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Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Rocket August 11, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Pasta,Salads and Dressings,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:46 pm
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I got this from the Weight Watchers UK website. I’m not a mad fan of blue cheese, so I substituted it with feta instead.

Ingredients

30 g walnut halves, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

175g pasta, use farfalle

40g rocket

2 tablespoon fresh chives, minced

180g tomato (s) halved

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil (garlic infused)

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Freshly ground salt and pepper

45g Danish blue cheese, crumbled

Method

  1. Place walnuts in a small, frying pan. Toast nuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.
  2. Bring 3 quarts of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot. Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 11 to 13 minutes. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl; immediately add rocket and toss well. Cover bowl with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap; set aside until rocket is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in chives and tomatoes.
  3. Stir together vinegar, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a cup. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss well; sprinkle with blue cheese.
 

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.

 

Ratatouille Pasta

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Pasta,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:49 pm
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This recipe is from the Weight Watchers Fabulous and Filling Cookbook. I made a few additions to the recipe. I added a stock cube to the ratatouille after the tomatoes. Instead of using plain tomatoes, I used Napolina Chilli and Pepper, it gives it a good old kick.

Serves 4

4 1/2 Weight Watchers points per serving

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

1 red onion, chopped roughly

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped roughly

1 yellow pepper, de-seeded and chopped roughly

2 courgettes, sliced

1 aubergine, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

400g can chopped tomatoes

200g (7oz) dried fusilli or conchiglie

100g (3 1/2 oz) Brie, sliced thinly

Freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Heat a large, lidded sauce pan until hot and spray with the cooking spray. Cook the onion for 2 minutes then add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes stirring.

2. Add the courgettes, aubergine and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add a splash of water if necessary to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan.

3. Cover the pan and cook for a further 4 minutes over a medium heat until the vegetables have softened then add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. Season with black pepper.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions, until tender. Preheat the grill.

5. Drain the pasta and mix with the ratatouille. Tip into an ovenproof baking dish anfd top with the sliced Brie. Grill for 2-3 minutes until the Brie starts to melt. Serve on warm plates.

 

Penne Pasta with Smoked Salmon July 16, 2010

Filed under: Fish,Pasta — delishuss @ 10:28 am
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I’m not a big fan of fish, but we made this recipe down in Dunbrody Cookery School and I must say I’m nearly converted. As the smoked salmon is cooked the flavour is not as potent. It’s another very quick recipe to make.

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

350g penne pasta

200g of smoked salmon

200ml pouring cream

50g crème fraiche

Juice of 1 lemon

50ml white wine

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

50g grated parmesan (plus extra for serving)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the penne pasta according to the packet instructions.
  2. Chop the smoked salmon into long strips and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile in another saucepan put the cream, crème friache and lemon juice onto heat and bring them to the boil. Add in the white wine and grated parmesan and heat through.
  4. Allow the sauce to cook for at least 10 minutes during which time it will thicken by process of reduction and also with the addition of the cheese.
  5. Drain the pasta and add it into the hot sauce and then mix in the smoked salmon and the chopped parsley.
  6. Transfer to a large pottery dish and bring to the table to allow people to help themselves.
 

Pappardalle Pasta with Boilie Cheese, Spicy Chorizo Sausage and Roast Peppers June 26, 2010

Filed under: Pasta — delishuss @ 1:00 pm
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I got this recipe from a cookbook called ‘Zest’. My friend Kathy gave it to me as a present; it includes 62 recipes from some of the top restaurants in Ireland. The recipes are lovely, ideal if you want to get some ideas for a party or looking to impress someone. This recipe is quick and easy to make. It’s quite rich, not great for the waistline but hey you gotta indulge sometimes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the sauce:

Olive oil, for frying

100g chorizo sausage

2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

450ml cream

For the pasta

2 tablespoons pesto

250g pappardelle pasta

Knob of butter

200g Boilie cow’s milk cheese

Salt and pepper

Instructions

For the sauce

  1. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Saute the chorizo sausage and the red peppers.
  2. Add the cream and pesto to the pan and reduce to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

 For the pasta

  1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan in boiling water with a knob of butter melted in the water.
  2. Do not overcook the pasta. When there is just a little ‘chew’ on the pasta, it is cooked enough- check the package for details.
  3. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce from the pan.
  4. Drain the oil from the Boilie cheese, and add the cheese to the pasta mix. Stir Gently.

To serve

  1. Serve the pasta in a large warmed bowl in the centre of the table, with side dishes of green salad and garlic bread. Set a warm plate at each plate setting and allow your guest to help themselves.
 

Creamy Tomato and Bacon Pasta Bows

Filed under: Fast Food,Pasta — delishuss @ 11:48 am
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Hi everyone,
 
I experimented and stumbled across this recipe, which I think is pretty tasted I have to say. Very quick and easy.
 
Enjoy

Serves 2

Ingredients

200g pasta bows

1 small onion, diced.

1 tin of chopped tomatoes with garlic

1 small tub of low fat crème fraiche (250 ml).

2 tablespoons of olive oil.

6 medallions of smoked bacon.

½ finely chopped red chilli

Salt and pepper

75g grated white cheese

Instructions

  1. Bowl the pasta according to packet instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, fry off the onion and bacon until browned.
  3. Fry off the chilli for 1-2 minutes with the onion and bacon.
  4. Add the tin of tomatoes to the cooked ingredients, bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
  5. Sprinkle in the grated cheese and stir.
  6. Stir in the crème fraiche and cook for 2 minutes more.
  7. Add in the pasta, stir and season to taste.