Ingredients

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp plum sauce
• 1 tbsp light oil
• 250g lean pork or chicken mince
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally
• 4 lettuce cups, chilled

Serves 4-6

Preparation

• Mix together the soy and plum sauces in a small jug.
• Add the oil to the microwave safe container.
• Cook, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 30 seconds.
• Stir in the man and garlic.  Cook, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
• Add the spring onions and sauces.  Cook, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 1 ½ minutes.
• Serve in the lettuce cups.

Tip
Finely ground lean mince produces the best results in microwave cooking and is a healthier option.

Variation: add a can of drained and sliced water chestnuts to the pork stir-fry in step 3.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 ½ cups vegetable stock
• 1 kg tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 20 fresh basil leaves a few drops of balsamic vinegar
• juice of ½ a lemon
• 2/3 cup natural (plain) yoghurt
• granulated sugar and salt, to taste

For garnish

• 2 tbsp natural (plain) yoghurt
• 8 small basil leaves
• 2 tsp basil flowers, all green parts removed

Serves 4-6

Reduce tomatoes to 750g add 250g red capsicum or cucumber, seeds removed, flesh chopped.
For extra flavor add a good pinch of ground chilies to taste.

Preparation

• Place the first 10 ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
• Chill for 2 hours.
• Serve swirled with yoghurt and garnished with basil.

Ingredients

• 500g Jap pumpkin cleaned & evenly cut
• 1 cup (250ml) vegetable stock
• 1 small onion diced
• 1-2 teaspoons Thai or Indian curry paste
• Juice 1/2 lemon
• Yoghurt to serve

Preparation

• Place pumpkin in circular configuration around the outer edge of a microwave safe plate, sprinkle with water, cover and zap on high (100%) 6 – 7 minutes.
• Mash roughly and keep warm.
• Place onion, curry paste and stock in a microwave safe jug, cover and zap on High (100%) 5 – 6 minutes, uncover and stir in pumpkin and lime juice.
• Serve swirled with yoghurt and crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups hot water, lightly salted
• 1/2 cup of polenta
• 2 tsp seeded mustard
• 2 corn cobs, silks removed, but husks left on
• 3 lean slices of bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Oil
• Pepper to taste

Serves 4

Preparation

• Bring water to the boil in an ovenable glass jug, 4 minutes on High (100%).
• Stir in polenta and cook 3 to 4 minutes on High (100%) stirring once.
• Blend in mustard (polenta should have thickened).
• Spread polenta in a shallow dish and allow to cool until firm.
• Lightly oil corn cobs then recover with husk.
• Cook on the edges of the turntable for 4 minutes on High (100%).
• Set aside to stand until cool enough to handle.
• Remove kernels from cobs, into a bowl.
• Place bacon between several sheets of paper towel and cook on High (100%) for 2 minutes until crisp.
• Add to corn kernels and season with pepper to taste.
• Stir through parsley.
• Slice polenta into 8 fingers and brown in a non stick fry pan or barbecue.
• Top polenta fingers with corn mix and serve with a green salad.