This recipe should yeild a fairly soft sauce. If it is too thick add more milk, or water. If you think you have some lumps in it there is no reason to start again, pass it through a fine sieve and everything will be all right.

Ingredients
50g butter
1/3 cup plain flour
4 cups milk
½ tsp mustard powder or grated nutmeg

Directions
In a heavy based saucepan, melt the butter until foaming, remove from heat.  Add flour and mustard powder or nutmeg and mix to a smooth paste.  Cook a little but without browning.  Add ½ a cup of the milk and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Return to a low – medium heat and continue adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Serves 8

Lasagne

Ingredients
2 Tbs olive oil
1 brown onion – finely chopped
3 garlic cloves – crushed
750g beef mince
2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
125ml (½ cup) dry red wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs raw sugar
Fresh or dried herbs to season (thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram)
Fresh lasagne sheets
1 cup grated cheese
Salt and pepper
6-10 medium brown mushrooms – diced
1 packet of fresh baby spinach leaves – rinsed

Béchamel sauce

Ingredients
50g butter
1/3 cup plain flour
4 cups milk
Pinch of salt
1 tsp mustard powder
½ – 1 cup of grated cheddar or tasty cheese (to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens. Add the mince and mushrooms and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince turns brown in colour. Add the tomato, wine, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs to taste and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 – 30 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Meanwhile, to make the béchamel sauce; in a heavy based saucepan, melt the butter until foaming, remove from heat.  Add flour and mustard powder and mix to a smooth paste.  Add ½ a cup of the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Return to a low – medium heat and continue adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and salt.

In a large lasagna dish, spread some of the meat sauce over the base.  Lay 1 lasagne sheet over the sauce and top with the some of the mince mixture (enough to cover the lasagna sheet), some of the béchamel sauce and a handful of the spinach leaves. Continue layering with the remaining lasagne sheets, mince mixture, béchamel and spinach.  To finish, cover 1 sheet of lasagne with a layer of béchamel and sprinkle with cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until cheese melts and is golden brown.  Remove from oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes to set.

Cut the lasagne into portions and serve with a green salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients

4 potatoes
olive oil
350g boneless white fish fillets
½ C plain flour
2 C breadcrumbs
1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°c.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Clean potatoes, leaving the skin on and cut into wedges. Place into a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain, pat-dry with paper towel and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Place chips on top shelf of oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once until golden.

Cut fish into ‘fingers’. Place flour and breadcrumbs onto separate plates. Break egg into a shallow dish and whisk. Dip each fish finger into flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Arrange on a baking tray.

Place tray with fish fingers in oven under chips and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is golden and cooked through.

Serve with a garden salad, wedge of lemon and tartare sauce.

Ingredients

4 potatoes
olive oil
500g chicken tenderloins
½ C plain flour
2 C breadcrumbs
1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°c.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Clean potatoes, leaving the skin on and cut into wedges. Place into a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain, pat-dry with paper towel and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Cut chicken tenderloins into ‘fingers’. Place flour and breadcrumbs onto separate plates. Break egg into a shallow dish and whisk. Dip each chicken finger into flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs.

Place chips on top shelf of oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once until golden.

Heat a little olive oil in a shallow frying pan on medium and cook the chicken fingers for 2-3 minutes a side, until golden and cooked through.

Serve with a garden salad.

Ingredients
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic – chopped
2 onions – chopped
1kg butternut pumpkin – peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2 C chicken or vegetable stock
100g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped (optional)
1 bunch english spinach, or silverbeet – leaves rinsed and roughly chopped
1 packet of fresh lasagne sheets, enough for 7 layers
1 C (200g) fresh ricotta
1 C (280g) natural yoghurt
2 egg yolks
2 C dried breadcrumbs
¾ C grated parmesan
Salt & pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C

Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add pumpkin and stock, simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until soft.  Allow to cool, slightly. Mash until smooth. Stir through the spinach.

Mix together the ricotta, yoghurt and egg yolks and season with salt and pepper. 

Place a small amount of the ricotta mixture on the bottom of a rectangular oven dish.  Place a layer of lasagne sheets on top. Cover with a layer of the pumpkin mixture and a thin drizzle of the ricotta mixture. Continue layering, using 7 layers of lasagne sheets in total, finishing with a layer of lasagne and then the remaining ricotta mixture.

Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan and shelled pistachios. Sprinkle over the lasagne before baking.  Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Serve with a garden salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients
2 Tbs canola oil or peanut oil
3 garlic cloves – crushed in a mortar and pestle with a small pinch of sea salt
370g cold, cooked jasmine rice
½ small red onion – sliced
1 tomato – cut into wedges
30g snow peas – finely sliced (you can also use broccolini or chinese broccoli)
1 egg – lightly beaten
1 Tbs fish sauce
Small bunch of coriander
½ lebanese cucumber – sliced
1 lime cheek

Directions
Heat a wok or a non-stick frying pan over a high heat until hot. Put the oil in and swirl to coat the base of the pan. Stir fry the garlic for 1 minute, then add the rice and stir for 2 minutes. Add the onion, tomato and green vegetables and stir fry for another minute.

Make a well in the centre of the rice and pour in the egg, lightly scramble for 20 seconds until nearly cooked, then fold through the rest of the rice. Sprinkle with the fish sauce and stir to combine.

Serve with the coriander, cucumber slices and a lime cheek.

Ingredients

Curry
8 thick sausages
1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
1 Tbs mustard seeds (optional)
5 cloves garlic – sliced or chopped
1 knob of ginger – finely chopped
420ml coconut cream

Curry Paste
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1Tbs desiccated coconut
1 Tbs water

Method

Curry Paste
In a small bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, turmeric, coconut and water, mixing to form a smooth paste, adding more water if needed.

Curry
Heat the ghee in a large non-stick frypan over medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds. Then add the curry paste and cook off for 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the coconut cream and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.

Grill the sausages on their own, so they are nicely browned, slice them into bite size pieces and add them to the curry.

If you prefer a thicker curry, combine 1Tbs of cornflour with a little cold water and mix through the curry.

Serve with steamed rice.

Ingredients
750g cauliflower – trimmed, cut into florets
1 brown onion – finely chopped
2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
1 C grated cheddar or tasty cheese
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
water
¼ cup cream

Directions
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté 5 minutes or until softened. Add cauliflower, stock and enough water to just cover the cauliflower. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Take off the heat.

Using a bar mix, blend the soup until smooth. Add the cheese and cream, mix to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty bread.

Serves 2, preparation time 5 minutes

Ingredients
1 C plain low-fat yogurt
1 C fresh or frozen, mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries etc.)
1 C soy milk
½ tsp cinnamon

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid if the mixture does not blend easily. Pour the mixture into glasses and serve.

Variations
Regular milk can be used instead of soy milk and any fruit can be used in place of the berries.

Directions
In a small saucepan bring water to the boil then turn right down to the lowest heat until just simmering. Lower each egg gently into the simmering water using a spoon and leave for 2- 4 minutes until desired consistency is reached.

Really soft runny eggs – leave for 2 minutes
White just set and yolk that is creamy – leave for 3 minutes
White and yolk perfectly set with yolk that is creamy – leave for 4 minutes

Be careful to watch the clock, so as not to overcook the eggs. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and transfer to egg cups. Slice off tops and serve with freshly toasted bread (soldiers).

Why not try vegemite on your toast for a change (soldiers in uniform).