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Carrot pancakes with hummus and roasted chilli feta May 30, 2011

Filed under: Vegetarian — delishuss @ 9:26 pm
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I get a weekly email update from the goodfoodchannel.co.uk, I know I’m a nerd but there’s some excellent recipes on it. I got this one off it, it’s smashing. Vegetarian food can be a bit bland but this recipe packs a punch. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the hummus

  • 200 g carrots, thinly sliced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper
  • 200 g cooked or tinned chickpeas
  • ½ lemon, juice only
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

For the pancakes

  • 150 g carrots, grated
  • 2 green chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 100 g gram flour, also known as chickpea flour
  • 50 g semolina
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 150-200 ml water
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

For the roasted chilli feta

  • 120 g feta cheese
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • large pinch dried red chilli flakes

For the salad

  • small bag mixed leaves
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • splashes chardonnay vinegar, or other white wine vinegar
  • 25 g pine nuts, toasted

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

2. For the hummus: tip the carrots onto a baking tray, drizzle with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until softened.

3. Remove from the oven and tip them straight into a food processer with all the remaining hummus ingredients. Blend to a smooth purée, adding splash of water if too thick.

4. Taste for seasoning then set aside.

5. For the pancakes: tip all of the pancake ingredients, apart from the water and olive oil, into a mixing bowl. Stir in enough water to form a thick batter, the consistency of thick double cream.

6. Heat the olive oil in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then spoon in a quarter of the batter. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7. Repeat with remaining batter to make 4 pancakes in total.

8. For the roasted chilli feta: place the feta on a large piece of aluminium foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle over the chilli flakes.

9. Wrap up the foil to form a loose parcel, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the feta is warm and soft

10. For the salad: while the feta is cooking, gently toss together all the salad ingredients. Season, to taste, with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

11. To serve, return the pancakes to the oven for 1-2 minutes to warm through, then place on individual serving plates. Top each with a generous spoonful of the carrot hummus, crumble over the warm feta and top with the mixed leaf salad. Finally, scatter over the toasted pine nuts and serve.

 

 

Lettuce and Pea Soup May 29, 2011

Filed under: Soups and Stews,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 10:00 pm
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I got this recipe from a Weight Watchers demonstration in the Kitchen in the Castle.  The courses out there are great, you should check them out: http://www.thekitcheninthecastle.com/

This soup is very quick to make. It’s best served fresh.

1 1/2 propoints per serving

3 propoints per recipe

serves 2

 

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

4 spring onions, sliced

250g lettuce, such as cos or little gem, shredded

150ml vetegable stock

100ml skimmed milk

60g peas, fresh or frozen

4 fresh mint leaves, shredded, plus extra to garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Method

1. Spray a large lidded pan with the cooking spray and heat until hot. Add the spring onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the lettuce and cook for a minute before stirring in the stock and milk.

2. Bring to the boil, add the peas and reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the shredded mint then transfer to a liquidiser to blend or whizz with a hand held blender. Season with a little salt and black pepper and return to the pan to warm through.

4. Serve in warm bowls garnished with the mint leaves.

 

 

Trifle

Filed under: Desserts — delishuss @ 9:46 pm
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This is not a traditional trifle by any means. This is a Jamie Oliver recipe. It’s  yummy and it’s also quick and simple recipe to make.  An all round winner.

Ingredients

3 oranges

75ml limoncello

100g sponge fingers

250g mascarpone

2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

100ml semi-skimmed milk

1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

1 punnet of raspberries, or other seasonal fruit

1x 100g bar of good-quality dark chocolate, for shaving over

 

Method

1.  Squeeze the juice from  3 oranges into an appropriately sized serving dish. Stir in the limoncello and taste to check the balance of sweetness and booze, adjusting if necessary.

2. Cover the base of the dish with a layer of sponge fingers.

3. Put the mascarpone and icing sugar ino a separate bowl with the milk.

4. Finely grate over the zest of the lemon, then squeeze in the juice from one half. Add the vanilla paste or extract to the bowl and whisk well.

5. Spread the mixture all over the sponge fingers, then scatter over the raspberries and finely scrape over a little dark chocolate. Put into the fridge.

6. After dinner take the dessert out of the fridge. Serve over a little icing sugar, then serve. If you’re feeling a bit indulgent you can melt the rest of the chocolate in the microwave and drizzle it over the top.

 

Chocolate Flapjacks

Filed under: Cakes,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 9:24 pm
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These are scrumptious and wholesome too. Dead easy to make. These are a Weight Watchers recipe also.  Hope you try them.

3 propoints per flapjack

Recipe makes 12

You will need a 8cm square baking tin and a heatproof bowl

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

60g low fat spread

50g light brown sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

170g porridge oats

25g plain chocolate

 

Method

1. Place the low-fat spread, sugar and syrup in a large pan and melt over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest and oats.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon onto the sheet and level the mixture. Bake for 15-20 mins, gas mark 5, 190 degrees celsius and 350 degrees fahrenheit.

3. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water for 2-3 minutes until melted. Remove from the heat.

4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Cut the flapjacks into 12 rectangles and drizzle over the chocolate. Leave to cool in a tin for about 30 minutes. They will keep in an airtight tin for 3 days.

 

Chocolate Orange Brownies May 25, 2011

Filed under: Cakes,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:54 pm
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I went a bit baking mad last weekend, I tried the lemon tart and these chocolate brownies they are great. Definately worth a try. The recipe is from Weight Watchers Fabulous & Filling. I was a bit dubious about the fact that there was no chocolate in it but I don’t think it actually needs it.  These are also very quick to make.

Makes 15 brownies

They are 1 1/2 points each in the old system (not sure what they are with the new plan)

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

175g self raising flour

40g cocoa, reserving 1/2 teaspoon for dusting

100g soft dark brown sugar

Finely grated zest of an orange

1 egg

100g very low fat natural yoghurt

75g low fat spread, melted

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180 degrees celsius/ fan oven 160 degrees celsius. Line a 17×25 cm rectangular cake tin with non stick baking parchment and spray with the cooking spray.

2. Sift the flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl then stir in the sugar and orange zest.

3. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the yogurt and 150ml cold water then mix into the dry ingredients, followed by the low fat spread. Stir until smooth then pour into the prepared tin.

4. Bake fo 15 minutes until just firm then cool in the tin. Once cool, chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into 15 squares.

5. To serve, dust the reserved cocoa over the brownies.

 

Sausage Pizza May 21, 2011

Filed under: Meat,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 11:46 am
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This is fantastic and really simple to make. I will definately try this recipe again. It’s a Weight Watchers one, which is great. Guilt free pizza. Not quite sure I could stop at one slice though.

8 Propoints per serving

Serves 4

Ingredients

1x 145g pizza vase mix

Calorie controlled cooking spray

2tbsp plain flour, for dusting

175ml passata

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

4 Weight Watchers Premium Pork Sausages

150g light mozzarella cheese, drained and torn into pieces

Salt and freshly ground black

A small handful of fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Method

1.  Prepare the pizza base mix according to the pack instructions.  Mist a 25x35cm baking tray with cooking spray and dust with flour.

2. Roll out the dough thinly on a floured work surface to a 30x23cm rectangle.  Transfer to the baking tray and set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220 degrees celsius/200 degrees fahrenheit. Mix together the passata, oregano, tomato puree and chilli flakes, if using. Spoon the sauce over the base in a thin layer, leaving a 1cm gap around the edge.

4. Squeeze the sausage meat out of its skins and make into 28 marble-sized balls.

5. Arrange them on top of the pizza, followed by the mozzarella and seasoning. Spray the top of the pizza with cooking spray.

6. Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes until the base is golden and crisp. Garnish with the basil leaves and cut into 4. Serve immediately.

 

Lemon Tart May 19, 2011

Filed under: Cakes,Desserts — delishuss @ 9:57 pm
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My friend Miro passed this recipe onto me, so I must give it a try at the weekend. I love anything citrusy (not sure if that’s a word), so I reckon this is going to be a winner. Here goes:

First you need to prepare your sweet shortcrust pastry. You need:
 
175 g (6 oz) plain flour
pinch of salt
85 g (3oz) butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
30 – 45 ml (2-3 tbsp) cold water
20 ml (4 tsp) caster sugar
 
Mix the flour, salt and butter together in a Kenwood mixer until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add sugar and start sprinkling over water after it combines all together. You don’t want to over handle it, so once it’s combined, wrap it in a clear film and put it into fridge for half an hour to rest. Then just roll it out and put it into a tart form (I usually use one with a loose bottom – 9 inch), prick the pastry with a fork and put it into preheated oven at 190 C (375 F) or Gas 5 and bake until golden (usually takes 20 – 25 min). They advise to bake it blind with baking beans and then remove them after 20 min and bake for another 15 min, but it’s not a must.

 
Once baked, let it cool and prepare your lemon filling. For that you need:
 
2 lemons
3 limes (or vice versa lol)
65 g (2.5 oz) cornflour
50 g (2 oz) caster sugar
3 egg yolks
 
First grate the lemons and limes for zest, then you need to half them and squeeze the juice out. Pour into a jug and make up to 450 ml (3/4 of a pint) with cold water. Place it into a saucepan together with sugar and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the cornflour and egg yolks with 120 ml (4 fl oz) of cold water and pour it to your boiling juice. It’ll take only a minute or two to thicken and once thickened, you can pour it straight to your pastry case. Let it cool down and bon appetite 🙂
 
I have been led to believe that it’s not as much work as it sounds, so I will keep you posted.

 

Ragu alla Bolognese May 18, 2011

Filed under: Meat,Pasta — delishuss @ 9:05 pm
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Hi there, I have to confess sometimes I resort to a jar of sauce for a Bolognese. Really there’s no excuse, as sauces are so easy to make. Here’s an authentic Italian recipe for you, from ‘Mama’s Italian Cookbook’. Very tasty, yum. Hope you enjoy it.

The recipe serves 4

Ingredients

25g dried ceps

125 ml lukewarm water

1 tsp butter

50g pancetta, diced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 small carrots, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced

300g beef mince

1 pinch sugar

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 tbsp tomato puree

125ml red wine

250g passata

1 oxo cube (not in the original recipe)

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Soak the ceps in the water for 20 minutes.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the pancetta and fry.

3. Add the onion and garlic and fry until the onion is translucent. Stir in the carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add the beef and fry, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar, oxo cube and some nutmeg.

5. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for a minute or two then add the wine.

6. Mix in the passata. Thinly slice the ceps and add them to the sauce.

7. Pour the soaking water through a fines sieve into the suace. Thicken the sauce by cooking it over a low heat for 1 hour.

 

Plum and Oyster Marinated Chicken May 2, 2011

Filed under: Chicken — delishuss @ 9:05 pm
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I was looking for a recipe for chicken done on the BBQ. I had heard about a recipe for beef kebabs with plum sauce and chilli so I adapted that a little. The chicken becomes really succulent. It’s great.

Covers 4 chicken breasts

Ingredients

1 chilli, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons plum sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tsp ginger, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

 

Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add the chicken breasts.

2. Get stuck in with clean hands and make sure the chicken is well coated. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes.

3.  BBQ for about 20 minutes depending on the heat of the BBQ.

 

Easy Spiced Lamb

Filed under: Meat,Rice and Grains,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 4:13 pm
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I love lamb and mix that with spices and you’ve a winning combination in my mind.  This is a weight watchers recipe from the Oriental Express cookbook.

Propoints value per serving – 1o

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g dried brown basmati rice, rinsed

125g fine green beans, trimmed

125g small cauliflower florets

low fat cooking spray

1 onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2.5cm fresh root ginger

1 large courgette, diced

350g lean diced lamb, visible fat removed

50g dried apricots, chopped into small pieces

2 tablespoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1.  Put the rice in a lided saucepan and cover with 450ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Set aside for 5 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and leave to cool slightly.

2. Bring about 2.5cm of water to the boil in a lidded pan. Put the green beans and cauliflower in a steamer basket and place it over the pan. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until al dente. Alternatively, bring a small amount of water to boil and cook the vegetables for 5 minutes and then drain. Refresh under cold running water and then set aside.

3. Heat a large lidded non-stick frying pan. Spray with the cooking spray and stir fry the onion over a medium heat for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and courgette and stir fry for 3 minutes. Next, add the lamb and stir fry for a further 3 minutes until browned.

4. Add the apricots and spices, stir and then ad the green beans, cauliflower, rice and 5 tablespoons of water. Stir until combined and then cover with a lid and heat through for 5 minutes. Season before serving.