My staple foods

I'm sure that every foodie has a standard selection of foods that can always be found in their pantry, fridge and freezer. I love to test out new recipes but when I'm in a rush or haven't planned anything for dinner it's great to be able to whip something up with what I have on hand. Here are some of my staple foods that I always make sure I have:

Pantry
Cans - Diced Tomatoes, Whole Tomatoes, Chickpeas, Cannellini Beans, Coconut Milk or Coconut Flavoured Evaporated Milk, Tuna, Corn Kernels
Rice - Basmati, Brown & Arborio
Couscous - a great alternative to rice, here are some Couscous recipes for you to try
Dried Chickpeas, Lentils, Pasta & Noodles
Sugar - Brown, Palm, White, Caster
Sultanas, Dried Apricots & Dates
Pine Nuts, Almonds & Unsalted Roasted Peanuts - for a great Massaman Curry, unless I eat them all first...
Oils - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Olive Oil Spray, Sunflower Oil, Macadamia Oil - great for baking my Macadamia white chocolate and raspberry muffins
Sauces - Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Fish Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Kecap Manis
Vinegar - White Vinegar, White Wine Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar
Peanut Butter - smooth & crunchy for Satay Sauce or Hoisin Peanut Dipping Sauce and my Protein Balls
Pasta Sauce & Pesto
Plain & Self Raising Flour
Cocoa, Baking Powder, Bi-Carb Soda
Breadcrumbs - Panko are the best for my Panko-Crusted Eggplant Parmesan and Panko crusted veal schnitzel

Stock powder - Chicken, Beef & Vegetable
Herbs & Spices - Sea Salt, Black Peppercorns, Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chinese Five Spice, Fennel, Garam Marsala, Curry Powder, Moroccan Seasoning, Tuscan Seasoning, Turmeric, Chilli, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Oregano, Saffron

Fridge
Free Range Eggs
Cheese - Tasty, Parmesan, Laughing Cow
Vegemite
Dijon Mustard & Seeded Mustard
Redcurrant or Cranberry Jelly - for turkey sandwiches & my Redcurrant & Rosemary Pork Cutlets
ETA BBQ Sauce - the best BBQ sauce!
Tomato Sauce
Lemon Juice & Lime Juice
Mayonnaise
Curry Paste - Red, Green, Massaman
Minced Garlic, Ginger & Chilli
Fresh Veggies - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Capsicum, Green Beans, Snow Peas, Cucumber, Potatoes (I've discovered that in Brisbane you have to keep your potatoes in the fridge or they sprout super fast), Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin

Freezer
Chicken Thighs
Premium Beef Mince - split up into 500g lots and squash flat before freezing. This will reduce thawing time significantly.
Chicken Pieces and Marylands - for a quick roast spray Chicken Marylands and some potatoes/sweet potatoes with Olive Oil Spray and sprinkle with Tuscan Seasoning and roast for 30-40 mins at 180C
Frozen peas and corn
Frozen berries - for a quick and easy smoothie
Grated Cheese - perfect for topping pasta bakes

Garden
Rosemary
Basil
Mint
Thyme
Oregano
Coriander
Italian Parsley
Sage
Tomatoes
Lettuce & Baby Spinach
Snow Peas
Radishes
Onions - Red, Brown & Spring Onions

Bacon and Chickpea Frittata

1 onion, chopped
4 bacon rashers, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
Any vegetables you have on hand, for example, frozen peas, baby spinach, leftover cooked vegies
4-6 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg
1 cup grated cheese

Start by frying your onion and bacon for about five minutes, then add the chickpeas and other vegetables. Pour the egg mixture over the top of everything. The egg mixture should cover most of your ingredients in the pan leaving some of the ingredients poking through the top of the egg. Sprinkle the whole lot with cheese and cook it on a medium heat for several minutes until the bottom is set. Pop the frypan under the grill for a few more minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown. Be careful with the handle of the frying pan when doing this part, you don't want to burn yourself! Serve it up on its own or with salad.

Lunch Ideas to get you out of the sandwich rut

Hors d'oeuvres - Serve whole-grain crackers with 3 tablespoons goat cheese; top with halved grape tomatoes and fresh basil. Or spread on spicy hummus and top with sliced black olives and chick peas.

Fruit and Nut Wrap - Spread 2 tablespoons cashew butter on a whole-wheat tortilla; sprinkle raisins on top.

Mediterranean Meal - Open a whole-wheat pita and fill with 1 to 2 tablespoons tahini, fresh spinach leaves, sun dried tomatoes and 1 ounce string cheese.

Salad-to-Go - Mix a small container of tuna (packed in water, drained) with light mayo, grated carrots and diced celery. Serve with whole-wheat crackers.

Fruit kabobs - Thread melon chunks, grapes, and banana slices on a skewer. Dip into 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt mixed with 150 calories of whole-grain cereal.

Trail Mix Meal - Mix about 1 cup whole-grain cereal, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (without the shell), 2 tablespoons dried apricots and 1 tablespoon raisins. Serve with fresh sliced veggies

PMS-busting meal plan

Try this combo of mood-boosting, cramp-curing meals for a week and watch your symptoms fade:

Breakfast
Cottage cheese, berries + OJ 

OR 

Oatmeal + skim milk + whole wheat toast

Lunch
Spinach salad, salmon + glass of skim milk 

OR 

Tuna, low-fat mayo, whole-wheat bread + rockmelon

Snack
Air-popped popcorn (no butter) drizzled with fat-free chocolate sauce 

OR 

Whole wheat bran muffin + nonfat yoghurt with honey 

OR 

Low-fat cheese + whole-wheat crackers

Dinner
Whole-wheat pasta + garlic, mushrooms, onions in a tomato sauce 

OR 

Broiled salmon + brown rice + steamed broccoli + blueberries

Roasted Vegetable and Couscous Salad

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 2cm pieces
Olive oil spray
1/2 Eggplant, cut into 2cm cubes
2 zucchinis, cut into 2cm pieces
3/4 cup couscous
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1/2 red capsicum sliced
150 g baby rocket leaves, baby spinach or mixed lettuce

Dressing:
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon honey

Pre heat oven to 250 degrees c
Place pumpkin pieces in a deep baking tray and spray lightly with olive oil spray. Bake for 10 minutes then add the eggplant, zucchini and capsicum (also sprayed lightly with olive oil). Roast for a further 20 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Cook couscous according to instructions on packet.
To make the dressing place all the ingredients in an air tight jar and shake until combined.
Once couscous is cooked, loosen with a fork until light and fluffy and place in a large salad bowl. Add the roast vegetables, onion, mixed lettuce leaves, avocado and cherry tomatoes. Mix the dressing through the salad and serve. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Per Serve:
801kj
192cal
11.7g Carbs
4.2g Protein
13g Total Fat
1.5g Sat Fat
5.6g Fibre

Drinks for kicking off your morning

Drink warm water with fresh lemon or lime juice & cayenne pepper every morning to kickstart your metabolism.

15min later, drink morning juice:
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 apples
1 beetroot
1 bunch spinach
1 inch fresh ginger

Low carb slimming raw juice
1 orange
2 sticks celery
1/2 cucumber
1/2 cup green spring beans
2 sprigs parsley

Ten healthy habits from the Mediterranean

• Eat legumes. They're common throughout Mediterranean countries and in a traditional Greek diet are eaten twice a week to avoid eating meat for religious reasons, says Kouris, herself part of a research team at Monash University that found legumes to be the most important food contributing to longevity in over 1000 elderly people in five countries.
• Eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, rocket, endive, chicory and amaranth (excellent sources of magnesium and plant omega- 3 fats, she says). You'll sometimes find amaranth - often called Chinese spinach - displayed with Asian veg in some greengrocers.
• Eat a range of coloured vegetables including tomatoes and capsicum - they're high in antioxidants, including lycopene.
• Use extra virgin olive oil. There's some evidence, says Kouris, that olive oil, like omega-3 fats, don't seem to add weight around the waist as much as animal fats and processed (hydrogenated) vegetable fats that are high in saturated and trans fats.
• Include some fermented foods like yoghurt or fetta cheese that may help provide gut-friendly bacteria.
• Slow cook meats with vegetables, including tomato, garlic, onion and olive oil. This slow cooking of meat is less likely than grilling to form carcinogens, she says. Stewing also retains nutrients in vegetables.
• Eat fish and seafood. Traditionally, fish is eaten more often than animal meats, she says.
  Be generous with herbs like oregano, rosemary, dill and mint; they make vegetables taste great so you want to eat more of them. Indeed, "you don't hear Greeks saying they hate vegetables," says Kouris.
• Snack on nuts and seeds. Traditional snacks include pumpkin seeds, roasted chickpeas, almonds, walnuts, as well as dried and fresh fruit.
• Think outside the salad dressing and use vinegar as flavouring for other dishes. Besides adding a tangy flavour, says Kouris, it also lowers the GI (Glycemic Index) of foods and helps you absorb more iron. It's a traditional ingredient in this classic Greek lentil soup on the Healthy Eating Club website (a good site for credible nutrition info).

Artichoke Cob Dip

1 cob loaf
200ml sour cream
150-200g mayonnaise
1 small tin water chestnuts, roughly chopped
1 tin artichoke hearts*, roughly chopped
1-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Spring Vegetable powdered soup mix
salt and pepper to taste
sliced french loaf or assorted rolls/bread to serve

Slice the top off the cob loaf, cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
Scoop out the bread leaving a crust of approx. 2cm thick and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the cob loaf and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 1-2 hours.
Cover the scooped out bread with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Serve with scooped out bread and extra rolls/bread if needed.

* Can also be made with spinach instead of artichoke hearts.

Special K I've made this many times with artichoke hearts and spinach and love it both ways. It's great for entertaining and because you have to prepare it 1-2 hours ahead of time it allows you to make it up and forget about it.

Cardamom Scented Lamb with Mashed Sweet Potato

This is a recipe I adapted from Bon Appétit which I first made way back in 2002. I still rate this as one of my favourite dishes. Add some spinach or swiss chard to round out a perfect dish.

Sauce:
1 tbs butter
2 tbs tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 cups dry red wine - Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cup beef stock
1 cup low-salt chicken stock
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 tsp coarse-grained mustard
freshly ground black pepper

Lamb:
2 tbs shelled cardamom seeds
2 x 600g frenched racks of lamb, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup (see below)

Sauce:
Melt 1 tbs butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add tomato paste, garlic and thyme; sauté 1 minute.
Add wine and boil until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
Add both broths; boil until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 25 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Lamb:
Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
Toast cardamom seeds in heavy small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cool. Transfer to spice grinder; grind coarsely.
Rub garlic over lamb and sprinkle with cardamom, salt and pepper.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add 1 lamb rack; sear until brown, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer lamb, meat side up, to baking sheet. Repeat with second lamb rack.

Roast until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 51°C (125°F) for medium-rare, about 18 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut lamb between bones into chops.

Bring sauce to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Add butter and mustard; whisk just until butter melts. Season with pepper. Spoon mashed Sweet Potato onto plates. Top with lamb and sauce.
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup
1kg sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot and mash. Mix in butter, syrup and cardamom. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4