest of lettuce in a wide bowl (like a pasta bowl) and line nest with carrot. Drizzle with a little extra lime juice if desired
Serve the noodle mixture into the center of the nest and drizzle with a little more soy if desired.

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

CORE Curried Lentil and Pumpkin Soup

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
• 1.75kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• natural low fat yoghurt, to serve

Method:

Heat oil, add onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
Stir in curry powder and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add lentils, pumpkin, and stock.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until pumpkin is just tender.
Serve immediately, topped with a dollop of natural yoghurt if desired.

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 24 points

CORE Raita (Coriander & mint yoghurt)

What is Raita?

Raita is an Indian condiment based on yogurt used as a sauce or dip. Raita has a cooling effect on the palate which makes it a good foil for spicy Indian dishes.

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 Lebanese cucumber, ends trimmed, coarsely grated
• 1 cup low fat natural yoghurt
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh mint
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Use your hands to squeeze excess moisture from the cucumber.
Mix cucumber, yoghurt, mint and coriander in a medium bowl

Not on Core? The total for this recipe is 1 - 1.5 points, depending on yoghurt used

CORE Carbonara Pasta

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 350g dry pasta
• 200g rindless bacon, fat removed, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup frozen corn
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c skim milk powder
• basil, chopped (and/or dried Italian herbs)

Method:

In a nonstick pan, "fry" onion and bacon in a few TB of water.
When bacon begins to brown, add frozen vegies and a little more water, cook for 3 or 4 mins and put aside.
Boil water and add pasta, cook to al dente.
Meanwhile, mix milk powder with 1/2 cup water and the eggs.
When pasta is cooked, drain well and return to the pan. Add bacon and vegie mix and the egg mixture over medium-low heat until the egg mixture is almost set.
Stir in the basil and pepper.
Serve immediately

CORE Tuna (or Chicken) Mornay

Based on CORE Corn & White Bean Chowder

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 x 425 g corn kernels
• 2 x 425g cannellini beans
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 x 425g Tuna in springwater (or 400g left over skinless chicken, chopped)
• 3 cups steamed or frozen vegies of your choice
• 2 TB parsley
• ground or cracked pepper to taste

Optional - stir through 2TB flour to thicken

Method:

Heat oil in a 2 l+ saucepan and fry onions over medium heat for 5 mins until softened.
Add garlic and cook another minute
Add corn - reserve about 1/4
Add beans and stock.
Cover, bring to boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
Blend, then add the reserved corn and tuna/chicken and vegetables
Warm and serve with parsley and salt and pepper

Would also be nice with seafood (I'm allergic)

CORE Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

Based on CORE Corn & White Bean Chowder

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 x 425 g corn kernels
• 2 x 425g cannellini beans
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 150 - 200g left over skinless chicken, chopped (or cook a chicken breast)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:

Heat oil in a 2 l+ saucepan and fry onions over medium heat for 5 mins until softened.
Add garlic and cook another minute
Add corn - reserve about 1/4
Add beans and stock.
Cover, bring to boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
Blend, then add the reserved corn and chicken
Warm until it bubbles and turn off heat
Slowly pour in the beaten egg and stir gently and quickly so it forms ribbons
Serve straight away

CORE Corn & White Bean Chowder

Based on the Core Cook Book

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 x 425 g corn kernels
• 2 x 425g cannellini beans
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 TB parsley

Method:

Heat oil in a 2 l+ saucepan and fry onions over medium heat for 5 mins until softened.
Add garlic and cook another minute
Add corn - reserve about 1/4
Add beans and stock.
Cover, bring to boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
Blend, then add the reserved corn
Season with cayenne, parsley, salt and pepper and serve

CORE Kedgeree (Indian Rice and Fish)

What is kedgeree?

Kedgeree is a dish consisting of flaked fish (usually smoked haddock), boiled rice and eggs. It originated amongst the British colonials in India hence was introduced to the United Kingdom as a popular breakfast dish in Victorian times, part of the then fashionable Anglo-Indian cuisine. During that time, fish was often served for colonial breakfasts so that fish caught in the early morning could be eaten while it was still fresh. It is rarely eaten for breakfast now, but is still a popular dish.

Traditional kedgeree does not have vegies, but I have modified “tradition” to bulk out the recipe.

Great to use up that left over rice!

If you have left over kedgeree, it makes a great cold rice salad.

Serves: 1 (generous - for less generous, take 1/2 cups down to 1/3 cup)

Difficulty: Easy - One dish microwave dinner

Ingredients:

• ½ cup white/brown rice (or 1 ½ cups left over cooked rice)


• 1 x 95g can of Tuna in Spring Water (or 100g smoked white fish, flaked)


• 1 egg, boiled and chopped or scrambled


• ½ cup frozen corn (or tinned)


• ½ cup frozen beans


• ½ cup frozen peas


• Curry powder - 2tsp for mild, 3tsp medium, 4+ tsp if you like it hot


• ground pepper to taste

Optional
3TB natural skim yoghurt
1TB chopped coriander
1TB parsley chopped
spring onion

Method

Cook rice using absorbtion method in microwave (ie ½ cup dry rice to 1 cup water. Microwave uncovered until water absorbs.)
If using cooked rice, put in microwave dish and start here
Add frozen vegies and microwave for another 3 minutes until vegies are warm.
Drain tuna and add
Add chopped/scrambled egg
Add curry and optional herbs
Cook about 2 mins – COVERED - both egg and tuna can “explode” making a mess of your micro :)

Serve, with yoghurt or sliced tomato or cucumber if you wish

CORE Curried Cauliflower and Lentil Soup

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1TB curry powder
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 TB rolled oats
• 1TB cumin
• 1/4 cup red lentils
• 700g cauliflower

Method:

Heat oil and cook onion for 5 mins until softened
Add garlic and curry, stir for 30 secs
Add stock, cauli, oats, lentils and cumin
Simmer for 30 mins
Blend and serve with parsley and salt and pepper

Optional: This is really nice with a little grated low fat cheese (10g Coon Extra Light and tasty = 0.5pts)

CORE Roast Vegetables with Sea Salt and Rosemary

Serves: depends on quantity made

Hint: Make double (or triple) then tomorrow all you need to do is grill up some meat and dinner is done!

Freezes well

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Whatever roast vegetables your family likes - great with just potatoes, or a mix of all

• Any or all of these vegies: Potato, Pumpkin, Carrots, Parsnip, Onion, Capsicum, Sweet potato
• Olive oil (or oil spray)
• Sea salt
• Twig of rosemary (or dried Mixed/Italian herbs)

Method:

Peel vegies which need peeling, and cut into cubes about 2-3cm. (I prefer skin on pumpkin for that lovely nutty flavour, but depends on your family). Capsicum should be deseeded and cut into chunks. Onions should be peeled and whole if small, or quartered.
Get out a large flat lasagna style dish (not metal if possible) and spray the base with oil.
Add vegies in one layer if possible.
Sprinkle with rosemary or dried herbs and about 2 TB salt.
Bake at 200*C until golden (30-40 mins for 2-3 cm cubes, more if chunkier)

Note
For a nice treat, spray and sprinkle some cherry tomatoes.

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