Low Fat Creamy & Cheesy Chicken Balls

I absolutely love this creamy, spicy, and slightly sweet flavoursome sauce. The star of the show here is the sauce itself, you can try it with anything you like, chicken breast, pasta or even just veggies! However personally I think it went really well with the chicken meatballs, it kind of felt like a cheat meal without actually being a cheat meal!

You see the sauce tastes super indulgent but actually is made with fat free yogurt and low fat Philadelphia so it’s actually not that bad! Also, I finally got my hands on a pot of smoked paprika which is oddly hard to find here in Dubai, and this was a sweet version so you get a mix of sweet and spicy with the addition of cayenne pepper. So good!

Ingredients:

2 cups fat free yogurt

1/2 cup light cream cheese

2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp garlic paste

1/2 chopped onion

125g chopped mushrooms

16 chicken meatballs – store bought (or feel free to make your own!)

Oil spray

Your choice of side – I chose boiled broccoli and peas to keep the calories down.

Method:

1. Fry the meatballs in some oil spray for about 8-10 mins until cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, fry the onion in a little more oil spray until soft, then add the mushrooms and the garlic paste. Cook until mushrooms start to sweat and add paprika.

3. After a few more mins stir in the yogurt and warm through but be careful not to boil. Now add the basil and pepper.

4. Remove from the heat and melt in cheese. Add salt to taste.

5. Serve over the cooked meatballs with side of choice and enjoy!

Creamy Sausage and Tuna Pasta Bake

Today was one of those days where I chose what to have for dinner based on what I had in the fridge and cupboards. Turned out I still had to go to the shop but my first idea was based on what I had, which was: tuna, pasta, tinned tomatoes, cream, cheese, onions. I decided to head down to the shop anyway as felt like adding some smoked sausage.

Got to say this is the best pasta bake I have ever made and it was totally random, based on no recipe I’ve seen or heard about. The best ones often are 🙂

Ingredients:

• 250g wholewheat penne pasta
• 4 medium sized smoked frankfurter style sausages, sliced
• 1 x 185g tin tuna in water
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 160g tinned sweetcorn
• 150ml single cream
• 100g parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 chillies, chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat oven to 180 C with fan.

Cook pasta as per packet instructions.

Meanwhile melt butter in a large frying pan. Add onions, garlic and chillies and cook until very soft (about 5 mins).

Add tin of tomatoes and heat through, then add sausage, tuna, peas and sweetcorn followed by cream and 2/3 of the parmesan cheese. Add paprika, basil, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust.

Mix pasta in with the sauce, then transfer to a casserole/baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins or until cheese starts to crisp.

The Perfect Roast Chicken!

I love a good roast dinner, but for me it always has to be chicken as I don’t really eat beef, lamb or pork. And I’m not too keen on game either. So it has to be chicken every time (I’ll make an exception at Christmas and have turkey), but I’m not complaining as I have this little recipe, which produces the most succulent, juicy and flavoursome chicken you could dream of. It’s a pretty standard recipe really but I just add some extra touches that I think really make the difference between an average roast chicken, and mine 🙂

I always, always, ALWAYS make my own stuffing too. It is so much nicer than shop bought stuff, and SO worth that little extra effort.

I don’t restrict this to a Sunday either; I’m not sure where that rule came from but you can have it any day of the week you like! I made this yesterday (Thursday), yes a week night. It actually isn’t as much work as you think it is; it’s basically seasoning a chicken and putting it in the oven, then adding veg half way through. It’s only the cooking time that makes it lengthy, but you can be relaxing with a book during that while the oven does the work! So no excuses – it’s a roast night every night of the week!!

Ingredients:

• 1kg free range chicken (or whatever size you like, adjust cooking time accordingly)
• 1 large onion
• 1 large parsnip
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 lemon
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Plenty of olive oil
• 1 bulb garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
• Greens of your choice (I used mange tout and broccolini)
• Chicken gravy granules (it is a weeknight, but of course make your own if you can be bothered!)

For the stuffing:

• 4-5 slices wholemeal bread, torn up and blended into breadcrumbs
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage (or dried)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C (180 fan).

Start by making the stuffing. Melt the butter and oil in a saucepan and add the onion, cook until the onion is soft and fragrant, but not coloured. (If you are using dried sage, add this while you are cooking the onions to release the flavours).

Transfer the buttery soft onions to a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, fresh sage and as much of the egg you need for it to hold itself together (I used about half). Mix thoroughly and stick it all together using your hands.

Then, rub the chicken inside and out with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Be generous! Prick the lemon several times with a sharp knife and put in the microwave for 1 minute. Place the garlic cloves, a handful of thyme and then the hot lemon inside the chicken’s cavity.

Cut off a flat piece of the other onion (the middle section with the sides cut off works well) and place it on a well oiled baking tray, sit the chicken on top. Push the stuffing underneath the chicken around the onion it’s sitting on so that the chicken is surrounded by stuffing and a little is also underneath it.

Place the chicken into the middle of the oven with nothing above it.

Now prep your veg. Chop the potatoes into golf ball sized pieces and boil in salted water for 12 mins. While that’s doing, chop the parsnip and the rest of the onion too. When the potatoes are done, drain and mix with rosemary, salt and pepper and a little olive oil, then shake them around a bit to make the edges fluffy.

Once the chicken is 45 mins from being cooked, add the potatoes, onion and parsnip to the tray. Return to the oven for 25 min. Remove again and turn the veg and baste the chicken. Return the tray back again.

Once the full cooking time is over, remove the tray and let the chicken rest for 15 mins. Meanwhile boil your greens and make your gravy.

Finally, serve everything together on plates, and enjoy!

 

 

 

Vegetarian Garlic Paneer Curry

I think this has to be my favourite curry I’ve made to date. I’ve cooked up quite a few different types of these spicy, saucy dishes including from Indian, Sri Lankan, West Indian and Thai cuisines; using coconut milk, tomato, cream and yogurt based sauces, and this perfectly balanced combination of tomato and coconut milk is something really special.

Another thing that makes this super delicious is the simplicity of ingredients used. I think often you can end up chucking in a such a multitude of spices and vegetables that the whole dish ends up becoming a bit confused, but this recipe uses just two spices (plus garlic) to create a balanced flavour, one main vegetable (aubergine) for the softness in texture and then the paneer adds a bit of bite.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 16 large cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1.5 cups paneer cubes (or tofu for a vegan version)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 aubergine, cubed
• 3/4 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g can reduced fat coconut milk (again, sauce preference dependent)
• 2-3 hot chillies, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter

Method:

Heat a tbsp of oil in a large saucepan. Place the paneer cubes and brown them until golden (about 2-3 mins). Once done, set them aside.

Add another tbsp of oil in the pan. Add about 9/10 of the garlic and the onions. Sauté them until they soften and turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, chillies and turmeric and cook for another minute.

Transfer the sautéed mixture to a bowl and blend.

Add 2 tbsp oil into the pan and cook the aubergine until softened. Add the garam masala and cook with the aubergine for a minute, then add back the blended mixture and salt. Cook for another minute.

Pour in the coconut milk and mix well. Add the golden cheese cubes and let them simmer in the curry for a couple of minutes.

Sauté the remaining two cloves of garlic in a tbsp of butter and drizzle over the curry to finish.

Serve with rice or chapatis.

Creamy Garlic Prawns with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach

If you like tons of garlic and creamy sauces you will absolutely love this dish. And the best thing is, it’s super simple, with a minimal ingredient list so very easy and cheap to make – and just as quick!

You can make a variation with chicken if you like too, I’m sure it would be just as good, but prawns in a creamy sauce for me is just heaven! And also prawns are that little bit lighter.

I made my sauce using soya cream and vegan cheese, as I’m trying to cut down on my dairy intake (and I think my digestive system is thanking me), and you honestly wouldn’t know it. It still tastes really rich, and as long as you keep in simmering for long enough, the sauce will be really thick. The sun-dried tomatoes give that extra juiciness and make sure you add a decent amount of salt to boost the flavour.

Serve with pasta if you like, but I went for the lighter option of courgetti (courgette spaghetti). It also makes the calorie/satisfaction ratio of this dish excellent, I was absolutely stuffed in just a 400 calorie serving!

(Serves two)

Ingredients:

• 300g raw king prawns
• Olive oil spray (or 1 tbsp olive oil)
• 1 cup Alpro soya single cream (or standard cream)
• 1/4 cup fish/chicken stock
• 2 heaped tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped chillies
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp all purpose seasoning
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan-style cheese (or standard parmesan cheese)
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Method:

Spray a large frying pan with the oil spray, and cook prawns on each side until pink all over (about 3-4 mins). Set aside.

Add cream, stock, ‘cheese’, garlic, chillies, herbs and seasonings to the pan and simmer, whisking, until thick enough for your liking (about 10 mins should be enough).

Add spinach and tomatoes and the cooked prawns and simmer gently for another minute or two.

Serve over courgetti, or pasta, or you could even enjoy this as a soup on its own or with warm crusty bread.

 

 

 

 

 

Courgette and Sweetcorn Egg Bake

I love egg bakes!!! Actually let’s face it I just love eggs! If it involves an egg I’m in, full stop. But egg bakes are particularly awesome because they’re so versatile. You can have them for breakfast, lunch or even dinner depending on what you fancy putting in it – meat, veg and fish are all acceptable egg bake ingredients. You can even add rice to make it more of a substantial meal (see my risotto pie). I also like making them for picnics (another one of my favourite things) as they’re just as enjoyable cold as they are hot.

This one is vegetarian and so flavourful with all the herbs and seasonings (feel free to adjust to your taste). I think sweetcorn really works in an egg bake to give it a nice crunch. I like it with a bit of hot sauce on the side too (which goes for most things tbh).

Crispiness.

Juiciness.

For less liquid in the bottom of the pan, let it stand for 10-15 min before serving.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups sweetcorn (I used canned)
• 2 large cougettes, thinly sliced
• 225g sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• Generous sprinkling of season-all
• 350g grated cheese (mozzarella is a good choice)
• 3 eggs, beaten

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

Heat the butter in a large, deep frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onion, courgette, and mushrooms. Sauté for about 3-4 mins, before adding the sweetcorn to the pan. Continue to sauté until all the veggies are soft, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the herbs and seasonings and stir once to combine. Add the cheese and the beaten egg.

Spray a pie dish (9 inch or larger) with non-stick spray. Transfer the mixture to the dish. Arrange most the courgette slices flat on the top so it looks all lovely and nice. Top with a little extra cheese so it goes all crispy later, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to brown the top.

Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting into slices. This will give it time to set more and become less liquidy (you can see from my photos I didn’t wait that long when I made it!).

Serve with a nice fresh salad, bread and a condiment of your choice!

Yumminess.