Applecake – Paul’s ‘Gran’s’ recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 – 20 mins
Serves: 4

• 100g Olive oil margarine
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 a cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of self raising flour
• Packet of preservative free sundried dried apples or apricots

1. Cream olive oil margarine and sugar
2. Add egg
3. Then flour
4. Add a little bit of vanilla essence (or cinnamon)
5. Mix till quite crumbly
6. Pat three quarters of the mixture into pan
7. Add preservative free or sundried dried apples or apricots
8. Add the last third (or quarter) of the mixture over the top roughly – doesn’t need to seal
9. Spread raw sugar over the top to add some crunch and cook at 180 degree C

Recipe contributed by:
Gran

Photo by Quasipodo Images used in the Recipe files are for illustration purposes only.

Casserole with beef and vegetables

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Serves: 4-6

• 500g steak (chuck, rump or casserole)

• 2 potatoes

• 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots

• 1 swede

• 2 turnips

• 1 large parsnip or two small parsnips

• 1 sliced onion

• 1/2 stick of celery

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 tablespoons plain flour

• 1.5 – 2 litres of water (cold not boiling)

• 1 stock cube – beef flavour

1. Wash and peel the vegetables

2. Cut all the vegetables except the onion into cubes (1 cm x 1 cm for faster cooking) and place in a bowl

3. Trim all the excess fat off of the steak and cut into cubes

4. Heat the stockpot on a medium heat

5. Once hot, place olive oil in the stockpot then add the steak

6. Lightly brown the steak, stirring occasionally

7. Crumble a stock cube into the stockpot with the steak and stir

8. Add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time to the stockpot and stir until all the flour is used

9. Cook for 1 minute and keep stirring so that the mixture does not catch

10. Slowly add the cold water while continually stirring the mixture

11. Add the prepared vegetables and allow to simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, checking occasionally to check fluid levels and to stir the stew.

12. Once the vegetables have softened and the stew has thickened, serve with crusty bread.

Notes:

You can use your favourite vegetables instead.
If you use a slow cooker or pressure cooker follow the cooking instructions that came with the utensil.
Cutting the vegetables into smaller pieces helps the stew to cook faster, similarly having thicker vegetable pieces will alter the cooking time.
If your portion of vegetables is reduced you may need to reduced the amount of cold water.
On the other hand, if you have more vegetables you need to make sure that there is enough water to cover them.
You can use packets of stock to replace some of the water and the stock cube as they are also lower in salt.

Recipe contributed by:
Diane

Photo by Asnow89.. Images used in the Recipe files are for illustration purposes only.

Pie – filo spinach and ricotta

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: I hour

1 kilo ricotta cheese (strain off fluid)
1½ packets frozen spinach (rinsed and squeezed to remove moisture)
2 rashes of lean bacon – chopped
1 large brown onion – chopped
¼ cup pinenuts
¼ yellow capsicum – chopped
6 mushrooms – chopped
1 clove of garlic – chopped finely
3 eggs – beaten
½ block of ‘Danish fetta cheese’ (soft cheese) chopped
¼ cup of Greek low fat fetta – chopped
1 handful of low fat tasty cheese – grated
1 handful of parmesan – grated
Canola cooking spray

1. Line a pie dish with filo and spray with canola cooking spray. Use about 6 sheets to line base.
2. In a frypan cook bacon, onion, garlic, pinenuts, capsicum & mushrooms for five minutes
3. Mix together with ricotta and spinach
4. Add eggs, Danish feta, Greek feta, tasty cheese and parmesan
5. Mix all together
6. Put into lined pie dish
7. Lightly scrunch a sheet of filo and place on top of pie, repeat until top is covered. Takes about 6 sheets. Spray with oil.
8. Bake at 180 C for one hour or until browned
Serve piping hot or at room temperature.

Notes:
Recommended by the Lalbert Sustainable Farm Families Program February 2009
Recipe contributed by:
Kathie Alexander, Lalbert

Photo by Tanya Bakogiannis. Images used in the Recipe files are for illustration purposes only.

Pickled onions – Granny B’s recipe

Prep time: 1/2 hour
Cook time: 14 hours
Serves: Mixed

1/2 cup iodized salt
2.25 litres water
1.5 kilograms pickling onions
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 cups apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns (yummy pink and green)
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
6 bay leaves crushed
10 whole cloves
2 small deseeded chillies (add extra for spicy pickled onions)

In a mixing bowl dissolve 1/4 cup of sea salt in 1.15litres of water.
Add onions and submerge for 8 – 12 hours.
Drain and peel the onions and return to the bowl – make new brine with salt and water.
In a saucepan bring vinegar and water to boil.
Cool, drain and rinse onions twice.
Mix all picking spices together and 1/2 fill preserving jars with onions.
Divide 1/2 the spices on top of the onions.
Fill jars to top with remaining onions and place remaining spices on top.
Fill each jar of onions with the cooled, sweetened vinegar, ensuring that onions are completely covered.
Cover the jar with a cap.
Refrigerate jars for 1 month prior to eating.

Recipe contributed by:
Georgie

Hommus dip

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: nil
Serves: many

1 large can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed with water.
2-3 cloves garlic
squeeze of lemon juice
olive oil approx 50ml (can vary the amount to taste)
options: small pinch of paprika or chilli powder, tablespoon of tahini

After rinsing canned chickpeas, put all ingredients in the blender. Puree till smooth.
Serve with Pita bread, as a dip, goes well with raw vegetables.

Come meet us at the 13th NRHA Conference 2015

Come meet us at Booth 1 NRHA Conference Darwin in May

Come and meet us at the 13th National Rural Health Conference in May

Booth 1 – Exhibition Hall, Darwin Convention Centre, NT (24 – 27 May, 2015)

We are also presenting at concurrent sessions:

25/03 Monday – Men’s Health Colloquium @ 3:30pm

26/03 Tuesday – Agricultural Health and Medicine education @ 5:00pm

2015-02-26 Unique course widely praised – Hamilton Spectator

DEAKIN University students from across the country are in Hamilton for five days as part of Agricultural Health and Medicine course through the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH).

The unit is unique, crosses boundaries and has been designed with improving the health of farming families and their communities at its core.

Read the full article:

2015-02-26 Unique course widely praised-Hamilton Spectator [PDF 3mb]

2015-02 Taking strides to improve farmer health and wellbeing – Western District Farmer

FARMER health is different. It faces specific issues and challenges that are not experienced by other sectors of the population.

For Dr Sue Brumby, Director for the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) if we are to address health indifferences and outcomes faced by farming families and communities, it’s important to recognise there are specific risks that are higher in farming populations.

Read the full article:

2015-02 Taking strides to improve farmer health and wellbeing – Western District Farmer [PDF 382kb]