Vegetable Stew/Vegetable Curry, Slimming World Friendly and (V)

Here is the recipe for my Winter Warming Veg Stew, Ive put in the Veg I generally use but basically it is one of those things that you can throw any veg in and is particularly good if you have any veg that needs using up. 

Veg Stew

Prep Time 30 mins-1 Hour

Cook Time 2-3 Hours (It can be done quicker but generally speaking the longer you leave it to cook the better it is.)

3-4 Medium Onion

Celery

2-3 Cloves Garlic

4/5 Medium Sized Potato

2 Sweet Potato

4 Carrots

16 Sprouts

1 of Swede/Turnip/Butternut Squash

2 Leek

8 Baby Sweetcorn

Peas

Cabbage

Pepper (Green, Red or Yellow)

6 Mushrooms

10 Tomato’s (I tend to use Cherry Tomato’s and pop them in whole, but you could use other ones and chop them)

Salt

Pepper

Mixed Herbs (You need a good few teaspoons worth)

Smoked Paprika (2-3 Teaspoons adjust to taste)

Veg Friendly Worcestershire Sauce

Tomato Puree and/or Tomato Passata

3-4 Knor Stock Pots (veg)

2-3 Pints of Boiling Water

Broth Mix (Optional)

Bay Leaf (Optional)

Prep the veg, I normally peel the potato but can be thrown in with skins on, I have used New Potato and Maris Piper and they both work well.

Rough Chop the Onion and Celery and Finely Chop/Crush the Garlic. Cut the potato and Sweet Potato into Chunks about 2cm cubes. Cut the Swede/Carrot etc into chunks the same size and in general try to get most of the veg to be roughly the same size to allow for an even cook.

I generally use a large stock pot to cook it in.

Fry off the Onion, Finely Chopped Garlic and Celery together In a little Olive Oil or Frylight (Slimming World Friendly), once they are soft and start to brown add in the Potato and Sweet Potato and fry with the Onion, Garlic and Clerey. As that starts to brown slowly start to add the other veg, (in roughly the order I have listed them in). I have put rough amounts that I think would serve 4 easily, but it is fairly changeable depending on what you like/have and how big a portion you require.

The idea is that the veg should just start cooking by being fried off, but they don’t have to be fully cooked as they will cook fully in the stew. As you fry the veg, season with Salt, Pepper, Smoked Paprika and Mixed Herbs and the Worcestershire Sauce, to taste. I have found that add a little and often as you add more veg works well, but it is best to go with caution as you can always add more whilst it cooks slowly.

Once all the veg is in the pot, stir in some Tomato Puree and a Small Carton of Tomato Passata and stir in well. Add the stock pot/cubes, I personally normal add the stock cubes/pot straight into the pan as you can stir them in well and mix it through, but you can just make them up straight into the boiling water. If you mix them into the pot add in 2-3 Pints of boiling water into the pot. (Again the amount will depend on how much veg you have in the pot, but the water should more than cover the veg in the pot.)

Bring this to the boil and then place on a low heat with a lid on the pot and allow to cook down slowly. For the best results leave on a low heat for a good couple of hours.

You can also add in at this point some Broth Mix to help thicken the stew and to add some extra flavor, and adding in a bay leaf can give a nice flavor to the stew, but make sure you remove before serving.

I normally serve this either with some nice bread/Garlic Bread, a Jacket Potato or some boiled rice.

It can also easily be transformed into a lovely veg curry by adding in Curry Powder, (a good 3 or 4 of Desert Spoonfuls of what ever curry flavor you like, Amy loves it with a mix of Madras and Tandoori Powder.)

I normally make it in pretty big batch loads as it works really well when reheated, for a good couple of days or so after and can also be frozen and is fine after. 

I hope you enjoy and as always please leave me any feedback or suggestions for improvements on the recipe! Thanks for looking! :)

Chicken Breast in Mushroom and Blue Cheese Sauce Linguine

Had a few random items in the fridge and a craving for Blue Cheese so I decided to try something new, which turned out surprisingly well so I thought I would share it with you here. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2-3 Chicken Breasts (Skin on)
1 Medium Sized Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
500g of Mushrooms, ideally a few different types (I used Forestiere, Chestnut and Portabello)
50ml of white wine
50g of Stilton (or similar blue cheese)
250ml of Chicken Stock (personally use knorr stock pot)
50ml of Single Cream
Truffle Oil (or Olive Oil)
250g of Linguine
Rock Salt
Pepper

Method


Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 6
Heat a small amount of Truffle Oil in a frying pan to a very high temperature
Place a saucepan of water on a hot ring and bring to the boil.
Dry of the Chicken Skin with a piece of Kitchen Roll, and the sprinkle with rock salt and pepper.
Place Chicken skin side down in the very hot pan, press it down for a few seconds and then leave skin side down to cook for approx 5 mins.
Turn the Chicken and leave on the opposite side for a further 3 mins.
Remove from the frying pan and put in an oven proof dish and in the bottom shelf of the oven for 15-20 mins.
Using the same frying pan add a little more oil and fry off the onion and garlic until lightly brown then add the mushrooms and saute them off.
Place Linguine in the pan of boiling water, bring back to the boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
Add in the white wine and cook for a further few mins
Add the Chicken Stock to the pan and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and leave to simmer.
With a couple of min's left before the Linguine is ready, crumble the cheese into the mushrooms sauce and stir around.
Reduce the heat to low and add the cream into the sauce.
Take the Chicken out of the oven and remove from bowl.
Add any juices in the ovenproof bowl from the chicken into the sauce.
Strain the Linguine and add into the frying pan and mix well with the sauce.
Slice the Chicken breast into pieces, plate up the Linguine and the sauce and then arrange the chicken breast on the top with the golden brown crispy skin facing up, and serve.

This recipe takes no more than 25 mins including preparation to cook and serve and uses many items you will often find around the kitchen/ fridge. It can be edited obviously and doesn't need to have different types of mushrooms and can use any blue cheese.

It is a fairly rich dish and I have found that I needed small portions of this compared with a normal pasta dish.

Please feel free to leave me any thoughts or feedback on the recipe and take a look at my other recipe idea's.

Potato and Leek Soup, with a twist! (v) Slimming World Friendly

My Girlfriend loves Potato and Leek soup and had been nagging me for weeks to make one for her, she also loves Brussels Sprouts so I decided to try doing something that combined both of these winter favorites into a warming soup. This recipe is fairly quick and simple, I have suggested leaving the potato skins on, and using either a mandolin or food processor to thinly slice if easier as this will help keep preparation time low.

This dish is suitable for Vegetarians and is Slimming world friendly and Sin Free.

Ingredients

2 Sticks of Celery
1 Medium Onion
1 Clove Garlic
4-5 Medium Potato's
12 Brussel Sprouts
1 Large Leak or 1/3 of a bag of Tesco Shredded Leek and Cabbage mix
1 Vegetable Stock Pot
2 Tesco Value Vegetable Stock Cubes
1/4 Cup Long Grain Rice
Mixed Herbs
Salt
Pepper
Frylight
Boiling Water

Method

Finely chop the Celery, Onion and Garlic, gently fry these in a saucepan with some Frylight and a little salt and pepper until soft and starting to lightly brown
Thinly slice the potato, either by hand or using a food processor or mandolin. There is no need to peel them if washed and clean but you can if you prefer.
Add the potato to the pan with the onion, garlic and celery and continue to fry.
Finely slice the sprouts again this can be done using the food processor or mandolin if easier.
Add the sprouts to the pan and fry for a further 5 mins.
If using a fresh leak, chop thinly and add to pan or add in the shredded cabbage and leak mix. (I personally prefer to use the mix as I think the cabbage helps to add a little flavor. Add a little more Salt and pepper and the mixed herbs and fry for a further couple of mins.
Boil a kettle of water.
Add the stock pot and stock cubes into the saucepan and stir in to the fried off veg, turn the heat on the hob down and add 1 1/2-2 Pints of boiling water, (Exact amount is adjustable depending on how thick you like your soup.)
Bring to the boil and once boiling add the 1/4 of the cup of rice. The rice will help give the soup a creamy, thick consistency, and is a healthier option than adding cream to the recipe. (Cream can be used if preferred but if on slimming world diet would need to be sinned.
Allow to simmer for 45-60 mins ideally.
This can then be served chunky or using a hand blender or food processor it can be blended into a lovely creamy smooth soup.

This dish can be served straight away or can be kept and reheated at a later point in the microwave or on the hob. This soup can also be frozen if required.

As always I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave any comments or feedback on this or any of my other recipes.

Regards
ManAboutTheKitchen

Sweet Potato and Yellow Pepper Soup with a hint of Chilli. (V) and Slimming World Sin Free

Here's another suggestion for a different soup, cheap and cheerful to make and good for the colder winter days. It is suitable for Vegetarians and is Slimming World Friendly.

Ingredients

Fry Light (Olive Oil Preferably)
2 Medium Onions
1/2 Medium heat Red Chilli (Taste Raw Chilli before using to ensure it isn't to strong.)
2 Yellow Peppers
5 Small-Medium Sweet Potato
2 Small Mushrooms
2 Cloves Garlic
4 or 5 Cherry Tomatos or alternatively a desert spoon of Tomato Puree
Salt
Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Mixed Herbs
2 Tesco Value Vegetable Stock Cubes
1 Herb Infusion Stock Pot
Boiling Water

Method

Peel and Finely Chop Garlic and finely chop 1/2 Red Chilli
Peel and finely chop Onions
Peel and finely chop Sweet Potato
Remove top and seeds from 2 Yellow Peppers and finely chop
Peel 2 small mushrooms and again finely chop.
Chop the tomato's.

Spray frylight into a deep saucepan and heat,
Fry off the Garlic and Chilli for 2-3 Mins
Add the chopped Onions and fry for a further 5 mins to soften.
Add the Sweet Potato to the Pan and fry for a further 5 mins
Add the Yellow pepper to the pan and continue to cook for 3 mins
Add the Mushrooms and Tomato's/Tomato Puree to the mix.
Season with a good couple of pinches of Salt and Pepper, 2/3 teaspoons of Smoked Paprika and teaspoon or two of Mixed herbs. Stir in and cook for a further few mins.
Taste to ensure seasoned correctly and adjusts as required.

Add 2 Tesco Value Vegetable Stock Cubes (Other stock can be used) and ideally a Herb Infusion Stock Pot to the pan and add 1 1/2 Pints of water to the pan.
Bring back to the boil, and then turn back and leave to simmer for 45-60 mins until all the veg is soft.
Use a hand blender to blend soup into a smooth consistency, I personally prefer mine quite thick but you can blend to your preferred consistency.

This can then be served immediately or can be allowed to chill and then re-heated when needed.

A splash of cream can also be added when serving to give a richer and creamier soup, however it will no longer be sin free for those who follow a slimming world diet and in my personal opinion is not really needed. The soup should be flavorsome and works with the sweet flavor of the Potato's and Pepper and the spicy warming kick of the Chilli. The Chilli should not over power the soup and the other flavors so sometimes it will pay to veer on the side of caution and start with a smaller amount of chilli. Also make sure the Chilli is not to strong by always trying a little of the chilli raw before you start cooking with it!

As always thanks for taking a look and please leave any comments or feedback on this or any other recipe, letting me know what you think and any changes or suggestions for altering the dish.

Enjoy! :)

Mixed Veg Fritttata - Slimming World Friendly and Vegetarian

This is a great dish for using any spare Veg that you have at home and makes a great dish whether served hot as a main meal or cold for lunch boxes etc.

The ingredients below makes enough for 2 Frittatas, which would make enough for 4-6 People as a main dish.

Ingredients

1 Medium Onion
1 Celery Stick
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Carrot
Shredded Leak and Cabbage
1/2 Broccoli
1/2 Cauliflower
2 Mushrooms
1 Clove Garlic
1 De-seeded Chilli
Smoked Paprika
Mixed Herbs
Salt
Pepper
6 Eggs
250 Grams of Spaghetti or Tagliatelle
Fry-Light

2 Circular Baking Tins (about 1 Inch deep)

Method

Pre Heat Oven to Gas Mark 4

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook your pasta. (10 - 12 mins, but check the instructions on the packet as cooking times may vary.) Slightly undercooked pasta will work better than over cooked.

Peel and finely chop the Onion
De-seed and finely chop the Chilli - Optional
Rough Chop the Celery Stick
Peel and thinly Slice the Carrot
Peel, De-stalk and thinly chop the Mushroom
Finel Chop the Garlic clove
De-seed the pepper and thinly chop
Cut both the Cauliflower and Broccoli florets from the main item and chop into small chunks.
Either shred a Leek and some Cabbage leaves, or use a bag of ready sliced Cabbage and Leak from Tesco (Other stores will stock similar) If using a packet then about 1/3 to 1.2 the bag goes in.

Mix all of the prepared veg into a bowl and season with salt, pepper, Mixed Herbs and Smoked Paprika and a few sprays of Fri-light (A little Olive Oil will do the same job, but would mean it is no longer Sin Free for Slimming World members.)

Drain the Pasta and mix into the bowl with veg
Break 6 Eggs into the bowl and mix around thoroughly, you want the mixture to have an even covering of egg over it and for the veg and pasta to mix together well.

Grease the Baking tins with a little frylight (again butter or Olive Oil would also work)

Pour the veg, pasta and egg mixture into the two tins, and push it down to make sure it is compact and to the edges of the tin.

Place in the pre-heated oven (gas mark 4). They will take about 35-40 mins to cook, but it is a good idea to swap them around in the over to ensure both get evenly cooked.

Once cooked through and crisp on the top remove from the oven.

Having made this dish a few times now I have decided the best idea is to remove the Frittata  from the tins whilst it is still hot, place on a chopping board and slice (I generally do 6 slices per tin) and then leave to cool. If you leave it to cool before removing it from the tin and slicing it, I find that it tends to crack/break more.

This dish can easily be adapted and works with a huge range of different vegetables, I have also in the past used Courgette, Tomato's , SweetCorn etc. Also different spices can be used, eg Chilli or Curry Powder replacing the Smoked Paprika.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, please leave me any feedback on the recipe and especially if you try any new veg/flavors then please let me know how it goes!

Home-made Chicken Goujons

Fed up with paying over the odds for sub-standard packet Chicken Goujons/Nuggets here is a fairly cheap alternative which will be a much better quality and healthier option. The quantities shown in this recipe made enough for one adult serving.

Ingredients

1 Chicken Breast
1 Egg
BreadCrumbs (Home Made Bread Crumbs or packet breadcrumbs)
Schwartz Grill Master Wild West BBQ Seasoning
Fry-light
Salt
Pepper

Method

Pre Heat Oven to Gas Mark 6
Prepare Chicken breast, removing any fat or waste pieces.
Slice Chicken breast into equal strips.
Break egg into a bowl and whisk together,
Sprinkle Breadcrumbs into a second bowl, add in a generous shaking of Wild West BBQ Seasoning and a little Salt and Pepper to season.
Dip Chicken pieces into Egg mixture ensuring that all surface area is covered in the egg but removing any excess egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs and seasoning getting an even covering over the entire chicken pieces.
Place a wire rack on a baking tray and spray with fry-light to prevent sticking. (Using a wire rack allows for any fats to drip out making it a healthier alternative.)
Place Chicken pieces on the rack.
Place in the pre-heated oven for 20 mins, turning the chicken pieces half way through.
Remove from the oven and serve.

This recipe is fairly simple and can be altered with different flavoring/seasoning and would work with things like Cajun, Piri Piri, Jamaican Jerk or even just Chilli Powder or Smoked Paprika. Please leave any feedback or comments on the recipe or if you try it with a different seasoning please let me know what its like! I hope you enjoy!

Cornish Blue Stuffed Mushroom (V)

A long with the Feta stuffed mushrooms this was a recipe I used as a side dish to a main meal, but would also work as a starter and is a great way to use any old mushrooms. I happened to have some left over Cornish Blue in my fridge but it would also work with other blue cheese's although I personally would say don't use to strong a flavored cheese (eg a mature Stilton) as this would quite possibly over shadow the flavor of the mushrooms.

Ingredients

2 Large Flat Mushrooms
75 grams of Cornish Blue or another Blue Cheese
Fry-light
Sat
Pepper

Method

Pre Heat the oven to gas mark 5
Peel the mushroom and remove the stalks.
Spray the 'cup' side of the mushroom with a little fry-light
Break up the Cornish Blue cheese and place in cup side of mushroom
Season with a little Salt and Pepper.
Place stuffed Mushrooms on a baking tray.
Bake in the Pre Heated oven for approx 20 mins, until the mushroom is fully cooked and the cheese has started to melt
Remove from Oven and serve.

I hope you enjoy this recipe idea and please feel free to leave me any feedback or suggestions on how to improve or alter this dish.

Roasted Flat Mushrooms Feta Cheese and Tomato, (V)

Having a root around in the fridge this evening, slightly inspired by Jamie Oliver and his less food waste Campaign, I found a few odd bits left from other meals and decided to try and work them together. I served this as a side to a main meal but it equally could be served as a starter.

Ingredients

2 Flat Mushrooms

Small packet of Vegetarian Feta Cheese

1 Medium sized Tomato

Fry-Light

Parsley (Fresh if possible)

Salt

Pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 5

Remove the stalk and outer skin from the mushroom  

Spray the mushroom inside with a little Fry-light

Break the feta into small pieces and place onto the mushroom surface you have just sprayed with fry-light.

Season with a little Salt and Pepper

Slice the tomato into thin-ish slices, (should get 4-6 from one tomato.) Place these slices on top of the Feta Cheese.

Season Tomato with a little more Salt and Pepper and add a few sprigs of fresh Parsley to the top of the tomato. (Dried Parsley will suffice if you don't have access to fresh.)

Place the 'stuffed' mushrooms on to a baking tray and place in the middle of the oven and cook for approx 20 mins until the mushroom is cooked through. 

Please leave any comments or suggestions on adaptations to the recipe and I hope you enjoy!

Baked Pork and Chorizo Scotch Egg

Baked Pork and Chorizo Scotch Eggs

Having some sausages in the fridge but wanted something slightly different to the standard sausages, I decided to try a twist on an old favourite. So using a little chorizo from the fridge, the sausages, eggs and breadcrumbs from the larder I tried the following recipe which worked well with the flavours combining together well and being a slightly healthier option.

Ingredients

5 Pork Sausages, (I use Richmond Thick Pork Sausages but use which ever type you personally like.)
40 Grams Thinly Sliced Chorizo
1 Small Red Onion
4 Eggs (3 for Boiling,)
BreadCrumbs
Flour
Frylight

Method

Place 3 Egg's in Boiling water and Hard Boil, remove from Water and leave to cool.
Skin 5 Sausages and break up sausage meat into a bowl,
Finely Chop the thinly sliced Chorizo and add to sausage meat.
Finely chop the small onion and mix into sausage meat and Chorizo and mix all 3 together well.
Split mixture into 3 equal portions.
De-shell the hard boiled eggs
Lightly flour a chopping board and roll eggs in the flour.
Flatten out the sausage meat portions onto the flour to stop sticking and then wrap sausage meat mixture around the hard boiled eggs, taking care to ensure all the egg is covered with an even layer of the mixture.
Repeat the above for all 3 hard boiled eggs.
Crack the 4th egg into a bowl and lightly whisk. Into a 2nd bowl add the breadcrumbs.
Roll the sausage meat covered eggs in the whisked egg ensuring that the entire surface is lightly covered, ensure any excess egg is drained off.
Roll the egg covered balls into the breadcrumbs, try to achieve a even covering of breadcrumbs over the entire ball.
Preheat oven to Gas mark 6

Cover a baking tray with foil or greaseproof paper.
Spray fry-light oil over a wire rack and place Scotch Eggs on to the rack
Place rack on middle shelf of the oven, will take approximately 30 mins to bake, but ensure u roll them on the rack every 10 mins to get even cooking and to stop the meat sinking below the wire rack.

Placing them on the rack helps to remove fat from the scotch eggs making them a healthier option. They can be shallow fried or deep fat fried if preferred but they will not be as healthy,

Serve either hot or cold.

Please, as always feel free to give feedback or suggestions on alternative idea's!

Carrot and Coriander Soup - Slimming World Sin Free!

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Slimming World Friendly (No Sins) and Vegetarian

Ingredients
1 Garlic Clove
1 Large Onion
2 Celery Sticks
1 Medium Small Sweet Potato
10 (Approx) Decent Sized Carrot
Fresh Coriander
1 Vegetable Stock Pot
1 Pint Boiling Water
FryLight

Method
Finely Chop Onion, Garlic and Celery and fry off in a pan with frylight for 5-6 mins or until soft.
Peel and Finely Chop the Sweet Potato and add to the pan, fry off for another 5 mins
Peel and rough chop the Carrots and add to the saucepan lower heat and leave for 10 mins to cook and soften the carrot and sweet potato.
Rough chop a handful of fresh coriander and add to pan.
Add a Vegetable Stock Pot (or an alternative stock cube) and add a pint of boiling water.
Return to the boil and then leave to simmer for 30 mins.
Blend using a hand blender or alternative to required consistency. Personally blended mine to a thick liquid with just a few chunky pieces.

(Can add a dash of cream to it for a creamier soup but this will then no longer mean it is a Slimming World Sin Free recipe.)

As always please leave any feedback if you try this recipe and/or idea's on how it can be changed.

Making the most of some left over veg - Vegetarian and Slimming World Friendly - Spicy Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Having a Partner who is a vegetarian often means there are bits of random veg left overs in the fridge, so today I decided to use a 1/4 of a Butternut Squash and some carrot to create a Warming slightly spicy Soup.

Ingredients:
1 Clove Garlic Peeled
1 Mediunm Onion
3 Carrots - Pealed
1/4 Butternut squash  - De-seeded and pealed
2 Tesco Value Stock Cube
Smoked Paprika
Mild Chlli Powder
Salt
Pepper
Frylight (for slimming world friendly) or Olive Oil

Method
Finely Chop Onion and Garlic, fry in Oil over a medium heat for 3-4 mins until slightly brown and soft.
Add pinch of Salt and Pepper
Finely Chop Butternut Squash and add to Onion and Garlic fry for a further 5 mins.
Roughly chop Carrot and add to pan. Fry off for a further 5 mins.
Add half a teaspoon of Mild Chili Powder and a Teaspoon of Smoked Paprika whilst frying off the Carrot.
Add stock cubes and roughly a pint of Boiling water. (More or less depending on how thin/thick you want it).
Bring to boil and then leave to simmer for 30-45 mins.

Serve either chunky or after blitzing in a Food Processor or hand blender.

This is also lovely served with a little double cream mixed in but this adds calories and would make it far less Slimming World friendly.

Alter amounts of Chili and Smoked Paprika powder depending on personal taste.