August 11th 2011 ~ Mexican Night!

After a week away in North Yorkshire taking in the highest pub in the UK, a music festival in Richmond and dinner with some wonderful friends, it would appear neccessary to re stock the body with vitamin boosting vegetables! Don`t get me wrong, the dish below is certainly not for vegetarians ~ the chorizo puts paid to that ~ and it`s not a dish for those that are on a strict calorie controlled diet, but instead it is filled with amazingly fresh and vibrant flavours! To make it even healthier leave out the bread and the chorizo and use Fry Light.....but on a a day like today where we have had this as our "Lunner" ~ Lunch and Dinner, then we don`t mind the extravagance of the calories against the burst of the full veggie hit! As usual, it`s "Lunner" for 2......!

FLATBREAD
Recipe seen in the August 4th entry

ZESTY GUACOMOLE

Half an avocado mashed
1 Tomato chopped into small pieces
Juice and zest of half a lime ( to your own taste)
1 Spring Onion chopped
Small garlic Clove crushed
Half tbsp Corainder (chopped)

MEXICAN ARROZ ROJO

1 Tbsp Flora Cuisine or Low cal oil
40g Chorizo, diced
1 small onion finely diced
1 Garlic Clove crushed
100g Brown Rice
1x400g tin choppped tomatoes
1/4 tsp tomato puree
70g Sweetcorn ( Frozen or tinned)
70g Frozen peas
70g Mushrooms chopped
1 Bay Leaf
100 ml veg stock
1/2 tsp Dried chilli flakes

Steps :

1) Make flatbreads as instructions in August 4th recipe

2) Make Guacamole. Combine all the ingredients together, mix well, cover and store in the fridge. Simples and tastes delicious!

3) And onto the Arroz. Heat the Flora Cuisine in a saucepan/chefs pan with a tight fitting lid. You should heat this on a medium heat ready for cooking. Add the chorizo and stir for 2 minutes . Don`t let it burn! Add the onion and garlic, stir thoroughly and then continue cooking for 4 minutes or until they are soft. Again, don`t let it burn.

4) Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat all the grains in the chorizo mixture. Now stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, sweetcorn, peas, veggie stock and chillies.

5) Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and leave alone for 30 minutes. After this time check the rice. If it needs to cook further then add another 10 mins onto the time. You may need to add some more water to the dish, but don`t forget that the end result should be dry, fluffy rice, so don`t drown it as it will also steam in the pan! Season ~ although I never add salt as in this dish, there is more than enough flavour to compensate!

6) Remove from heat and leave to settle for a few minutes whilst you cook the flatbreads, then serve. YUM YUM YUM!!

Calories     : 584
Fat            : 26g ~ but good avocado fat and olive oil. Chorizo accounts for 8g per person.
Sat Fat      : 5g
Fruit/Veg   : 5 portions

TIPS: Cut out the bread, save 190 calories. Cut out chorizo and save 8g fat, Don`t have the guacomole dip and save 8g fat......but remember, AVOCADO IN MODERATION IS GOOD FOR YOU SO DON`T GET TOO HUNG UP ON NUMBERS. This recipe is used in conjunction with a healthy, balanced and active lifestyle and is not meant to be fat free for diets ~ just good, honest, healthy food.

August 4th 2011 ~ Veggie night !!!

Looking in the fridge tonight, the shelves are a little bare save for a half eaten pot of natural yoghurt, some bits and pieces of veg ~ carrots, onions, potatoes ~ and a very tired looking cabbage that is almost screaming at me to get him eaten! Not in the mood for soup, I have trawled through all my recipe books and decided to cook a Cabbage, Carrot and Pea Curry with some healthy home made flat breads. There are several versions of a cabbage curry online, but I have made it to my own tastes with spices that suit my family. Feel free to experiment yourselves! So a hot and spicy supper for 2........

Ingredients:

FLATBREAD

11 ml Water
42 ml Natural Fat Free Yoghurt
1/4 tsp Dried Yeast
92g Strong Plain Flour
1/4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

CURRY

1/2 tsp Asafoetida ~ if you can`t get this, just leave it out
1 tbsp Mustard Seeds
4 Birds Eye Chillies
10 Dried Curry Leaves
3/4 Small Cabbage, shredded
1 Onion, sliced
1/2 Cup Peas
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Green Chilli, chopped
1 tbsp Chilli Powder
1/4 tbsp Turmeric
1 heaped tsp Madras Powder
Fry Light

Steps:

1) Put the yogurt in a bowl and add the yeast. Add the flour, combine well and cover with a tea towel. Leave alone for 25 minutes to "prove".

2) After proving, add the oil and mix well into the dough. Put back in the bowl as before and leave for at least an hour whence it should have doubled in size! Dough lasts in the fridge for 3 days if wrapped properly, so this could be done on a weekend in advance.

3) Bash the air out of the dough, and roll out thinly either in 1 large bread shape or 2 smaller ones depending on the size of your frying pan. Make sure your surface is disted with flour or you make have a "sticking" disaster!

4) Heat the frying pan on a moderate heat (no oil) and spray the bread/s with fry light. Cook them for about 3 minutes each side. If they look like they are cooking too fast, then turn the heat down and cook for slightly longer. Serve hot!

Now to the curry!

1) Steam the cabbage, carrot and peas to your taste......I do mine for 15 minutes which leaves them soft but not soggy! Leave to drain in a colaner.

2) In a pan or wok ( whichever you prefer ~ personally ~I am the Queen of woks!) add 8 sprays of fry light and the asafoetida, mustard seeds, birds eye chillies and curry leaves. Cook until the mustard seeds snap, crackle and pop! Add a little bit of water, and put the onions in. Mix thoroughly and cook until the onions are soft.

2) Add the green chilli, chilli powder, madras powder and turmeric. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the veggies. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes covered. Serve!

TIPS:
Asafoetida can be found in all large supermarkets alongside the jars of spices. It is a pale yellow in colour and has a very pungent smell, but when cooked adds a lovely flavour of cooked leeks to the dish. Just use sparingly or as the recipe suggests!

Make a large batch of dough and freeze it! It will last up to 3 months as long as it is properly sealed from air, otherwise it could suffer freezer burn!

If you have time make the curry in advance as this really allows the flavour to infuse, but is still ab fab when eaten immediately.

Use whatever you have in your fridge as the veg, the recipe will work with any combo you may have!

Experiment with spices. There`s no Garam Masala or Cumin in this because I personally, don`t like them. If you do though.....just throw it in and play around with blends! If it doesn`t work, then you`re one step closer to finding what does!

Calories            : 437
Fat                   : 7g
Sat Fat             : 1g
Veg Portions     : 2.5

August 3rd 2011 ~ Healthy Comfort Food Needed.

Got some beautiful fresh Chicken Breasts today from Hopkinsons in Lymm, so after a quick rummage in the stock cupboard, a scan of the fridge contents and a detour via Abbey Lees Farm Shop, I have decided to cook Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake :) This recipe will serve 2 people for tea.

Ingredients:

120g Wholewheat Fusilli
200g Tenderstem Broccoli
1 Leek ( white part, sliced)
2 Chicken Breasts
250ml Skimmed Milk
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard (optional)
15g Cornflour
6 Cherry Tomatoes
50g Mature Reduced Fat Cheddar
10g Grated Parmesan ( Fresh if poss rather then pre grated!!)
1 tsp Oregano ~ dry or finely chopped fresh
2 tablespoons wholemeal breadcrumbs

Steps:

1) Poach the chicken breast. Place the chicken in a small saucepan so they are "snug". Cover with chicken stock, some mixed herbs and a bay leaf. Bring to the boil then partially cover and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and put the lid on and leave to warm through for a further 15 mins.

2) Steam broccoli and leek to your liking. I hate al dente veg almost as much as I hate soggy veg, so 10 minutes does it for me. I also chop the broccoli into 3 pieces to make sure I don`t have any large chunks of stem! Once steamed, leave to drain off excess water.

3) Boil your pasta until just tender and then leave on one side.

4) Whilst the veg is steaming and the pasta is cooking, make your sauce. Blend a little of the milk with the cornflour to make a paste in a jug. Heat the remaining milk with about 120ml of the poaching stock from the chicken. Bring to the boil. Then take some of the warm milk and add to your cornflour paste to loosen it, then add it all back into the pan. Stir continuously until it thickens ( with a wooden spoon!)........don`t let it burn, and DON`T turn your back! This sauce hates being ignored and can turn in the blink of an eye!! Once thickened, remove form the heat and add the Reduced Fat Cheddar. Stir until has dissolved. Add the Dijon and salt and pepper to your preference. N.B ~ I don`t add salt as you get natural saltiness from the Parmesan crust.

5) Shred your chicken, mix with the vegetables and the pasta in an ovenproof dish, then pour over the sauce and mix well.

6) Throw in the tomato halves wherever you like, toss on the parmesan, oregano and breadcrumbs, and bake for 20 mins until it`s hot and ready to go.

This dish is at the high end of the calorie and fat spectrum for us, but some days just call for comfort food!! This recipe shows that even on those days you can create something fresh, wonderful and healthy. To further reduce calories and fat, just leave out the cheese, reduce all the ingredients by a quarter and serve with a fresh crisp green salad.

SHORTCUT TIPS ~ Use fresh pasta, it cooks quicker! Buy microwave steam veg ! Buy cooked, shredded low fat chicken ! Unfortunately, you can`t cheat on the sauce or all kinds of hidden fats, preservatives and salts will find their way into your dinner!

568 calories per portion
2 Portions of Fruit and Veg
12g of fat ~ 6g saturated fat