During the current pandemic, accessing regular fresh food and our favourite restaurants and cafes has been very difficult. Government restrictions here in Victoria require us to stay at home as much as possible. Because of this, many people have turned to cooking as a convenient way to enjoy a meal with the family.
With this in mind, we’ve put together some nutritious, tasty, and healthy recipes using some ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. These recipes cover you for lunch, dinner, and those even those snacks in between.
For Lunch
Couscous & tuna
Taking around ten minutes, from start to finish, couscous salad, with tuna, is a light and delicious lunchtime option. You’ll only need:
- ½ cup couscous
- 500ml of ready-made stock, or 2 vegetable stock cubes
- One regular can of tuna, in oil or spring water
- Olive oil
- Handful of sultanas
- 2 tsp of dried herbs
Serves 2-3
- Add the dried herbs to the stock. Cook the couscous according to the instructions on the packet, using the stock instead of water, with sultanas added.
- Once cooked, in a separate bowl, mash up the tuna with the olive oil, and then stir through the couscous. Serve hot or cold.
For Dinner
Simple chicken curry
For this quick, one-pan meal that’s full of flavour and spices, you’ll need:
- 8 chicken thighs, defrosted, deboned and chopped
- Handful of sultanas
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- One can of coconut milk
- 2 tbsp apple puree (from a jar)
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp each of the following spices:
- Ground coriander
- Curry powder
- Garam masala
- Ground cumin
- Some water
Serves 4
- In a large pan fry the chicken with all the spices and stir constantly, using gentle heat. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Keep stirring!
- Add a splash of water and the apple and sultanas. Stir and add in half of the coconut and the tomatoes. If you’re using coconut milk it will need a good stir. Add a bit more water if needed to make a curry consistency.
- Cook gently for approximately 30 minutes and add the final half of coconut just before the end. The taste will be enhanced if this dish is cooked the day before. Sprinkle with fresh herbs if you have any.
As a Snack
Banana & oat cookies
Kids and adults alike will love this one. For healthy banana and oat cookies, you will need:
- 1 medium ripe banana, peeled
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ cup of nuts, raisins or cranberries
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted or soft
- Pinch of salt
Serves 7
- Preheat the oven to 170c. Pop the banana into a medium-sized bowl and use a fork to mash it up. Add the coconut oil, honey, and oats and stir it up until combined.
- Leave it for 10 minutes, then add in the salt and majority of the nuts, raisins, or cranberries and stir it to combine the ingredients.
- Take a tablespoon of the mixture at a time, roll it into a ball, then flatten it to approximately 1cm thick. Place it on a baking tray and repeat.
- Pop it in the oven, for 15 minutes. When removing it from the oven, sprinkle the cookies with the rest of the nuts, raisins, cranberries, then leave them to cool.
We hope you enjoy and find the recipes as tasty as we did!
Kew Dental team