Cheater’s Tomato and Basil Risotto

1 Family Size SunRice Pre-Cooked Microwaveable Brown Rice
2 handfuls of Fresh Basil Leaves
2 punnets of red grape tomatoes
1 small handful of Pinenuts - toasted
250 ml of Dolmio Classico Tomato and Basil pasta sauce
200 ml of Lite Sour Cream

Microwave the rice for 2.5 minutes per directions, then empty into a large bowl.
Add the chopped basil and tomatoes and toasted pinenuts.
Stir it all together. Cover and leave till you’re ready.

When you’re nearly ready to serve, add the Pasta sauce to the dish, stir it all together and microwave for five minutes.

Then add the sour cream, stir through, some salt and pepper for taste.
Would serve a decent helping to 4 adults and a small side dish to about 8!

Creamy Chicken & Bacon with Tortellini

8 Chicken thigh fillets
Olive Oil
A packet of McCormick 'Slow Cooker' Country Chicken Casserole Recipe Base
10 rindless bacon rashers (no fatty bits!)
Baby Spinach Leaves (the big Coles Packet)
200gm sliced mushrooms
600ml Lite Sour Cream
Fresh Sage leaves
Fresh Rosemary
Latina Fresh Cheese and Spinach Tortellini (Family Size)
Parmesan
Salt / pepper

In a baking tray, cover the chicken thighs with a little bit of oil, and all of the Recipe Base with Qtr cup of water to make sure all the dry recipe base is moistened and all the chicken is covered. Add the washed spinach leaves (add some salt) and mushrooms and chopped sage and rosemary. Chop the bacon into whatever size you like and fry the bacon. Add cooked bacon to the chicken dish. Stir through 2/3rds (400ml) of the Sour Cream and make sure everything is combined well.

Place chicken dish in the oven and cook through. I cooked it for an hour on 125 degrees and turned the oven off. It probably rested for about half an hour in the heated oven. When I started the Tortellini, I turned the oven back on 150 degrees for about 20 minutes. Wanted to make sure it didn't dry out ... but it could all be done at once on a higher heat.

Boil salted water, add the Tortellini and cook till al dente. Drain, place back in the saucepan and stir in the remaining third of the Sour Cream, some parmesan and salt / pepper and more chopped sage / rosemary.

Plate the Tortellini first, then plate a chicken thigh or two to each person on top. Spoon over the spinach, mushroom and bacon mixture including a spoonful of juicy stuff on top of the chicken.

Add more parmesan or salt / pepper if needed, but it probably didn't need it!

I served four adults and had left overs so it could probably stretch to 8, if you dole the chicken thighs out more judiciously!

Quick n Easy Seafood Stir-Fry

Buy some fresh prawns and mixed seafood. About 200 gms per person.
Some veges for stir-frying - snowpeas, purple cabbage, broccoli florettes, onion - anything! Safeway has them in a pre-packaged pack in the fresh aisle for the absolute cheats!
Olive Oil.
Lemon

Heat Olive Oil
Toss Seafood for a few minutes until the prawns are bright orangy-pink.
Add the veges and toss so that the snowpeas glisten and green-up.
Squeeze the lemon juice over it all.

10 minutes!

Serve in bowls, so you can pour the juices over and make sure a nice green snow-pea is on top - the colour of it makes the dish stand out and look delectable.

YUM.

Extra ideas:
Add bean shoots for crunch.
Chilli for those that can handle it.
Rice Noodles if you need a bit more substance, but then serve less seafood per person, I guess ... depends if you're hungry!