 Whether you are expecting the whole tribe for a festive gathering, or just one or two people to drop by, food consultant Brigid Treloar’s ten survival tips should help make things easier for you.
- Stock up on plastic containers and snap lock bags so you can prepare extra quantities and freeze or refrigerate. Today’s hot meal gives you tomorrow’s rice or pasta salad ingredients, or easy meals that just need reheating later.
- Pack the freezer with essentials to whip up a quick snack or a stunning dessert to make you look good (but with minimal effort). Pita bread, grated cheese (tasty, mozzarella and parmesan) in portions (keeps better than in the fridge - it doesn’t go mouldy), portions of basil pesto sauce, frozen berries and some homemade Berry Yoghourt Icecream are good basics.
- Stock the pantry with extra versatile ingredients like canned salmon, tuna, chick peas and tomatoes, packets of rice, pasta, couscous, dried rice wrappers, dried fruits (apricot, apples and pears), pastry cases and lemon butter, plus sauces like sweet chilli, thick teriyaki and soy.
So, pita bread, cut into slices and toasted, is ideal to serve with a dip. Try blending a 500g tub of Jalna BioDynamic Organic Yoghourt and a 250ml bottle of Kikkoman Thick Teriyaki marinade for an easy, tasty dip. Or blend sweet chilli sauce with Jalna Whole Milk Natural Yoghourt.
Puree white cannellini beans with Jalna Fat Free Natural Yoghourt, lemon juice and garlic. Can be served hot instead of mashed potato or cold with chopped semi dried tomatoes as a dip. Pesto sauce blended with Jalna Greek Style Natural Yoghourt or BioDynamic Organic Yoghourt makes a delicious sauce for pasta.
- Make Vietnamese spring rolls with the rice paper wrappers and whatever vegetable or salad ingredients you have left over. Or add the leftovers to boiled or fried rice or to pasta or couscous (hot or cold) with Jalna Natural Yoghourt for a quick meal.
Canned salmon or tuna, blended with Jalna BioDynamic Organic Yoghourt or Greek Style NaturalYoghourt and boiled chat potatoes, makes a filling hot meal or salad with minimal effort.
For a light dessert you can serve cold on a hot day, stir any Jalna fruit yoghourt through cooked rice, add some of your frozen berries and some whipped egg white for an even lighter result. To really impress, whip out your pastry cases (in an airtight container they last for weeks), add some lemon butter and a dollop of Jalna Premium Strawberry Creamy Yoghourt for a taste sensation. Or stir your dried fruits through Jalna Low Fat Strawberry or Vanilla Yoghourt for a delicious and healthy dessert.
 Keep plenty of Jalna Yoghourt and Yoghourt On The Go, fresh fruit and vegies, smoked salmon and eggs in the fridge.
The 200g tubs of Jalna Yoghourt or Yoghourt On The Go and Vitalize drinks are perfect for a cool snack for kids (or adult!), while a frittata made with Jalna Greek Style or Natural Yoghourt, eggs, smoked salmon and whatever vegies are on hand can feed a small horde (or just one or two). And any of the Jalna Yoghourts make a delicious addition to a simple fruit platter for dessert.
- Cook on the BBQ outside – keeps the heat out of the kitchen. Sign up for Jalna Living e-newsletter for great BBQ entertaining tips and hints.
- Pay attention to food safety in the heat. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Filling tubs or glass bowls with ice can make an attractive decoration for food platters and to keep 200g tubs of Jalna Yoghourt and 250ml bottles of Yoghourt On The Go and Vitalize drinks handy for snacks.
- Try to cut down on washing up. Do as much on the BBQ as possible (and get guests and other family members to do some cooking). Wrap meals in baking paper then foil to BBQ – this keeps food moist, you can do individual food parcels with different ingredients and you won’t get a metallic flavour from citrus in contact with the foil. You also won’t have to clean the BBQ plate later.
Oven bags are also perfect to marinate meat or fish before baking (and you won’t have to wash the baking tray afterwards). Try Jalna Whole Milk Natural or BioDynamic Organic Yoghourt, lime juice and tandoori or Thai red curry paste for a tasty marinade. Using disposable baking trays is also good for a crowd.
If you are planning a picnic, think big rather than small and fiddly. Large frittatas, terrines or meatloaf are easier to transport and can then be cut into serving sizes.
- Don’t do it all yourself. Get the kids involved to prepare chunks of fresh fruit (summer has such yummy options like mangoes, watermelon, rockmelon, stone fruit) then blend into their favourite Jalna Yoghourt or Yoghourt On The Go or Vitalize drink and put into icy pop containers with a stick. Makes a nutritious snack on a hot day.
 In the summer heat, aim for ‘no cook’ meals. Gravlax (cured salmon or ocean trout) served with a squeeze of lime juice in natural yoghourt as a sauce, with a salad is perfect on a hot night.
Gazpacho is another easy meal. Just puree ripe or canned tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, onion, fresh herbs, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, then chill. Stir in a dollop of Jalna Greek Style Natural Yoghourt just before serving for a creamy texture and serve with lots of crusty bread.
Our easy homemade Berry Yoghourt Icecream with fresh fruit or fruit kebabs is a perfect end to a meal.
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Need inspiration? Why not tempt yourself with our delicious yoghourt recipes? Select from meals, snacks, desserts, drinks and quick ideas to enjoy
We all need to eat more calcium-rich foods and Jalna dairy foods also contain aBc cultures.
There's over 600,000,000 probiotic count of aBc cultures in every nutritious Jalna serve.
Jalna makes its Yoghourts in the traditional 'pot set' way.
Jalna has always been an innovative dairy food company, committed to producing nutritious food for Australians concerned about their wellbeing.