Cooking more often helps you:
- try new foods
- learn new skills
- save money.
Be careful to follow food safety guidelines when preparing food for babies children and older adults. They are more vulnerable to illness from food contamination.
Hearty vegetable soup
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 brown onion diced
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 can reduced-salt tomatoes
- 1 can reduced-salt beans drained and rinsed
- 1 litre reduced-salt stock
- Wholegrain bread to serve
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and onion cook until translucent.
- Add the celery and carrots cook until tender. Pour in the tomatoes beans and stock.
- Bring to the boil then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve with wholegrain bread rolls or toast.
Variations
Mexican bean soup - Cook the onions with 1 teaspoon each of cumin and paprika. Shred any leftover roast meat and add to the basic recipe. Heat through. Serve with lime coriander and reduced-fat sour cream.
Adapted from Healthy Eating Advisory Service (2016).
Crunchy vegetable stir fry
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 brown onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1 red capsicum sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 1 can reduced-salt baby corn drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon reduced-salt soy sauce
- Noodles to serve
Steps
- Beat the eggs with a fork and pour them into a hot wok or pan. Cook to form a thin omelet then set aside.
- Heat the oil. Add the onion garlic and ginger. Stir fry until translucent. Add the vegetables and soy sauce. Stir fry until tender.
- Cut the cooked egg into strips. Add to the pan and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through.
- Serve with noodles.
Variations
Pork and cashew stir fry - Add 350 grams of cooked pork strips to the basic recipe replacing the eggs. Heat through. Top with 1/3 cup of chopped unsalted cashews and serve with rice noodles.
Adapted from Healthy Eating Advisory Service (2016).
Fragrant vegetable curry
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ butternut pumpkin peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 cups reduced-salt stock
- 1 can reduced-salt lentils
- 1 cup green beans chopped
- 1 broccoli or cauliflower chopped
- 1 can reduced-fat coconut flavoured evaporated milk
- Rice to serve
Steps
- Heat the oil in a wok or pan. Add the pumpkin garlic ginger and curry powder stir for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and lentils gently simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables continue simmering until tender.
- Stir in the evaporated milk and gently heat through. Take care not to boil the milk.
- Serve with rice.
Variations
Thai green curry - Use 1 tablespoon of green curry paste instead of curry powder. Add 300g of cooked diced chicken replacing the lentils. Heat through. Top with lime juice and serve with rice.
Adapted from Healthy Eating Advisory Service (2016).