Hearty Vegetable Soup

The best thing about this recipe apart from the taste is you can substitute most vegies for others not mentioned here

Ingredients
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium red capsicum, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
4 yellow squash, diced (about ½ cup)
1 cup cauliflower florets
½ cup diced celery
3 cups diced new potatoes, unpeeled
1 litre vegetable stock
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Method
Heat oil in a large, heavy-based pan, over a medium heat. Add onion, carrot & garlic. Cover & sauté for 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, keeping in contact with heat.

Add capsicum, zucchini, squash, cauliflower & celery. Stir well. Cover & sauté for 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally

Add potatoes & stock; bring to the boil, stirring from time to time. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetable are tender. Stir in parsley. Serve immediately.

Short Cut - instead of chopping or dicing the vegies by hand, chop vegies finely in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or grate vegies coarsely. Make soup as directed & simmer for 15 minutes until tender.

Creamed Silverbeet

Probably not the lowest fat recipe I've included but the kids should like it and it is low carb! Silverbeet is full of wonderful vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, B6 , folic acid and riboflavin. It can be used in stir fries, steamed pureed, combined in quiches, pies or filo parcels

Ingredients (serves 4)
. 50g butter
. 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
. 1 bunch silverbeet, leaves removed, washed, roughly chopped
. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
. 1/4 cup thickened cream

Method
1. Melt butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add silverbeet and nutmeg. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until silverbeet wilts.
2. Add cream and stir to coat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Eggplant and Tomato Parmigiana

This is so yummy, even our kids liked it!

Ingredients (serves 8)
. (divide quantities by a quarter for 2 serves)
. 4 (1.5kg) eggplant, thinly sliced 1 cup olive oil, for brushing
. 700g jar Italian tomato sauce
. 1 bunch basil, leaves torn
. 500g mozzarella cheese, grated
. 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Method
1. Preheat barbecue, frying pan or chargrill to medium/high. Brush eggplant slices with oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining eggplant and oil.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 6cm deep, 22cm x 22cm (9-cup) square ovenproof dish. Layer a quarter of the eggplant over the base of dish. Spoon over a third of the tomato sauce and basil. Sprinkle over a quarter of the mozzarella. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining eggplant. Combine remaining cheeses and sprinkle over eggplant.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Slice and serve hot with focaccia

POTATO & LEEK SOUP

Ingredients
2 large potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 medium stems of leeks, including part of the green
1 litre chicken stock or three stock cubes and water
100g butter
200ml cream/ light evaporated milk
salt and pepper

Method
Wash leeks thoroughly, as they are usually full of sand. Chop coarsely and sauté with the onion and garlic in the butter. Add salt, potatoes & water/stock. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Puree in blender or use stick mixer etc. Add cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with warm crusty bread.

Pot Roast

Brown the roast of your choice, using some oil in the base of a heavy-bottomed pot. Turn often, to brown as many sides as possible.

Prepare a flavoured and slightly thickened liquid in which to simmer the roast. Use warm water, adding a stock cube or two, sauces to taste, and a little Gravox or similar thickener, and perhaps salt and pepper. Pour around the meat, to come about 1/3 to 1/2 way up the sides of the roast.

Bring to the boil, calculate the cooking time in relation to the size of the meat, allowing 20 to 25 minutes per 500g, then reduce heat to simmer very slowly, turning the meat over when it has reached the half-cooked stage. Add a selection of suitable chopped vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, parsnip, leeks, garlic or onion, pumpkin, choko, broad beans, brussel sprouts, turnip or zucchini, allowing about an hour for the vegetables to cook before serving time. Serve with the vegetables, and the gravy, adding a freshly-cooked green vegetable.

If you have added sufficient vegetables, you may have enough for another meal as well.

Suitable Roasts:
Topside, Blade, Fresh Silverside, Rolled Rib Roast and perhaps others.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

This recipe doesn't contain any fruit or vegies but is a quick snack for when the kids get home from school!

you'll need....
4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Tablespoons chocolate drops (optional)
1 Mug

here's what you do....
Add dry ingredients to the mug, and mix well. Crack an egg and add it to your mug. Be sure to mix itwell to avoid any pockets of flour in the corners.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate drops if you've got them, and a splash of vanilla essence too.
Pop your mug into the microwave & zap for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt).
Wait until the cake stops rising, and sets in the mug.
If necessary, run a knife around the sides of the mug, and tip the still warm cake out of the mug and onto a saucer.
Sit back and enjoy with a coffee - you deserve it!