Saturday 10 June 2017

Ratatouille Pasta with stuffed breadcrumbed chicken

 Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast
1 small wholemeal roll
1 egg whisked in a shallow dish
1 red pepper diced
1 red onion diced
1/2 yellow pepper diced
1/2 green pepper diced
1/3 of an aubergine diced
Fry light spray
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to season
1 chicken stock cube
3 plum tomatoes and juice
1 garlic clove crushed
1 boursin mini


Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 160C fan. Meanwhile spray a frying pan with fry light over a medium heat and add your onion garlic and mixed herbs. Then add your other vegetables stirring occasionally until soft. Once vegetables are soft add your tomatoes which can be squeezed with your hand over your vegetables (messy but quite satisfying). Then crumble your stock cube over the vegetables stirring occassionally and adding a little water. The heat can now be turned down.

2. In a food processor whizz your wholemeal roll until quite fine. Tip contents into a shallow dish. Make a small incision in your chicken breast and place your boursin mini inside. Then coat your chicken breast in egg wash and then dip into the wholemeal breadcrumbs repeat. Place on a pre lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 35 minutes (slightly less if the chicken breast is smaller).

3. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions. Serve immediately!







Sausage Fritatta with Mustard

 Made this recipe from the sainsburys magazine was delicious I also added courgette and mushrooms too. All credits go to sainsburys magazine link is also below. Hope you enjoy!

Get ahead

Grill and slice the sausages and cook the potatoes the day before and leave in the fridge ready to assemble the frittata. Alternately this is a great recipe for using up leftover sausages and potatoes, and it’s good with cooked sliced red peppers and courgettes added, too.

You will need

  • 6 good-quality pork sausages
  • 500g new potatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium red onions, each sliced into 8 wedges
  • 125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 1-2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • a mixed salad, to serve

Step by step

  • 1.Preheat the grill to high and cook the sausages for 8 minutes on either side until golden. Slice into thick rounds.
  • 2.Meanwhile chop the new potatoes into roughly 1.5cm chunks. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil; cook the potatoes for 12-15 minutes or until tender.
  • 3.While the sausages and potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan (about 22cm base diameter) and cook the red onions for 5-6 minutes until starting to soften. Drain the potatoes, add to the onions and toss; cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with black pepper. Tip in the sausage slices and toss everything together well.
  • 4.Mix the cheese and eggs in a large jug and add mustard according to taste; season.
  • 5. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the sausage and potato filling and, using a wooden spoon, swirl the mixture around until it evenly covers the filling. Cook for 3-4 minutes; put the pan under the grill and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until set. Leave to stand for a few minutes; serve with a mixed salad



 https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/one-pot/item/sausage-frittata-with-mustard

Friday 19 May 2017

Mary Berry Roasted Sausage and Potato Supper

 So tried out this recipe tonight: with a few minor tweaks to it to make it slimming world friendly. I used fry light instead of olive oil and I used 1 1/2 peppers and a little butternut cut up and diced.

I par cooked the new potatoes and butternut for about 10 minutes as I am always paranoid that I am going to end up with under baked veggies, the trick I think as Mary Berry says is to lie all the vegetables flat with no over lap. I also decided to use chicken stock instead of wine as someone suggested. I must say it was delicious so easy to make too. I liked the adding of stock/wine at the end because it stopped everything from being too dry and frazzled which admittedly some of my traybakes have been in the past. I also used Marks and Spencer skinny sausages which are worth it too as they are only half a syn per sausage. Was really happy with this: potatoes were nice and crisp but soft too. That said I will stop talking hope you enjoy her recipe!


Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions, sliced lengthways into wedges
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into large dice
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
  • 500g (1lb 2oz) baby new potatoes, unpeeled and halved
  • 12 sausages, pricked with a fork
  • 200ml (7fl oz) white wine
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  •  

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

2. Place all the ingredients except the wine in a large, resealable freezer bag. Seal the bag shut and shake well to coat everything in the oil. Alternatively, put everything in a large bowl and turn the ingredients until they are fully coated in the oil. Tip into a large roasting tin, spreading the ingredients out into one even layer and ensuring that the sausages aren’t covered by any of the vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for 30-35 minutes until golden, then remove from the oven, turn the sausages over and toss the vegetables in the cooking juices. Pour in the wine and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until browned and the sausages are cooked and the potatoes tender. Serve hot with a dollop of mustard on the side.





Very Easy Chicken Stroganoff

Serves 4 (or 2 greedy people like myself)

Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts diced (or 2 large chicken breasts)
1 large onion finely diced
100g chestnut mushrooms
Fry Light Spray
150ml chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to season
Paprika
5 tbsp lighter creme fraiche
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 tsp of mixed herbs 


Method:

1. In a lightly sprayed frying pan over a medium heat, fry your onion and garlic until transluscent and cooked. Sprinkle over a tsp of mixed herbs.

2.  Add your chicken breast next cooking for about 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked. Add your mushrooms, and season. Sprinkle over some paprika which will add colour and flavour to the dish.

3. Next add the chicken stock, bring this to the boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes or until reduced. Stir in your creme fraiche for 5 minutes until completely heated through. Serve with either rice or pasta. Sprinkle over more paprika or seasoning if desired. Enjoy!







Wednesday 17 May 2017

Prawn and Spinach Pasta in Tomato Sauce

Slimming world friendly (Syn free)


Ingredients:
1 packet of king prawns
1 200g bag of washed spinach
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
250ml chicken stock
200ml passata
2 ripe vine tomatoes roughly chopped
Mixed herbs to season
Salt and Pepper
Chilli flakes (if desired)
Enough linguine pasta for two people ( I always do too much)
 Spray light

Method:

1.  In a lightly sprayed frying pan over a medium heat add the onion and garlic until soft and transluscent.Then add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add the passata and mixed herbs and season. Add the chicken stock. Bring the sauce to a boil then simmer and reduce until you get a nice thick sauce. Add chilli flakes if desired.

2. Meanwhile boil some water for the pasta and cook pasta according to instructions.

3. Once the sauce has reduced add the spinach and stir occassionally until the spinach is wilted and cooked. Then add the prawns and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Drain the pasta reserving a little pasta water and add to the sauce. Stir occasionally until well combined.Serve immediately, and sprinkle some grated parmesan on if desired. (or in my case lots!)





Thursday 11 May 2017

Chicken wrapped in bacon with cream cheese and ratatouille pasta

Ingredients:
1 courgette thinly sliced
1 aubergine roughly diced
1 red pepper chopped and diced
1 yellow pepper chopped and diced
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 red onion finely diced
Mixed herbs to season
2 chicken breasts
4 rashers of bacon
100g cream cheese
100g pasta
300g passata
1 chicken stock cube crumbled

Method:

1.  Place your chopped onion and garlic in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until soft and transluscent.

2. Add the remaining vegetables add a little water if needs be. Leave to cook over a low heat until vegetables are soft. Crumble in the stock cube and stir well. Leave for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add the passata and mixed herbs.

3. Meanwhile cook pasta according to packet instructions.

4. Preheat the oven to 160 fan oven. Bash your chicken breasts with a mallet or rolling pin if you dont have one. Make a pocket and place cream cheese in it. Wrap the bacon round it and then cook for 30 to 35 minutes.

5. Drain your pasta then pour over your tomato  sauce and slice chicken breasts over pasta. Serve immediately with a little parmesan if desired enjoy!






Monday 13 April 2015

Chicken, bacon and mushroom filo pie

Chicken, bacon and mushroom filo pie

Ingredients:
1 onion finely chopped
Frylight spray/oil

3 chicken breasts diced
6 rashers of bacons chopped roughly
250g chestnut mushrooms
Sprinkling of ina parmaan chicken spice
Sprinkling of garlic and herbs seasoning (alternatively just use 2 cloves of garlic chopped)
2 tsp of dried tarragon
1 tsp of dried thyme
5 sheets of filo pastry
3 tbsp of plain flour
500g chicken stock made from one stock cube or a stock melt
Salt and pepper to taste

Melted butter to brush on the pastry


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan oven. In a large frying pan over a medium heat spray fry light. Add the onion and a little water and cook until transluscent. Add the herbs and spices. Next add the mushrooms for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the bacon next until it has cooked. Toss the flour into the chicken cubes and add to the pan.

2.  Next add the chicken stock, and you should get a nice lovely sauce. If it is too thick or thin for your liking either add more stock or a little more flour. Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Place the filling in a medium pie dish. Brush filo with butter and place on top of the pie dish. Repeat until all sheets are used. Overlap layers slightly and roll and scrunch pastry round the sides. Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with fresh vegetables and new potatoes.