Workday lunches

A fresh and fragrant Asian noodle stir-fry from Australian Women's Weekly.

Filled with vegies and a delicious mustard mayonnaise, these chicken pita pockets are simple and satisfying.

Drizzled with a creamy chervil dressing, this easy dish makes an excellent brunch or lunch.

Traditional and tasty Thai-style pumpkin and chicken soup from Australian Women's Weekly.

Lamb’s lettuce, also known as mache or corn salad, has a mild, almost nutty flavour and tender dark-green leaves. It’s commonly sold in 125g punnets; you will need four punnets for this recipe. Note

Baked Middle Eastern meatballs in a homemade tomato sauce with spinach raita.

Confit is a cooking term for foods that are preserved either by being salted and cooked slowly in their fat, or are cooked and preserved in oil in a similar method. You can use ocean trout instead of the salmon. Note

Light and spicy crumbed chicken to share with your friends and family.

Burgers can be prepared 3 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered. Note

This warm prawn and noodle salad, enlivened with lemon, garlic and mint, makes a wonderful dish for a luncheon.

This salad is simple and delicious with warm slices of haloumi cheese, wedges of avocado, asparagus and a zingy chive dressing.

This tasty pizza is ready within minutes and perfect for the whole family.

Healthy and filling turkey chilli con carne filled kumara from Australian Women's Weekly.

Sour and crunchy, green mangoes are just immature fruit that can be eaten as a vegetable in salads, salsas, curries and stir-fries. They will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for up to two weeks. Note

Radicchio has a bold, somewhat bitter taste that comes into its own when contrasted with more subtle flavours. This is a simple salad, but an elegant one.

This omelette is called a "Western" in most states east of the Mississippi River and a "Denver" in the western half of the United States.

Fettuccine comes from the Italian word `fettucina’, meaning ribbon, because of its long, narrow shape. It goes especially well with creamy sauces; you can replace it with tagliatelle or other large egg noodles, if desired. Fresh pasta cooks even faster than dried pasta; you can find fresh pasta in most supermarkets in the refrigerated section. […]

This potato, onion and herb pie makes a nice change from more meatier versions. It is delicious either hot or cold.

This fresh and fragrant Vietnamese beef salad is perfect for a light and low-carb lunch or dinner. For best results, marinate the beef for at least 30 minutes.

Swap chicken stock for vegetable stock. Note

Crispy grilled chicken with coriander and chilli; a flavour-packed Asian-style meat dish.

This lip-smacking shellfish dish is perfect for a special occasion.

Use barbecued chicken breast with the skin removed, leftover roast chicken, or pan-fried or poached chicken breasts. If making ahead of time, don’t dress the salad until ready to serve. We used a fat-free french vinaigrette, but dress the salad with your favourite fat-free dressing. Note

Trotters with ginger is an old traditional Cantonese recipe created for mothers after birth.

An exquisite dish of chicken confit with spinach and pan jus from Australian Women's Weekly.

Both Japanese curry mix and frozen edamame (soy beans in the pod) are available from Asian supermarkets. You will need to shell about 300g (9½ ounces) frozen edamame in the pod for this recipe. Note

Make this delicious Italian-style broth with chicken & mushroom ravioli to impress dinner guests.

The beauty of freeform tarts is that they're incredibly easy to throw together, and taste every bit as delicious as a perfectly primped example.

These freeform hand-made sushi rolls are easy to make and look spectacular. They are perfect as a starter or for a share platter at a party.

Be careful when taking the pumpkin out of the microwave as the bowl will be very hot. Note

Use kitchen scissors to cut nori into fine strips. Recipe not suitable to freeze. Note

This spiced lentil and roasted kumara soup is just the ticket for those times when you're after a light, meat-free meal full of vitamins and flavour. Serve with crusty bread.

Lamb can be prepared and refrigerated the day before, but is best cooked on the morning of the picnic. Fill the pittas as close to departure time as possible. Baba ghanoush is a roasted eggplant (aubergine) dip or spread. It is available from delicatessens and most supermarkets. Note

A flavour-packed Asian broth with crispy duck and mushrooms from Australian Women's Weekly.

This is one of my all-time favourite pastas. I know it looks like a lot of anchovies, but trust me and cook them down slowly. This could well become your favourite pasta, too.

Pappardelle with silver beet, goat's cheese, chilli and lemon

There is only one thing that needs to be said here - my mum makes the best spaghetti bolognese in the world! If there's a guaranteed go-to dinner that will please young and old, this is it.

This dish was on the first menu at our restaurant Hugo's, at Bondi, and it actually stayed on the menu for years, as it turned out to be one of our best-sellers. It's a recipe that goes to prove that good food does not have to cost an arm or a leg.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Note

Quesadillas can be cooked in a heated sandwich press, just make sure you gently wrap the quesadilla in baking paper before pressing, to stop the filling from burning the press.

As well as adding a delightful red hue to a dish, paprika is full of the flavour of the peppers it was ground from. It comes in several varieties - sweet, smoky or spicy. We've used a combination of spicy and sweet here, with great results.

John dory is a mild tasting fish that lends itself well to a multitude of flavours. We've given it an Asian influence here, teaming it with chilli and coconut rice.

Fresh, light and tasty, barbecued salmon fillet with yoghurt dressing and fennel salad makes a wonderful lunch for weekend entertaining.

Speedy and moreish, the whole family will love this easy chicken pasta.

Once fish has cooked and mussels have opened, serve topped with fennel mix and garlic croûtons. Scatter with chopped parsley in place of the fennel fronds if you like.

Served with a dollop of yoghurt sprinkled with sumac, these beautiful stuffed vine leaves are a perfect dish to share with friends.

This recipe is quick, simple and healthy. A great combination for a light meal on the go.

Can be made two days ahead; keep, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

You need to cut the kernels from two small corn cobs for this recipe. Fritters and tomatoes can be made 6 hours ahead and reheated in a slow (150°C/(130°C fan forced). Note

For a tasty breakfast or lunch, try these tortillas filled with creamy scrambled eggs and spicy pumpkin seed sauce.

This is a good salad for a barbecue as it keeps well and is not fussy about the temperature at which it is served.

Perfect for a lazy lunch with friends, this spinach quiche is quick and delicious. For something rather different, you could use sorrel leaves in place of the spinach.

A great way to use up left-over cooked pasta, this chicken and asparagus pasta salad is simple, tasty and quick to make. You can use most pasta varieties.

Tarts can be prepared a day ahead and kept, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat just before serving or serve chilled if preferred. Note

This meal is so easy to whip up on a chilly weeknight. It's also delicious reheated for lunch the next day.

These beef burgers with roast tomato and caramelised onion will quickly become a family favourite.

An Italian-style raw beef carpaccio with a fresh Thai basil salad.

Served with tomato chutney, these easy bacon and egg tarts are perfect for breakfast or brunch.

Harissa is a North African paste made from dried red chillies, garlic, olive oil and caraway seeds. It is available from Middle Eastern food shops and some supermarkets. Note

Get a healthy dose of high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals (including potassium, selenium and vitamin B12) plus a super dose of omega-3 fatty acids, all wrapped up in classic Thai flavours.

As an alternative to the Asian flavours used above, a glaze of orange, ginger and maple syrup also goes beautifully with this ham. Combine 1 cup maple syrup, 1 cup fresh orange juice, ⅓ cup orange marmalade, ¼ cup grated fresh ginger and 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind in small saucepan; bring to the […]

Colourful and delicious roasted beetroot and red onion dip from Australian Women's Weekly.

A light, fresh and fragrant Thai herb and mango salad from Australian Women's Weekly.

Hearty, zesty and creamy, this delicious Milanese style risotto is the ulimate comfort food for a hungry family.

Serve this beautiful green quiche with salad for a light lunch or dinner.

Make sure the meatballs are completely submerged in the liquid during cooking. To freeze; complete recipe to end of step 2. Pack into freezer-proof containers, leaving a 2.5cm (1 inch) space to allow for expansion. Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave […]

If you can’t find low-fat dijonnaise, you can use 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise combined with 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard. Note

This dish goes well Note

You can use the chopped meat from one barbecued chicken in this recipe instead of the tenderloins. Add it at the end of bacon becoming crisp and stir until hot. Recipe can be made several hours ahead to the end of step 5. From cold, bake, covered, at 200°C (180°C fan forced) for 30 minutes […]

A healthy and refreshing Turkish lamb and yoghurt salad from Australian Women's Weekly.

If you don’t feel like toasting the bread cubes in the oven, toast the whole slices in the toaster or under a grill then cut the bread into small squares. Make sure you drain the anchovy fillet well between pieces of absorbent paper. If you want to have this delicious recipe at home, poach the […]

Tonkatsu, a Japanese food of a breaded, pork cutlet, deep-fried and served on a bed of cabbage.

This deliciously sweet dried fruit chutney goes perfectly on sandwiches, with roast meat, or on the side of a spicy Indian curry.

Sticky and delicious; make your own American-style pork spareribs with barbecue sauce.

Make this delicious and fun birthday treasure chest for your child's party!

Buy roasted capsicum from the deli. Note

Serve this crusty damper at a picnic with your favourite cheeses, butter and figs.

Kangaroo meat is lean and healthy. High in protein and iron and low in fat, kangaroo meat is a great alternative to more popular red meats. It is the ultimate free-range, organic meat containing no chemicals or antibiotics.

A hearty and wholesome Asian-style omelette with stir-fried beef and mushroom.