Category Archives: Main Meals

Basil and Coconut Cream Fish

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Basiål and Coconut Cream Fish

Preparation Time

About an hour including cooking time

Ingredients

  • 2 x cans of coconut cream
  • 1½ teaspoons of caster sugar
  • 1 x tablespoon of coriander root, thinly sliced
  • 2 x tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 2 x cups of fresh basil, finely sliced
  • 2 x small red chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 x small onion, finely diced
  • 3 x white fish fillets (we used basa)

Method

Lightly fry the onion in a saucepan until tender. Then add the basil, coriander root, sugar, fish sauce and chilli. Stir fry for one minute. Add the coconut cream and fish. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and cook until fish is cooked through. We served ours with boiled rice.

What worked?

Very light, and the sauce soaked into the rice making it very creamy.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

Works well with fish! We adapted this recipe from an original that used chicken.

Cost?

Under $10 for four serves.

Eggplant Parmigiana

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Eggplant parmagiana

Eggplant parmagiana

Preparation Time

About an hour including cooking time

Ingredients

  • 1 x eggplant
  • ½ a butternut pumpkin
  • 3 x tomatoes
  • 1 x onion
  • 1 x egg
  • ½ a cup of flour
  • 2 x cups of panko crumbs
  • 1 x cup of cheese
  • 2 x cloves of garlic

Method

Slice the eggplant into 1.5cm rounds. Coat them in flour, dip them in beaten egg and crumb well with panko crumbs. Slice the pumpkin into 1cm slices and fry until golden. Sauté the onion and garlic. Slice the tomato into half-centimetre rings and heat through in the microwave. Fry the eggplant until golden brown. Top with the tomatoes, onion mix, and cheese. I heated them for half a minute in the microwave to melt the cheese, but you could grill them lightly instead. Serve with salad or vegetables.

What worked?

The eggplant was delicious, without needing to be salted. It was firm and very tasty.

What didn’t work?

The panko crumbs were slightly over-cooked. I’d cook it a bit less next time.

Any surprises?

Nope!

Cost?

Under $10 for three serves.

Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

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Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

Preparation Time

Around 20 minutes preparation and 45 minutes cooking but, as we all know, ovens vary.

Ingredients

  • 500g Chicken mince (or any mince)
  • 3 Tablespoons of pasta sauce. We used Leggos Napoletana but you can choose whatever you like
  • 375g of ricotta cheese. We used smooth, but any will work
  • 1 Egg
  • As much spinach as you want. We used half a prepared bag
  • 1 x Punnet of mushrooms, sliced. Quantity based on nice, even layers
  • 2 x Zucchini, sliced length-ways in half-centimetre slices
  • Grated cheese. We used lactose-free, as much as you need to cover the top

Method

Preheat the oven to 180° celcius (350° fahrenheit). Brown the mince in a frying pan. Add the pasta sauce and simmer for a minute. Set aside for later.

Combine the ricotta cheese and egg in a bowl. Slice the zucchini. Use a third of the chicken mince to create a layer in an oven-proof dish. Add a layer of zucchini slices, and then half the remaining mince. Then add a thin layer of the ricotta mix. Add an even layer of spinach, followed by an even layer of mushrooms. Add the remaining meat, then more ricotta mix and a final layer of zucchini. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and add a layer of grated cheese. Bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the lasagna is heated through and the cheese is browned.

Serve and enjoy! We paired the lasagna with home-made garlic bread.

What worked?

The chicken mince was tasty without overpowering the other ingredients.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

We accidentally bought smooth ricotta instead of firmer varieties (oops). So, the lasagna was amazingly moist, in fact juicy after baking. The taste was still excellent!

Cost?

About $15 for 6 generous serves.