Cooking Classes & Healthy Recipes

Leisa Sparkman heads up Harper's Cooking Classes & Recipe Preparation.

Leisa's two passions are food and personal training. The unique thing about Leisa is that she combines the two so you can eat your way to fitness and have fun while your doing it!  She has a lifetime of experience in keeping fit and eating the right foods and she knows how hard it is to stay on track.

"Keeping fit and eating the right foods whilst raising three children and having a full-time personal training career certainly presents some challenges. That's why you need to be both smart and efficient with your meal preparation."

Before Leisa was a personal trainer at Harper's she owned her own catering business, Feast, in the UK where she personally catered for celebrities like David Bowie and Boy George. Leisa is also the resident chef on Foxtel's lifestyle show Living Life Now.

Cooking Classes

Busy schedules and long working hours have forced many of us to make unhealthy meal choices. There are loads of wholesome and nutritious meals that can be prepared in the time it takes you to order and wait for your take away or microwave meal.

My cooking classes will boost your confidence and give you the tools and knowledge you require in order to prepare and cook healthy meals.

Within 4 weeks, Leisa will take you through the basics, from staples you need in the pantry to how to prepare and cook a variety of delicious and nutritious meals.

Portion control, the need to exercise and reading food labels properly will come naturally to you by the end of your classes. Not only will you be able to whip up healthy meals, but you will also come away with a better understanding of food and healthy living.

Leisa's Latest Recipes

SHELLEY’S CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
1380kj per serve
(serves 2)


100grams cos lettuce
200grams chicken breast, no skin
2 rasher’s eye of rib bacon
1 piece naan bread
2 medium eggs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juice and zest
½ tspn chilli (optional)
100gm no fat natural yoghurt
1 small orange, juice and zest
½ tspn honey
½ teaspoon seeded mustard
Cracked black pepper to taste

1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Mix lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 clove garlic and chilli together.
3. Slice chicken in half so it is not too thick.
4. Brush chicken with lemon marinade. Bake chicken in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Put bacon in oven with chicken and cook until crispy.
6. Poach eggs, drain and set aside.( You can poach eggs soft or hard, this is a personal preference)
7. Tear naan bread into bite size pieces, place on oven tray and lightly sprinkle with water and bake until crisp.
8. Mix together yoghurt, orange juice and zest, 1 clove garlic, mustard, honey and black pepper.
9.Tear lettuce into bite size pieces and divide between 2 salad bowls.
10. Slice chicken into strips. Cut bacon into small pieces.
11. Scatter chicken, bacon and bread over lettuce. Place egg on top and drizzle dressing over.
12. Eat and enjoy!

 

TUNA PASTA
(serves 4)

300gms pasta of your choice
1 x 185gm can tuna in springwater, drained
1 tbspn olive oil
½ tspn or 1 clove garlic, crushed
425gm can tomatoes, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 tbspns fresh basil
Juice and rind of 1 orange
½ cup frozen peas
1. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in large pan and add onion, garlic and red pepper and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, orange juice and peas. Simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Stir through tuna, orange zest and basil and cook a further minute or until heated through.
5. Toss through pasta, season with cracked black pepper.
6. Bon Appetite!
 

PESTO

BASIL & SEMI-DRIED TOMATO

3 cups sweet basil leaves (large bunch)
100g semi-dried tomatoes
3-4 tbspns good quality olive oil
10 garlic cloves
2 tspns chilli
30 g roasted almonds
¼ tsp. cracked black pepper

Blend all ingredients together until desired texture.

MACADAMIA CHILLI GINGER PESTO

6 red Mexican chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley or coriander leaves
60g macadamias, roasted
10 garlic cloves
40g glace ginger
3 tbspns olive oil

Blend all ingredients together until desired texture.

BASIL PESTO

3 cups basil
3 tbspns olive oil
10 garlic cloves
Cracked black pepper
30g hazel or pine nuts

Blend all ingredients together until desired texture.

PESTO DIPPING SAUCE

2 tbspns pesto of your choice
2 tspns balsamic vinegar
½ cup fresh or canned tomato puree
Few drops Tabasco sauce
Pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and, if not using at once, store in a screw-topped jar in fridge for 2-3 days.
 

DRESSINGS & MARINADES

Honey & Mustard Marinade
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Juice & zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. mustard powder
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients together and use on fish, chicken or vegetables.

Lime Dressing
½ cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbspns fish sauce
1 tsp. chilli paste
1 tbsp. honey

Combine all ingredients together and use on chicken, fish or seafood salads.

Moroccan Dressing
Juice & zest of 2 lemons
2 tspns cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tspns honey
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients together and use on lamb.

Low-fat Caesar Salad Dressing
¾ cup low-fat plain yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets, mashed well with fork
1 tsp. honey

Combine all ingredients.

Macadamia Dressing
1 tbsp. macadamia oil or cold-pressed olive oil
2 tbspns lemon juice
2 tbspns orange juice
1 tsp. each of lemon & orange zest
1 tbsp. parsley or basil, finely chopped
1 tbsp. macadamias, toasted & chopped

Combine all ingredients, Great with chicken.
 

FETTA, PESTO & TOMATO STUFFED PEPPERS

4 long thin skinned red or yellow peppers
200g fetta cheese
2-3 tbspns pesto
1 punnet cherry tomatoes,halved or 250g diced fresh tomato

Cut ends off peppers and take out seeds.
Mix together with a fork, fetta, tomatoes and pesto. Season to taste.
Fill peppers with mix and bake in moderate oven for 20 minutes.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO & ONION SALAD

6 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into bite size chunks
2 onions, peeled & quartered
1-2 tbspns olive oil
1 tspn cumin
2 handfuls of rocket
½ bunch coriander, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
100g shaved parmesan
cracked black pepper
DRESSING:
½ cup light sour cream
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbspn honey
1 tspn seed mustard

Mix olive oil & cumin together and brush onion & potatoes with oil mix. Bake in moderate oven until cooked through. Leave to cool. (can be done day before).
Mix rocket and coriander together, place in flat salad bowl. Arrange onions and sweet potato over top of rocket mix. Sprinkle zest of 1 lemon, cracked black pepper and shaved parmesan over top of greens. Pour a little dressing over top and just before serving toss to combine.
DRESSING:
Whisk together all ingredients. Season to taste.
 

ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD
(SERVES 4)

150gms low fat fetta, crumbled
125 gms no-fat plain yoghurt
1 tspn seeded mustard
1 tbspn honey
½ cup fresh orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
2 tbspns olive oil
2 tbspns fresh rosemary
Cracked black pepper and salt
6 roma tomatoes, halved
400 gms sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 medium eggplant, cut into large chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbspn walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
50 gms rocket
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Mix olive oil, rosemary and a little pepper and salt to season. Toss through vegetables to coat. Put in single layer on roasting tray.
3. Roast vegetables in oven for 45 minutes or until sweet potato is cooked through. Cool slightly.
4. Whisk together yoghurt, orange juice and zest, mustard and honey. Add feta and season with cracked black pepper.
5. Put rocket on serving plate, top with roasted vegetables.
6. Pour dressing over the top of vegetables and scatter walnuts over.
7. Bon Appetite!
 

Apple Crumble
(SERVES 4)

Ingredients
4 apples or 1 x 825gm tin apple
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 cup oats
2/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup shredded coconut
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 dessertspoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Peel and core apples and finely slice into ovenproof dish. Pour juice over apples. If using tinned apples put apples in ovenproof dish, no water is needed.
2. Place oats, almonds, coconut and cinnamon in a bowl and rub oil in by hand. Spread over fruit and sprinkle sunflower seeds over top.
3. Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees until topping is brown.
4. Bon Appetite!

Chicken, Sweet Potato, Pear & Roasted Red Pepper Salad
(SERVES 2)

Ingredients
250 grams skinless chicken breast
1 medium sweet potato, peeled & thinly sliced
1 pear, cored and cut into eighths
1 red pepper cut into flat strips
2 large handfuls rocket
10-12 toasted hazelnuts, lightly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice 1 lemon
1 teaspoon honey
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Mix ½ lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon honey and 2 tablespoons balsamic together. Cut chicken into medium size pieces and put in marinade.
2. Place potato, pepper (skin side up) and pear on lightly oiled baking tray. Place under hot grill, brown both sides of pear and potato slices and char grill pepper skin. Set aside to cool (put red pepper in brown paper bag, easier to take skin off).
3. Cook chicken in non-stick fry pan; will take about 3-4 minutes a side. Set aside to cool.
4. Take skin off pepper and cut into small strips.
5. Whisk rest of lemon juice, honey and balsamic together for dressing.
6. Cut chicken into small pieces.
7. Put a handful of rocket on each plate, top with chicken, potato, pepper, pear and hazelnuts, drizzle dressing over top.
8. Bon Appetite!

Chicken Pie
(SERVES 6)

Ingredients

Rice-bran oil spray
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 stick celery, diced
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn into small pieces
550gms skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 cups fresh mixed vegetables, lightly steamed or 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables, defrosted
6 sheets of filo pastry

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Heat large non-stick pan and spray with oil.. Add onion ,garlic and celery and cook until soft.
2. Add chicken, brown lightly. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Turn heat down and add stock, parsley and basil.
3. Turn heat to medium, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens.
4. Fold in vegetables and heat through.
5. Pour into ovenproof dish.
6. Tear filo sheets in half; crumple up each piece and place on top of chicken and vegetables. Spray lightly with oil spray. Bake in oven until pastry golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
7. Bon Appetite!

SALMON LAKSA
(SERVES 4)

Ingredients:

300gms fresh salmon fillet, cut into cubes
100gms rice noodles
600ml vegetable stock
300ml organic light coconut milk
2 heaped teaspoons laksa paste or red curry paste
2 tspns grated ginger
2 tspns crushed garlic
1 onion, sliced in strips
1 chilli, sliced finely (optional)
2 -3 bunches bok choy, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced finely
100gms bean sprouts
2 -3 heaped tbspns fresh coriander, chopped

1. Heat a non-stick pan and add paste, cook 2 minutes. Add onions, ginger and garlic, cook until soft.
2. Pour boiling water over noodles and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Pour in stock and coconut milk and add salmon, bok choy, carrots and bean sprouts. Bring to simmer and cook about 10-15 minutes.
4. Place ¼ of noodles in each bowl and pour soup over. Sprinkle with coriander and chilli.
5. Bon Appetite!

BAKED CHICKEN AND CHERRY TOMATOES
(SERVES 4)

Ingredients:

500-600gms chicken breast
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
½ bunch fresh basil, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon grapeseed or rice bran oil
Ground black pepper and salt

1. Cut chicken into 4 even pieces and place in ovenproof dish.
2. Scatter tomatoes, red pepper and basil over the top.
3. Drizzle oil and vinegar over chicken and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper
4. Bon Appetite!

For more information about our cooking classes or recipes you can contact Leisa here:

 

Leisa Sparkman
Harpers Personal Training

Level 1, 643-649 Nepean Highway
BRIGHTON EAST VIC 3187

Phone: (03) 9553-8857
Fax: (03) 9553-8655