Baked fish with crispy rice and veggies

Serves 5

Ingredients

• 4-5x 150g white fish fillets

• 1x 400g can of lentils (drained and rinsed)

• 1x 250g microwave pack of brown rice or quinoa blend

• 250g punnet cherry tomatoes

• 1x bunch of broccolini

• 1/2 cup frozen green peas

• 1x bunch of asparagus

• 2x large zucchini

• 1x small red onion (optional)

• 4-5 cups baby spinach and rocket

• Herbs and spices - rosemary, paprika, basil, turmeric, ginger, garlic, etc

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• t tsp. lemon zest

• Balsamic vinegar

How to prepare and bake?

• Preheat oven to 180°C.

• Place brown rice and lentils (drained and rinsed) into a baking tray and arrange so it covers the bottom of the pan

• Dice cherry tomatoes and onion and keep asparagus and broccoli long - arrange all the veggies across the rice and lentil base + the fish fillets across the top

• Dress with olive oil, garlic, lemon and herbs and spices of your choice

• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the flesh is flaky and cooked through the middle of each fillet

• Serve with rocket/spinach and spiralled zucchini as a side salad with balsamic vinegar

Nutritional Benefits!

• High source of dietary fibre and prebiotic fibre!

• Rich in antioxidants from the array of coloured vegetables

• Great source of protein (both animal and plant-based!)

Inspired by: Aimee, Lane Cove, Wahroonga, Hunters Hill Dietitian

Moroccan Chicken Cous Cous Salad

Ingredients

Chicken

·       Olive oil – 2xtsp

·       2 cloves of garlic, crushed

·       ½ brown onion, finely sliced

·       1 tsp. paprika

·       1 tsp. cumin

·       1 tsp. turmeric

·       ½ tsp. black pepper

·       ½ tsp. red chili flakes

·       600g chicken breast (100g chicken/serve) – diced thinly

Cous cous

·       250g packet of Israeli (Pearl) cous cous

·       1xveggie stock cube

·       ½ butternut pumpkin, cubed

·       1xred capsicum, sliced

·       1xlarge zucchini, sliced

·       1xpunnet of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

·       ½ packet of finely chopped fresh mint

·       1xlemon/lime – juice squeezed

·       100g Danish feta – Finely cut into cubes

·       8-10 dried apricot halves, finely diced

·       Greek yoghurt to top

Optional: Drain a can of chickpeas or lentils and run through the mix to make it go a bit further

Method

1.    Steam pumpkin in microwave with dash of water for 4 minutes until soft

2.    Add pearl cous cous to 2.5 cups of water over medium heat, add in 1xstock cube – cook for 5-10 mins until soft and no water left. Remove and leave to cool

3.    Add oil to a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook until brown.

4.    Add in the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Just before removing add in all spices (paprika, cumin, turmeric, pepper). Remove chicken from pan and set aside

5.    Add a little oil back into chicken fry pan and add in capsicum, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes

6.    Finally add all ingredients together in large serving bowl: Pumpkin, cous cous, chicken, cooked veggies, feta, fresh mint, apricots and Danish feta. Mix and season with pepper.

7.    Serve with generous dessert spoon of greek yoghurt on top

Nutrition – Did you know?

·       Keeping water when you steam veggies means you retain the nutrients in the water. Don’t throw it away and use

water sparingly when steaming!

·       Pepper increases the bioavailability of turmeric by 2000 %

·       Spices contain large amounts of anti-oxidants which are thought to prevent ageing in our cells

·       Pearl cous cous is lower GI than normal cous cous, keeping us fuller for longer

·       You can reduce the salt in this meal by adding in your own home made stock or perhaps its salty enough with the

Danish Feta

Christmas Recipe: Healthy Christmas Cake Muffins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 400g mixed fruit
• 2 eggs
• 130g almond meal
• 50g walnuts
• 2 tablespoons olive or macadamia oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest grated 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract/essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius
2. Spray a muffin tin with oil (12 muffins)
3. Combine eggs, dried fruit, spices, vanilla and lemon
4. Add the almonds and walnuts and mix through
5. Spoon into tin, split into 12
6. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check with skewer and cook longer if neede

Note: Cover the top if necessary to prevent over-browning.

Nutrition:

Calories: 200 calories/serve (perfect snack size with a cup of tea!)

Fat: 9.5g

Protein: 6g

Carbs: 22g