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Indian Omelette July 15, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:01 pm
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This is another Weight Watchers from the Fabulous and Filling Cookbook. The book suggests serving the omelette rolled up inside a medium chapatti or soft flour tortilla, for 2 ½ extra points value. I’m not sure about this, maybe with a little salsa smeared on the tortilla. Alternatively, you could serve it with a salad.  It’s very simple and doesn’t take too long, so it’s good if you really don’t want to be slaving in the kitchen.

Serves 1

2 ½  Weight Watchers points value

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

½ small onion, sliced thinly

½ red or green chilli, de-seeded and diced

2 eggs

A pinch of ground cumin

1 tomato, diced

2 heaped teaspoons chopped fresh coriander

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. Heat a non stick frying pan until hot and spray with the cooking spray. Fry the onion and chilli for 4-5 minutes, adding a splash of water as needed to prevent the onion from sticking and burning.
  2. Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water, the ground cumin and seasoning. Stir in the tomato and coriander then pout the mixture into the frying pan.
  3. Cook over a medium heat until the omelette is golden underneath and just set on top. Turn out on to a warmed plate.
 

Teriyaki Beef Udon July 13, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Meat,Noodles,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 11:15 am
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This recipe is from Weight Watcher’s Fabulous and Filling Cookbook.  I’m not a fan of mushrooms so I substituted them with peppers. I also added some Soy Sauce for increased flavour. To make a vegetarian version you could add tofu and bulk it up with some baby sweetcorn and mushrooms.

My marinade for stir fries has always been quite runny and I have never been able to achieve the consistency of a proper Japenese/Chinese restaurant sauce. Well it seems the answer is corn-flour, I always thought it was MSG.

The recipe itself is very good and very quick to make. Hope you enjoy.

Serves 1

Takes 15 minutes

6 points value per serving

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

125g (4 ½ oz) lean rump steak, trimmed of all fat

½ red onion, sliced

50g (2 ¾ oz) sugar snap peas, halved lengthways

75g (2 ¾ oz) mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons teriyaki marinade

¼ red pepper, sliced

¼ yellow pepper, sliced

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 tablespoon soy sauce

150g pack pre-cooked udon noodles

Method

  1. Heat a non-stick frying pan until hot and spray with the cooking spray. Fry the steak for 2 ½-3 minutes on each side over a high heat, then transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest.
  2. Add the onion to the pan and fry for 1 minute then add the sugar snap peas, peppers and mushrooms plus 1 teaspoon of water. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
  3. Mix the teriyaki marinade, soy sauce, cornflour and 4 tablespoons of water, then add to the frying pan and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Mix the udon noodles into the sauce and vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes until cooked through. Slice the steak thinly and serve on top of the noodles.
 

Pork chop with chorizo and apple July 11, 2010

Filed under: Meat — delishuss @ 8:02 pm
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Hello, I saw this recipe on Market Kitchen. I am a big fan of chorizo and this recipe makes perfect use of this wonderful ingredient. If you don’t like sweet and savoury this is probably not going to be for you.  Personally, I would double up on the quantities for the marinade. It’s better to have too much than not enough.

Frankly, I think this recipe is awesome. I would love to hear what you think.

Ingredients

  • 6 pork chops
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 heaped tbsp thyme
  • 1 tbsp sage, chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1.5kg floury potatoes, such as maris piper or King Edward
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 apples, peeled, cores removed, diced
  • 200g cooking chorizo, chopped

For the balsamic reduction

  • 200ml balsamic vinegar
  • few pinches hot smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp redcurrant jelly
  • 200ml chicken stock

 

Method

1. Place the pork chops in between two sheets of cling film and bash with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1cm/0.5in thick. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. In a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, fennel seeds, thyme and sage together with a pinch of salt to a paste. Mix in the olive oil and vinegar until well combined. Cover the pork chops with the mixture and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a pan for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and toss with one tablespoon of the butter and some of the chopped parsley. Keep warm.

4. Heat the remaining butter in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the diced apple to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the apple starts to turn golden-brown. Add the chorizo and stir well, then cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the chorizo is golden-brown all over.

4. Heat a griddle pan until it is smoking hot. Cook the pork chops for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown all over and cooked. Remove the pork from the pan and place onto warm plates to rest.

5. For the balsamic reduction: place the balsamic vinegar in a small non-reactive pan and simmer over a medium heat until reduced to about 50ml (the vinegar should be quite sticky at this stage). Stir in the smoked paprika, redcurrant jelly and stock. Bring back to the boil, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. To serve, spoon the potatoes onto serving plates and rest the pork chops on top. Drizzle over the balsamic reduction.

 

Barbequed Prawn Skewers July 9, 2010

Filed under: Fish — delishuss @ 7:22 pm
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This is a nice change from meat for the BBQ. Hopefully, the weather will improve a bit so that you can give it a go.

Ingredients

500g raw king prawns

1 can of coconut milk

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 tbsp of green curry paste

Juice of half a lime

2 tbsp of smooth peanut butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 green and 1 red pepper, chopped into chunks

1 red onion, chopped into chunks

Handful of chopped coriander

Instructions

  1. Mix the curry paste, peanut, chilli, coriander and coconut milk together in a bowl. Add the prawns and leave to marinade for 4 hours.
  2. Skewer the prawns, peppers and onions intermittently. Cook on the BBQ for approximately 8-10 minutes until the prawns have turned pink.
 

Basil Pesto

Filed under: Sauces — delishuss @ 7:08 pm
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I got this recipe down at Dunbrody House Cookery School.  This is a real staple sauce, use it with chicken, mixed with mayonnaise to make a salad dressing, as a spread on sandwiches and also on boiled potatoes. Yummy!

I found that I needed to alter the quantities slightly, so taste as you go along. 

Ingredients

30g fresh basil leaves (1 large handful)

15g grated parmesan (2 dessertspoons)

Juice of ½ lemon

1 dessertspoon of pine nuts (toasted or untoasted)

100-150ml olive oil (amount depends on your desired consistency)

2 cloves of garlic crushed

 

Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients into a food processor or puree with a hand blender until they are smooth.
  2. The basil pesto will last in your fridge for up to 3 weeks. Although it will darken slightly in colour it will still be delicious as the flavours will just be more mature.
  3. If you are unsure what you intend to use the pesto for I would suggest making it a little thicker and adding extra oil as is required.

 You can make an alternative version of this pesto using sundried tomatoes, parsley, rocket or coriander.

 

Serrano Ham Tortellini with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Filed under: Fast Food,Meat,Pasta — delishuss @ 6:45 pm
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This is a quick and yummy cheat.  I stumbled across it when I was experimenting.

Serves about 2-3 people

Ingredients

Packet of ready prepared tortellini

½ onion, chopped

100ml of cream

½ bottle of white wine (small bottle)

20ml of liquid stock

4 teaspoons of pesto (see recipe in sauces section)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions

Prepare tortellini according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, fry off the onion in a separate pan. Add the wine and reduce, add in the pesto and stir.

Add in the liquid sock and slowly add the cream, stirring constantly. Season to taste.

Remove the tortellini from the heat and add to the sauce.

 You could sprinkle with some parmesan before serving.

 

Burgers with Peppered Sauce

Filed under: Meat — delishuss @ 6:35 pm
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This is my own recipe.  It’s real comfort food. It would probably work best served with chunky chips.

This recipe will make four burgers; I will leave it up to you to decide how many people that will feed.

Ingredients

500g of mince meat

½ large onion, finely chopped

100g of breadcrumbs

1 egg

4-5 drops of tabasco sauce

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of mustard

Salt and Pepper to season

2 tablespoons of tomato sauce

Flour to dust with

Sauce

2 teaspoons of mixed peppercorns

100ml of cream

½ bottle of wine (small bottle)

30ml of liquid stock

¼ onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove crushed

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Sauté the onions in a frying pan and set aside to cool.
  3. Mix all the burger ingredients in a bowl and shape into patties using some flour to bind together.
  4. Fry the burgers off in the olive oil, until still slightly undercooked.
  5. Remove for heat and place in an oven dish with some kitchen paper to remove the excess grease.
  6. Remove the paper from underneath and throw away.

Sauce

  1. Meanwhile, using the same pan. Sieve the remaining oil in a bowl to remove the bits from the burger.
  2. Put the oil back in the frying pan minus the bits and heat.
  3. Fry off the onion and garlic (2-3 minutes).
  4. Add in the pepper corns and add the wine. Cook for about a minute. Add the stock and reduce the heat slightly.
  5. Add in the cream little by little, stirring all the time until it reaches a nice consistency. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the burgers.
  6. Cover the burgers with tinfoil and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
 

Beef and Spinach Cannelloni

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Meat — delishuss @ 6:21 pm
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You will see a running theme with my recipes, low fat or low calorie. I try to keep them as healthy as possible and get a lot of my recipes from Weight Watchers and other health magazines. This is another Weight Watchers recipe. I haven’t made it in quite some time but it’s lovely.

6 ½ Weight Watchers points per serving                                                

Serves 4

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

1 onion, diced

300g extra lean steak mince

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced

410g chopped tomatoes with herbs

1 beef stock cube, crumbled

150 ml of boiling water

150g chopped frozen spinach

16 cannelloni tubes

15g low fat margarine

25g of plain flour

1 tsp of mustard powder

600 ml of skimmed milk

50g of low fat mature cheddar, grated

8 cheery tomatoes, halved

Instructions

  1. To make the Bolognese sauce, heat a large pan, mist with low fat spray and add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes, and then add the book and cook, stirring well to break up the mince, until all the meat is brown.
  2. Stir in the garlic, pepper, tomatoes, tomato puree.
  3. Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water and add into pan.  Bring the sauce to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach until defrosted, ten remove from the heat and season to taste.
  4. Preheat the oven (gas mark 5/190 degrees Celsius). Fill the cannelloni tubes with the Bolognese sauce and put in greased oven proof dish in a single layer. Pour any leftover sauce over the top and set aside while you make the white sauce.
  5. Melt the margarine in a small pan. Add the flour and mustard powder and stir to combine. Cook the paste for 1 minute.
  6. Remove from the heat and stir the milk in a little at a time, making sure it is smooth before adding more.
  7. Return the sauce to the hob and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese. Pour over the cannelloni tubes, scatter with the remaining cheese and cherry tomatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is bubbling and golden, and the pasta is cooked through.
  8. Serve with a green salad.
 

Baileys Crème Brûlée with Shortbread Biscuits July 7, 2010

Filed under: Desserts — delishuss @ 9:55 pm
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This dessert is fab in my opinion. I got this recipe from the Dunbrody Cookery School, it was supposed to be made with ginger but they didn’t have any at the time. I can’t imagine this recipe with anything other than the Baileys. It’s divine.

Serves 6

Crème Brûlée Ingredients

4 egg yolks

300ml pouring cream

100g caster sugar

50 ml of baileys

Instructions

  1. Put the cream into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until they are light and creamy. Mix in the baileys.
  3. Pout the boiled cream in on the whisked eggs mixture and whisk well until properly combined.
  4. Allow to rest for a few minutes until the froth settles or alternatively scoop off the froth.
  5. Choose 6 large ramekins or 8 smaller ones.
  6. Carefully pour the egg custard into the ramekins.
  7. Place the ramekins in a deep roasting tray and fill it with water about 1/3 way up the side of the ramekins.
  8. Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes until set but still retaining a slight wobble (130 degrees Celsius).
  9. Refridgerate.
  10. Glaze wit a little brown sugar and then pop them under the grill or glaze with a chef’s blowtorch and serve.

 

Vanilla Biscuits ingredients

110g sugar

110g butter

1 egg yolk

225g plain flour

Instructions

  1. Cream butter and sugar together
  2. Add in the egg yolk and the plain flour
  3. Allow to rest. Leave in the fridge overnight if possible. The mixture can be successfully frozen at this time also.
  4. Tear off a piece of dough and roll into small ball. Continue with the remainder of the dough.
  5. Place it on a lined baking tray and flatten lightly with a fork.
  6. It’s best to refrigerate the biscuits at this time.
  7. Cook at 190 degrees Celsius/375 degrees Fahrenheit/gas mark 5 for 6-8 minutes.
 

Morrocan Chicken with Couscous

Filed under: Chicken,Healthy Eating — delishuss @ 9:07 pm
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Hello again. This is a recipe I saw on Exposé, made by Clodagh McKenna. It’s very quick and easy to make. Nice and light for the summer.  It’s supposed to serve 4, the portions would probably be small enough if it was just for a meal on its own.  If you were having a starter or other accompaniments.

Ingredients

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 chicken breasts

1 chilli, finely chopped

1 lemon, juiced

75 ml of balsamic vinegar

2 sprigs of finely chopped rosemary

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

½ sp coriander

50g golden sultanas

350 ml of chicken stock

A handful chopped parsley (flat leaf would work best)

400 g of couscous

Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Mixed the vinegar, rosemary and chilli in a bowl and add the chicken. Leave to marinade if possible. It still tastes good if you don’t have the time.
  2. Cook on a griddle pan for 4-5 minutes each side.
  3. Meanwhile, add the chicken stock to the couscous and cover for a couple of minutes.
  4. Separate the grains by using a fork, a spoon will make the mixture clumpy.
  5. Stir in the spices.
  6. Stir in the lemon juice, onion and chopped parsley.
  7. Season to taste.
  8. Slice the chicken and serve over the couscous in a large serving bowl so that people can help themselves.