Cool Cucumber Soup

Recipe Ingredients

(Serves 2)

• 2 medium (340g) cucumbers, peeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium (350g) leek, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup (190mL) CARNATION Light & Creamy Cooking Milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice

How to make

1. Cut cucumbers in half lengthways, remove seeds. Slice 3 halves thinly; grate remaining cucumber.

2. Heat a large saucepan over low heat; add oil, sliced cucumber, leek and bay leaf; cook for 10 minutes without browning. Add flour, cook 1 minute; gradually stir in stock, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf, puree soup  in a food processor or blender.

3. Stir in grated cucumber, CARNATION Light & Creamy Cooking Milk and lemon juice; chill.

4. If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika.

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Cooking time:
35 minutes (plus chilling time)

Mushroom Pancakes with Chicken and Leek

Recipe Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 375 mL CARNATION Light & Creamy Evaporated Milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup gluten free plain flour
• 1 leek
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 (300g) cooked chicken, skin and bones removed, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 pkts  Creamy Chicken Soup
• oil, for spraying

How to make

1. Trim and wash leek cut in half, chop green half. Combine ½ can CARNATION Light & Creamy Evaporated Milk with eggs, stir in flour and water, mix until smooth, add chopped leek.

2. Spray oil in fry pan, heat. Use all of mix to make four large pancakes, cover and keep warm.

3. Chop white of leek, spray oil in fry pan and fry with mushrooms for 2 minutes, add cooked chicken and fry for further minute, remove from heat. Empty both packs of  Creamy Chicken Soup into measuring jug and make up to 250mL with boiling water, stir briskly with a fork until smooth. Add to fry pan with ½ can CARNATION Light & Creamy Evaporated Milk, put back on heat stirring through chicken, leek and mushroom mixture until it starts to boil.

4. Remove from heat divide mixture into four then place along centre of pancake fold over, repeat with other 3 pancakes. Serve

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Cooking time: 

Sweetcorn and Chicken Pancakes

Recipe Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 185 mL CARNATION Light & Creamy Evaporated Milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 cooked chicken, skin and bones removed, chopped
• 125 g corn kernels, drained
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 red chilli, chopped
• 3/4 cup THOMY Delikatess Mayonnaise

How to make

1. Combine CARNATION Light & Creamy Evaporated Milk with eggs, stir in flour, mix until smooth, add chicken and corn.

2. Mix coriander and chilli with THOMY Delikatess Mayonnaise, set aside.

3. Spray oil in fry pan, place 4 x ½ cup mixture separately into pan, heat until bubbles appear on surface, turn, cook other side until golden brown, remove from pan. Repeat with remaining mixture, giving 8 fritters.

4. Top fritters with prepared Mayonnaise mix.

Handy Hint

Freeze any left over coriander for another day.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Cooking time: 

Chickpea Soup

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion , chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
600ml hot vegetable stock
400g can chopped plum tomatoes with garlic
400g can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
100g frozen broad beans
zest and juice ½ lemon
large handful coriander or parsley and flatbread, to serve

Method

1. 1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the onion and celery gently for 10 mins until softened, stirring frequently. Tip in the cumin and fry for another min.
2. 2. Turn up the heat, then add the stock, tomatoes and chickpeas, plus a good grind of black pepper. Simmer for 8 mins. Throw in broad beans and lemon juice, cook for a further 2 mins. Season to taste, then top with a sprinkling of lemon zest and chopped herbs. Serve with flatbread.

Try Spicing it up

Spice it up further with a spoonful of harissa paste. Curry lovers can swap the cumin for 1 tsp of garam marsala. Or for a more hearty dish, fry 4 sliced chorizo sausages along with the onions and celery.

Nutrition Per serving

148 kcalories, protein 9g, carbohydrate 17g, fat 5 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 6g, salt 1.07 g

Walnut and Banana Muffins

Recipe Ingredients

(Makes 12)

• 1 cup (150g) self raising flour
• 1 cup (160g) wholemeal self raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup (60g) unprocessed bran
• 1/2 cup (110g) raw sugar
• 1/2 cup (55g) coarsley chopped walnuts
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 125g margarine, melted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup (190mL) CARNATION Light & Creamy Cooking Milk

How to make

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/160°C fan forced. Grease a 12 hole (1/3 cup/80mL) muffin pan.

2. Sift flours and soda into a large bowl, returning husks. Add bran, sugar and walnuts. Make a well in centre, add combined bananas, margarine, egg and CARNATION Light & Creamy Cooking Milk; stir until just combined.

3. Spoon mixture into prepared pan; bake 25 minutes or until golden.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Cooking time:
25 minutes

Apple Cake

Recipe Ingredients

(Serves 12)

• 60g polyunsaturated margarine
• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) self raising flour
• 1/2 cup (125mL) CARNATION Creamy Cooking Milk or cooking Cream
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

How to make

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/160°C fan forced. Grease and base line a 20cm round cake pan with baking paper.

2. Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg, mixing well. Fold in flour alternately with CARNATION Creamy Cooking Milk.

4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Arrange apple slices on top and sprinkle with combined sugar and cinnamon; bake 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Cooking time: 

Chorizo Soup

Recipe Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 4 chorizo sausages, sliced diagonally
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 400 g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp MAGGI Beef Stock Powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp minced chilli
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 300 g kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 300 g can corn kernels, drained
• 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

How to make

1. Cook chorizo in a large saucepan over a high heat until crisp, stirring. Add garlic and onion and cook 2-3 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, MAGGI Beef Stock Powder, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, chilli, sugar and water and bring to the boil. Simmer 5 minutes.

3. Add kidney beans and corn and cook 2 minutes.

4. Stir in parsley before serving.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Cooking time:
15 minutes

Fruit Pastry Cake

Ingredients:

100g butter, soften at room temperature 
200g caster sugar (I cut down to180g)
50g sour cream (I replaced with same amount of low fat yogurt)
3 eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
210g plain flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
500g fruits* tossed with 2 tablespoon sugar*
(You can use strawberries, blueberries, peaches, bananas, oranges, pears, apples, pineapple, or any other fruits that are not too juicy. I omitted the sugar and used as much fruits, either fresh or canned, as needed to fill the top of the cake)

Method:

1. Wash, cut (chunks or slices, as desired) and drain fruits, toss with sugar (if desired) and set aside. (if using canned fruits, wash the fruits to remove the syrup, omit the sugar).
2. Grease (with butter) and flour the side of a 9" round pan or a 8" square pan and line the base with parchment paper.
3. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and sour cream (or yogurt) till light and fluffy.
4. Dribble in the eggs gradually and beat till incorporated in the batter. (The mixture may appear slightly curdled.)
5. Add vanilla extract and zest. Mix to combine.
6. Sieve over flour and baking powder and mix till smooth. (To avoid getting flour all over my work surface, I mixed the flour into the batter using a spatula, just a few strokes will do, then I used the electric mixer to mix the batter till smooth.)
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.
8. Arrange fruits on top, don’t press the fruits down into the batter. Decorate the fruits as desired.
9. Bake in pre-heat oven at 180degC for 60-70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Cover the top with foil in the last 15 mins of baking to prevent the top from getting over browned.
10. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 5~10 mins. Unmold and transfer to wire rack to let cool completely. Dust the cake with some icing sugar if desired.

Fruit Cake

Ingredients: Vanilla sponge - 01 kg Whipped Cream - 400gm Mix Fruit (Mellon, Grapes, kiwi,mango,cherries and Musk Mellon) - As per your choice Sugar syrup - To taste

Directions... Take vanilla sponge and split into three layers. Take base plate or cake base and put one layer of vanilla sponge  and sprinkle sugar syrup all over. Now apply cream and chopped fruits and do the same with other next layer. Now cover the cake with rest cream and decorate according to your  wish with different fruits. Serve chilled.

Fruit Dip

• 1~ 8oz package of cream cheese
• 1~ 7 oz (small) jar of marshmallow cream
• 1-2 tablespoons of lemon (0ptional)

Let the cream cheese sit for a few minutes until it’s almost room temperature, then cream the marshmallow cream, cream cheese, and the lemon together with a hand mixer.

You can refrigerate the dip for later, or use it right away. The dip will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator if you use fresh ingredients.