Stacked Mushrooms

1 small eggplant
6 portobello mushrooms
125 g tofu (to make 6 squares to fit nicely on the mushroom)
2-3 tsp basil pesto
olive oil (regular or spray style)
1 very large tomato (or 2 smaller ones)
2-3 bocconcini cheeses, sliced
1/3 c shredded fresh basil leaves

Cut eggplant into 6 slices. Lightly brush or spray both sides of eggplant and mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lightly saute both sides of mushroom and eggplant over med. heat in pan-eggplant will take about 3 min each side and mushrooms about 2 min each side (until lightly golden). Keep warm. Brush both sides of tofu with basil pesto and saute about 2 minutes each side.

Layer stack-first mushroom, tofu, eggplant, tomato, 2 slices bocconcini, and sprinkle with basil leaves.

Nutrition info (per serve)(approx.)-
Protein - 17 g (and most of that is from the mushroom!)
Fat - 14 g
Energy - 1281kj
Carb - 22

Crab Stuffed Tomatoes

In all fairness-I got the original recipe out of SHAPE magazine-but I made a few changes- This is super easy & tasty-a perfect summer dish! Hubby loved that there were no pans to wash afterwards!

4 very large ripe tomatoes
1 small fennel bulb with green top and fronds
2 cans canned crab
½ medium leek, minced
1/2 zucchini-chopped
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup plain nonfat yogurt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons capers
Salt and pepper, to taste

To prepare tomatoes, slice ½ inch off the top of each one to create an opening. With a small spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the tomatoes, keeping the shell intact. (You want to create an empty tomato bowl in which to put your crabmeat.) Discard the tomato pulp, or save for another use (you can use it in soup).

Snip the fronds off the top of the fennel, give them a rough chop, and set aside for garnish. Cut the fennel bulb in half and take out the core with a knife (as you would with an apple). Then slice the bulb into ¼-inch semicircles and coarsely chop.

In a medium-size bowl, combine all the ingredients except the tomatoes and fennel fronds. Make sure the salad is completely blended, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using a tablespoon, fill each of the tomatoes to the brim with the crab mixture. Top with a sprinkling of the chopped fennel greens. Place the filled tomatoes on a decorative plate (or on a bed of greens) and serve.

Nutrition info per serving of 1 tomato:
(before zucchini!)
224 cals
15g fat
12g carbs
13g protein
3g fiber

Gnocchi Salad

500g fresh gnocchi
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp mince garlic
2 ½ Tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp reduced salt stock powder
1 Tbs water
1/3 C pitted kalamata olives
4 small tomatoes
Cut into wedges & halved
1 small bushel of broccolini -chopped and lightly steamed
1/3 C fresh basil


Cook gnocchi in boiling water for 3-4 minutes until it floats to surface. Drain. At medium heat- olive oil in pan, add garlic, vinegar, stock powder water-stir until heated through-reduce heat-add gnocchi. Place gnocchi mixture in large serving dish and stir through the remaining ingredients (olives, tomatoes, broccolini & basil)-salt & pepper to taste.

This is a great side dish to bbq main either steak or chicken!

Lia's Smoked Salmon & Dill with Pasta Salad

This special occasion salad makes a light meal for four or an exquisite starter for six. If serving as a main meal, accompany with a cucumber tossed with an oil and vinegar dressing.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Per Serve: 6 People

Ingredients
250g Penne Rigate Pasta
150g Smoked Salmon
1 Red Capsicum (thinly slice on diagonal)
1 Continental Cucumber (thinly slice on diagonal)
6 Spring Onions (thinly slice on diagonal)
1 Sml Red Spanish Onion (cut into thin sliced and separated)

Dressing
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Low Fat Natural Yoghurt
3 Chopped Spring Onions
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 Cup Chopped Dill
Freshly Ground Pepper
Pinch Sea Salt

Instructions
1. To make the dressing, combine the oil, yoghurt, spring onions, lemon juice and drill in a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook penne pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking process. Drain well, place in serving dish and pour over dressing coating pasta. Serve required pasta amount for meal, then add capsicum, cucumber, spring onion, spanish onion and salmon. Toss gently to mix the ingredients.

Cook's Tips
Penne rigate is a finely ridged penne. Ridged or ribbed pastas tend to hold on to more sauce then smooth pastas.
Avoid over cooking your pasta - not only does al dente pasta taste better, but it has a Lower GI than pasta that has been cooked for too long.

Nutritional Information
GI Low
Calories: 315
Protein: 13g
Carbohydrates: 33g
Fibre: 3g
Fat: 14g

Note
The Low GI Diet Cookbook has the original recipe but I've made a couple of ingredient adjustments to suit my requirements. Enjoy ladies! :o)