Orange Polenta Cake

200g melted butter and 1/2 cup polenta
1 cup cake flour plain
1 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Zest of one orange
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons castor sugar (extra)

Preheat oven to 180C
Melt butter.
Combine all dry ingredients with orange zest and put aside.
In a mixer whisk eggs until light and fluffy; approx 5 minutes.
Slowly pour in melted butter and continue whisking for 1-2 minutes
Turn whisk to low and gradually pour in dry ingredients and zest.
When just combined add milk and orange juice and fold with spatula. Once combined pour the mixture into a funnel springform cake tin that has been greased well.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.
While cooling add remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and extra sugar in a small saucepan, sir on high heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes then remove and brush syrup over orange cake.

Banana, yoghurt & walnut muffins

Makes: 18 Prep: 10 mins Cook: 22 mins

1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup plain yoghurt
3 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup golden syrup
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 190°C.
In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, flaxseeds, baking powder and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, yoghurt, bananas, syrup and oil. Add flour mixture and fold in walnuts.
Divide batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly pressed.
Cool on a wire rack.

Per muffin: 615kJ, 7g fat (1g saturated fat), 103mg sodium, 20g carbs, 2g fibre, 3g protein

PMS-busting meal plan

Try this combo of mood-boosting, cramp-curing meals for a week and watch your symptoms fade:

Breakfast
Cottage cheese, berries + OJ 

OR 

Oatmeal + skim milk + whole wheat toast

Lunch
Spinach salad, salmon + glass of skim milk 

OR 

Tuna, low-fat mayo, whole-wheat bread + rockmelon

Snack
Air-popped popcorn (no butter) drizzled with fat-free chocolate sauce 

OR 

Whole wheat bran muffin + nonfat yoghurt with honey 

OR 

Low-fat cheese + whole-wheat crackers

Dinner
Whole-wheat pasta + garlic, mushrooms, onions in a tomato sauce 

OR 

Broiled salmon + brown rice + steamed broccoli + blueberries

Panko-Crusted Eggplant Parmesan

I grabbed some panko crumbs the other day and have been searching for some good recipes to test out. I'm not sure how H will feel about a meatless meal so I might have to save this for his next work trip..

3/4 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 egg whites
1 large eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 16 slices)

Sauce and Pasta
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 pound angel hair pasta, cooked following package directions

Eggplant: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large rack on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a pie plate, mix together panko, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. In a second pie plate, lightly whisk egg whites.
Dip each slice of eggplant into egg whites and then into panko mixture, coating both sides. Place eggplant on prepared baking rack. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, until browned and tender.
Sauce: While eggplant is baking, make sauce. Coat a medium-size nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook garlic until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Tear basil into bite-size pieces and stir in.
Overlap eggplant slices slightly on the baking sheet, making four piles. Spoon sauce evenly over each portion (reserve a quarter of it for serving) and evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Serve eggplant with cooked pasta and reserved sauce.

Per Serving: 416 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat.); 21 g protein; 72 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 856 mg sodium; 12 mg cholesterol

Asian Tuna & Noodle Salad

200g vermecilli rice noodles
425g can Tuna in Springwater, drained
100g green beans, sliced and blanched
1 carrot, cut julienne
1 Lebanese cucumber, cut julienne
1 cup coriander leaves
1 cup mint leaves, torn
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp fried shallots

Add noodles to a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse.
Combine noodles, Greenseas tuna, beans, carrot, cucumber and herbs in a mixing bowl.
Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over noodle mixture. Toss well. Place onto a serving dish and scatter with shallots and extra coriander if desired.