Prawns with Papaya Salad

Shell prawns. Marinate in lime juice, palm sugar, chilli, rice vinegar for about 2 hours. BBQ (not too hot) for about 3 minutes.

Serve with papaya salad: julienned papaya and carrot, slightly mashed in mortar and pestle with roasted peanuts, lime juice, lots of palm sugar, garlic. Leave to develop for 3 hours before serving.

Result: 5
Preparation: would be dead easy if prawns were pre-shelled.

Pumpkin Soup with Capsicum

Onion, roughly chopped.
Red capsicum, roughly chopped.
Fry onion and capsicum gently in olive oil in saucepan.

Butternut pumpkin, roughly diced. Add pumpkin to pan, then add chicken stock, salt & pepper, water. Add finely chopped fresh basil. Cook for about 10 mins. Puree in food processor. Serve with yoghurt and toasted rye bread.

Result: 4
Preparation: under 30 mins

Lamb and Mushroom Pie (plus dessert)

Lamb - diced lamb leg, marinated in oil, lemon and garlic. Cooked under the grill. (or leftover from previous day).

Pie filling: finely diced onion, diced mushrooms, finely diced cooked lamb, spinach leaves, passata, sour cream, pepper. Cook in frypan, then put in ramekin. Top with puff pastry and bake for 15 mins at 200 degrees fan bake.

Result: 4.5. Could be 5 if lamb was cooked in a tender way.
Preparation: very quick especially if lamb is already cooked.

Dessert: Green apple, apricot, peach, diced, 1 tsp sugar, mixed in ramekin and microwaved for 1 minute. Top with pastry and bake for 15 mins. Serve with vanilla yoghurt.

Result: 5. Dinner party quality.
Preparation: dead easy.

Paprika Chicken Marylands

Chicken marylands, skin removed. Rub with sweet paprika (lots) and salt and place in glass dish.

Spuds, cut into wedges and microwaved in white oven dish.

Bake marylands and spuds on fan grill, 180 degrees, for about 45 mins. Drizzle chicken with lime juice occasionally.

Serve with asparagus, microwaved and charred on grill plate, and grilled haloumi.

Result: 5
Preparation: non-existent

Felafel with Salsa

Felafel, somewhat to Charmaine's recipe. Leave out the cracked wheat and go easy on the wholemeal flour. Cook on BBQ on low heat for 20-30 mins. Make salsa with tomato, red capsicum, cucumber and diced orange, with a little rice vinegar. Serve with rolls crusted up on the BBQ and harissa mayonnaise. Eat outside.

Result: 4
Preparation: easy, soak chickpeas a day in advance.

Mini Pizzas

Not a dinner, for nibbles - good for a bring a plate do.

2 sheets puff pastry, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter.

Mix in a bowl:
1 onion, finely diced
1 small red capsicum, finely diced
50g salami, finely chopped
12 olives, finely chopped

Put pastry circles on tray with baking paper. Spread with passata, sprinkle on topping mix and top with grated mozzarella. Bake at 180 degrees fan bake for about 15 mins.

Result: 5
Preparation: easy - took about an hour.