Some delicious and healthy dinner recipes and easy to cook

1- Lentil Cottage Pie

This recipe is low sugar, low fat, and a good source of protein.

Ingredients

· 3 cloves garlic, crushed

· 1 can tomatoes, diced

· 2 cups vegetable stock

· 2 tbsp. tomato paste

· 1 cup dried red lentils, washed

· 1 large carrot, diced

· 1 celery stalk, sliced

· ¼ cup corn

· 1 tbsp. Worcecshire sauce

· 1 onion, sliced

· Sprinkle of herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary)

· 20g feta

· 2 potatoes, finely sliced

· 1 tbsp. olive oil

· Cooking spray

· Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Heat a pot with olive oil and sauté the onion on low-med heat for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add carrot and celery and continue to cook on low heat. Add garlic then a splash of Worcecshire sauce with some herbs; continue cooking a few more minutes. Add a splash of water if needed.

3. Add lentils and canned tomatoes, stock and if needed extra water, simmering until lentils have cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and season with salt and pepper, taste and see if you need more seasoning or herbs. If mixture is a little dry add some more stock or water.

4. Set up 6 ramekins or single serve oven dishes dividing mixture into each. Crumble a little feta onto top of each then place a couple of slices potato on top. Spray a little cooking spray over the potato (this is optional) to brown and bake in oven 20-30 minutes or until potato has cooked.

Nutrition Table

Servings: 6 serving size: 315g

	Average Serve	Average 100g
Energy	946 kJ	300 kJ
	226 Cal	72 Cal
Protein	12.3 g	3.9 g
Fat, total	4.2 g	1.3 g
- saturated	1.1 g	0.4 g
Carbohydrate	28.8 g	9.1 g
- sugars	8.5 g	2.7 g
Sodium	452 mg	144 mg

2- Rosemary Chicken with Tarragon Sauce

In fact, it only takes around 30 minutes to cook, so makes a great mid-week dinner recipe.

Ingredients

· 2 small chicken breasts

· 120g pumpkin cubed

· 1 cup peas and corn

· Drizzle of olive oil

· Sprinkle of dried rosemary

Sauce:

· 1 clove garlic

· ½ onion, sliced

· ¾ cup chicken stock

· 1 cup light and creamy evaporative milk

· 1 tsp. corn flour

· 1 lemon, freshly squeezed

· 1-2 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

· 1 tbsp. butter

· S&P to taste

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C.

2. Cut your pumpkin into bite sized cubes, place in a bowl, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle of rosemary. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake around 20 minutes in oven or until cooked.

3. Meanwhile roll out a sheet of baking paper, season with S&P and a sprinkle of rosemary, place chicken on top, again season the top with S&P and another sprinkle of rosemary. Place another sheet on top of the chicken and with a mallet or rolling pin hit the chicken until it is all the same thickness. When you are happy with the size, take off top sheet of paper and spray with a little cooking spray.

4. Heat a griddle pan or non-stick frypan with a little spray of cooking spray and place the chicken oiled side down first. Cook chicken for appro 4 minutes and turn over and cook a further 4-5 minutes. Cooking time depends on thickness of chicken; it is cooked when firm to touch. When cooked take off, place on a plate, cover with foil and rest for 5 mins.

5. Place peas and corn in a bowl covered with water and microwave for 5 mins. Drain when ready to plate up.

6. Meanwhile the chicken is cooking, in a small non-stick frypan sauté onion on med heat – approx 5 minutes. Add garlic and butter, cook 1 minute, and then heated stock. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add milk, tarragon leaves, season with S&P and simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes. After 5 mins, add lemon juice, and corn flour mixture, simmer a further minute until sauce has slightly thickened.

7. Take out your pumpkin from oven, place on plates, drain peas and corn and also place on plate. Take out chicken from resting and place on top of pumpkin.

8. Pour sauce on chicken and serve immediately.

Nutrition Table

Servings: 2 serving size: 605g

	Average Serve	Average 100g
Energy	2230 kJ	369 kJ
	533 Cal	88 Cal
Protein	60 g	9.9 g
Fat, total	14.8 g	2.4 g
- Saturated	7 g	1.2 g
Carbohydrate	35.8 g	5.9 g
- Sugars	25.1 g	4.2 g
Sodium	274 mg	45 mg

3- Thai Chicken with Rice

What more could you want from a healthy dinner recipe?

This recipe is low fat, low sugar, and a good source of protein.

Ingredients

· 1 large chicken breast, no skin, cut into chunks

· ½ large capsicums (red or yellow) sliced thinly

· 1 small onion, sliced finely

· 4 med button mushrooms sliced

· 1 tsp. sesame oil

· 1 tsp. olive oil

· ½ tsp. chilly, chopped fresh or crushed (suit to your heat level)

· 1 tsp. corn flour, mixed with ¼ cup cold water

· 1 cup cooked rice

Liquids, mixed together

· 2 tbsp. mirin (rice wine vinegar)

· 2 tbsp. soy sauce, salt reduced

· 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce

· 2 tbsp. peanut butter

· 1 cup chicken stock

· 2 tsp. red curry paste

· 2 tbsp. brown sugar

Method

1. Cook rice as per instructions.

2. In a med large non-stick frying pan, heat olive oil and stir fry the onion for 5 mins or until gaining color. Now add the capsicum, and keep stir frying for a further 5 mins and take off heat onto a plate, set aside.

3. In the same pan, heat sesame oil (med-high heat) and cook chicken for 4 mins, doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through as it will cook in the liquid shortly.

4. Whilst chicken is cooking, in a bowl mix together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, peanut butter red curry paste and brown sugar. Set aside.

5. Now add mushrooms and chilly to pan with the chicken, cook for 3 mins. Add the cup of chicken stock. Simmer for 2 mins.

6. Now add all the ingredients from the bowl to the pan, simmer for a couple more minutes.

7. Add the mixed corn flour mixture to the pan, stir and should thicken.

8. Serve with cooked rice.

Nutrition Table

Servings: 2 serving size: 617g

	Average Serve	Average 100g
Energy	2410 kJ	391 kJ
	576 Cal	93 Cal
Protein	54.4 g	8.8 g
Fat, total	17.0 g	2.8 g
- Saturated	3.7 g	0.6 g
Carbohydrate	44.0 g	7.1 g
- Sugars	23.2 g	3.8 g
Sodium	2280 mg	370 mg

Some delicious and healthy dinner recipes and easy to cook