Veal Ragu

A whole number of celebrity chefs have done their best to change the country's opinion on eating veal. The latest of which was Jimmy Doherty with his series 'Jimmy and the Giant Supermarket'. Still, the British public think it's 'cruel to eat veal'. The truth is it's cruel not to eat it. If there was a thriving market for British rose veal, these poor veal calves would not be shot senselessly at birth but would be reared for purpose under much higher welfare standards then outside the UK. Read the facts from Jimmy here.

I have long been a fan of veal, especially as it favours very well on a low fat diet such as WeightWatchers. It's not cheap by any means, in fact veal escalopes are the same price £29.99) per kilo as fillet steak at my local butchers. I am beginning to find that it is becoming much more accessible in the supermaket. Shame Tesco did not see Jimmy's veal meatballs as a viable product for the mass market, but Waitrose and Sainsburys offer veal products at reasonable cost. In any case, I am always a sucker for a reduced item as in the freezer it goes till I am ready to knock something scrummy up with it!

You'll need for 5 adults or 4 adult portions and 2 kids:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 500g veal mince (always use British rose veal)
• 475g pasta, tagliatelle, fettucine or spaghetti (that's 95g per person)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• Handful fresh basil
• Seasoning
• Pinch of sugar
• A chicken stock cube or liquid chicken stock

Method:

In a large non-stick frying pan add the olive oil and saute the onions on a low heat. Add the celery and carrots and continue to soften in the pan. Add some of the chicken stock if a little dry.

After a good 10 minutes or so when the vegetables are soft, turn up to a high heat and add the meat and brown all over. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree. Fill up the tin from the tomatoes with chicken stock or water. Slowly add half of this liquid with the stock cube or liquid concentrate.

Stir well, turn down to a simmer and allow to cook slowly for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of sugar.  Finish with the freshly chopped basil.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and toss into the sauce. Serve in pasta bowls with plenty of parmesan cheese to serve.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Crab, Chilli & Rocket Linguine

I've been experimenting with some new recipes this week, in particular pasta recipes as I tend to stick to my old favs. Pasta is cheap and filling so it makes a good basis for a family meal.  However if you are trying to lose weight, pasta needs pairing with something light if you are to keep to a 12 or 13 ProPoint dinner and this makes its use is slightly more challenging. Seafood is ideal and this dish uses crab meat as it's protein element.

It is that time of year where everyone tightens their belts a bit after the spending spree of Christmas so I've also been looking at budget friendly recipes this week. This dish for 2 people totalled £3.85 or £1.92 per serving. You can't buy a decent ready meal for that (and I use these words together in the loose sense).

As we all know there are  health benefits to home cooking a meal from scratch, far less 'processing' going on, yada yada. Plus you can adjust ingredients to suit personal taste e.g. salt, garlic, chilli.  I know I am preaching to the converted, but if you are new to eating healthily and trying to lose weight on WeightWatchers or any other plan, it doesn't have to be all ready meals.  And, and this is a big AND, this meal takes less than 15 minutes to prepare! Perfect mid-week supper!

You'll need for 2:

• 4 vine medium to large vine tomatoes, seeds and insides removed, diced
• 1 170g tin crab meat in brine
• 1 lime
• Half a back of wild rocket
• 200g linguine
• 1tbsp oil (I used chilli & garlic oil)
• or pinch chilli flakes & 1 garlic clove

Get a large pan of salted boiling water on the go and stick the pasta
in to cook according to the packet instructions.

In a large frying pan, gently heat the oil. I was given a lovely set of flavoured oils from Italy for Christmas so this was a perfect opportunity to start using them! If you don't have a flavoured oil, then just bash the garlic clove and add this with a pinch of chilli flakes to the oil.

Add the diced tomatoes (seeds and inner bits removed) and saute for a few minutes.

Add the crab and a squeeze of half a lime. Season to taste.

Once the pasta is ready, drain reserving some of the cooking liquor. Add the pasta along with a couple of ladles of the liquor to the crab mix and toss through on a very low heat. Add the rocket and stir through so the rocket just wilts with the heat from the pan.

Serve up (with extra chilli and garlic oil if you are not weightwatching!)

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Asian Style Turkey Meatballs with Stir Fried Rice

I am struggling with knocking the bad eating habits of the festive season on the head. I am being really good all day and then I go and ruin it all with a glass and half of wine or a nibble on some chocolate, or a slither of cake...you get the picture. It's still way better than I was eating pre 3rd Jan but I am not going to shift these extra lbs quickly at this rate.  I have missed exercising over the holiday period and was glad to get back to walking to school and back twice a day. 1st Zumba class of the year is Thursday so I think that will really help too.

 

Anyway, onto the dish. Turkey is probably the last thing anyone wants right now but 2 excellent reasons why you should use it in this dish. It is very low in fat and high in protein which makes it very WeightWatcher friendly and secondly the flavourings used in this dish completely transform a boring old cheap bit of mince into something REALLY tasty!

You can make the meatballs in advance and boil the rice way in advance so the final part is much quicker to get from pan to table.

You will need for 2:

MEATBALLS:

• 250g turkey mince
• 1 dsp dark soy
• 1 dsp fish sauce
• zest of 1 lime
• Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs

RICE:

• 130g dried brown basmatti rice
• 1 tbsp mirin or 1 tsp brown sugar
• Juice of half lime
• Mix of your favourite stir fry veg e.g. pak choi, mangetout, sugar snap peas, baby corn , sliced mushrooms etc
• 1tsp groundnut or vegetable oil
• Handful fresh coriander, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced or crushed
• Pinch chilli flakes or 1 fresh chilli (optional)

Rice the rice in a sieve under cold water. Place in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 30 minutes or according to packet instructions.  Once cooked, drain and pour over boiling water from the kettle.  Leave to cool and place in fridge until required.

Meanwhile prepare the meatballs in advance by mixing all the ingredients together with your hands then dividing into 10 meatballs. I tend to weigh mine to ensure each one is equal which is approx 30g each. Cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge until required.

Get all your veggies, garlic, chilli & ginger ready before you start to stir fry. You will need a small frying or griddle pan for the meatballs and a wok or large frying pan for the rice. I find it easier to do these separately and they roughly take the same amount of time - 5-7 minutes. 

Spritz a tiny amount of oil onto the meatballs and place in hot griddle pan, turning to brown all over. Once browned, turn the heat down and cover with a lid so they cook through. You could also place in a hot oven to ensure they cook through.

At the same time, heat the 1tsp oil in your wok. Stir fry the veggies with the garlic, ginger and chilli for a couple of minutes. Add the soy sauce, mirin or sugar and lime juice. Once the veggies are nicely cooked (about 4-5 minutes) add the rice. Using a metal spoon or spatula keep stirring so the sauce coats the rice nicely and the rice heats through thoroughly.

Serve the stir fried rice on the plate topped with the meatballs.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Paella

Paella is a bit of a Friday night treat in our house. Usually mid-week suppers consist of something that can be easily prepared in advance with little or no finishing once the kids are in bed. But on a Friday it's nice to eat a bit later, enjoy a nibble on some olives, carrots & reduced fat hummus while I get dinner ready, glass of wine in hand of course. I find on WeightWatchers if I'm really religious during the week, come Friday, I can afford a glass of wine or two along with dinner. I still try to keep to a healthy meal on a Friday (that's 12 ProPoints in my book) but it's usually something that takes a bit longer to prepare.

We are quite traditional in that white wine is largely summer drinking and most definitely when eating fish, and red wine is mostly for the winter and always to accompany red meat. Paella works well with either but a splash of white wine does work particularly well with the stock bringing out more flavour.

My paella uses chicken breast, raw king prawns, lots of red pepper & peas and it wouldn't be Paella without the use of saffron and cayenne pepper! My hubby has an allergy to some seafood but otherwise I would use the bags of frozen mixed seafood containing mussels, squid etc, but use whatever you like to suit your own taste.

You'll need for 2:

• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp frozen peas, I use petits pois
• 1 medium chicken breast (165g), chopped
• 50g chorizo
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 150g Paella rice
• 1 big vine tomato or a few cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Pinch of saffron
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika or normal paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• Liquid chicken stock concentrate or stock pot
• 1 lemon
• 100g (about half a bag) of raw frozen king prawns, defrosted
• Boiling water from the kettle
• Glug of white wine (optional)
• Seasoning

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and gently saute the onions and garlic until slightly golden. Turn up the heat slightly and add the chorizo and chicken. Brown all over.

Weigh out the rice into a measuring jug and make a note of where it comes up to. Add the rice to the pan and stir frequently to coat the rice.  Double the volume of rice with boiling water and chicken stock concentrate into your measuring jug.  Add the saffron to the stock and allow to dissolve.  Add the white wine if using or if not use a little of the chicken stock.

Add the pepper & tomatoes and stir well. Add about half of the chicken stock, the spices and bay leaf. Give it a good stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the peas.

Keep stirring every now and then and top up on some stock when it starts to look a little dry.  It should take about 20-25 minutes for the rice to cook through. A few minutes before the end, add the prawns and a good squeeze of lemon (about half a lemon). Taste and season accordingly. Cook until the prawns are pink throughout and serve up with lemon wedges.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Chicken Biryani

The Anglo-Indian influence in my family has inspired me to learn the dishes that my parents grew up with.  My mother was largely brought up by her Grandmother in India after losing her mum very young and she learnt to cook from her Grandmother. I love the way families pass down their recipes and traditions and I feel it is absolutely essential we carry on in the same vein. With DH's family being Sicilian we have quite a repertoire of Italian and Anglo-Indian dishes now which we hope will enrich our tastebuds and give our children a sense of worldly cuisines.

On the WeightWatchers plan, a typical restaurant Biryani would cost you an entire day's worth of ProPoints and it would certainly bust any calorie controlled diet. I now know why biryani dishes are such a no-no on a diet as there is virtually no portion control on the rice and they are laden with fried potatoes!  My aim in making this an Eat Healthy But Tasty dish was to get a fulfilling, flavoursome and authentic tasting meal. I was going to have to ensure not too much rice was used and find a way of roasting the potatoes with minimal fat.

I chose a day when my parents were visiting to make this, ensuring I got the spice mix down correctly. I should have expected mum would have a thing or 2 to say about my version...

Mum stated that "double the rice should be used for that amount of chicken curry". I explained to mum that using double the rice, plus the potatoes would make it a right old carb fest and just way too ProPoint /calorie /fat heavy. Mum also stated that Biryani is meant to be a dry dish and the way I was doing it would result in the dish being too "wet".  The thing is I actually prefer a bit more sauce in my Biryani and, dare I say it, feel mum's way is a bit too dry (eek!).  Much to my mother's disgust, the problem was resolved, for me anyway; less rice + more curry = moist, tasty, healthy, Biryani.

You'll need for 4:

• 1-2 garlic clove, crushed or grated
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil plus 1tsp extra
• 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 level dsp cumin
• 1 level dsp paprika
• 1 level dsp garam masala
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 2 dsp Pataks Biryani paste
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 3 dsp fat free natural yogurt
• 450g chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 300g charlotte potatoes, halved lengthways then cut into 4 or 6 pieces each half
• Salt
• 285g basmati rice
• Good pinch of saffron
• Half a pack of green beans, halved
• 2-3 tbsp frozen peas and sweetcorn or frozen mixed veg

What to do:

This is an ideal meal for preparing in advance. There are a few steps to complete when creating this dish: roast the potatoes, make the curry, boil the rice, bake the lot together...

In a non-stick roasting tray or dish place the potato chunks. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle over a 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. Using your hands rub the oil in thoroughly and place in a hot oven (200c fan) for about 20 -25 minutes until the potatoes are soft on the inside and crispy and brown on the outside.

For the curry, 2-3 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil in a saucepan.  Add the cinnamon stick, broken, the cardamom pods and cloves. After a minute or 2 add the onion and fry on a medium heat.  Mix the other spices and paste together in a mug with a bit of water and when all mixed together, fill to the top of the mug with water. Add to the pan and allow the spices to cook out for a few minutes.  Add the ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and a few dashes of lemon juice too, stirring occasionally.

Next add the chicken and coat thoroughly. Add the yogurt, vegetables and another mugful of water, less if you prefer the curry 'dryer'.  Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the potatoes to the curry.

Meanwhile rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve. Add to boiling, salted water. Add a good pinch of Saffron and cook as per packet instructions. Usually 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain into a sieve and pour over boiling water to rinse through.  Allow to cool.

In a oven-proof dish, lay some rice on the bottom followed by 1/3 of the curry. Repeat twice finishing with some curry on top. All of this can be prepared in advance. 

Cover with a lid or foil and bake in the oven at 190c fan for about 40-45 minutes.

Serve up!

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Thai Green Curry with Chicken or Prawns

Oooh I love a good Thai! It's my preference over a Chinese meal any day. Thai food has a wonderful fragrant aroma and the combination of sweet, sour, hot and salty is just sublime.  It's also a great one to prepare in advance and can be re-heated very successfully.

Usually a Thai green curry would be a complete no no on a diet.  A can of coconut milk alone has 18, yes 18 ProPoints!!  That's 3 and a half glasses of wine!!  I know what I would rather have!  My recipe uses the reduced fat coconut milk and just half a can for 2 people.  This makes it only a couple of ProPoints per person but the challenge is to get the full flavour whilst keeping it healthy.  Admittedly you may feel you need more chicken or prawns but if you pack out the veg each mouthful will give you a different taste and texture sensation

You'll need for 2:

• 200g chicken breast cut into chunks or 200g raw king prawns
• 1 tsp groundnut oil or any flavourless oil (not olive oil)
• 2 heaped tsp of Thai green curry paste
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• A few kaffir limes, crushed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated
• Handful fresh coriander, chopped
• A few spring onions, sliced
• Approx 90g fine green beans
• Approx 90g of mangetout or sugarsnap peas
• Half a 400g tin of reduced fat coconut milk
• 150g dried brown basmati rice

What to do:
It's pretty straight forward; heat the oil in a wok or a non-stick frying pan.  Seal the chicken pieces until golden, turning to sear on all sides.  Grate in the ginger and garlic.  Add the vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes.  Add the curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice and stir thoroughly.  Add the coconut milk and turn heat down to a simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies still have a slight crunch to them.   If you find the sauce is reducing too much, cover the pan so the moisture stays in the pan.  It shouldn't take long to cook, perhaps 10-15 minutes.  Quicker than a takeaway

Stir in the freshly chopped coriander and spring onions, just before serving with the cooked basmati rice.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Chicken Balti

My love for a chicken balti started some 16 years ago whilst I was at university in Birmingham.  Monday or Tuesday night was partaay night!  Drinks in our uni flat, followed by student night at The Dome which invariably ended up in one of Birmingham's many curry houses.  My usual, was a chicken balti and naan bread and I am quite ashamed to admit that this is still my curry of choice when eating out 16 years later!

I'm not great with too much chili so this mild to medium curry is perfect for me and I'd much happier go for the sweetness of tomatoes in a balti over a creamy korma any day.  This bodes well when you are trying to Eat Healthy But Tasty as cooking a creamy curry with all that coconut cream is simply out of the question.  I'd hate to even try to work out the ProPoints on a korma or a chicken tikka masala.

You'll need for 2:

• 1 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil
• 385g chicken breast, cut into large chunks
• Half an onion, finely diced
• Red pepper, chopped
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 2 tsp Pataks Balti curry paste
• 1 fat garlic clove, grated or minced
• 1 thumb piece ginger, grated or minced
• Half a lemon
• Seasoning
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar
• 140g dried brown basmati rice
• 1 tbsp fat free natural yogurt
• Handful fresh coriander

What to do:

Spices cooking out

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and fry until soft.  Add the curry paste a cup of water.  Stir to mix in and allow to bubble furiously to cook out the spices.  Add chili if you like it medium - hot and grate or crush the ginger and garlic.  Give it 3-4 minutes and then add the chicken.  Keep stirring to coat the chicken.  Add the red pepper and any other vegetable you fancy.  You could add cauliflower, spinach, green beans or even tenderstem broccoli.

Next add the juice of half a lemon and some seasoning.  Add the tomatoes a little more water so everything is nicely covered.  Add the sugar and stir well. Simmer on a medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir in a tbsp of fat free natural yogurt.

Serve with brown basmati rice and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.

I was fortunate enough to have some of my mother's white bhaji in the fridge tonight so I didn't add any green veg to my balti. 

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Beef & Butter Bean Stew with Mash

This is my perfect Thursday night meal - especially on a rainy day!  Why Thursdays?  Because I try and get my ass down to a 6.30pm Zumba class whilst DH puts the kids to bed.  So every Thursday I need to cook something that can easily be reheated without comprising on flavour.  Having said that, after a manic week I opted to skip Zumba and wash my delicious dinner down with a glass of Malbec. Yum indeed!

Serves 2 adults

• 300g lean braising steak or casserole beef, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
• 4 medium sized carrots, peeled and roughly chopped. 
• 1 large tin of butter beans, drained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Approx 800ml - Beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
• 1 tablespoon Tomato puree
• 350g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 tablespoons skimmed milk.
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat the oil in heavy saucepan and gently soften the onion and celery for a few minutes.  Turn the heat up and add the beef and brown all over.  Once browned, sprinkle over a tablespoon of flour to soak up the juices.  The flour will help thicken the sauce too.  Slowly add the beef stock to avoid lumps and once added turn down to a simmer.

Add the Worcester sauce, tomato puree, bay leaf, dried thyme and carrots.  You can also add other root vegetables such as swede if you prefer.  Add some freshly ground black pepper and some salt to taste.

Place in a oven pre-heated to about 150 for 1 hour 30 minutes.  Give it a stir occasionally.  Add the drained butter beans and cook for another 30 – 45 minutes.  Check the meat to ensure it is tender and adjust the seasoning

To make the mash potato, peel and dice and add to a pan of cold salted water.  Bring to the boil and then simmer until very soft and you can easily cut through the potato with a knife.  Drain and allow to completely steam dry.  Meanwhile, melt the butter over a low heat and add the milk to warm through.  Tip the potatoes back into the pan and mash with a potato masher until soft and mixed.  You can add a sprinkle of nutmeg too if you like.

Tonight I used up the other half of the savoy cabbage from the fridge to serve with the mash and stew and it was delicious!

Weightwatchers Propoints: 13