Acknowledgement
Lunch and Dinner recipes provided with permission from Hachette Australia. Photograph by Ian Hofstetter. Text and images of all recipes are copyright protected under the Copyright Act 1968.
For more low-GI recipe ideas, please go to Further Reading. All books are available in bookstores around Australia and New Zealand.
Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese
This meal is high in folate, niacin, beta-carotene and fibre
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes Serves 4
Per serve
Kj/Cal: 2117/498 - Protein: 55g - Fat: 18g (saturated 6g) - Carbohydrates: 26g - Fibre: 10g - GI: Low
Ingredients:
•4 chicken breast fillets (about 200g each
•4 slices reduced fat swiss cheese (15g each), cut into thin strips
•80g mushrooms, thinly sliced
•40g baby spinach leaves
•4 wooden toothpicks
•2 teaspoons olive oil
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•1 ½ cups (330ml) Italian tomato cooking sauce
•½ cup fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut a deep slit (making sure not to cut all the way through) along the length of each chicken breast. Fill each evenly with the cheese, mushrooms and spinach. Secure the opening with toothpicks.
2.Heat the oil in a large non-stick frypan over a medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until well browned.
3.Transfer the chicken to a shallow ovenproof dish and pour over the cooking sauce. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
4.Meanwhile, steam the carrots, beans and sweet corn.
5.Remove the toothpicks and place the chicken breast on serving plates. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle with the basil. Serve with the vegetables.
To Serve:
•1 bunch baby carrots, washed
•240g green beans, trimmed
•2 cobs fresh sweet corn, halved
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Barbecued Lamb with Lentil Salad and lemon Yoghurt Dressing
Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus marinating time) Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 2
Per Serve
Kj/Cal: 1900/447 - Protein: 49g - Fat: 16g (saturated 4g) - Carbohydrates: 21g - Fibre: 11g - GI: Low
Ingredients:
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•1 clove garlic, crushed
•A few sprigs of fresh oregano, roughly torn
•Zest of 1 lemon
•300-400g lamb fillet or backstrap
Dressing
•Juice of 1 lemon
•½ cup low fat natural yoghurt
•Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Salad
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•1 x 400g can brown lentils, drained
•2 medium tomatoes, diced
•35g baby spinach leaves, shredded
Directions:
1.Combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the lamb filets or backstrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Brown the marinated lamb in a frypan over medium-high heat or on a barbecue until just cooked. Remove, cover and set aside.
2.Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice with the yoghurt in a small jar, leaving aside a squeeze of the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Put on the lid and shake to combine.
3.To make the salad, heat the olive oil in a frypan over a medium heat and add the lentils, stirring to warm through. Add the tomatoes and spinach and squeeze of lemon juice and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
4.Slice the lamb across the grain (about 1.5cm thick).
5.Spoon the lentil salad onto serving plates. Top with the sliced meat and pour over the dressing.
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Herbed Fish Parcels with Sweet Potato Wedges and Coleslaw
High in protein and low in fat, this meal is a far cry from fish and chips. It is also loaded with beta-carotene, potassium and magnesium.
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 4
Per serve
Kj/Cal: 1186/279 - Protein: 34g - Fat: 8g (saturated 1g) - Carbohydrates: 22g - Fibre: 5g - GI: Low
Ingredients:
•500g sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
•Spray olive oil
•1 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
•4 x 150g white fish fillets
•2 teaspoons dill, chopped
•2 teaspoons lemon rind, finely grated
•Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Coleslaw
•250g cabbage, finally shredded
•1 carrot, grated
•½ red onion, finely chopped
•¼ cup flatleaf parsley, chopped
•1 tablespoon whole egg mayonnaise
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 220OC and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2.Spray the sweet potato wedges lightly with oil and sprinkle with Cajun spice mix. Toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on the lined tray and bake for 25 minutes
3.Meanwhile, tear 4 squares of non-stick baking paper. Place a fish fillet on each sheet and sprinkle with the dill and lemon rind. Season with pepper. Fold and wrap the baking paper securely to enclose the fish, place on a baking tray. Add to the oven and cook for 15 minutes (so the sweet potatoes cook for 40 minutes in total)
4.For the coleslaw, combine the cabbage, carrot, onion and parsley in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice, toss to combine. Serve the coleslaw with the fish wedges.
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Tuna Poached in Tomatoe and Fennel with Chilli Chickpea Mash
Mashed legumes make a great GI and nutrient-rich alternative to mashed potatoes. The mash also makes a delicious spread on its own, rather like hommous – if you like it hot, add extra chilli.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves 4
Per serve
Kj/Cal: 1730/410 - Protein: 39g - Fat: 14g (saturated 4g) - Carbohydrates: 20g- Fibre: 9g GI: Low
Ingredients:
•1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
•2 large fenel bulbs or 4 baby fennel bulbs, thickly sliced (tops reserved)
•1 large red (Spanish) onion, sliced
•2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
•440g can peeled tomatoes or tomato pieces
•250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
•5cm (2 in) long strip of lemon zest
•1 bay leaf
•500g tuna steaks, cut into bite sized chunks
•Freshly ground paper
•2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
•1 tablespoon chopped fenel tops
•Lemon wedges, to serve
Chilli Chickpea Mash
•44Og can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
•1 small red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
•2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
•Juice of half lemon
•125ml (½ cup) boiling water
•Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1.Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish over low heat and gently cook the sliced fennel, onion and garlic for 10 minutes, or until the onion is golden and transparent. Add the tomatoes, wine, lemon zest and bay leaf and stir to combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked.
2.Place the tuna chunks in the vegetable mixture, gently stir, poach for 3-4 minutes.
3.While the tuna is poaching, make the chilli chickpea mash. Put the chickpeas in a food processor with the chilli, parsley and lemon juice and puree, adding just enough of the boiling water to make a smooth, creamy mixture. Season with pepper.
4.Remove the strip of lemon zest and bay leaf from the tuna and season with pepper. Place a scoop or warm chilli chickpea mash onto each plate and top with the tuna and vegetable mixture. Scatter over the chopped parsley and fennel tops. Serve with lemon wedges, and with crunchy grainy bread for mopping up the juices, if desired.
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Barbecued Fish Tikka
Here the fish and vegetables are threaded onto long metal skewers and then marinated in a spicy yoghurt mixture. Traditionally, the tikka is cooked in an Indian clay tandoori oven, which gives them a wonderful smoky flavour, but you can cook your skewers on the barbecue.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Marinating time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Make 4 skewers
Per serve (2 fish skewers)
Kj/Cal: 1960/470 - Protein: 34g - Fat: 9g (saturated fat 2g) - Carbohydrates: 4g - Fibre: 4g - GI: Low
Ingredients:
•400g firm white fish steaks, cut into 16 x 2.5cm chunks
•1 large red (Spanish) onion, cut into 8 wedges
•½ red capsicum (pepper), cut into 6 x 2.5cm squares
•½ green capsicum (pepper), cut into 6 x 2.5 cm squares
Yoghurt Marinade
•200g low fat natural yoghurt
•½ onion, finally chopped
•2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
•2 garlic cloves, crushed
•1 teaspoon ground coriander
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 tablespoon garam masala
•1 teaspoon paprika
•1 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
•2 tablespoons tomato paste (puree)
•4 lemon wedges
Directions:
1.To make the yoghurt marinade, combine al the ingredients in a non metallic bowl and mix well.
2.To make the fish skewers, allow 4 fish chunks, 2 onion wedges and 3 squares of capsicum (a mix of red and green look good) for each skewer. Thread the fish chunks, onion wedges and capsicum squares onto the skewers in the following order: capsicum, fish, onion, fish, capsicum, fish, onion, fish, capsicum. Place in a shallow dish that is long enough to hold the skewers. Coat the skewers with marinade mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
3.Heat a barbecue or char-grill pan and cook the fish skewers for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are slightly charred on the edges.
4.Serve the fish skewers with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
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Chicken Tagine wit Sweet Potato, Carrots and Prunes
The combination of ginger cinnamon, prunes and honey gives this tagine that taste of Morocco. Serve this one-pot meal with a crispy salad and bread to mop up the juices.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45-50 minutes Serves 4
Per serve
Kj/Cal: 1930/460 - Protein: 38g - Fat: 13g (saturated 3g) - Carbohydrates: 47g - Fibre: 8g - GI: Low
Ingredients:
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•20 baby onions (bite-sized)
•2 orange sweet potatoes (about 750g in total), cut into bite-sized chunks
•1 tablespoon grated ginger
•12 pitted prunes
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1 teaspoon pure floral honey
•375ml (1½ cups) vegetable or chicken stock
•Freshly ground black pepper
•4 chicken breast fillets (about 600g in total), skin and visible fat removed, cut into quarters
•2 teaspoons chopped coriander leaves
•2 tablespoons chopped mint
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 180OC (350OF/Gas 4). Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over low heat, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and golden. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots and ginger and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the vegetables start to colour a little.
2.Stir in the prunes, cinnamon and honey. Allow to heat through, then pour in the stock and season with pepper. Lay the chicken pieces in the liquid, then cove the dish and cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the coriander and mint and serve.
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Pork with Honey Glazed Apples
Lentils gently simmered in stock until they are mushy make a delicious low GI mash for all sorts of meaty mains and are very quick and easy to prepare.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes Serves 2
Per serve
Kj/Cal: 2520/600 - Protein: 63g - Fat: 14g (saturated 3g) - Carbohydrates: 57g - Fibre: 15g – GI:Low
Ingredients:
•Olive oil spray
•2 x 200g pork loin steaks, butterfly steaks or medallions
•2 teaspoons margarine
•2 teaspoons olive oil
•2 green apples, cored and cut into 5mm (1/4 in) thick slices
•1 tablespoon pure floral honey
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•200g steamed green beans, to serve
Red Lentil Mash
•160g (2/3 cup) split red lentils
•1 bay leaf
•250ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
Directions:
1.Spray a non-stick frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes each side, or until lightly browned and cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
2.Add the margarine and oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the apple slices and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring and turning occasionally, until the apples begin to brown. Add the honey and lemon juice and stir to coat the apples. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
3.To make the red lentil mash, put the lentils and bay leaf in a saucepan and add the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally (add extra water if the mixture becomes too dry). Cook until the lentils are soft and mushy.
4.Serve a scoop of the lentil mash on individual plates, top with the pork and apples and drizzle over the pan juices. Serve with steamed green beans.
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