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Rogan Josh November 2, 2010

Filed under: Curries,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 9:55 pm
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This is another Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals. It’s pretty good but I think I would add lamb nex time.

CURRY
2 onions
1 medium butternut squash
1 small cauliflower
optional: 1 fresh red chilli
4 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh coriander
½ a 283g jar of Patak’s rogan joshpaste
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
100g prewashed baby spinach
1 x 500g tub of natural yoghurt

Method

  1. Peel and slice the onions and add to the large pan with a splash of water and a few good lugs of olive oil.
  2. Carefully cut the butternut squash in half across the middle (for speed I’m only using the seedless neck), wrap up the base and put in the fridge for another day. Quarter the neck lengthways, then slice it into 1cm chunks – no need to peel them .Add to the pan.Trim the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves. Cut it into bite-sized chunks, and throw them into the pan.
  3. If you want some extra heat, slice up the chilli and add it now. Crush in the unpeeled garlic.
  4. Finely chop the coriander (stalks and all). Reserve a few leaves for garnish and add the rest to the pan with a couple of generous splashes of boiled water.
  5. Add the rogan josh paste and the tin of chickpeas, with their juices. Season and stir well, then put a lid on. Cook hard and fast, stirring occasionally.
  6. Check and add a splash of water if it looks a bitdry. Stir, then replace the lid.
    Take the lid off. Do you need to adjust the consistency at this point? If so, you can add a generous splash of boiled water, depending on whether you want it drier or wetter. Or mash up some of the veg for different textures.
  7. Taste and add a pinch of salt, if needed, then add the spinach and stir through.
  8. Transfer the rice and curry into large serving bowls. Spoon the remaining yoghurt over the curry, sprinkle with the rest of the coriander leaves and take both bowls to the table.
 

Easy Peasy Lentil Curry October 16, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 9:05 pm
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This is yummy, easy and healthy. What more can I say.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 medium onions, cut into rough wedges

4 tbsp curry paste

850 ml vegetable stock

750g stewpack frozen vegetables

100g red lentils

200g basmati rice

Turmeric

Handful of raisins

Roughly chopped parsley

Poppadoms and mango chutney to serve

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook over a high heat for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Stir in the curry paste and cook for a minute.
  3. Slowly pour a little of the stock so it sizzles, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Gradually pour in the rest of the stock.
  4. Stir the frozen vegetables, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked.
  5. While the curry is simmering, cook the rice according to the packet instruction, adding the turmeric to the cooking water. Drain well.
  6. Season the curry with salt, toss in a handful of raisins and chopped parsley, then serve with the rice, poppadums and chutney.

 

Note: I used fresh vegetables instead and fried them off with the onions. I used butternut squash also which I parboiled before frying.

 

Italian Style Tomato Soup September 13, 2010

Filed under: Soups and Stews,Starters,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 10:28 pm
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This is very simple to make. It’s pretty healthy as well. You would probably get about 6 servings out of this.

Ingredients

1x400g can chopped tomatoes

1 jar passata

1 large onion, chopped

1x 400g butter beans

2x leeks, chopped

2x cloves, garlic crushed

300ml stock

handful of chopped basil

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Fry off the onions and leeks in a lidded saucepan for 2-3 minutes at high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and saute for 3 more minutes. Add in the garlic and stir, fry for another 1 minutes.

2. Add in the tomatoes, passata and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the butter beans and basil and stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Season to taste and serve.

This would be great served with the Traditional Soda Bread With Sundried Tomato & Parmesan.

 

Lentil and Chick Pea Casserole September 9, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 10:07 pm
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Hi everyone, I’m afraid I couldn’t leave the original of this recipe alone. It serves 4. I would serve it with cous cous or rice.  For a meat version, I think it would work well with lamb.

2 Weight Watchers points per recipe

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

1 red onion, sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 courgette, sliced

1 x 400g can cherry tomatoes

1 x 410g can green lentils, drained

1 x 100g can chickpeas, drained

1 x 100g can red kidney beans, drained

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of fenu greek

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

150 ml stock

150g young leaf spinach

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley, to garnish

Method

1. Crush the spices in a pestle and mortar, set aside.

2. Lightly coat a large lided non stick saucepan with low fat cooking spray. Heat until hot. Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Add the courgette and peppers and cook for another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add in the garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4 Stir in the spinach and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Serve hot with a sprinkle of parsley on top.

 

Vegetable and Lentil Moussaka August 29, 2010

Filed under: Potatoes,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 9:13 pm
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This recipe is from the Cornucopia cookbook.  This one can be made and the leftovers put in the freezer for a later date.

Note: I couldn’t find puy lentils at the time, so I used a tin of green lentils. I also added some vegetables (peppers) to bulk it up a bit.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Sauce

340g fat free natural yoghurt

1 tsp of mild curry powder

¼ tsp of ground turmeric

2 egg yolks

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

75g of grated cheddar cheese

Base

2 tablespoon of olive oil

200g of tinned puy lentils

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

25g of fresh oregano

1 can of tomatoes

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 tsp of ground cumin

2 large (3 medium) aubergines

4 large waxy potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Fry off the onion for 5 minutes on a medium. Add in the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.
  2. Add in the herbs and spices and fry for 1 minute. Add the puy lentils and tin of tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat once cooked.
  3. While the base is simmering, peel and slice the waxy potatoes.
  4. Par-cooked in salted water for 15 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.
  5. Slice the aubergines and spray with low cal spray. Cook on a griddle pan until slightly charred on each side.
  6. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
  7. Mix together the yoghurt, curry powder, turmeric, egg yolks and nutmeg in a bowl and season to taste.
  8. Spread some of the base sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Layer some aubergine on top and then some of the potato. Repeat process.
  9. Cover the top with the creamy sauce mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese.
  10. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
 

Carrot and Lentil Soup August 22, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Soups and Stews,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:51 pm
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This gets the thumbs up from my boyfriend anyway. It’s a good hearty soup. I doubled up on the quantities and put some in the freezer.

This recipe serves 4.

2 1/2 Weight Watchers points per serving

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced thinly

1 celery stick with leaves, both sliced thinly

175g (6 oz) red lentils, rinsed

4 tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock

salt and freshly ground pepper

For the croutons

2 slices day-old wholemeal bread, crusts removed

2 garlice cloves, halved lengthways

Method

1. Spray a large, lidded saucepan with the cooking spray and fry the onion, celery and leaves and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, bay leaves, mixed herbs, salt and pepper.

2. Pour in the stock, bring up to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, half covered, for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Remove the bay leaves. Whizz the soup in a food processor, or use a hand-held blender, until smooth. Check the seasoning and add more if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, rub both sides of each slice of bread with the garlic. Cut the bread into cubes and spray with the cooking spray. In a non-stick frying pan, fry the bread, turning occasionally and spraying with more cooking spray if necessary, until golden and crisp. Serve with croutons on top of the soup and some freshly ground black pepper.

 

Italian Chick Pea and Pasta Stew

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Pasta,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:32 pm
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This is good for making at the weekend and freezing or also good for family dinner. The portion sizes are pretty decent also.

Serves 4

3 points per serving

Ingredients

175g (6oz) farfalle

low fat cooking spray

1 large onion, chopped

1 celery stick, sliced

 2 carrots, diced

850 mil (1 1/2 pints) vegetable stock

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato puree

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (left whole)

1 x 400g can chick peas drained

250g (9oz) spinach, washed, thick stalks removed and leaves sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, spray a  large saucepan with the cooking spray and add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaves and rosemary and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chick peas and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves.

3. Stir in the spinach and cooked pasta and cook for a final 2 minutes. Season. Serve in large bowls.

Variation- For a meat variation, you can add 250g (90z) lean thick cut ham, cubed with the chick peas in step 2, for an extra 1 1/2 points value per serving.

 

Autumn Vegetable Curry August 19, 2010

Filed under: Curries,Healthy Eating,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 9:16 pm
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Another good Weight Watchers recipes for you to try. The recipe says that it serves 4, but I got 5 decent portions out of it. It’s great if you have a family but also good to freeze as well if you are on your own. Another bonus is that it’s zero points, yippee!

Ingredients

1 spray low fat cooking spray

1 large onion (s) finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 piece of ginger, 2.5cm/ 1 inch peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoon curry powder (or according to taste)

450g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 medium portion cauliflower, small, broken into florets

1 medium courgette, sliced

800g (2 cans) canned tomatoes, chopped

1 medium red, greeen or yellow (s), deseeded and chopped

125g green beans, sliced

1 stock cube, made up to 450ml (3/4 pint) or as per packet instructions

2 tablespoon fresh coriander, a handful, including stalks, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. Mist a large saucepan with spray cooking oil. Saute onion, garlic and ginger until softened, but not browned, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add curry powder and stir well, then add all the vegetables, canned tomatoes, stock and most of the coriander. Heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes until vegetables are tender.

3. Check seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve, garnished with coriander.

Cook’s tips: Garnish each portion with 2 tbsp low fat plain yoghurt mixed with chopped fresh mint. Serve with rice, chapatis or naan bread, adding the extra points. You could add a can of chick peas to the curry to make it more filling. Drain and rinse, then add with the tomatoes- and don’t forget to add the points.

 

Sweet Potato Balti August 11, 2010

Filed under: Curries,Healthy Eating,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:51 pm
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This is another Weight Watchers recipe. This is really good. You can serve it as a side dish or with rice as a main dish.

Serves 4. Takes 27 minutes. 9 points value per recipe. 201 calories per serving

Ingredients

500g sweet potato

Low fat cooking spray

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tablespoons balti curry powder

150 ml hot vegetable stock

1x410g can butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 red chilli, sliced

75g frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

1. Put the sweet potato on a plate and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

2. Heat a wide non stick frying pan and spray with low fat cooking spray. Transfer the sweet potato to the pan and cook for 20 minutes, turning over about halfway through when starting to caramelise.

3. Meanwhile, put the chopped tomatoes, garlic, curry powder, stock, butter beans, chilli and frozen spinach into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add the sweet potato and coriander and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

 

Red Lentil, Vegetable and Basil Soup August 2, 2010

Filed under: Soups and Stews,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 8:49 pm
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This is a derivation of a Cornucopia recipe.  I tried the recipe after seeing it in their book.  Normally, I change stuff a little based on my gut feeling but didn’t this time to see if my gut was right. I’m afraid it was in this case. I altered it by adding some leek and some stock and reducing the quantity of basil. I think this is going to be one of my staple soups.  Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

1 leek, chopped

3 sticks of celery, chopped

6 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

100g red lentils

25g basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 litre of stock

I litre of water

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

  1. Heat a large saucepan and heat the olive oil.
  2. Add in the vegetables and sauté for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat and cover and leave to sweat for 5 minutes.
  3. Add in the lentils, stock, water, seasoning and bring to the boil. Once boiled reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are yellow.
  4. Add in the basil leaves and stir.
  5. Blend with a handheld blender. Taste and correct seasoning if required.