We all want to create delicious meals with a minimum of fuss. When you add healthy or nutritious to that, some people shy away ... concerned that a nutritional boost will be at the expense of flavour and ease. But Donna Hay says never! With simple flavour twists and clever ingredient tweaks she takes everyday classics to new levels of deliciousness.
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- Donna Hay: Everyday Fresh: Meals in minutes, by Donna Hay. Fourth Estate, $45. Photography: Con Poulos. Recipes and styling: Donna Hay.
Free-form lasagne with minted spinach
Ingredients
6 fresh lasagne sheets, blanched
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
Cauliflower cheese sauce:
1kg cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups milk
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan
sea salt and cracked black pepper
Minted spinach:
500g baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
sea salt and cracked black pepper
Method
1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. To make the cauliflower cheese sauce, place the cauliflower and milk in a large saucepan over low heat and bring to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for eight to 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Allow to cool slightly. Using a hand-held stick blender, blend until smooth. Add parmesan, salt and pepper and stir through.
3. To make the minted spinach, place the spinach into a bowl and pour over boiling water. Set aside for 30 seconds, then drain. Press the spinach between paper towel to remove any excess liquid. Shred the spinach and place into a bowl with the mint, chives, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
4. To assemble lasagnes, place one lasagne sheet into the bases of two lightly greased 16-18cm ovenproof dishes or frying pans. Top each sheet with 3/4-cupful of cauliflower cheese sauce, then 1/4 of the minted spinach. Repeat layering with remaining lasagne sheets, cauliflower cheese sauce and minted spinach, finishing with the remaining cauliflower cheese sauce. Top with the parmesan and place dishes on a baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve sprinkled with the extra parmesan.
Serves 4.
Cauliflower rice bowls with crispy chilli eggs
Ingredients
Cauliflower rice bowls:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp oregano leaves
1kg cauliflower, grated
sea salt and cracked black pepper
200g baby spinach leaves
Crispy chilli eggs:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large red chillies, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
4 eggs
Method
1. To make the cauliflower rice bowls, heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, garlic and oregano and cook for one minute. Add the cauliflower, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for five minutes or until cauliflower is soft. Stir through baby spinach.
2. To make the crispy chilli eggs, heat a medium frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, chilli and onion and cook for one minute. Break the eggs into the pan and cook for one minute. Reduce temperature to low and cover pan. Cook for two minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
3. To serve, place the cauliflower rice mixture into bowls and top with a chilli egg.
Tip: My favourite new way to make cauliflower rice is to simply grate it on a trusty box grater. No need to drag out the food processor every time. It's one of those things I wish I'd discovered sooner. so easy that I now make it much more often.
Serves 4.
Chocolate fudge cake
Ingredients
3/4 cup light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup milk or nut milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
6 eggs
1/2 cup raw caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3 1/2 cups almond meal
Chocolate frosting:
3/4 cup smooth cashew butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 tbsp milk or nut milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C. Line 2 x 20cm round cake tins with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a large bowl add oil, milk, maple, eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and whisk to combine. Sift the baking powder and cocoa over the milk mixture. Add the almond meal and mix to combine. Pour mixture into prepared tins, smoothing the surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool.
3. To make the chocolate frosting, mix together the cashew butter and maple. Sift over the cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add enough milk to make a spreadable consistency. Using a handheld mixer, beat until smooth.
4. Spread top of base with half the chocolate frosting. Layer with other cake. Top with remaining frosting.
Tip: It looks and tastes super-naughty, but it's actually full of super-nice (and good-for-you) stuff. This rich, velvety cake topped with the simplest fudgy icing will become your go-to chocolate cake recipe.
Serves 10-12.
Summer fruits with toasted honey marshmallow
Ingredients
4-5 mixed seasonal stone fruits
1/4 cup raw caster sugar
2 cups frozen raspberries
Honey marshmallow:
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp honey
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cut stone fruits in half, remove and discard stones and place cut-side up on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Sprinkle the fruit with one tablespoon of the sugar. Toss raspberries and remaining sugar together in a bowl and place around stone fruit on baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Increase the oven temperature to 220C.
4. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, whisk egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form. Slowly add honey and continue to whisk until thick and glossy. Place spoonfuls of the honey marshmallow on top of the stone fruit. Return to the oven and bake for three minutes or until golden and toasted.
Tip: This super-easy tray bake dessert celebrates my favourite summer fruits. All the flavours work in harmony - from the tang of the raspberry pan sauce to the sweet cloud of honeyed marshmallow.
Serves 4.