Rigatoni with Italian Sausage

10 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
560g pack Coles Italian style pork sausages (or just your fave flavour of sausage - from where-ever you shop)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
500g rigatoni pasta


Preheat oven to 375 degrees . (My oven only goes to 25o, but seemed to do the trick) Place tomatoes on a small baking tray and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes in oven for about 8 minutes, or until the skin begins to split. Remove tomatoes from the oven.


Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. While water is heating, place the remaining 1tbsp of oil in a large heavy saute pan over medium heat.


Add sausages and cook over moderate heat for 7-8 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Remove sausages from pan and allow to cool. Slice sausages into 3cm discs. Place garlic in the pan and saute for 1 minute or until tender. Add the tomatoes and sausages and saute for 3 minutes. Add the olives and toss gently. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the parsley.


Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the salted boiling water for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss in the pan with the sauce. Seas the past a to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to plates and serve.


SERVES 4

Chickpea fritters with Tzatziki

WW 4.5pt

serves 4

prep: 15mins

cooking: 10 mins

1 x 40g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup skim milk
3/4 cup self raising flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 green shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbs fresh flat leaf parsley
1 x 125g tub low fat tzatziki


Pulse chickpeas in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add eggs and pulse, continuing to add milk, flour and cumin while pulsing. 
Fold in corn, shallots, garlic and parsley.
Lightly spray a large non-stick fry pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Using 1/4 cup mixture for each fritter, form 4 fritters in the pan. Cook for 2-3 mins  each side or until golden, risen and cooked through. 
Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining mix to make 12 fritters.


Serve warm or cold with salad and tzatziki

Spaghetti and Meatballs

WW 7pt

serves 4

400g lean beef mionce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce with roasted garlic & red wine
150g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tbs finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
250g dried spaghetti


Combine beef, oregano and half the onion in a medium bowl.Roll tablespoons of the mixture to make 20 meatballs.


Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Cook meatballs, turning occassionally, for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to plate.


Cook garlic and remaining onion in same pan, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened. Add the tomaotes, pasta sauce and mushrooms. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10mins. Add meatballs. Covver and simmer for 15 mins or until sauce is thickened slightly ad meatballs cooked through. Stir in the basil and half the parsely.


Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet instructions or until just tender.  Drain. Serve with pasta topped with meatballs and sprinkled with remaining parsley.


Suggestion:
serve with a side salad

Herb and Bean Falafels

Falafel
2 x 400g cannelloni beans
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup parsley
1 cup mint leaves
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
rock salt and black peppercorns - freshly ground
1 1/2 cup besan flour
700ml vegetable oil for deep frying


Yoghurt Sauce
1 small lemon
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup greek style yoghurt
1 tsp cumin


Drain the beans thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl and roughly mash.
Finely chop the onion, add to the bowl with the garlic that has been minced/ crushed.
Finely chop the parsley. Add to bowl.
Finely chop the mint. Add to bowl.
Stir in spices, freshly ground salt and pepper and 1/2 cup of Besan flour. Combine well, then form into small balls (1 flat tablespoon amounts) with your hands that have been lightly floured with the remaining flour.
Heat the oil until hot. Cook falafels in batches of 4-5 for about 3 minutes or until a dark golden brown colour. Remove from hot oil and drain on paper towels.


To make the yoghurt sauce, finely grate the lemon rind. Chop mint to a desired consistency.
Combine lemon rind, mint, yoghurt and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and serve with falafels.


Notes:
Cannelloni beans can be substituted with any other white bean.
Besan flour is available from health food and asian food stores. It binds the falafels and doesn't make them gluggy.






Chef's idea:
My husband made these the other night (YES! He was in the kitchen!). He didn't use the mint leaves, used only ordinary plain flour, and put enough oil in a deep fry pan to cook. Still tasted good!! We ate these with just greek yoghurt, and it was delish!