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
Pumpkin, spinach and chickpea filo pie
“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).
Green minestrone
Turn whatever greens are in season into this nutritious fresh soup from Donal Skehan.
Apple and blackberry shortcake
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.
Carrot cake
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.
Buttermilk scones
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.
Bangin’ banana and walnut bread
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.
The beauty of this dish is in the combination of the lentils and rice, which gives it a risotto-like consistency and buttery flavour!
The centres of the balls become a little chewy and the exteriors are soft and fluffy, just the way I like them.
Stack these fruity pancakes high for your next brunch, made with oat flour and chia for a wheat-free go-to.
Set yourself up for the week ahead
Almond breakfast bars
“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.
Blueberry and chia seed muffins
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.
Mega beetroot burgers
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.
"I always have this soup in the freezer on standby for those nights when I’ve just run out of time to make dinner,” Donna Hay says.
If you don't have broccoli in your fridge to make this tart, don't worry. Use frozen spinach or more peas.
I love great simple food with pure flavours and this pie is just that, with the best spuds you can find for your mash, decent, flavoursome beef and a layer of moist spinach. Cottage pie has a long history and one that has always been about using up leftover meat to create a new and filling meal. These ones are easy and can be made well in advance and popped in the freezer until you need them.
More time, more satisfaction
Strawberry jam
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.
No-knead pizza bases
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.
Thai chicken sausage rolls
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.
Put some time aside and make both the pasta and the rich ragu from scratch. It's a bit of work, but it's also well worth it.
Making your own yoghurt is very simple and economical. The main resource required is time – you just need to think ahead.
It takes time to make good falafel so you’ll need to start this recipe 24 hours in advance. To shape the falafel you can use a traditional falafel spoon, available at most Middle Eastern grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use two tablespoons, or do it the Egyptian way and make small patties with your hands. (If using either of the latter shaping methods, adding 2 egg whites when seasoning the mixture will make it firmer – although, because it is not traditional, I prefer not to add egg whites.)
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!
A healthy vegetarian bowl of homemade mini falafel, shredded cabbage and carrot salad and dollops of spiced yoghurt, a fresh and wholesome feed.
An easy one-tray recipe for roast chicken and veggies served atop bulghur - a healthy family dinner option.
What beats a chocolate cookie? A triple chocolate cookie, of course! Get messy with the chocolate drizzle for an impressive, decadent bake.
Pasta bakes are the ultimate in comfort dinners. The gluten-free beauty brings pumpkin, crème fraiche and goat's cheese to the mix, dishing up one creamy bake.
Just about everything I used to cook my first chicken from Puggle Farm was local, including the sage and carrots from the garden. Did it taste better because of it? I think it did. I chose Two Metres Tall beer for this recipe – it's a great flavoured local brand.
