Basil chicken cannelloni on wilted spinach

Full of fresh ingredients, Italian food has always been good for you. Now we've made it even better with this low-fat and diabetes-friendly version.  Serves 4

Ingredients

·         1 ½ tsp olive oil

·         1 ¾ cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

·         1 small white onion, cut into quarters

·         2 garlic cloves, crushed

·         2 ¼ tbs plain flour

·         365ml light White milk

·         Salt & freshly ground black pepper

·         450g lean chicken breast mince

·         1 X 120g pkt instant dried cannelloni tubes

·         30g (1/4 cup) shredded light mozzarella

·         1 bunch English spinach, stems trimmed and washed

Method

Position an oven shelf in top rack of oven. Preheat oven to 230°C. Brush a 17 x 23cm shallow (base measurement) baking dish with 1/2 tsp of oil.

Place 1 ½ cups of basil leaves, onion, garlic, flour, 85ml milk, remaining oil, ½ tsp salt in bowl of a food processor. Process until basil is chopped.

Combine mince, ¼ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of pepper and 1 tbs of basil mixture in bowl. Fill each cannelloni tube. Place in a single layer in the baking dish.

Place remaining milk and basil mixture in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Pour sauce over the cannelloni and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes or until cannelloni are tender when pierced with a knife.

Meanwhile, place the spinach with water clinging to the leaves in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, covered, shaking pan occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Place spinach on plates, top with 3 cannelloni tubes and remaining basil.

Per serve: Energy 1749kj; fat total 14g (sat. fat 5g); protein 35g; sodium 247.39mg; fibre 4g

Beef Rib Eye Roast

This flavourful rib eye roast is coated with seasonings then topped with a mustard and horseradish sauce mixture. Serve with baked potatoes and tossed salad. You can actually buy a similar roast called a Black Russian from some butchers... this is pretty much the same thing.

Ingredients:

• 1 beef rib eye roast, about 1.3kg
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• ½ tsp dried leaf thyme
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp horseradish cream

Preparation:

Combine salt, pepper, and thyme; rub over all sides of roast.

Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast at 180°C for about 1 hour.

Combine Dijon mustard and horseradish; spread over the beef.

Roast for 20 minutes longer (medium rare).

Due to the richness of the topping, it's best served with a leafy salad.

Prosciutto & Spinach Wrapped Fish

Ingredients (serves 4)
250g yellow squash, thinly sliced
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 slices prosciutto
8 large English spinach leaves, trimmed
4 (150g each) boneless white fish fillets (such as ling or blue-eye)

Method
Preheat oven to 230°C/210°C fan-forced. Place squash, in a single layer, in a large baking dish. Top with asparagus. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Place 1 slice prosciutto on a chopping board. Top with 2 spinach leaves. Place 1 fish fillet on spinach. Wrap prosciutto around centre of fish. Repeat with remaining prosciutto, spinach and fish.
Place wrapped fish, seam-side down, on asparagus. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is just cooked through. Serve.

Notes & tips
I didn't use any squash because I don't really like it. Due to ratty looking spinach at the time, I used baby spinach leaves and I had 2 slices of prosciutto per piece of fish.

Blueberry & Sour Cream Cake

• 225g flour
• 175g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 200-400g blueberries (if using frozen, defrost first)
• 3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 160°C and lightly grease the sides of a spring-form tin and place baking paper in the base.
Sift flour and caster sugar into large bowl. Add butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, sour cream and eggs. Mix until smooth.
Add blueberries and stir/fold in gently.
Pour mixture into tin and bake on fan-forced for 45 minutes (some ovens may vary, keep an eye on it). Remove sides when tin is cool enough to touch and cool cake (being under a fan will dry it out).

Icing

• 200g soft philly cheese
• 100g icing sugar
• 100ml sour cream

Beat soft cream cheese, icing sugar and sour cream with electric beater, until smooth. Spread over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to set.

Avocado & Crisp Prosciutto Pasta

2 avocados (peeled, deseeded and cubed/sliced)
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
600g fresh spaghetti (or 4 portions dried spaghetti)
1 cup basil leaves (roughly torn)
8-10 slices prosciutto (grilled until crisp and broken into shards)
100g smoked salmon
100ml Greek yoghurt
1 cup shaved parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large saucepan of water over high heat until boiling.
2. Add pasta and cook as per packet directions, or until al dente. Drain and refresh.
3. Return pasta to saucepan and add avocado, yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper stirring on low heat to combine.
4. Once heated through add basil, crispy prosciutto and smoked salmon.
5. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-fry

2 tbsp peanut oil
600g chicken thigh fillets or tenderloins, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
2 small chillies
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1 medium brown onion
100g mushrooms, quartered
1 tin bamboo shoots
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup of Thai basil leaves

1. Heat half of the oil in wok, stir-fry chicken in batches, until browned all over and cooked through.
2. Heat remaining oil in wok, stir-fry garlic, ginger, chilli, lime leaves and onion until onion softens and mixture is fragrant. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until mushrooms just tender.
3. Return chicken to wok with sauces and stock, stir-fry until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat; stir through sprouts and basil.
   
   Per serving: 15.9g total fat (3.5g saturated fat); 1367kj (327 cal); 9.2g carbohydrates; 35g protein; 3.4g fibre

Divine Dip

This is a pretty full on dip, but very well worth it!

Serve it Nice and cold! Makes a large dip!

Ingredients- Have all these cold as possible

2 Jars Salsa

3 Avocados, diced up! or mashed if it happens that way XD

1 Large Spanish onion, finely Diced

3 Large Tomatoes, finely diced

300 mls light Sour Cream

1 bottle of Coleslaw dressing

500gm grated cheese

2 packets of Dorito Chips or rice crackers..

Method

This Dip is made in Layers

Combine the Sour cream and coleslaw dressing together..

Bottom Layer* Pour in 2 jars of Salsa

* then add diced Onion and Tomato- spread it out..

*Then layer with the Advocado

* Layer with the Coleslaw/Sour cream mixture

Place into the fridge to get really cold (freezer works too, but just for a little bit)

When serving- add the cheese on top..

Eat with the chips/ crackers! and enjoy.. really really yummy!! It does cost abit, but it feeds alot.. and is very filling... do with friends, makes for fun and good eating times!!