Vegetarian Pita Pizza

Vegetarian Pita Pizzas

(serves 2)

Ingredients

4 small wholemeal pita bread

3TBs tomato paste

½ Tsp Crushed Garlic

1 Tsp mixed Italian herbs

Pinch vegie salt

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

½ red capsicum, diced

½ green capsicum, diced

3 button mushrooms, thinly slice

3 spring onions sliced finely

100g low fat cheese (or Mini Chol soy cheese is my favourite)

160g 97% fat free Old El Paso Refried beans (in a can from the taco section of your supermarket)

1)      In a small bowl mix  tomato paste, Italian herbs and vegie salt- set aside

2)      In a small frypan, heat olive oil- cook onions, capsicum and mushroom until tender. (precooking them stops the pita bread from going soggy) Set aside to cool.

3)      Spread Pita bread with tomato paste mixture

4)      Top with cooked vegetables, spoon on small teaspoons of refried beans over the pizzas and sprinkle with cheese.

5)      Cook in oven at 180C on a baking tray lined with baking paper until cheese is melted and base is crunchy.

6)      Served with a side salad YUM YUM

Roast Vegetable Canneloni

Roast Vegetable Cannelloni

Canelloni stuffed with roasted vegetables including capsicum, red onion, eggplant, cherry tomatos and garlic. Baked with a tomato and basil sauce and topped with low fat riccotta and fetta and baked in the oven. Served with salad of raw baby spinach, carrots, snow pea sprouts with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar :-)YUM

Ingredients

1 Teaspoon of crushed garlic

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 baby eggplants, diced

½ large red capsicum, diced

½ large green capsicum, diced

½ punnet cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1-2tsp mixed Italian herbs or to taste

2 Tins of crushed tomatoes

100g low fat ricotta cheese

100g low fat creamed cottage cheese

50g low fat Fetta (crumbled)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 packet of Cannelloni tubes

Method

1)      Place eggplant, capsicum, garlic, mixed herbs and cherry tomatoes in a baking dish with olive oil, mix well  and bake in a 180C oven until tender. (Alternatively- you can cook these in a non stick frypan on the stove until tender.)

2)      Allow to cool slightly

3)      In another baking dish, pour out 1 tin of crushed tomatoes, sprinkle with a little Italian Herb mix

4)      With a teaspoon, fill the cannelloni tubes with the roast vegetable mix and arrange in baking dish on top of the crushed tomatoes.

5)      When all tubes are filled, pour over the other tin of crushed tomatoes.

6)      In a mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, cottage and fetta chesses together with the egg until well combined.

7)      Spoon mixture over the cannelloni and spread to cover.

8)      Bake in the oven for approx 30mins or until the cannelloni is soft.

9)      Serve hot with a green salad with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar

Breakfaat Egg With Spinach and Tomato

This is a great light meal or snack- it takes about 5 minutes to make, tastes great, and perfect if you only have 5 minutes before you have to madly run out the door. Good for Breakfast too :-)

Ingredients

1 Slice Rye Toast (I used normal Rye here but I would normally use Dark Rye which will keep you going for longer.)
1Tbsp extra light (less than 5%fat ) Cream cheese
Raw Baby spinach

grape tomatos, halved
I free range egg for on top (plus you could cook some extra eggwhite/s if your REALLY hungry)
Served with a sliced chinese gooseberry (aka Kiwifruit!)

Method

Pretty self explanatory!

1)      cook the toast in your toaster

2)      fry your egg in a fry pan with a little olive oil or olive oil spray.

3)      Spread toast with cream cheese, then layer spinach, tomatoes and top with the egg

4)      Sprinkle with a little pinch of vegie salt if desired

Mixed Vegetable Frittata

Mixed Vegetable Frittata

This fritatta is made with vegetables, some free range eggs and a bunch of egg whites (kind like a quiche but without the pastry) The topping is made with low fat cottage cheese and a little bit of low fat chedder to make it able to go brown on top. Tastes SO SO SO Good- heaps lower in Fat than just putting cheese on top- Lots of protein.

Vegetables can be substituted for whatever you have available/ prefer. This is also good cold for lunch with a salad, the day after.

Yum Yum J

Ingredients

Liquid vegetable stock

2tsp Olive oil

1 heaped tsp crushed garlic

½ Red Onion, finely diced

½ Medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 medium potato, washed and diced (skin on)

1 cup of frozen corn kernels

1 medium red capsicum, diced

½- 1 cup of frozen peas

4 large whole free range eggs plus 4-5 extra egg white

¼ cup low fat or skimmed milk

200g low fat creamed cottage cheese

50g grated low fat tasty or cheddar cheese

Good Pinch of Vegie Salt (mix of vegetable seasoning and sea salt from the herb section of your supermarket)

Extra virgin olive oil spray

Method

1)      Preheat oven to 180C

2)      Heat Olive oil in large non-stick frypan.

3)      Sauté Onion and garlic on medium heat until onion goes clear.

4)      Toss in rest of the vegetables, add a good slurp of vegetable stock (this adds flavour as well as stopping the vegetables from sticking to the pan as we haven’t used a lot of oil) and cover so the vegetables can steam. Keep a eye on the vegetables and make sure to keep adding slurps of stock as it dries out.

5)      Once vegetables are almost cooked- remove the lid and let any extra stock evaporate so the vegetables are tender and no longer in liquid.

6)      In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk and a pink of  vegie salt together.

7)      Spread vegetables in a baking  dish that you have given a spray with the olive oil.

8)      Pour eggs over the top and smooth vegetables down.

9)      Bake in oven approx 30-45 minutes until eggs have set, remove from oven.

10)  Spread over cottage cheese and then sprinkle on top grated cheese, then return to the oven until golden

11)  Serve with a fresh garden salad or steamed vegetables

Ginger and Sesame Broccolini on a bed of stirfy vegetables

Ingredients

Vegetable stock

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp crushed garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 red onion, sliced

2 Carrots, cut into thin strips

Large handful Green beans, topped and tailed

1 Red Capsicum, cut into thin strips

1 Green Capsicum, cut into thin strips

Bunch of Brocollini

Handful of sugar snap peas if available

Cashew nuts, sesame seeds and copped chives for serving

Method

1)  Heat oil in Wok or fry pan

2) Stirfry  garlic, ginger and onion until soft

3) Add carrots and a splash of vegie stock and stirfry for a few minutes.

4) Add capsicum, green beans and sugar snap peas. Top up with a little stock as the pan drys out.

5) sit brocollini on top and cover with a lid to catch the steam. Let vegetables steam for a few minutes until just cooked.

6)Serve with cashew, sesame seeds and chopped chives.

Tofu and Vegetables on Brown Rice

Tofu and Vegetables on Brown rice

Quick, easy and tasty!

Ingredients

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Liquid Vegetable Stock

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 red onion finely diced

2 small zucchinis, sliced

2 baby eggplant, diced

1 red capsicum, cut into strips

1 green capsicum, cut into strips

1 packet of soyco flavoured tofu (I like “Thai and Koran BBQ”) from the vegetarian  fridge section of your local supermarket (they have this in coles), cut into strips

Flaked almonds, toasted to serve

Chopped chives to serve

Cooked Brown rice or to serve

Method

1)      Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and tender

2)      Add vegetables, tofu and a splash of  vegetable stock (which will help the vegies to steam) and stirfry until vegetables are lightly cooked

3)      Serve on a bed of brown rice with flaked almonds and chives sprinkled over the top

Meal 4 Chickpea and Spirulina Patties (made into a burger)

Chickpea and Spirulina Patties on Dark Rye

(Makes approx 8  Patties)

Ingredients

2 cups Dry chickpeas

½ bunch Parsley Chopped

½ cup onion chopped

1tsp- 1tbs spirulina powder depending on taste

½ tsp vegie salt

1 egg (optional- see below)

1 heaped tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic crushed

2 tsp baking powder

Extra virgin Olive oil Spray

Burgen Dark Rye bread- toasted, avocado and salad for serving

Method

Soak chickpeas in plenty of water in the fridge over night.

Chickpeas can alternatively be sprouted before you prepare this recipe if desired (see sprouting section at end) or you could use organic in a can if you are in a big rush.

Next day drain chickpeas and rinse well.

Place in food processor with parsley, onion, spirilina salt, cumin, and garlic and mix until smooth.

You can add a egg at this point if you like to help keep the patties together but this is optional and not essential at all.

Once smooth add baking powder and mix until combined.

Cook patties in a non stick fry pan with a little oil, or olive oil spray. Cook for 5 min or so on each side until slightly golden. Be careful not to over cook as this will make the patties dry.

Serve on toasted rye bread with salad (I used baby spinach, vine ripened tomatos and snow pea sprouts) with a little avocado or low fat mayonnaise. I like to serve with a few pieces of fruit at the side for a delicious and healthy meal.

Patties can be frozen in a sealed container (put baking paper between layers to stop them sticking to each other) and then reheated for quick burgers for lunches or dinners on the run. The patties are also good crumbled up and sprinkled on a salad for a protein boost.