Recipes

Want to know what a dietitian eats? Here it is.

Healthy food doesn't need to be boring - I'm all about quick and simple food which tastes delicious and just happens to be healthy too!

by Skye Swaney 2 Comments

One Tray Mediterranean Lamb & Halloumi

One Tray Mediterranean Lamb & Halloumi I love a one tray meal, there’s something so satisfyingly efficient about just being able to throw everything onto a pan, put it in the oven and then have dinner ready and waiting for you not long afterwards.

This One Tray Mediterranean Lamb & Halloumi is made even more satisfying by the fact that it includes six different types of vegetables – which not only makes it super healthy and nutritious with lots of different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but it also means that it looks beautiful thanks to all the different colours. And just when you thought it couldn’t get much better, there’s halloumi!

The combination of lamb, vegetables and halloumi provides a perfectly balanced meal with plenty of protein, fibre, low GI carbs, and some calcium too (something which many of us don’t get enough of!). Oh, and it tastes amazing! One Tray Mediterranean Lamb & Halloumi Ingredients (serves 2):
4 lamb chops or cutlets
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 small sweet potato, sliced into wedges (with skin on)
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced into wedges
1 cob sweet corn, cut into 5 slices
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 capsicum (any colour), sliced
50g halloumi, cut into 1cm slices
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2 small wholemeal pita breads, to serve (optional)

Yoghurt Sauce
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely chopped mint
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Arrange lamb cutlets, vegetables and halloumi onto a large oiled oven tray.
Sprinkle with mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until lamb is well cooked, vegetables are soft and halloumi is lightly browned.
Meanwhile, make yoghurt sauce by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Divide lamb, vegetables and halloumi between two plates, top with yoghurt sauce and serve with pita bread.

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Fig, Goat’s Cheese & Candied Walnut Salad

It’s no secret that I love a good salad. Not just because they’re healthy, but because you get to mix a whole lot of different flavours, textures and colours into one meal. Plus they’re fun to make as you can basically just throw in whatever you like and see how it goes. But I do usually follow some basic rules when creating salad recipes – to me, great salads are all about contrasting textures and flavours; like soft and crunchy, sweet and salty.

This salad is a perfect example. The sweet figs and orange, crunchy candied walnuts go perfectly with the soft and salty goat’s cheese – and as an added bonus it looks beautiful too!

The candied walnuts require a little extra effort, but trust me, it’s totally worth it (if you can stop yourself from eating them all before they make it into the salad!).Ingredients (serves 2):
2 tsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
3 large handfuls baby spinach leaves
4 figs cut into quarters
1 orange, peeled and cut into segments with pith removed (optional)
50g goat’s cheese

Dressing:
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp seeded mustard

Method:

To make the candied walnuts, heat a small fry pan over medium heat. Add butter, sugar and walnuts and stir constantly for around 5 minutes or until walnuts are toasted and well coated with sugar mixture (the butter and sugar may form clumps to start with but just keep stirring). Allow to cool.
Place spinach leaves in a large bowl, gently toss through figs, orange segments, goat’s cheese and 2 tbsp of the candied walnuts.
Stir dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jug. Drizzle over salad and serve.

by Skye Swaney 3 Comments

Healthy Chicken Parmigiana

The pub chicken parmigiana is a bit of an institution in Australia and even has weekly nights devoted to its name, but unfortunately it doesn’t make for the healthiest dinner. Not only is the chicken deep fried and then slathered in a mound of melted cheese, in most cases it’s also accompanied by half a plateful of chips. Tastes good sure, but not exactly good for you.

My healthy version uses fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs, is baked in the oven instead of being deep fried and ditches the chips. But in case that sounds like a whole lot less fun, don’t worry – you still get the crispy breaded chicken combined with delicious tomato sauce and melted cheese (just a little less of it!). Plus, it’s extremely easy to make and can all be done in the oven in less than half an hour (and you don’t have to go out to the pub to get it!).

Of course, you can serve it with salad instead of zucchini if you prefer or even some oven baked chips, but I like the fact that all you have to do is throw a zucchini on the tray while the chicken’s cooking and dinner is done 🙂Ingredients (serves 2):
1 large chicken breast
1 egg
1 cup fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 tsp lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1 large zucchini, halved widthwise and cut into sticks
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.
Bash chicken with a rolling pin or meat mallet until around 2cm in thickness, then cut in half lengthwise.
Crack egg into a shallow bowl and beat lightly. Spread breadcrumbs over a large plate and combine with lemon zest and salt.
Dip chicken breast pieces into egg and turn to coat. Then transfer to breadcrumbs, coating evenly on both sides (you may need to press them in a little so that they stick).
Place chicken breast pieces onto a large oven tray lined with baking paper and spray tops with olive oil spray. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove tray from oven and arrange zucchini sticks around chicken, seasoning with chilli flakes. Bake for a further 5 minutes.
Top chicken pieces with tomato sauce, spreading evenly over centre third. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over tomato sauce. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.

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Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

It might be a little early in the season for soup – but I’ve had enough of the hot weather now so I’m just going to go ahead and get stuck into some wintery things and hope that some colder weather follows!

This soup combines so many of my favourite foods – beans, sweet corn, lime, avocado – it’s almost like a taco in a soup. It’s also incredibly nutritious, and provides a great balance of low GI carbs and protein and of course plenty of veg. If you haven’t used black beans before, I would highly recommend trying them – as with all legumes they’re a great source of fibre, low GI carbs and protein and also add an authentic Mexican vibe (if you can’t find them, kidney beans will work just as well though).

As usual, I’ve taken just about every shortcut possible to make this soup really quick and easy to make – and because the chicken cooks in the soup it’s one extremely efficient recipe!

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 (400g) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (equivalent of 1 cob or 1 small can)
1 can black beans
1 1/2 tbsp Mexican spice mix (or alternatively, use taco seasoning)
4 chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp lime juice

To serve (don’t leave these out, they’re the best bit!):
2 small corn of flour tortillas, cut into thin strips (or one large handful of corn chips, crushed)
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 tbsp sour cream
1 radish, finely sliced (optional)
Few sprigs of coriander
1/2 large red or green chilli, sliced
A couple of lime wedges
Dash of chilli sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C
Combine chicken stock, water, crushed tomatoes, sweet corn, black beans and Mexican spice mix in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken drumsticks and allow to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until drumsticks are cooked through.
Meanwhile, place tortilla strips on an oven tray and bake for 5 minutes or until just beginning to brown (watch them carefully as they burn quickly!)
Remove drumsticks from pan and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then remove meat from bones, shred and return the meat to the pan (discarding bones). Stir through lime juice.
Divide soup between two bowls. Top with sliced avocado, sour cream, radish, lime coriander, chilli and tortilla strips.

by Skye Swaney Leave a Comment

15 Minute Apple Strudel

There are times when you want a rich, indulgent dessert and other times when you just want a sweet but healthy treat to finish off the night. This is a recipe for the latter situation!

Instead of pastry, this version uses mountain bread – a really thin, light wrap – which means that it’s not only much better for you, but also is much less fiddly to make, win:win! And don’t worry, it still looks and tastes like the real thing (and if you do want to make it a little more indulgent, you can always serve it with some ice cream!).

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 green apples, peeled and diced into 2cm pieces
1/4 cup sultanas
1 tbsp walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Extra virgin olive oil spray
2 Mountain Bread wraps (or other very thin wrap)
2 tsp honey
1 tsp icing sugar (optional)
Natural yoghurt or ice cream, to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place apple in a microwave safe bowl, cover with a plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir through sultanas, walnuts and cinnamon.
Place one sheet of Mountain Bread on a lined baking tray. Spray lightly with oil, then top with second sheet. Spoon apple mixture lengthwise down centre third and drizzle over honey.
Wrap the two long sides of the mountain bread over the apple mixture, then gently turn the strudel over so that the folded edge is underneath.
Spray top with olive oil spray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Sift over icing sugar, slice into as many pieces as you like and serve with yoghurt or ice cream.

by Skye Swaney Leave a Comment

Quick Chicken San Choy Bow

My healthy take on an all time favourite which you can get on the table in less than 30 minutes!

‘San choy bow’ apparently means ‘wrapped in lettuce’. I’m not sure if this is true or not but I love it served this way in some crunchy lettuce cups – although it can be a little awkward to eat! To avoid the awkwardness you can have it over steamed brown rice or vermicelli noodles or even just on it’s own if you prefer – don’t worry, you’ll still get some nice crunch from the water chestnuts and peanuts 🙂

For this super healthy version I’ve used chicken instead of pork to reduce the amount of saturated fat and added a whole lot more veggies. It might not be exactly traditional but it’s a lot healthier and still tastes delicious!

It makes a great weeknight dinner but can also be an impressive looking starter if you need something a bit fancy. Ingredients (serves 2)
1 tbsp sesame oil
250g chicken mince
1 cm piece ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sesame oil, extra
1 cup Chinese cabbage, finely sliced (regular cabbage is fine too)
1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 cups mixed vegetables such baby corn, zucchini, carrot and mushroom, all finely diced
1 small tin water chestnuts, finely diced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 iceberg lettuce (or use 2 baby gem or cos lettuces)
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
A few sprigs of coriander
1/2 small chilli, finely sliced

Method:

Heat half the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened, then add chicken and stir fry until browned. Set aside.
Heat remaining oil in wok, then add cabbage, spring onions, mixed vegetables and water chestnuts. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until softened slightly.
Stir through oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Gently separate lettuce leaves and place 4-6 of the smaller leaves onto serving plates. Spoon chicken mixture into lettuce cups, top with peanuts, coriander and chilli and serve.

by Skye Swaney Leave a Comment

One Pan Beef & Basil Pasta

This pasta is so delicious I really can’t recommend it enough – and it’s so easy to make it always surprises me just how good it is, it actually feels like cheating! Minimum effort, maximum reward with this delicious one pan pasta! Basically all you have to do is brown the mince, pile in the rest of the ingredients and let the stove do the work, and then in less than 20 minutes you’re treated to a delicious pan of cheesy, tomatoey pasta goodness – and don’t worry, there’s plenty of veg in there too! Minimum effort, maximum reward with this delicious one pan pasta! It makes a perfect midweek meal when you just want to get dinner sorted as quickly as possible and only needs basic ingredients so no last minute trips to the supermarket required.

If you don’t have any of these veg on hand, you could use onion, mushrooms or baby spinach instead to up the veg component. And don’t forget to take some leftovers for lunch the next day, I guarantee you’ll thank yourself for it! Minimum effort, maximum reward with this delicious one pan pasta! Ingredients (serves 2):
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
200g lean beef mince
1 cup spiral pasta
1 tomato, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 cup good quality tomato pasta sauce
1 cup water
1/3 cup pitted black olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
Large handful of basil leaves

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add beef mince and cook until mince is browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Add pasta, tomato, zucchini, tomato pasta sauce and water to pan and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for around 15 minutes until pasta is al dente (add a little more water if it gets too dry).
Stir through olives, mozzarella and half the basil. Cover and cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and cheese is melted.
Divide between two bowls, top with remaining basil and serve.

by Skye Swaney 2 Comments

One Tray Mexican Egg Hash

To me there’s nothing better than a meal where you just chop up a bunch of different things and throw it all into the oven to take care of itself. If it ends up looking and tasting fantastic then that’s a huge bonus – and if it’s healthy too then it’s basically a dream recipe in my book! This super easy Mexican egg hash ticks all of these boxes – and you only use one pan so you’ll barely even have to wash up, it doesn’t get much better than that!

Thanks to all of the different vegetables, you end up with a tray full of contrasting colours, which don’t just look beautiful, they also provide a whole lot of different phytochemicals – plant compounds which give vegetables their colour and can also reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.

There’s also plenty of fibre and low GI carbs from the sweet potato, corn and beans and protein and vitamins and minerals from the eggs – so an almost perfectly balanced meal all in all. Plus, it works just as well for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and thickly sliced
1/2 red capsicum, cut into chunks
1 zucchini, thickly sliced
1 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (tinned or fresh)
1/2 large red or green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4-5 eggs
Handful of coriander leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C and drizzle a large oven tray with olive oil.
Scatter sweet potato, capsicum, zucchini, beans, corn and chilli over tray, sprinkle with paprika, toss lightly in oil and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove tray from oven and make 4-5 small gaps in the veggies for the eggs.
Gently crack one egg into each hole and bake for a further 5 minutes or until eggs are set but still soft in the middle.
Scatter over coriander and season with salt and pepper, then divide between two plates and serve!

Recipe inspired by The Kitchn.

by Skye Swaney 2 Comments

5 Veg & Feta Fritters

5 veg and feta fritters Just about every parent I know worries that their kids aren’t eating enough veggies. And it’s not just kids – the stats show that only 7% of us adults are eating enough vegetables, so it looks like almost all of us need to lift our game in the veg department!

But if veggies really don’t float your boat or you’re dealing with fussy eaters, there’s one (almost) guaranteed way to make them a whole lot more appealing, and that’s to make them into fritters (’cause who doesn’t love a fritter!).

Feel free to use other veg if you like – potato, sweet potato, fennel, carrot, sweet corn and peas are all great additions (just keep the overall quantities the same). And if you’re worried about protein, don’t be. Thanks to the eggs and feta, you’ll be getting a good dose of not just protein but B12 and calcium too.

Ingredients (serves 2 – makes about 8):
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated pumpkin
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red capsicum
1/2 cup finely chopped baby spinach
100g soft feta
2 eggs
1/3 cup wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

To serve (optional):
1/2 avocado, diced
50g extra feta
Handful of mint leaves
1/2 large red chilli, sliced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method

Mix all ingredients except olive oil together in a large bowl until well combined.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over low-medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cupfuls of batter into frying pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side (by this stage the fritters should be golden brown and the veggies nice and soft).
Serve topped with the extra feta, avocado, mint leaves, chilli and sweet chilli sauce. You can also serve these in a bread roll if you want something a bit more filling (this is a great option for lunch leftovers!).

5 veg and feta fritters

by Skye Swaney 1 Comment

Easy Baked Chicken Meatballs

Just about everyone loves meatballs, but they generally require an annoying amount of time standing over a frying pan and mine always end up breaking apart as they’re cooking. Not these ones though – all you have to do is just pop them in the oven and they’ll take care of themselves – and they stay in one piece!

But the best thing about these meatballs is that you can repurpose them for a whole lot of different meals – have them the traditional meatball way with pasta covered in tomato sauce, as an appetiser with a tomato or sweet chilli dipping sauce, in a soup, as part of a salad or even as an appetiser with a tomato or sweet chilli dipping sauce – the possibilities are endless.

They are also a great way to sneak some extra vegetables into a fussy eaters diet.

Ingredients (makes about 20 small meatballs):
500g chicken mince
1/2 cup almond meal (alternatively, use breadcrumbs)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely grated
1 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (e.g. thyme, parsley, oregano)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 large red chilli, deseeded and finely diced (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.
Form tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls (using wet hands helps to stop the mixture from sticking) and place on an oiled oven tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

by Skye Swaney Leave a Comment

Super Healthy Nachos

super healthy nachos Ingredients (serves 4):
1 red capsicum, cut into strips
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
5 wholemeal wraps, cut into triangles
1 cup tinned black beans, rinsed
1 avocado, sliced
100g feta
1/2 red or green chilli
Handful of coriander leaves
1 lime
2 tsp chilli sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.
Place capsicum and tomatoes on an oven tray, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and roast for 10-15 minutes until soft.
Meanwhile, spread wrap triangles over a large oven tray and bake for around 5 minutes until golden brown (watch them carefully as they can burn very easily!)
Transfer triangles to a large serving plate. Top with capsicum and tomato, black beans, avocado, feta, chilli, coriander, lime and chilli sauce.

by Skye Swaney 2 Comments

Easy Falafel & Roasted Veggie Bowls

I’ve always had a soft spot for falafels, but until now I’ve never really bothered to cook them as they just seemed like a bit too much hard work. But I’ve had a real craving for them lately so I decided to try and come up with a simplified version, and it worked!

These ones only use a handful of basic ingredients and all you need to do is whizz them up in a food processor, roll them into balls and throw them in the oven and you’re done. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Plus, because these ones are baked instead of deep fried (like most of the falafels you get), they’re not only less fiddly but a whole lot healthier too.

If you need any more convincing: chickpeas – the main ingredient in falafels are an excellent source of protein, fibre and iron so they’re a great replacement for meat. And because I’m all about efficient cooking, the veggies can be roasted at the same time as the falafels, so you’ve got a beautifully colourful bowl of wholesome goodness in hardly any time at all.

Ingredients (serves 2)
For the falafels:
1 cup tinned chickpeas, rinsed
1 handful fresh coriander
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

For the veggies:
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 cm thick straws
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 corn cob, kernels removed
2 tsp Moroccan spices (or use a mix of cumin, coriander and paprika)
1 tsp cumin seeds

To serve:
Handful baby spinach
Handful finely sliced red cabbage
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp natural yoghurt or hummus
1/2 green or red chilli, finely chopped
Lemon wedges
Few sprigs of coriander

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Combine all felafel ingredients in a food processor and process until the mixture forms a thick paste. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry, or a little flour if it’s too wet. Form into balls about 5cm in diameter and place on an oiled baking tray, flattening them slightly with your palm.
Place cauliflower, sweet potato and corn on another oiled baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices.
Bake falafels and vegetables for around 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Divide baby spinach and cabbage between two serving bowls. Top with roasted vegetables and falafels, then pumpkin seeds, yoghurt, chilli, lemon and extra coriander.