The weekend is the perfect time to try a new recipe or to cook things that will make the week that follows just that little bit easier. From simple no-bake breakfast bars to homemade pizza, here are some of our favourites from three great SBS Food show hosts - Matthew Evans, Helen Tzouganatos and Donal Skehan - plus more from the SBS archives.
Recipes to nourish body, heart and soul
“I love the crunch of the filo pastry… when you dive through it, you crack into sweet potato, chickpeas, lots of spice and sweetness. While it’s quite filling, it’s still light,” says Donal Skehan when he makes his nutrient-packed pie in Donal’s Cook, Eat, Burn (you can make it with pumpkin or sweet potato).
Pumpkin, spinach and chickpea filo pie Source: Donal's Cook, Eat, Burn!
Turn whatever greens are in season into this nutritious fresh soup from Donal Skehan.
Spring vegetable minestrone Source: Donal's Cook, Eat, Burn!
Such a simple but wonderfully comforting dessert – it’s like a throw-it-together pie – and you’ll enjoy watching Mathew Evans cook with his Mum in the recipe video. He used foraged wild blackberries, but you can use frozen berries for this.
Apple and blackberry shortcake Source: Benito Martin
This one comes from a winter episode of Gourmet Farmer – when it’s cold outside, it’s lovely to fire up the oven, though really, any season is a good time to make a hearty carrot cake made studded with walnuts and topped with cream cheese icing.
Carrot cake Source: Benito Martin
We don’t all have a wood-fired stove, but we can embrace the farmhouse satisfaction of a batch of scones. Mathew Evans’ buttermilk beauties are perfect slathered with jam and cream.
Buttermilk scones Source: Gourmet Farmer
Banana bread is a perennial favourite: the reward is much greater than the effort involved, and the variations are endless. This take on banana bread, shared by Luke Hines in Loving Gluten Free, is gluten-free and vegan. You can find dozens of more ideas, from upside-down caramel banana bread to triple-layer choc-bottom banana bread in the SBS Food banana bread recipe collection.
Banana bread. Source: Loving Gluten Free
Feel-good food
Khichuri (rice and lentils)
Set yourself up for the week ahead
“These breakfast bars are full of goodness and natural sugars – guaranteed to get you off to a good start,” says Donal Skehan of what he calls his “Pep ‘n’ power” bars, made with almond meal, nut butter, cocoa powder, dates, chia seeds, oats and coffee. These no-bake bars take only 15 minutes to make and you’ll have a breakfast or snack ready to go whenever you need it. You can also roll the mixture into smaller balls.
Almond breakfast bars Source: Donal's Cook, Eat, Burn!
Ideal for snacking on at any time of the day, Donal Skehan’s muffins use oats, mashed banana and wholemeal flour to up the fibre and keep you fuller for longer.
Blueberry and chia seed muffins Source: Donal's Cook, Eat, Burn!
These big, bright burgers are made with plenty of veg, oats, tahini, chickpeas and eggs. After the burgers are formed, they can be chilled for up to 24 hours, and then they only need to be pan-fried for a few minutes before serving. Pop them in a bun with hummus and avocado as Donal Skehan does, serve them with salad, or make smaller burgers to have with a hearty breakfast spread.
Mega beetroot burgers Source: Donal's Cook, Eat, Burn!
Get ahead
Bacon and lentil soup
More time, more satisfaction
It’s simpler than you might think if you haven’t made jam before and so satisfying: try one of the very first recipes our Gourmet Farmer Mathew Evans shared in the show. Home-made jam is delicious and makes a great gift, too.
Strawberry jam preserves the harvest Source: Gourmet Farmer
Time does the work here: “I really like this no-knead dough recipe - it’s very easy to handle,” says Evans. “The flavour in the base comes from letting the dough rest overnight.” The actual hands-on time is less than half an hour. Use the dough with passata and your favourite toppings, or make his potato and mozzarella pizza bianca. If you’re after a gluten-free alternative, try this prosciutto and rocket cauliflower pizza recipe from Helen Tzouganatos.
No-knead pizza Source: Benito Martin
Weekends are the perfect time to practice your pastry-making. A Thai take on an Aussie classic ready to be dipped in a zesty lime and ginger sweet chilli sauce, this recipe from Helen Tzouganatos uses a homemade gluten-free rough puff pastry. There’s plenty of other pastry projects to embrace too, from Anneka Manning’s Bakeproof never-fail shortcrust pastry column with lots of tips plus recipes including chocolate pecan tart and roasted pumpkin, tomato and oregano tart to a dive into flaky golden wonders as five Greek women share the secrets to making filo and pita. Or take a wander through the SBS Food pastry recipe collection.
Gluten-free Thai chicken sausage rolls with sweet chilli dipping sauce Source: Loving Gluten Free
take your time
Handmade tagliatelle with ragú Napoletano
And finally, a simple biscuit...
"You can make these biscuits really thin like brandy snaps, or a bit thicker. I like somewhere in between so they’re firm, but not entirely crisp," says Matthew Evans of his honey biscuits. Just five ingredients, and so simple; it's the rewarding weekend project you can squeeze in when the weekend is busy too!
Honey biscuits Source: Benito Martin
