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Spanish Ham and Bean Hotpot August 22, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Meat,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 9:04 pm
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I served this with green beans, carrots and baby potatoes (you will need to point the potatoes). Generally I would season the dish during the cooking process but gammon can be salty, so in this case I would season at the end.

Serves 4

3 1/2 points per serving

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

2 onions, chopped

250g (0z) thick gammon steak, all fat removed and cut into bite sized chunks

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoon of mixed herbs

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g can low sugar and low salt baked beans

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat a large lidded saucepan and spray with the cooking spray. Add the onions and cook, stirring for 4 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary to prevent them from sticking.

2. Add the gammon and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.

3. Add the herbs, tomatoes, beans, paprika and 100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) water and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, and simmer, half-covered, for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste.

4. Serve in warm bowls.

 

Cheesy Pasta Bake August 11, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Meat,Pasta,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:58 pm
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Tip: I added in chicken which I fried with the bacon until golden brown. I would also recommend adding in a stock cube with the pasta water, to give it an extra bit of flavour.

6 Points per serving

Serves 4

Ingredients

150g small, short dried pasta such as

macaroni or chifferi rigati

400g mixed zero points veg, such as

broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot cut into bite sizes.

Low fat cooking spray

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium rashers lean back bacon, chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp low fat polyunsaturated margarine

300 ml skimmed milk

100g half fat mature cheddar cheese grated

1 slice of low calorie bread, whizzed into crumbs

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
  2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for just 1 minute, then add the mixed vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes more until the veg is just starting to get tender.
  3. Drain and tip into a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish.
  4. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan, mist with low fat spray and add the onion. Sauté for 4 minutes until starting to soften and colour, then add the bacon and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
  5. Tip into the dish with the pasta and mix everything together.
  6. Place the flour, margarine and milk in a small saucepan and bring to the boil on a medium-high heat, whisking constantly.
  7. Simmer for a few minutes more, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and the raw flour taste has disappeared, then stir in half the cheese.
  8. Season to taste, and then pour the sauce over the pasta.
  9. Top the pasta with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs, then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until hot through and golden brown on top. Serve.
 

Arabic Lamb Schwarma August 9, 2010

Filed under: Meat — delishuss @ 10:07 pm
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This recipe takes a bit of preparation, so don’t do what I did and start the recipe at 21:00.  In my humble opinion this is gorgeous, why not give it a try. This recipe uses leg of lamb; I used lamb steaks instead and cut them into cubes.

Ingredients

For the lamb kebabs

450g leg of lamb, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 lemon, juiced and half the zest

2 cloves of garlic

1.5 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of ground spice

1 tsp of cinnamon

3 cardamon pods, crushed

1 tsp of cumin seeds, crushed

Pinch of chilli powder

25g fresh coriander, chopped

Pinch nutmeg grated

1 tbsp of sugar

For the parsley tahini dip

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

300ml of tahini

2 lemons, juice only

1 very large handful of parsley, finely chopped

For the tabbouleh

200g bulgar wheat

1 stock cube

2 tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded

3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions

½ cucumber, deseeded and very finely chopped mint

200g very finely chopped parsley

4 tbsp lemons, juice only

5-6 tbsp olive oil

100g rocket lettuce

To serve

Flatbreads

Red onions, thinly sliced.

Method

  1. For the lamb kebabs: slice the lamb thinly. Mix in a bowl with all the other ingredients and leave to marinade in the fridge overnight. (Don’t stress, if you haven’t time, give it 30 minutes if using lamb steaks).
  2. The next day, cook the shreds of lamb on a hot griddle pan or barbecue.
  3. For the parsley tahini dip: using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic and salt to a paste. Mix in the tahini then whisk in the lemon juice- it will start to become sticky. Start dribbling in a little warm water, still whisking until you get the consistency of thick double cream. Stir in the parsley.
  4. For the tabbouleh: Cook bulgar wheat according to packet instructions, add the stock cube during cooking. Drain the soaked bulgar in a colander.
  5. Tip into a mixing bowl and stir in all the other ingredients tasting and adjusting with seasoning all the way.
  6. Make the schwarma wraps by loading flatbread with a mixture of the grilled lamb, tabbouleh, and tahini dip. Scatter with red onion and roll up to serve.
 

Leek, Bacon and Goat’s Cheese Pie August 2, 2010

Filed under: Meat — delishuss @ 9:21 pm
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I subscribed to a cookbook, which came with some of the ‘BEST’ magazines, one of the cookbooks contained recipes for pies. A few took my fancy  but I ended up making this recipe based on the ingredients I had at home.  It’s good wholesome, comfort food. Give it go and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 pack of puff pastry (2 x sheets. If frozen leave out overnight to thaw)

1 ½ leeks, chopped

4 slices of smoked bacon, chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

5 eggs beaten

1 egg beaten for sealing and glazing

6 slices of goat’s cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 218 degrees Celsius.
  2. Fry off the bacon until browned.
  3. Grease an ovenproof dish (about 15 cm deep) and roll out one sheet of your puff pastry into your dish. Cut off any edges and patch any areas that you may be short of pastry using some of the beaten egg to help the patches of pastry to stick together.
  4. Add the chopped leek, fried bacon, cherry tomatoes and goat’s cheese onto the pastry base.
  5. Add some salt and pepper to the beaten eggs and pour over the pastry base.
  6. Place in the oven and cook for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Brush some of the beaten egg around the rim and place the second sheet of puff pastry across the top, cut off any excess pastry. Glaze to top with the egg.
  7. Place back in the oven for a further 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it as the pastry can burn quite quickly.

 Note: Serve with a salad with balsamic dressing.

 

Roasted Sausage and Pepper Rigatoni July 22, 2010

Filed under: Favourites,Meat,Pasta,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 9:51 pm
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Here’s another Weight Watchers Recipe from the Fabulous and Filling Cookbook.  I only added one thing and that was a red onion cut into quarters or chunks.  I used Superquinn low fat sausages, they are gorgeous and there’s no noticeable difference between the full fat and low fat versions.

Serves 4

7 1/2 Weight Watchers points per serving

Ingredients

454g pack low fat sausages

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped roughly

1 yellow pepper, de-seeded and chopped roughly

3 garlic cloves, crushed

A pinch of dried chillies

Low fat cooking spray

350g (12 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved

250g (9 oz) dried rigatoni

2 heaped tablespoons shredded fresh basil

Method

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 7/220 degrees celsius/fan oven 200 degrees celsius.

2. Snip the sausages into chunks using kitchen scissors and toss together with the peppers, garlic and chillies in a large roasting tin. Spray with the cooking spray and roast for 15 minutes.

3. Stir the cherry tomatoes into the roasting tin and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain thoroughly.

5. Add the pasta to the roasted sausage and pepper mixture and stir in the fresh basil. Serve immediately.

 

Mediterranean Sausage and Bean Stew

Filed under: Meat,Soups and Stews — delishuss @ 9:33 am
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This is great comfort food. I’m not really sure where I got this recipe from, I think it was one of my own creations. Worth a try!

 

Ingredients

1 tblsp of olive oil

6 chopped Denny’s tomato and rosemary sausages (or something similar)

1 tin of cannelloni beans

1 medium size onion chopped

1 clove of garlic chopped

1 small red pepper chopped

1 small yellow pepper chopped

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tblsp of tomato puree

½ tsp of dried Italian seasoning (oregano or basil will do)

Salt and pepper

 

Instructions

  1. Sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil and remove from pan.
  2. Add chopped sausages to pan, no need for any additional oil. When brown add in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tsp of herbs and heat. Re-add the peppers and onions.
  3. Drain the cannelloni beans and add to pan. Cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
  4. Add in the tin of tomatoes and tomato puree, stir and bring to the boil.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to your desired taste. Remember that the sausages are heavily seasoned so don’t go mad.
  6. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

This would be nice served with some toasted ciabatta.

 

Warm Salad of Black Pudding, Baby Potatoes & Chorizo July 16, 2010

Filed under: Meat,Salads and Dressings — delishuss @ 11:33 am
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This is another Dunbrody Cookery School recipes, this has to be my favourite from the two day course I attended. 

Ingredients

9 slices of black pudding (approx 1 packet)

3 oz/75g chorizo-diced

2 shallots-thinly sliced

9 baby potatoes

3 sprigs of thyme

1 large bunch fresh rocket/lettuce leaves

A couple of spoons of mustard seed dressing

Dressing (stores in the fridge for approx 2 weeks)

170ml olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of caster sugar

1 dessertspoon of honey

2 teaspoons of hot water

Cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

 

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing: mix the mustard, honey, lemon juice, and seasoning together.
  2. Whisk in the oil and correct the consistency with hot water. Whisk in the chopped thyme and allow the dressing to rest until required.
  3. Par boil the baby potatoes (put them into a pot with cold water, bring them to the boil and boil for approx 6-7 minutes until just tender) and allow to cool. Slice the potatoes into 4-5 slices.
  4. Heat a large frying pan and cook the black pudding on both sides until gently cooked and then add the baby potatoes, shallots and chorizo and cook them for a few minutes until browned off. Sprinkle in the fresh thyme and season sparingly.
  5. Meanwhile mix the rocket/lettuce leaves with a little of the dressing and place in the centre of your service plate/bowl. Just before you serve the dish divide the hot pudding mixture between the plates in a decorative fashion.

 

Additional notes

This recipe is supposed to serve 6 as a starter. I made it as a lunch at the weekend, so I increased the portion size.

In the past I never used to take much care in dressing the salad but it’s definitely worthwhile teasing the dressing through the salad with your fingers, as the dressing doesn’t just land in spots.

 

Ravioli and Meatball Bake

Filed under: Meat,Pasta — delishuss @ 10:58 am
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This is really yummy. It’s a real cheat recipe. I got it from a series of cookbooks called ‘Best Food Fast’.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 packet of fresh ravioli

1 packet of ready-prepared meatballs

1 large jar of pasta sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 packet (ball) of mozzarella sliced

50g of parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions

  1. Brown the meatballs on all sides in the olive oil and place in an ovenproof dish. Fry off the onions and add to dish also.
  2. Boil the ravioli according for about 4 minutes, slightly less than the standard cooking time.
  3. Once the ravioli is cooked, drain and arrange over the meatballs and onion.
  4. Pour the pasta sauce over the meatballs, onions and pasta.
  5. Arrange the sliced mozzarella over the top and sprinkle over with parmesan.
  6. Cook in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.

 Voila you are done! This is a lovely, really wholesome food.

 

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.