Pork Larb Salad

Soak thinly sliced red onion in hot water for several hours.
Julienne zucchini, carrot and cabbage. Fry lightly.
Fry minced pork with chopped chilli and chopped spring onion.
Finely chop fresh mint and thai basil.
Cook rice noodles well and drain and rinse in cold water.

Dressing: rice vinegar, sesame oil, canola oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, fresh lime juice, sugar.

Could also use chopped peanuts and cucumber.

Result: 5. Would be even better with a couple of prawns.

Preparation: dead easy and very quick.

Chicken Rendang

Packet of Chicken Rendang mix. Chopped chicken thigh fillets. Cook according to packet, adding some bok choy towards end. Serve with cabbage fried with sesame oil.

Result: 4.5 - super yummy, but a bit oily! Would be great with potato cooked in it too.

Preparation: easy

Zucchini Frittata

Grate 3 zucchini and squeeze out moisture. Finely slice a red onion.

Caramelise the onion in non-stick pan. Remove and then cook zucchini in pan until soft. Probably best to drain / squeeze zucchini here (though still works if not). Pour & mix in 6 beaten eggs, salt + pepper and chopped fresh basil. Spread onion on top and crumbled over feta and grated mozzarella. Cook slowly until egg is mostly cooked. Finish off under griller. Leave to cool before cutting.

Result: 4.5. Great for finger food.

Preparation: very easy, but takes a little time to cook.

Also amazing done with carrot, mushroom and capsicum instead of zucchini, and topped with grilled pumpkin slices and fried ham and onion, and feta and tasty cheese.

Pumpkin and Feta Pizza

Mr Pitta pizza bases - one each may be enough as it's quite filling.
Tomato passata
Mozzarella
Feta
Pumpkin, in 1cm cubes, roasted at 195 degrees on fan for 15 mins
Asparagus, zapped for 2 mins
Caramelised onion
Fresh basil, chopped
Rocket + spinach on top after baking.

Bake at 195 degrees on fan, directly onto the oven rack, for 10 mins.

Result: 5. YUMMO.

Preparation: easy, and can be done partly in advance.

Pasta Amatriciata

Saute bacon pieces, sliced onion, sliced mushrooms. Add tinned tomatoes and cook for about 5 mins. Add fresh basil, asparagus, baby spinach and chilli. Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese.

Result: 4 - quite tasty
Preparation: ready in the time it took to boil the water and cook the pasta - about 15 mins.

Quick Tofu & Chicken Stock soup

Cam's special chicken stock, watered down in a saucepan.
Soft tofu in big blocks, fried lightly.
Spinach leaves, washed.
Rice noodles, boiled according to packet and drained.

Place noodles, spinach and tofu in individual bowls, top with stock. Add dark soy and sesame oil to taste.

Result: 3 - nothing special, but good for recovering from gastro ...

Preparation: super quick - done in about 20 mins.

Thai Coleslaw

Grilled chicken breast, chopped.
Chinese cabbage, finely sliced.
Red papaya, diced.
Cucumber, sliced.
Carrot, julienned.
Red capsicum, finely sliced.
Red onion, very finely sliced.
Crushed peanuts.
Fresh mint and coriander.
Dressing: rice vinegar, light soy, lime juice, fish sauce (tiny bit), jar chilli, crushed garlic, palm sugar.

Serve with rice.

Result: 4 (4.5 for a hot night).

Preparation: lots of chopping, but only the chicken to cook.

Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

Tin of tuna - Sirena tuna in springwater.
Red onion, finely sliced and soaked in hot water.
Tin cannellini beans.
Green beans, cooked in microwave for 2 mins.
Kalamata olives.
Tomatoes, roughly chopped.
Capsicum, roughly chopped.
Cucumber, roughly chopped.

Dress with a light vinaigrette.

Serve on a bed of lettuce with buttered bread.

Result: 4.5

Preparation: quick and easy, and minimal cooking. Great for a hot day.

World's Greatest Rissoles

Lamb mince and pork mince, of the fatty variety, about 700g total.
Grated onion.
Dried oregano.
1 egg.
Squirt tomato sauce.
Splash worstershire sauce.
Tsp cornflour.
Pinch salt.

Mix with hands. Shape into patties and refrigerate for several hours before cooking on a BBQ.

Result: 4 (5 in the rissole category)

Preparation: easy and quick

Cheesy polenta with Salsa

Best made with Caesar salad, so bacon fat is available to fry the polenta :-)

Cook polenta, leave to cool and then fry. Serve with salsa of red and green capsicum, cucumber, tomato, spring onion, red onion, avocado, lime juice, rice vinegar, coriander, sugar, dash tabasco.

Result: 5 for the salsa. Only part of a dinner.

Preparation: lots of chopping, but no cooking.

Caesar Salad and Asparagus and Goat's Cheese Salad

Caesar Salad: Cos lettuce, fried bacon, parmesan cheese, poached eggs, light dressing: olive oil, tiny bit of red wine vinegar, pepper, sugar, worstershire sauce.

Asparagus salad: char asparagus in frypan (or blanch), very lightly fry one side of goat's cheese (collect scrapings from spatula), put on fancy lettuce. Dressing: olive oil, red wine vinegar, little bit of sugar.

Serve with buttered bread.

Result: 5

Preparation: dead easy, and little heat in kitchen.

Mediterranean Sausages and Vegetables

Pork & fennel sausages, cooked.
Eggplant, charred in non-stick pan. Zucchini chopped. Red and green capsicum fried with chopped red onion and mushrooms. Tin of tomatoes, splash of passata, cinzano. Bit of oregano, smoked paprika, fennel seeds, chilli.

Cook rice and spread in small baking dish. Top with tomato stuff. Top with grated mozzarella. Grill for 5 mins.

Result: 4.5

Preparation: quick and easy