Cottage pie

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 600g lean beef mince
• 1 large carrot, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons salt-reduced tomato paste
• 400g can salt-reduced chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup salt-reduced beef stock
• 850g sebago potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 1/4 cup milk
• 10g butter
• 2 tablespoons grated tasty cheese
• Mixed salad leaves, to serve

• Method

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 8 minutes or until browned.
  2. Add carrot, zucchini and celery. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, tomato and stock. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced.
  3. Meanwhile, cook potato in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to saucepan over low heat. Mash. Stir in milk and butter. Remove from heat.
  4. Spoon mince mixture into four 1 3/4 cup capacity ovenproof dishes. Top with mash. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

  Notes

  • For babies: Blend or process pie until smooth. For older babies, roughly mash.
    For adults: Season with salt and pepper. Serve with mixed salad leaves.
    
    

Tuna, lemon and chilli linguine

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g dried linguine pasta
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 400g tuna steaks (see tip)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small red chilli, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

• Method

  1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of liquid.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add tuna. Cook for 1 minute each side for rare or until cooked to your liking. Remove to a plate and thinly slice. Cover to keep warm.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in pan over low heat. Add garlic and chilli. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add lemon juice and pasta to pan. Toss to coat pasta. Remove to a bowl. Stir through reserved liquid, tuna, pine nuts, basil and remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

  Notes

  • Tip: Remove tuna from fridge 5 minutes before cooking so the centre doesn't stay cold. Ensure pan and oil are very hot before adding tuna, to quickly sear tuna on the outside while retaining tenderness on the inside.
    
    

Warm lamb pasta salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 300g dried spiral pasta
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 600g lamb fillets, trimmed
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained, rinsed
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

• Method

  1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add lamb. Cook for 3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Remove to a plate. Cover with foil. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest. Thinly slice.
  3. Combine parsley, mint, basil, mustard, capers, lemon juice and remaining oil in a bowl. Add pasta, lamb and capsicum. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Serve.

  Notes

  • To make this dish even faster, use whole-leaf herbs instead of chopping, and marinated chargrilled capsicum instead of fresh.

Banana bread and butter pudding

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 40g reduced-fat spread
• 9 slices oatbran and honey bread
• 2 cups skim milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons yellow box honey (see note)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 small bananas, thinly sliced
• low-fat ice-cream or custard, to serve

• Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Spread reduced-fat spread over both sides of bread slices. Cut off crusts. Cut each slice of bread in half.
  2. Whisk milk, eggs, honey and cinnamon together in a jug.
  3. Layer bread over a greased 5-cup, ovenproof dish. Top with banana slices.
  4. Pour over milk mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve with ice-cream or custard.

  Notes

  • Yellow box honey was chosen for this recipe as it has a low glycaemic index (GI) factor. Capilano makes a yellow box honey, readily available from supermarkets. It has a smooth flavour and is well-suited to Chinese cooking and as a baste for lamb and poultry.
    
    

Potato & fennel salad with chilli yoghurt dressing

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1kg kipfler potatoes
• 1/2 cup (140g) yoghurt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (or to taste)
• 2 long red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped chives
• 3 baby fennel bulbs, very thinly sliced

• Method

  1. Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes until just tender. Drain, then allow to cool for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and halve potatoes on an angle.
  2. In a large bowl, combine yoghurt, juice, chilli and 1 tablespoon of water, season to taste with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add the potatoes, fennel and chives, then toss well to combine and serve.
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