Home Cooking woos Families Back to the Dinner Table!

The weekly family roast is back!

Current research has shown takeaway meals and TV dinners are losing their appeal and traditional family meals are staging a revival!
According to a recent survey, 86% of the respondents stated that they ate dinner at the table with their families and that 78% of those participating in the survey are eating freshly prepared meals at least five times a week.
Dining together as a family has been shown to have positive social benefits and seems to improve children’s food choices. It gives families a chance to spend some time interacting with each other in what can be an often chaotic busy family schedule.

What better way to entice your family back to the dinner table than to prepare a meal full of all the fresh seasonal produce. With summer ending and autumn just beginning nature is offering us some family favourites such as the wide variety of apples and pears which are now appearing and sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach and silverbeet are back on the scene. For a new flavour try some of the Asian greens which are now coming into season. If you are looking for a new way of presenting old favourites for your family try one of the recipes below.

Glazed Salmon Steaks with Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree
Serves 6

6 salmon fillets
2 tsp honey
2 cloves garlic, crushed
few sprigs of fresh rosemary
cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For Puree:
750g carrots, peeled, and roughly chopped
750 g sweet potato, peeled and chopped
½ ripe avocado, peel and stone removed
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
2 tablespoon low fat natural yoghurt

** If salmon is out of your budget or the family is not keen about fish try this same sweet potato puree with lamb cutlets of beef.

Coat the salmon fillets with the honey, garlic, rosemary, pepper and olive oil.

For Puree:
Steam the carrot and sweet potato until tender, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, retain the liquid in the steamer. Place the carrot and sweet potato in a large bowl, add the avocado, cumin, and curry powder and mash together until smooth and well-combined. If the vegetable mixture is too dry, add a little of the water from the steamer. Add yoghurt to taste.

Place the coated salmon fillets on a baking slide and bake in a preheated 180ºC oven for 7-10 minutes. (Be sure not to overcook or the salmon will become dry).

To serve place a large scoop of the carrot and sweet potato mixture on each plate and top with a glazed salmon fillet. Serve with some green leafy vegetables or a salad.

Stir-fry Beef with Asian Greens
Serves 2

1 tsp olive oil
250g beef strips
1clove garlic, chopped
1 cm ginger cube, finely chopped
200-250g or 2 bunches Asian Greens
(eg baby bok choy, leaves separated)
80g Chinese mushrooms, shopped
2 shallots, shopped
1 small red chilli, seeds removed and sliced (alternatively use a red capsicum)
1 tbsp wine or sherry
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

Heat oil in a hot wok.
Add beef, ginger and garlic in small batches.
Stir fry beef and remove each batch before adding another.
Add Asian Greens, mushrooms, shallots and chilli. Stir fry for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, combine wine (or sherry), cornflour and teriyaki sauce.
Add to wok and mix until sauce boils and thickens.

Serve with noodles or rice, garnished with extra shallots and chilli.

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For Further Information and Story Opportunities Contact

Aloysa Hourigan
Senior Nutritionist
Mobile: 0417-078-956
Nutrition Australia
Phone: 07-3876-2677
Fax: 07-3876-2254
Email: qld@NutritionAustralia.org