WHEN you’re used to cooking up family feasts, learning to downsize your meals can take a little getting used to.
A new cooking program in NSW is designed to help older people learn how to dish up healthy meals for one or two people.
The Cooking for One or Two workshops, run by charity The Benevolent Society, arms seniors with recipes, cooking skills and expert tips to whip up tasty, healthy, smaller meals.
Here are two of the recipes from the program:
Beef stir-fry (serves two)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup rice
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 250g lean beef, sliced
- 1/2 tsp garlic (fresh or dried)
- 1/2 red chilli, thinly sliced
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1/2 capsicum, sliced
- 1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
- 200g canned corn
- 1/2 carrot, sliced
- 1/4 cabbage, shredded
- 1 tb reduced-salt soy sauce
- 2 tsps fish sauce
Method
- Heat oil in a wok or fry pan over high heat, add beef and cook until browned. Remove and set aside.
- Add the garlic, chilli, onion, capsicum, broccoli, corn and carrot to the wok and cook for 3 minutes.
- Return the beef to the wok. Add cabbage, soy sauce and fish sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Serve stir fry with cooked rice.
Pears and crusty crunchy crumble
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- juice of 1 large orange
- 2 breakfast biscuits, lightly crushed (eg Weet-Bix)
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 tb nut pieces (eg almond flakes)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 pears (fresh/canned, in natural juice), halved
- 1.5 cups low-fat natural yoghurt, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a saucepan bring honey and orange juice to the boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 2 minutes, before removing from the heat and setting aside.
- Add breakfast biscuits, oats, nut pieces and cinnamon, stir well to combine.
- Grease an oven-proof dish and place the pears in the dish.
- Cover pears with topping mixture and bake at 180ºC for 15 minutes or until brown.
- Serve with yoghurt.
Top tips for cooking for one or two
Dietitian Jamil Tuazon is involved in the program.
“It will equip participants with practical knowledge to help their health as well as budget,” she said.
“Participants will pick up lessons in basic cooking and nutrition for healthy ageing and it also provides a great opportunity to make new friends.”
During the five-week program, health experts will advise how to adjust food quantities and share tips on shopping for one or two people and how to make the right nutritional choices to suit mature-age health needs.
The workshop sessions will include practical cooking lessons, with participants cooking together before enjoying their culinary creations as a group.
Here are Jamil’s tips for cooking for one or two:
- Prepare a shopping list of the foods you need to buy before you leave home. Top three pantry items should include canned tuna, tinned tomatoes and canned beans
- Buy canned fruits or fruits in a cup as they can last in your pantry for longer. Add fruits to yoghurt or custard for a delicious and nutritious snack.
- Count frozen and canned vegetables as your vegetable intake, and easily add them to your meals without much work needed.
- Add extra protein to your meals by adding beans and lentils. They will not hurt your budget.
- Always wash your hands regularly when preparing food.
- For details on the workshops being run in Little Bay, Kelso and Erskine Park phone 1800-236-762, benevolent.org.au
Read more: Recipe: Bouillabaisse
