Jerk Pork, Rice & Peas

I'm craving spicy and warming foods at the moment.  At 37 I was beginning to think I would never be a chilli lover, but slowly I find myself increasing the amount I use in cooking.  This is unusual for me as I'm the one that usually orders lemon and herb chicken in Nando's as the medium is just way to hot for me!  This Jerk inspired dish does pack a heat punch and may not be suitable for very little ones or for that matter it might not be the best choice for great big chilli wossers, but you never know, you, like me, could learn to love a bit more spice in your life.

The rice in this dish would traditionally be cooked in coconut milk but this would just make it way too many ProPoints (or calories / fat / syns) so this healthy version uses vegetable stock and a dollop of 0% Greek yogurt to finish.

Whilst calculating the ProPoints on eSource (I cannot survive without this tool!) I realised that all the ingredients in this dish, except the sugar, were filling and healthy foods. So if you have adopted WeightWatchers latest plan you could increase the portion size if need be to feel satisfied (not stuffed!).

I am still struggling with the whole filling and healthy thing, probably because I find it hard to tell when I am just satisfied and would rather get to the stuffed part, so I am sticking with my good old ProPoints for now, but all you filling and healthy lot, fill ya boots on this meal!

You will need for 4 (easily halved)

•  4 Pork loin steaks, trimmed of fat so approx 120g each
• 1 tin Adzuki beans
• 3 tbsp frozen peas (I use Birds Eye Petits Pois)
• Half an onion, diced
• Jerk Seasoning
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 lime
• 250g dried brown basmati rice
• Vegetable stock
• Spinach
• Low fat cooking spray
• 1 tbsp 0% Greek yogurt
• Light soy sauce

What to do:

Season the pork loin steaks with salt and the Jerk Seasoning. Leave for a few minutes to allow flavours to sink in.

In a saucepan saute the diced onion with some low fat cooking spray until soft.

Rinse the rice in cold water and add to the pan. Cover with vegetable stock. You will need approximately twice the volume of rice and a tbsp or 2 of soy. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on it and do add more water / stock if necessary. It's harder to cook brown rice in this way as it does require longer cooking and more water than white rice. It's got a lovely texture, it's really  filling and has a lower GI though so worth trying.

Add the beans and peas for the last few minutes of cooking to heat through thoroughly. If you find you have too much liquid at the end of cooking, simply strain through a sieve as the rice will have absorbed the flavour from the stock anyway. Stir through the yogurt to finish and check the seasoning.

Meanwhile heat a griddle or frying pan and spray the pork steaks with oil spray. Fry for a few minutes on high each side until nicely coloured. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and a squeeze of lime.  Turn down the heat and cover to allow the meat to cook thoroughly.  You can also finish the steaks in the oven if you prefer. Allow to rest for a few minutes to retain those lovely juices. By this time your rice should be cooked so you can serve up!

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 14

You can reduce the ProPoints for this dish by using chicken breast

Italian Sausage & Bean Casserole

DH's family are from Sicily.  We spend ALOT of time eating or thinking about Italian food.  Although I give it a good shot apparently no-one comes close to his Nonna's pasta dishes.   Probably because I'm always looking for ways to reduce the fat or cut the calories to make it less sinful. 

In Sicily we eat Italian sausage with crusty bread and salad dressed in olive oil & lemon juice.  The sausage is usually just pure pork, salt & pepper, sometimes flavoured with chilli or fennel.  But that is pretty much it.  You can pick up good Italian sausages in your local Italian deli and they are really worth trying as the flavour is unique.  Sadly pork sausages are just something I cannot indulge in mid-week when trying to stick to my WeightWatchers plan.

Until now I have yet to find a decent Italian sausage in a supermarket.  I am absolutely delighted to have recently found a gem at my local Waitrose deli counter.  It is not only deliciously tasty with it's fennel flavouring, but is made with 43% veal so is much lower in fat!  Hurrah!  A sausage I can finally enjoy (ahem).  Unfortunately I have yet to lay my hands on any nutritional info, so I have approximated the ProPoint values based on the % of pork and veal that make up the sausage. 

Onto the recipe.  This is one that I have taken from the fabulous BBC Good Food Mag. I usually can't resit meddling with a recipe, but I've got to say I pretty much followed this one.  After reading the reviews, I upped the sausage content to 300g (x3 of the Waitrose Italian sausage) and increased the stock (I used chicken stock) to 500ml.  Instead of serving with crusty bread or mash potato, I added 60g of orzo pasta to cook through with the meatballs to really fill out the meal, negating the need, or the temptation to demolish a whole ciabatta as a side. Ok so maybe I did meddle more than I thought!

You can get the original BBC Good Food recipe by clicking here but my version is also detailed below.

You'll need for 2:

• Half a large red onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Salt & Pepper
• 3 Waitrose Italian sausages (300g)
• 1 tin of borlotti beans, drained
• 1 tin of cherry tomatoes in juice
• 500ml chicken or veg stock
• 100g green beans, halved
• 60g orzo pasta
• Parmesan to serve

What to do:

Heat a non-stick frying pan or stir frying pan.  Remove the casing from the sausages and break them up into small meatballs.  I got 6 out of each sausage.  Spray with oil and fry on a high heat to brown all over.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion, garlic, fennel seeds and chilli to the pan.  Turn the heat down to slowly cook the onions.  Add some salt to help bring out some of the moisture.  When soft add the tinned cherry tomatoes and stock.  Allow to bubble away for a few minutes.

Add the borlotti beans and the green beans.  I prepared everything in advance to this stage and when the meatballs were cool I put them in the fridge until needed.  If you do this just cover up the sauce and bring it back up to a boil when required.

Next add the orzo and a little more stock if need be, but 500ml should be about right.  Add the meatballs and reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes on a low heat so you do not reduce the sauce down to nothing.  When the orzo is cooked through, taste and season accordingly, then serve up with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13 including parmesan, 12 without parmesan