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Hints, Tips and Recipes for CSU University Students

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CONTENTS

General Information

The Basics on cooking / shopping for the kitchen p.3

Cooking Tips to save Time & Money p.4

Study, Exams, Stress, and Healthy Eating p.6

Standard Australian Metric Measurement p.7

Common Cooking Terms p.10

Recipes

Breakfast p.13

Mains p.15

Soups p.24

Pasta p.27

Savoury Snacks p.35

Sweet Snacks p.37

Biscuits p.39

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THE BASICS ON COOKING / SHOPPING FOR THE KITCHEN

Some tips to get you started

Divide your shopping into two

basic categories:

necessary and

optional.

This way, in times of crisis, you

know what you need and what

you can live without!

Write down everything you

spend. This will truly amaze you!

Do it for a month and watch where your money is going.

Think of price per serving. Some things may seem expensive until you

figure out how many meals you can make from them.

Don t buy label food items when brands like Home brand and Black and

Gold sell exactly the same thing at a cheaper price. Be humble!

Don’t shop when you are hungry because you will be tempted to buy

goodies you don’t really need, want or can afford.

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COOKING TIPS TO SAVE TIME & MONEY

Your food cupboard

Stock your food cupboard and fridge with ingredients that are quick to

prepare and easy to cook. Suggestions for meals include:

Soups- easy to make and nutritious, especially if you add lots of

vegetables, beans or lentils. You can use canned or packet soup

as a base and add your own herbs, spices and leftovers.

Pasta- quick and easy to prepare. Keep pasta sauces in your

cupboard and add your own variations and flavours.

Rice- try making fried rice or risotto, or mix cooked rice with

leftover vegetables and meat.

Beans and lentils - canned varieties can make a quick and

nutritious addition to soups and stews. Lentils and beans can be

used as a main meal with vegetables added.

Vegetables and fruit- make vegetable curries, stir-fries and

vegetable patties and soups. Canned and frozen vegetables make

a handy addition to last minute meals. Fruit is good for a quick

nutritious snack.

Meat and fish- tinned tuna is a great cupboard stand-by. Shop

for cheap cuts of meat for stews and casseroles.

Condiments- add flavour and interest to your cooking. Keep a

selection of dried herbs, spices, curry powder, vinegars, tomato

sauce, soy sauce and stock cubes in your cupboard.

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Cooking on a budget

These hints that can help you save money on food:

Cook extra in the evening meal so you can use the leftovers for a

quick meal the following night or for lunch.

Cook double the amount then freeze what is left over in meal

size portions.

Shop at the local markets late for discounted fruit, vegetable and

meat bargains.

Buy in bulk (it’s usually cheaper) and freeze in smaller portion

sizes to use as required.

Use cheaper cuts of meat for curries and casseroles for long slow

cooking, and then add extra vegetables and beans to make the

meal go further.

One-pot dishes where you throw everything in together saves

energy, time, money and washing-up.

Watch out for supermarket specials of staples (rice, pasta, pasta

sauces, bread and tinned vegetables) and stock up on them when

cheap. Bread can be frozen for at least two months, and items

such as pasta and rice have a long shelf life.

Limit takeaway foods; they are expensive, high in fat, high in

salt and low in nutrition, and leave you hungry again a few hours

after you eat them.

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STUDY, EXAMS, STRESS AND HEALTHY EATING

Healthy eating is especially important when you are under

stress. When you are rushing to try and meet deadlines, it’s

easy to skip meals and forget about healthy eating. But this is

when your body needs good nutrition the most.

When you are under stress or you need to concentrate, a

healthy diet will help to keep you focused. You can’t keep up

the pace if you only snack on takeaway food or bowls of

cereal. Keep up your energy levels with healthy snacks and

regular meals.

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STANDARD AUSTRALIAN METRIC MEASUREMENT

1 cup contains 250 ml

1 litre contains 4 cups

1 tablespoon contains 20 ml

1 teaspoon contains 5 ml

Some metric spoon sets come from

England or the US where 1

tablespoon = 15ml. If you are

thickening sauces or if the recipe

has 2 tablespoons or more of and

ingredient, this can make a

significant difference, so check

your tablespoon size to avoid

disappointment.

Equipment

Basic kitchen equipment includes:

Saucepans with lids (large and small), fry pans, a wok, serving spoons

and wooden spoons, large and small sharp knives, cutting board,

vegetable peeler, grater, hand whisk and/or egg beater, storage

containers with lids (these can include empty margarine and yoghurt

containers and peanut butter jars etc - you don't need to spend a fortune

on Tupperware), aluminium foil, plastic wrap, a sieve or colander

(preferably metal rather than plastic) and mixing bowls (three different

sizes). A vegetable steamer is quite useful, but by no means essential. A

toaster and electric jug are also pretty handy, but you can always use the

stove if desperate, bearing in mind that the toaster and jug are cheaper to

run, especially if you only want to cook one slice of toast or heat enough

water for one cup of tea or coffee.

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Other useful equipment:

A hand held electric beater is relatively inexpensive and can be used for

a wide variety of things, including making cappuccino when all the

commercial outlets are closed, or you can't afford a commercial one. If

you eat a lot of rice, a rice cooker is great. Food processors are also

handy, although more expensive and a bit of a pain to wash. If you have

a relative who is missing you badly and wanting to find a way of

making a meaningful contribution to your personal comfort, try

dropping hints about a microwave. They also have a wide variety of

uses, but don't let anyone tell you that microwave cakes are just as good

as ones cooked in a conventional oven! A coffee plunger is also a good

thing to own if you like coffee. Ground coffee keeps fresh longer in the

refrigerator, but if you are sharing a fridge with others, you may find

that it disappears faster than you'd expect. It might be better to keep it in

a sealed container in your room.

Food Items

No matter what style of cooking you want to indulge in, onions and

garlic and potatoes are staples which keep well in a cool dark place.

(Well, maybe you won't want potatoes if you only cook Chinese food.)

Do not put potatoes in the light or they will go green and green potatoes

should not be eaten. They contain a substance (the name of which

escapes me, but who cares what it's called) which can build up in your

system to toxic levels over time.

Basil, oregano, bay leaves and mixed herbs are all useful in French

and Italian style cooking. Collect small glass containers with airtight

lids to store herbs and spices in, and then buy them in cellophane

packets to refill your bottles. They're much cheaper to buy in packets,

but don't keep well in them. Forget about trendy spice racks on kitchen

walls - herbs and spices keep much better away from the light.

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Tomato paste is also an essential for French and Italian food. This is

cheapest bought in large containers. In Armidale, you can keep unused

tomato paste in an airtight bottle in the fridge, but in more humid

climates, you may need to pour a little oil on top of the paste to keep it

from growing mould. You can also freeze it in small quantities if you

wish. Canned tomatoes are also very useful and a cheap way of buying

tomatoes for cooking.

For Asian cooking green ginger is a staple ingredient. This keeps for

several weeks unpeeled in the crisper of the fridge or can be peeled and

stored covered with sherry in the fridge or frozen wrapped in foil or put

in a zip-lock plastic bag. It is possible to grate frozen ginger, but it's a

little chilly on the fingers, especially in winter.

For Asian food, you will also need cornflour, soy sauce and perhaps

oyster sauce, fish sauce and Chinese five spice. Ordinary soy sauces

can be stored at room temperature unless it is very hot or you take a

long time to use a bottle, but low salt soy sauce should be refrigerated

after opening. All the supermarkets in town stock a range of ingredients

for Asian foods, but some have a wider range than others.

If you want to cook curries, it is possible to buy a variety of curry

powders and curry pastes from supermarkets. I find that blending spices

produces a better result as you can control how much of each ingredient

you add, and it's cheaper, but it's also slower. Using ready-ground spices

is easier and faster than grinding your own unless you have an electric

spice and coffee grinder (you cannot grind whole spices in a food

processor).

Plain and self-raising flour,

sugar, salt, pepper and eggs are

also all very useful things to keep

around and you might like to add

tomato, chilli and/or barbeque

sauce as well.

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Oil and cooking spray are also useful. Cooking spray is obviously

more expensive than ordinary oil and there are some things that you

simply can't use it for. Olive oil and canola oil are best health-wise in

that they're rich in unsaturated fat. The darker an olive oil is, the more

olive flavour it will give to your food.

COMMON COOKING TERMS

"Bake" Baking refers to cooking food in the dry heat of an oven. Foods

commonly baked are breads, cakes, and roasts.

"Blanch" Blanching refers to the method of loosening the skin on

vegetables and fruits by plunging them into boiling water for a short

period of time. Blanching is also used to help preserve their colour

"Boil" Boiling refers to cooking foods fully immersed in boiling water,

where bubbles are constantly breaking the surface of the water. Foods

commonly cooked this way are pastas, vegetables, and soups.

"Braise" Braising refers to cooking food long and slow in a few inches

of liquid. The food is not quite covered by the liquid, producing both a

steaming and stewing effect. This long, slow cooking method allows

you to use less expensive cuts of meat because the fibres break down,

making it tender. Foods commonly braised are large, tough cuts of meat

such as chuck steak. Vegetables and broth are usually added to produce

a tasty mixture of flavours.

"Broil" Broiling refers to cooking food in an oven with an intense heat

source above the food. Broiling pans are usually used to hold the food,

allowing the fat to be collected in the pan under the grate so that flare

ups don't occur. Foods commonly broiled are steaks, poultry, fish fillets,

and vegetables

"Grill" Grilling refers to cooking food over an intense source of heat.

This heat is usually provided by charcoal or gas grills. Because of the

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high heat, using thinner pieces of meat or vegetables produces the best

results. Popular items cooked on a grill are steaks, chicken, ribs, fish

fillets and vegetables.

"Fry" Frying refers to cooking food in fat over high heat. Deep-frying

refers to immersing the food entirely in hot fat and cooking until crispy.

Common fried foods are eggs, vegetables, and hamburgers. Common

deep-fried foods are French fries and breaded vegetables.

"Parboil" Parboiling refers to partially cooking foods by plunging them

briefly into boiling water. Foods commonly parboiled are potatoes,

carrots, and rice.

"Poach" Poaching refers to cooking foods in simmering, but not

boiling liquid. Liquids could be water or vegetable stock. Foods

commonly poached are eggs and fish.

"Roast" Roasting refers to cooking food uncovered in an oven.

Commonly roasted foods are meat roasts, poultry, fish and root

vegetables like carrots, onions, and potatoes.

"Sauté" Sautéing refers to cooking food in a hot pan, and is sometimes

referred to as pan-frying. Butter or oil may be used to keep the food

from sticking to the pan. Sautéing is performed in a pan over medium-

high to high heat and constant attention must be used to keep the food

from burning. Foods commonly sautéed are vegetables, steaks, chicken

breasts, and fish fillets. Sautéing cooks the seasoning into the vegetables

and acts to sear steaks, chicken breasts, and fish fillets to trap the juices

in the meat.

"Scald" Scalding refers to heating milk over medium-low heat until it

foams, but doesn't boil. This is primarily done to shorten cooking times

when making sauces and custards.

"Sear" Searing refers to subjecting the food to high heat in a pan, under

a broiler or in the oven to quickly brown it. Searing helps to lock in the

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juices in foods such as steaks before completing the cooking process.

Foods commonly seared are steaks and beef roasts.

"Simmer" Simmering refers to gently cooking food in liquid that is

heated to just below the boiling point. Foods commonly simmered are

soups and stews.

"Steam" Steaming refers to cooking food over a small amount of

simmering or boiling liquid in a covered pot. The trapped steam does

the cooking. Foods commonly steamed are vegetables and shellfish.

"Stew" Stewing refers to cooking food long and slow, completely

covered in liquid. This long, slow cooking method allows you to use

less expensive cuts of meat because the fibres break down, making it

tender. Foods commonly stewed are cut-up pieces of tough cuts of meat

such as chuck steak, and pre-cut-up meat called stew meat in the stores.

Stews consist of vegetables, broth, and stew meat simmered for a long

time to combine the flavours.

"Stir-fry" Stir-frying is a method of frying. It is a technique usually

used in preparing oriental dishes. Food is cooked in a wok with a small

amount of oil over high heat. The food is continually tossed and stirred

until cooked. Foods commonly used in stir-fry are diced chicken,

chopped celery, bean sprouts, onion, and a number of oriental

vegetables.

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BREAKFAST

French toast (Kylie Gough)

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

Bread

Mix eggs and milk together in a bowl.

Preheat fry pan to high.

Place bread into egg mix and coat thoroughly.

Transfer bread to fry pan until bread is browned and then flip and repeat

process.

Serve with hot spreads.

Spreads: Golden syrup, honey, jam, butter are just examples.

Try adding a tsp of cinnamon to the egg mixture.

Mummy’s Breakfast Special (Nicole Makrides)

2 eggs

2 pieces of toast

Handful of rocket

½ tomato

½ avocado

1 garlic clove

Olive oil for taste

Poach eggs. While eggs are poaching prepare toast.

Cut garlic in ½ and smear onto toast.

Place a handful of rocket on toast.

Slice tomato and layer on top of rocket.

Carefully place egg on top of tomato.

Slice avocado thinly and place on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

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Pikelets with Strawberries and Chocolate (Rosemary Cullies)

3 cups SR flour

1 egg

Enough milk for a smooth mix

½ cup sugar

Melted butter, enough to cover the bowl

Strawberries (or other fruit) with chocolate topping

Mix flour, sugar, melted butter, egg and milk until smooth.

Cook in microwave butter bowls (flat dishes) until mixture is gone.

Pile on a plate, cool and decorate with strawberries, or other fruit.

Drizzle with chocolate topping.

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MAINS

Shepard’s Pie

2 teaspoons canola or olive oil

200g lean minced Veal or Beef

½ cup thinly sliced carrots

1 X 125g can dices tomatoes

1 ½ cups diced celery

1 onion, chopped

1 ½ tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

½ beef stock cube, dissolved in ¼

cup hot water

300g cooked peeled potatoes, hot

¼ cup reduced fat milk

Pepper and garlic salt, to taste

Heat Oil in non-stick frypan; add meat and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until

browned.

Stir in carrots, tomato, celery, onion, tomato paste, thyme and stock.

Reduce heat, cover and cook stirring often for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile place potatoes, milk, pepper and garlic salt in a bowl and

mash until smooth.

Place veal mixture into a casserole dish and arrange mash potato is

golden brown. Garnish with a sprig of thyme

Note:

Serve with lightly steamed or stir fries green vegetables (for example,

beans, broccoli, snow peas)

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Lentil Fudge Pie

Crumb Crust:

1 ½ cups wholemeal breadcrumb

4 Tbs melted margarine

1 Tbs granulated sugar

Fudge Filling:

2 ½ tsp cocoa

3 Tbs water

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup treacle

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs separated

1 ½ cups green lentil puree

To make lentil puree, cook the lentils as directions on packet. Once

cooked blend with food processor, until a thick consistency is formed.

Set aside until required.

In a bowl, combine crumbs, margarine and sugar. Press into a deep

23cm pie tin. Chill. In a bowl, combine cocoa and water. Mix well.

Add sugar, treacle, vanilla and egg yolks. Beat together with electric

mixer for 2 minutes on medium. Fold in lentil puree.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into lentil puree

mixture. Turn into pie tin. Bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted

comes out clean.

Remove and cool thoroughly. Refrigerate. Use a wet knife to slice pie

into 12 pieces.

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Dahl (Erin Kuilart)

1 cup Red lentils

1 medium onion

2 x Garlic cloves

1 tsp Fresh ginger

1 red chilli

1 tsp garam marsala

½ tsp turmeric

400g Tin Tomato

2 cups water

Pinch of salt

Rinse and drain lentils

Heat oil; cook onion, garlic, ginger and chilli over low-med heat until

soft.

Add spices and lentils and sauté for one minute.

Add tomatoes and water and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and cook

for 15 mins.

Add seasoning and cook until thick.

Lentil Burgers

4 cups cooked McKenzie’s Whole Green

Lentils – very well drained (see notes)

1 medium carrot, grated

1 onion, finely chopped

1 egg beaten

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, with dried mixed

herbs if liked

½ cup plain flour

2 tbsp peanut butter

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1 tbsp soy sauce

Pepper and salt

Oil for frying

Mix all ingredients (except oil) together very well. Refrigerate for 30

min

With floured hands form into burgers and refrigerate again for 30 min

Heat a little oil in a pan and cook burgers for about 3 min on each side,

using more oil for next batch

Note:

These keep well in the fridge so it’s worth making a large quantity.

They can be served either hot or cold with your favourite sauce or

yoghurt.

To make the 4 cups of cooked lentils you will need 2 cups or 350g of

dried lentils.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls/Rice Paper Rolls (Jessica Harding)

You can have everything chopped and roll your own at the table.

Rice Paper

Rice Vermicelli noodles

Bowl of warm water

Carrot peeled and cut into sticks (1 carrot approx 16 sticks)

Cucumber cut into sticks

Marinated Firm Tofu (see below) cut into sticks

Mint or Coriander or both, finely chop

Soak the vermicelli according to packet.

Have all ingredients/fillings chopped. Put on plates and bring to the

table, also the rice vermicelli, and rice paper, plus one or two bowls of

warm to hot water, to soak rice paper in.

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Soak rice paper until soft. Let it drip over bowl and then bring to your

plate.

Lay out rice paper on your plate. Put approx one small handful of rice

vermicelli noodles on the rice paper first, put a pinch of herbs on top

plus approx one to two pieces of each other filling on top

Bring sides into the middle first, and then fold in the ends

You now should have a rice paper roll.

Tofu Marinade:

Mix together 3 Tbs of honey and 4 Tbs of soy sauce in a container and

place tofu in and soak overnight.

For extra taste: set aside one small dish for sweet chilli sauce and one

for soy sauce. Dip your rolls into the sauces.

Angus Chowder (Angus Curnow)

2 medium onions

6 rashers bacon

6 medium potatoes

1 can creamed corn

1 can corn kernels

2 cloves garlic

Salt and black pepper

Parsley

300 ml cream

1 litre chicken stock

Cook diced bacon rashers and diced onion until golden brown.

Add diced potato, parsley, garlic and both cans of corn with the juice to

the bacon and onion.

Add stock and cream shortly after.

Bring to the boil and simmer until potatoes soften.

Blend slightly to thicken the soup.

Serve with crusty bread.

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Vegetable Fried Rice (Elizabeth Ridgway)

2 eggs

1 onion chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 Tbs water

2 carrots grated

½ small red pepper

3 zucchinis grated

1 stick celery thinly sliced

1 cup cooked rice

2 Tbs soy sauce

Whisk eggs and then cook in pan.

Once egg is cooked; remove and chop.

Combine onion, garlic, ginger and water in pan, cook over heat until

onion is soft.

Add carrots, pepper, zucchini and celery, cook for 2 mins.

Stir in rice, sauce and chopped eggs, stir over heat until heated thru.

Noodle and Tuna with Cheddar Cheese (Rosemary Cullies)

2x packets 2 min noodles

2x 100g tins of tuna (or seafood)

Shaved Cheddar Cheese

Cook noodles in microwave for 5 mins

Drain excess liquid

Mix tuna, noodles and cheese. Cook for 5 minutes.

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Chicken Tortillas (Shien Shien)

Tortillas

1 cup finely ground cornmeal

1 cup plain flour

60g butter

½ cup water

Topping

1 Tbs oil

125g chicken mince

125g chorizo sausage, chopped

2 tsp chilli paste

1 large onion

1 medium green capsicum, chopped

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 180◦. Brush two oven trays with butter or oil.

Tortillas:

Place cornmeal, flour and butter in food processor.

Using pulse action for 20 seconds or until mixture is fine and crumbly.

Add almost all the water, process for 5 seconds or until combined. (Soft

dough)

Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute until smooth.

Divide dough into eight portions; roll each out to 10 cm circle.

Place on to oven trays and bake for 15 mins.

Topping:

Heat oil in heavy frying pan, add chicken mince and sausage, stir fry over

high heat for 4 minutes or until well-browned and all liquid evaporated.

Use a fork to break up any lumps as mince cooks.

Add chilli paste, onion and capsicum, stir fry for 3 minutes or until tender.

Spread tortillas with tomato paste, top with chicken mixture, sprinkle with

cheese. Bake for 10 mins or until golden brown.

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Ghetto Pizza

2 Tbs spaghetti sauce

1 slice of white bread

1 slice of cheese

Put the sauce on the bread and cover with cheese.

Optional: pepper, dried oregano

Put in the toaster oven, grill or oven until cheese bubbles

You can substitute bread with English muffins, Bagels,

Herbed Potatoes

Make up the filling just before serving

3 large potatoes

¼ teaspoon paprika

1 small carrot, chopped

75g broccoli, chopped

150g reduced-fat ricotta cheese

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Scrub and dry potatoes.

Prick potatoes all over with a skewer, bake in moderate oven for 1 hour

Cut potatoes in half, scoop out flesh leaving 1cm shell; reserve flesh.

Place shells on oven tray, bake in hot oven for 10 minutes.

Spoon filling into shells, (see below) and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake in moderate oven for 15 minutes or until hot

Filling:

Boil, steam or microwave carrot and broccoli until soft, drain

Beat cheese in a small bowl until smooth, stir in potato flesh, carrot

mixture and chives.

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BBQ Beans (Kylie Gough)

1 tin tomato soup (420g)

2 tin 3 bean mix (420g)

1 brown onion

2 celery sticks

½ capsicum

3 rashers bacon

Cheese

Chilli paste

Chop onion, celery, capsicum and bacon. Put into frying pan and cook

until onion is transparent.

Add chilli and stir

Add beans and soup mix, stir thoroughly

Place ingredients into an oven proof dish, top with cheese.

Bake @ 180◦ for 30 mins.

Tip:

Any other vegetable can be used i.e. corn, mushroom

Chilli’s can be in the form of fresh, paste or flecked

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SOUPS

Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup

750g peeled butternut pumpkin

cut into 4 cm thick pieces

2 cloves of garlic

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1 leak, finely sliced

2 X 440g cans of chickpeas

4cm knob of ginger peeled and

finely chopped

2 litres low salt vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place garlic whole with skin intact into a

roasting tray with pumpkin

Scatter thyme over the pumpkin and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 min

With your leek, make an incision with your knife half way through it

from top to bottom, slightly open and wash thoroughly and thinly slice.

Place your leeks into a heavy based pot with 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry

over a low heat until they are soft and translucent.

Squeeze your garlic into the pot add the roasted pumpkin, chopped

ginger, chickpeas and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil with a lid on.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. Puree soup with a blender and

serve.

Note:

Serve with chopped parsley leaves, a drizzle of yoghurt and crusty

wholegrain bread on the side.

This recipe has over half the recommended serves of vegetables

required each day.

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Chinese Noodle Broth

1 litre vegetable stock

2 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs fresh ginger sliced thinly

100g shiitake mushrooms sliced

250g egg noodles

150g Bok Choy (bulb removed, sliced)

Combine stock, soy and ginger in a large pot

Add mushrooms and boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 10

mins. Season to taste.

Cook noodles according to packet, divide amongst bowls, top with bok

Choy and broth.

Leek, Potato and Bacon Soup (Jo Skillen)

2 tsp butter

175g potatoes diced

4 leeks shredded

2 cloves garlic

100g bacon diced

3 ¾ cup vegetable stock

1 cup cream/yoghurt/milk

2 tsp parsley

Salt and pepper

Melt butter and cook potatoes, leeks, garlic, bacon and sauté for 5 mins.

Add stock and boil. Reduce heat; simmer with lid until potatoes are

cooked.

Stir in cream/milk/yoghurt.

Reserve some whole vegetables and blend remainder.

Put the chunky bits, blended portion and chopped parsley in pot and

mix.

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Minestrone Soup

½ pkt Italian style soup mix

1 ½ Tbs onion

1 stalk celery

1 clove garlic

2 Tbs parsley

1 medium carrot

¼ cup of oil

120g tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup shell noodles or macaroni

2 Tbs rice

Soak Italian soup mix for 6-8 hrs or overnight.

Drain and add 6 cups of fresh water and cook until tender (approx

45mins)

Chop onion, celery, garlic, parsley, carrot, and sauté in oil until golden

brown.

Add tomato paste and chopped cabbage. Season to taste.

Add this mixture to the cooked soup mix and add half cup shell noodles

or macaroni and rice. Simmer for 30mins.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

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PASTA

Fettuccine with pumpkin, pine nuts

and poppy seeds

1 tbsp pine nuts

500g fettuccine

1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin

2 cloves garlic

500g butternut pumpkin, peeled, sliced thinly

½ cup vegetable or chicken stock (125ml)

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Cook pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a low heat, tossing frequently

until light brown. Do not burn. Set aside.

Cook fettuccine according to packet directions. Drain well when

cooked.

While fettuccine is cooking, heat oil add garlic and pumpkin slices.

Cook, turning frequently, for 4 to 5 min.

Add chicken stock and simmer for a couple of mins so that pumpkin is

tender but not mushy.

Add poppy seeds.

Place fettuccine in warmed serving bowls, top with pumpkin and

sprinkle with pine nuts and parsley.

Note:

Pumpkin makes this a deliciously high-fibre dish. Use a strongly

flavoured, extra virgin olive oil, if possible. For vegetarians, use

vegetable stock rather than chicken stock. Use egg free pasta if you are

preparing food for people with an allergy to egg.

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Pasta spirals with Pumpkin and Pesto

500g spiral pasta

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted (see Notes)

2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock

450g butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Start cooking pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water.

Place the basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese into a food

processor and process until finely chopped.

With the motor running, gradually add the oil and stock and process until

well combined.

Steam or microwave the pumpkin cubes until tender.

When the pasta is cooked, but still firm (al dente), drain and return to the

pan.

Add the pesto, stir to coat the pasta, then add the pumpkin and toss

through. Season with pepper and serve immediately with a crisp green

salad.

Notes:

Toasted pine nuts add good flavour. Spread nuts on an oven tray and

bake in a preheated oven (180°C) for about 3 min or place in dry frypan

and toss over medium heat until golden.

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Pasta Spirals with Chicken and Mushrooms

500g spiral pasta

500g skinless chicken breast fillets, chopped into small cubes

200g mushrooms, quartered

5 spring onions, sliced

1 ½ tbsp cornflour

1 X 375 ml can reduced fat evaporated milk

½ cup chicken stock

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Canola or olive oil spray

Start cooking the spirals in a large saucepan of boiling water.

Spray a non-stick frypan or wok with oil and heat. Cook the chicken

over hight heat for about 5 min or until browned. Remove from the pan

and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium; add the mushrooms and spring onions to

the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 min or until soft.

Put cornflour into a small bowl and gradually add 1/3 cup milk, stirring

until smooth. Pour the remaining milk and chicken stock into the pan,

and then gradually add the cornflour mixture, stirring constantly. Keep

stirring until the sauce boils and thickens. Season to taste.

Stir the chicken mixture into the sauce and gently heat through. When

the pasta is cooked but still firm (al dente), drain and serve topped with

the sauce.

Note:

Use wholemeal pasta if you want to increase your fibre intake. Serve

with a salad or add more vegetables to the pasta to make a complete

meal.

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Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Basil and Tuna Fillet

800g Queensland blue pumpkin, peeled seeled and cut into 2cm cubes

1 onion, peeled and chopped

½ red capsicum, seeded and sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

½ cup basil leaves, finely sliced

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 X 210g can tuna filled, cut into 2cm cubes

400g dried pasta shapes, (for example penne)

100g semi-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Black pepper, cracked

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Place pumpkin, onion, capsicum, olive oil, basil and garlic in a shallow

roasting pan, season to taste.

Toss to coat in oil.

Roast at 200°C for 20-30 min or until pumpkin is soft.

Squeeze cooked garlic from cloves and stir through pumpkin mixture.

Add tuna and semi-dried tomatoes and roast for another 5 min or until

pumpkin is browned around edges.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until just tender (al dente).

Drain pasta and return to saucepan, add pumpkin mixture and toss to

combine.

Note:

Top with Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper

Use egg free pasta if you are preparing food for people with an allergy

to egg.

31

Chilli Spaghetti (Deanne Tilden)

Packet of Spaghetti

Fresh chilli’s (as many or little as you like)

Chopped garlic – 4-5 cloves

Chopped parsley

Chopped olives

Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Cook Spaghetti as per packet.

In a pan heat a generous amount of olive oil.

Add garlic and chilli, stir constantly whilst they cook.

Add olives and stir, once heated thru add parsley, make sure all

ingredients are well coated in oil, if not add some more.

Add pasta and stir thru, top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Island Pasta (Elisabeth Carter)

500g pasta shells

2x 425g cans tomato soup

2x425g cans pineapple pieces

1 diced green capsicum

1x415g tuna drained (or left over

chicken, fish, prawns and beef.)

Cook pasta and drain.

Heat tomato soup and juice from

pineapple pieces stirring gently until boiling, and then add capsicum and

pineapple.

Put tuna in an oven proof dish, spread around the base and spread

cooked pasta on top.

Pour over hot tomato soup evenly. Cover and bake in @ 180◦ for 20

mins, sprinkle cheese over top if desired.

32

BBQ Pasta (Kylie Gough)

1x 420g tomato soup

2 cups pasta

1 brown onion

2 celery sticks

½ capsicum

3 bacon rashers

Cheese

Chilli paste

Cook pasta according to packet. Drain.

Chop onion, celery, capsicum and bacon.

Put into a frying pan and cook until onion is transparent, add chilli and

stir. Add pasta and soup. Stir thoroughly. Place ingredients into an

oven proof dish.

Top with cheese. Bake @ 180◦ for 30 mins.

Tip:

Any other vegetables can be added

Chilli’s can be fresh, paste or flaked

Quick and Easy Pasta Tuna Bake

1 Tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

429g can Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

425g can tuna, drained, and flaked

250g dried large shell pasta, cooked, drained’

1 ½ cups grated tasty cheese

1 tbsp chopped chives, to garnish

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease an 8-cup (2L) capacity ovenproof

dish.

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Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook,

stirring occasionally, for 5 min or until is soft.

In a large bowl mix onion soup, tuna and cooked pasta until combined

then place into prepared ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake

for 20 min until golden brown.

Garnish with chives and serve with your favourite steamed vegetables

or a fresh green salad.

You can make Tuna & Vegetable Pasta Bake by adding 1 clove garlic,

crushed with the onion and 1 cup of your favourite frozen mixed

vegetables with the soup.

Lentil Lasagne (Erin Kuilart)

1 Tbs olive oil

2 brown onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3x400g tins chopped tomatoes

3 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

2 cups vegetable stock

4 zucchinis thinly sliced

Lasagne sheets

500g ricotta

1 cup grated cheese

250g red lentils

Heat oil in pan and cook onions.

Add garlic and tomatoes, cover and bring to the boil over high heat.

Reduce to simmer covered for 5 minutes.

Add sugar and salt and pepper.

Add lentils and stock to the pan, boil and reduce heat.

Meanwhile cook zucchini till soft.

34

Layer lasagne dish with lasagne sheets, lentil mixture, zucchini and

ricotta.

Repeat this for several layers. Top with grated cheese.

Bake @ 200◦ for 40-45 mins.

Tuna Mornay (Kylie Gough)

2 Tbs margarine

½ cup SR flour

1 cup milk

1 ½ cup grated cheese

525g tin tuna

1 brown onion

2 celery sticks

½ capsicum

Salt & Pepper

Pasta

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Cook pasta according to packet. Drain.

Melt butter, add flour and stir until mixture becomes coagulated.

Gradually add milk stirring constantly until all the milk is gone and

mixture resembles a white sauce.

Add 1 cup cheese, onion, celery, capsicum, tuna, salt and pepper. Stir

thoroughly.

Pour pasta into a casserole dish, spread evenly

Then spread tuna mix evenly on top.

In a separate bowl mix together breadcrumbs and remaining cheese.

Sprinkle breadcrumb mix evenly on top.

Bake @ 180◦ for 30 mins.

Tip:

Add any other vegetable you like

Stir pasta thru rather than layer; use rice instead of pasta.

35

SAVORY SNACKS

Crack an Egg Pies

6 slices wholemeal bread, crusts removed

40g Australian Butter

6 X 45g eggs

2 spring onions, chopped

1 cup grates Australian Swiss Cheese

Flatten each slice of bread with a rolling pin; spread both sides of bread

with butter and press into muffin tins.

Crack an egg into the centre of each muffin bread case. Sprinkle with

spring onion and cheese.

Bake at 180°C for 20 min or until the egg has set.

Zucchini Slice

2 Medium Zucchini Sliced

1 onion chopped

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup self-rasing flour

6 eggs, beaten together

Coarsely grated unpeeled zucchini

Add chopped onion, cheese, flour and eggs

Pour into greased baking dish

Bake in moderate oven (180°C) for 20 min or until set. Test with a

skewer. The skewer should come out clean. Slice will be firm to touch.

Notes:

Use half white flour, half wholemeal flour for extra fibre. You could

also add a couple of slices of chopped up ham.

36

Quick Quiche (Kylie Gough)

1 cup SR flour

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 brown onion

3 celery sticks

Capsicum

3 rashers bacon

4 mushrooms

Salt/pepper

1 cup grated cheese

Mix flour, milk, eggs together and beat thoroughly. Chop onion,

capsicum, celery, bacon, mushrooms. Add grated cheese and chopped

ingredients to egg mix. Mix thoroughly. Pour into an oven proof dish

and bake 180◦ for 1 hour.

Tip:

You can add any variation of vegetables to the basic mix – roast

vegetables, corn, spinach, chicken etc.

Bake Beans

250g Haricot beans

425g can tomato paste

1 small onion, chopped and sautéed (optional)

Half tsp mustard

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp treacle or molasses

Salt and pepper

1 tsp stock powder if desired

Prepare and cook beans as per packet.

37

Drain; reserving a small quantity.

Mix together the treacle, mustard and sugar with a small quantity of the

tomato puree and stock powder.

Add remaining ingredients

SWEET SNACKS

Peanut Honey Snaps (gluten free) (Toby Perry)

½ jar honey

½ jar peanut butter

Mix together with a fork for one minute. Roll into little balls – 2cm

wide – place on silicone paper or greased tray and bake at 180◦ for 15-

20 mins.

Allow to go completely cool to get to there crunchiest.

Muesli Bar (Erin Kuilart)

350g muesli

200g dates

1 tsp mixed spice

½ cup golden syrup

¾ cup plain flour

2 eggs lightly beaten

Mix dry ingredients.

Add eggs and golden syrup

Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are covered and sticky.

Press into a greased lasagne tray approx 2cm thick.

Bake @ 180◦ for approx 30 mins or until golden.

38

Peanut, Banana and Honey combo (Shein Shein)

Peanut butter

Honey

Banana

Bread

Slather slice of bread with peanut butter, place sliced banana on top and

then drizzle with honey.

Have as an open or closed sandwich, or try grilling it.

Balm Brack (Erin Kuilart)

This is a cheap and healthy ‘fruit cake’ that contains no milk, butter or

oil so is very low in fat. It is made from cold tea.

450 ml cold tea

220g brown sugar

375g mixed fruit (adding dates and sultanas make it moist)

315g SR flour (can use wholemeal)

1 egg

Place sugar, tea and dried fruit in a bowl, cover and leave to soak

overnight.

Grease 8” round cake tin or a 2lb loaf tin

Beat egg, stir into mixture then add flour

Bake for 1 hr @ 180◦ or 30-45 mins for loaf tin

Turn out to cool.

Serve with butter if desired.

39

BISCUITS

Oat and Linseed Cookies (Erin Kuilart)

1 ½ cup rolled oats

½ cup linseeds

½ cup honey

½ cup peanut butter or tahina

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl

Add honey and peanut butter and stir to combine

Line baking tray with baking paper.

Roll mix into balls approx the size of golf balls

Squash lightly with the back of a spoon or fork

Bake @ 140-150◦ for approx 10 mins or until golden brown.

Choc Cookies (Kylie Gough)

225g butter

1 cup sugar

2 ½ cups SR flour

1 tin condensed milk

½ cup cooking chocolate

1/3 cup coco

Place butter and sugar in a bowl, beat until light and creamy.

Stir in flour, condensed milk, coco and grated chocolate.

Mix well.

Half the mixture and shape into logs and wrap in non stick baking paper

and refrigerate for 30 mins. Then slice into 1 ½ inch thick cookies.

Bake @ 180◦ for 8-10 mins.

Tip: you can add sultanas, nuts or choc chips. Logs can also be frozen

for future use.

40

Spice Cookies

125g margarine

½ cup castor sugar

1 egg

1 cup chopped pitted dates

½ cup walnut pieces

1 cup SR flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp mixed spice

4 breakfast cereal wheat biscuits, crushed

Place margarine and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer

until light and creamy.

Add egg and beat well

Stir through dates and walnuts, add sifted flour and spices. Mix well.

Form spoonfuls of mixture into balls and roll in crushed wheat biscuits.

Place on a lightly greased oven tray and press down with a fork.

Bake @ 180◦ for 15 mins or golden brown.

Tip:

If you like chewier cookies try cooking them for 15mins.

Good eating doesn’t = big $’s

41

Recipe’s for this book were

contributed by CSU students/staff

and was an initiative of Division of

Student Services Health Promotion

Service.

Division of Student Services / Health Promotion Service