Quick & Easy

Home-made blinis are quite simple, but if you're short of time you can buy them and just make the topping.

Piquant and full of fresh flavours, salsa verde turns these mini-toasts topped with sliced steak into a fabulous cocktail party platter.

Green curry paste is one of the hottest of the traditional Thai pastes, coconut cream soothes the fire a little in this green chicken curry.

This is a meal and a half, perfect for dinner at the end of an active weekend day. Let the crisp potato pancakes soak up some of the zesty chilli and ginger liquid from the steaks.

This delicious yet simple pasta dish is packed with veggies and can be whipped up quickly and easily. In fact, you'll have most of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge already.

Broad beans are also known as fava beans. They are high in fibre and a good source of vitamin C and folate. This recipe is delicious, and would also be excellent with a good squeeze of lemon on top.

Super simple and seriously zesty, this lemon and lime rice salad makes an excellent side dish for lunch or dinner.

It is fine to use one 300ml carton of cream for this recipe. Note

A fragrant and fresh Vietnamese coleslaw with a sweet and sour lime dressing.

For an elegant Christmas dessert, try this cheat's ice-cream terrine served with fresh berries. For a more layered look, you could use two different flavours of ice-cream.

Perfectly roasted potatoes should be crisp and golden brown on the outside, and densely smooth and moist on the inside; full-flavoured and rich but never greasy.

This decadent almond crunch is a stunning accompaniment to hot espresso.

This recipe is so fast and easy! Great for a simple dinner or quick lunch.

Taking the name from Baltistan, a mountainous region in northern Pakistan, balti curries often include paneer.

These chewy gluten-free cookies are divine served with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Use un-iced, unfilled plain biscuits for this recipe. Note

You can serve this delectable cherry and white chocolate ice-cream already sliced and in bowls, or bring to the table still whole and studded with sparklers.

We all love a bit of yin and yang in our lives, and our cooking. Sure, caramel isn't the healthiest thing on earth, but accompanied with these fruit skewers the result is absolutely irresistible.

The hardest part of making this cake is making the butter cream smooth on the sides of the petals where the cake has been cut. If you freeze the cut cake pieces for an hour or so, it will help minimise the cake crumbling.

These delicious puddings can be made up as quick as a flash as long as you have a jar of jam in your cupboard. Plus, they're gluten-free so everyone can enjoy them.

This divine ice-cream would taste fantastic with fresh or caramelised banana.

Roasted blueberries with brie makes a great starter, or buffet dish. You can bake a whole brie for 30 minutes in a medium hot oven if you prefer a warm dish for sharing.

The flavour you get from just a few cupboard ingredients packs an enormous flavour. It is perfect for deep-fried spring rolls, rice paper rolls, or even drizzled over a perfectly cooked steak.

Lemon, basil and garlic butter is baked under the skin of these delicious chicken pieces. Crusty bread is recommended to mop up the buttery leek sauce.

These crisp brandy snaps make a sophisticated, light dessert for a dinner party.

To make the ground walnuts, place nuts in a mini food processor or blender, process until fine. Note

This speedy soup is wholesome, filling and delicious with crusty bread rolls.

We used gourmet country-style beef sausages in this recipe. Note

Cosy up with this winter with tender slow-cooked lamb shanks and dreamy white bean purée.

Serve this fresh and nutritious tomato salsa with corn chips or atop crusty toasted sourdough, bruschetta-style. It is even more delicious when topped with crumbled feta.

Freshly diced mango and halved strawberries are a perfect match for this easy summer ice-cream. Note

You can use any type of sliced bread. Note

This creamy and lemony dip is delicious and dead easy to make. You can adjust the lemon juice and garlic to taste.

Tender, juicy peppered steak with a ripe tomato and rocket salad makes a fabulous, relaxed meal for dinner with friends.

Tasty little pork filled lettuce cups make a great starter; or serve them up as part of a banquet meal.

A fresh and bold Asian broth with crispy pork belly that melts in the mouth.

A healthy and warming winter vegetable sauté with prosciutto and hazelnuts.

A healthy warm bean and lentil salad drizzled with vinaigrette from Australian Women's Weekly.

For a packed lunch, prepare this salad the night before; it is best dressed just before serving. Place beetroot in base of lunch container, top with mesclun, potato and beef; pack dressing separately. Store in the fridge; bring to room temperature before serving. Note

Fast and fresh, this pork and green bean noodle stir fry is a great mid-week dinner recipe.

A sophisticated and elegant dish that can be served as a starter or as a very light lunch or main.

You can trim the ice-cream slice to fit the lamington, if you prefer. Note

Frozen edamame, soy beans in the pod, are available from Asian supermarkets. You will need about 300g (9½ ounces) in the pod. You can also use frozen broad (fava) beans; you’ll need to discard the outer skin after the podded beans have been brought to the boil. Note

These healthy Middle Eastern spiced vegetable kebabs combine sweet, dense kumara with juicy beetroot to create a flavour sensation that will keep you coming back for more!

Rich and luxurious Italian three-cheese ravioli with brown butter from Australian Women's Weekly.

Paired with crisp apple slaw, these juicy sliders will have your guests drooling.

Mexican food is a mid-week meal choice. It is easy to prepare, affordable, fresh and delicious!

Enjoy this classic Middle Eastern dip with vegetable sticks, crackers, bread or meats. It's easy to make and packed full of the goodness of chickpeas.

An Italian soup with fusilli, cannelini beans and parmesan cheese.

Recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

The mixed spice gives a unique aromatic element to this cake, which is kept deliciously moist with the addition of yoghurt.

These tender, barbecued lemon and garlic pork ribs are literally finger-licking good, perfect for lunch with friends.

There is nothing quite like taking a freshly baked loaf out of the oven. We've gone with the fancy plait here, but all you need is a basic recipe and you can explore all sorts of variations like the ones we've detailed below.

Soft and savoury, the light allium flavour of leek makes for a particularly toothsome quiche.

deep 20cm (8-inch) square cake pan 20cm (8-inch) square cake board (page 334) 30cm (12-inch) square cake board (page 334) You’ll need to buy an 80g (2½-ounce) packet of ice-cream wafers, as there will be some breakages when you line and make compartments in the jewellery box. The cake can be completed at least two […]

An exquisite and nourishing dish of salmon tartare on lentil salad served with fresh bread and lemon wedges.

Ask your butcher to dice the veal shoulder. Veal is suitable to freeze. Note

EQUIPMENT 30cm (12-inch) round cake board, plastic sandwich bag, oven trays test kitchen tips If using butter cream instead of the chocolate frosting, you will need two quantities of chocolate butter cream . Use a variety of chocolate bars – such as Flakes, Violet Crumbles or Tim Tam biscuits – for the campfire logs. The […]

You could use whole, cleaned whiting for this recipe if you prefer, just extend the cooking time a little to compensate.

Add this chilli tuna and lemon linguine to your list of recipes for a quick, healthy mid-week dinner to help you stick to your resolutions.

While your perfectly cooked steak is resting to its tender conclusion, quickly throw together this fried tomato and chilli sauce to go with. A side order of greens and you have a complete, healthy and low carb meal.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Note

Wrap individual wedges in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. Defrost as required either overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave on HIGH (100%) for 1 minute. Note

A beautiful, bright and healthy lamb, burghul and grilled zucchini salad.

Char siu sauce can also be labelled chinese barbecue sauce. You can use lamb backstrap for this recipe, if you prefer, slicing it thinly before use. Note

Quick, easy and tasty, this stir-fried chicken with baby corn and noodles is everything you're looking for in a mid-week dinner recipe.

Quick, easy and fun chicken curry pot pies to impress the kids.

The chocolate and oil for the topping can be melted together in a microwave oven. Make topping just before serving ice-cream. Note

Make your own spicy and delicious Thai cucumber pickle with this quick and easy recipe.

With layers of chocolate sponge, raspberry cream and crisp almond-topped meringue, this decadent cake is irresistible. It looks almost too good to eat. Almost.

There are few platters more impressive than those piled high with fresh, local seafood. Finish off the jewels of the sea with delicious dipping sauces; serve with chilled white wine, or go all the way with a bottle of bubbles.

A spicy Indian-style tandoori lamb dish with grilled eggplant; great for barbecues in the summer.

No one need ever know that these delicious cakes came from a packet. Jazz them up with a few extras, and everyone will think that you are so creative. Note

Cointreau would work well for the liqueur in this recipe, although if you want to keep it booze free, orange juice would also do. Either way, for the amount of time involved the result is deceptively fancy.

Try this very fresh and zesty polenta side to cut through hearty meat dishes.

Granny Smith apples are best for this recipe; they add a wonderful tart characteristic for a good balance of flavours.

Suitable from 6 months Use ripe peaches for this puree, as under-ripe fruit will give a sour taste. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 day. Puree is suitable to freeze, in 1-tablespoon portions in ice-cube trays, covered, for up to 1 month. Note

This sauce goes well with steamed Christmas pudding or fruit cake, chocolate pudding, or over ice-cream. Note

A healthy and filling warm lamb sausage and ravioli salad from Australian Women's Weekly.

This beautiful dessert couldn't be more simple to make, and can be easily adapted for any of your favourite candy bars.

sesame dressing Perilla leaves, also known as shiso leaves, belong to the mint family and are available in green and purple-red varieties from Asian grocers. Use the leaves whole or shredded, as an ingredient or a condiment. You can use mint leaves instead. Note

Take your rissoles in a tasty new direction with chicken mince, and the delicious flavour of crumbly feta and acidic tomatoes.

Almond junket is an easy low-fat recipe that is a delicious alternative to jelly.