In the GI News Kitchen

Family Baking, Anneka Manning, author of Bake Eat Love. Learn to Bake in 3 Simple Steps and founder of Sydney’s BakeClub, shares her delicious ‘better-for-you’ recipes for snacks, desserts and treats the whole family will love. Through both her writing and cooking school, Anneka teaches home cooks to bake in practical and approachable yet inspiring ways that assure success in the kitchen.

 

Baked eggs in nests with tomato and spinach.
This delicious combination of egg, spinach and tomato is held within a clever individual bread basket and then baked – perfect for breakfast or a light lunch it will be popular with both kids and adults alike. Makes: 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 15-20 minutes

Olive oil, to brush or olive oil spray
4 slices good-quality mixed-grain bread, crusts removed
16 baby spinach leaves
160ml (2/3 cup) homemade tomato sauce (see recipe below)
4 eggs
20g finely shredded vintage cheddar or parmesan
1 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black paper, to taste
Extra homemade tomato sauce (optional), to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Use your fingertips to flatten the bread slices slightly. Brush both sides of the slices lightly with the olive oil or spray lightly with the olive oil spray. Press each into a 3/4 cup muffin tin hole to line.
Place the spinach leaves into the bread cups to line and then top each with a tablespoon of homemade tomato sauce. One-by-one break an egg into a ramekin or small dish and then slide into the bread cups. Sprinkle with the cheese, top with another tablespoonful of the sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley and season well with the pepper.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes for a soft yolk or 20 minutes for a hard yolk. Serve warm with extra sauce if desired.

Homemade tomato sauce.
This versatile, fresh-flavoured sauce will become a staple – perfect tossed through pasta, spread over pizzas and served as an accompaniment it is well worth making double and storing it the freezer for another time. Makes: about 1-1/4 cups Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 35-40 minutes

1 tbs olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1⁄4 tsp dried oregano
400g/14oz tin diced tomatoes
1⁄2 tsp sugar, or to taste
salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put the olive oil and onion in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the onion is tender.
Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until thickened to a thick sauce consistency.
Remove from the heat and season with sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Set aside to cool. Any leftover sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Per serve 
1085 kJ/ 260 calories; 16 g protein; 14 g fat (includes 4 g saturated fat); 16 g available carbs; 4 g fibre

Here’s how you can cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with our Money Saving Meals including this wonton soup.

Wonton soup.
Now in season in Australia, asparagus is one of the best dietary sources of inulin an indigestible part of food that enters the large bowel to become food for the healthy bacteria that happily reside there. For that reason it is called a prebiotic (a food for bacteria). This recipe is reproduced courtesy the Australian Asparagus Council www.asparagus.com.au Serves 4

6 cups salt reduced chicken stock
1 tbs ginger matchsticks
1½ tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp sesame oil
300g (10oz) prawn or shitake wontons
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed
100g (3½oz) fresh snow peas
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
Vietnamese mint and coriander leaves, to serve
¼ tsp garlic infused olive oil

Place the stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the ginger, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Add the wontons into the stock and cook for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and snow peas, and cook a further 2 minutes.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls, and garnish with the chilli and herbs, then drizzle with the garlic oil.

Per serve 
995 kJ/ 240 calories; 9 g protein; 3.5 g fat (0.5 includes g saturated fat); 38 g available carbs; 5 g fibre

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna’s website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.

Oaty apple muffins
I’ve never found oat bran in any Italian supermarket, specialty shop or health food store. Even oats are less ubiquitous there. That’s why when I go to Italy, I fill my suitcase with boxes and bags of this wonderful grain and make these oaty muffins to share with my neighbors, friends and family. If they’re interested, I explain that the soluble fiber in the oats helps to lower cholesterol. They love the taste and I love seeing them eating something that’s good for them. In this recipe the muffin size is deliberately small because of the high fiber content. Chopped fresh fruit or nuts can be added. Makes 24

4 cups unprocessed oat bran
½ cup brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups skim milk
1 whole egg plus
2 egg whites 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place paper baking cups in 24 muffin molds or spray the mold bottoms with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix the oat bran, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, mix well.
Combine wet ingredients with the oat bran mixture and pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 15 minutes.

Per serve: 1 muffin 
326 kJ/ 78 calories; 4g protein; 1g fat (includes 0g saturated fat); 12g available carbs; 2g fibre