Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick
Ingredients
200gm couscous
200ml hot vegetable stock
1 Tblsp fresh chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
45ml natural fat free yoghurt
80gm fat reduced feta cheese, crumbled
1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
Method
Measure the couscous into a bowl.
Pour over the stock.
Cover with a plate or cling film.
Stand for 5 minutes.
Fluff up the couscous with a fork.
Now add all the remaining ingredients, except the oil.
Stir until everything is nicely combined.
Wet your hands, and then shape the mixture into 8 patties.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
Fry the patties for about 5 minutes each side.
Serve the patties, 2 per person, with a crispy fresh salad and some chutney.
I’ve used chopped parsley, but any soft fresh herbs would be good – basil or mint immediately spring to mind, because their flavours go so well with tomatoes.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Link to .pdf files for Week 51 and Review (11)
Labels:
menus,
pdf files,
recipes,
shopping list
The menu for Week 51 is not particularly festive. It is designed for ordinary everyday eating : even when you are not cooking turkey, a ham and all the trimmings you still need to eat, right?
Here are the recipes and shopping list for Week 51.
And, in case you want to look back, here are the links for recipes and shopping lists for weeks 41 - 44:
Week 41
Week 42
Week 43
Week 44
Here are the recipes and shopping list for Week 51.
And, in case you want to look back, here are the links for recipes and shopping lists for weeks 41 - 44:
Week 41
Week 42
Week 43
Week 44
Hake with soy bean mash : Wk50/4
Labels:
fish,
healthy eating,
recipes
Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick
Ingredients
4 fillets of hake, each ±120gm
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
Fish seasoning
320gm mashing potatoes, cubed
160gm edamame (soy) beans
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tblsp chopped fresh basil
100ml chicken stock
24 (or more) cherry tomatoes
Method
Heat the oven to 200ÂșC.
Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes.
Add the soy beans (I used frozen) and cook for another five minutes.
Drain well.
Add the garlic and basil to the potatoes and beans and mash well.
Beat in the stock, a little at a time.
Keep warm.
Lay the fish fillets, in a single layer, in a large pyrex dish.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle with the rind and fish seasoning.
Scatter the tomatoes over the top.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.
Serve the fish and tomatoes with the mash, and a mixed salad if desired.
This is a chunky mash, quite creamy tasting with the added benefit of extra protein from the beans.
Ingredients
4 fillets of hake, each ±120gm
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
Fish seasoning
320gm mashing potatoes, cubed
160gm edamame (soy) beans
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tblsp chopped fresh basil
100ml chicken stock
24 (or more) cherry tomatoes
Method
Heat the oven to 200ÂșC.
Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes.
Add the soy beans (I used frozen) and cook for another five minutes.
Drain well.
Add the garlic and basil to the potatoes and beans and mash well.
Beat in the stock, a little at a time.
Keep warm.
Lay the fish fillets, in a single layer, in a large pyrex dish.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle with the rind and fish seasoning.
Scatter the tomatoes over the top.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.
Serve the fish and tomatoes with the mash, and a mixed salad if desired.
This is a chunky mash, quite creamy tasting with the added benefit of extra protein from the beans.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Lunch today
Labels:
healthy eating,
recipes,
vegetarian
I had this soup for lunch today and thought I might as well post the recipe. Sorry, I was hungry and it was all gone before I thought to take a picture.
Tomato and lentil soup – Serves 2
Tip into a saucepan:
1 x 440gm tin chopped tomato and onion mix
400ml vegetable stock
½ tsp crushed garlic (or more… or none)
1 large carrot, sliced
¼ tsp dried oregano
±6 large fresh basil leaves
60gm dried red lentils
Stir well then simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes until the carrots and lentils are soft.
Stir occasionally if you think of it.
Blitz before serving.
I just had a slice of toast with mine, but you could garnish with grated parmesan, natural yoghurt, croutons or more fresh basil if you want. This is quite a thick soup; adjust the consistency to your taste with more or less vegetable stock.
If you have time and energy to spare, you could add more vegetables such as celery, butternut, red or yellow bell peppers or extra carrots. Or all of the above.
Tomato and lentil soup – Serves 2
Tip into a saucepan:
1 x 440gm tin chopped tomato and onion mix
400ml vegetable stock
½ tsp crushed garlic (or more… or none)
1 large carrot, sliced
¼ tsp dried oregano
±6 large fresh basil leaves
60gm dried red lentils
Stir well then simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes until the carrots and lentils are soft.
Stir occasionally if you think of it.
Blitz before serving.
I just had a slice of toast with mine, but you could garnish with grated parmesan, natural yoghurt, croutons or more fresh basil if you want. This is quite a thick soup; adjust the consistency to your taste with more or less vegetable stock.
If you have time and energy to spare, you could add more vegetables such as celery, butternut, red or yellow bell peppers or extra carrots. Or all of the above.
Cinnamon chicken : Wk50/3
Labels:
chicken,
healthy eating,
recipes
Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
Method
Cook the potatoes, butternut and carrots together.
Once cooked, drain well and mash.
Keep warm.
Sprinkle the chicken with the combined cinnamon and cumin.
Heat the oil in a large pan.
Fry the chicken about 5 minutes each side on a moderate heat, then remove from the pan.
Fry the onion, in the same pan, until it starts to soften.
Add the stock, honey, apricots and lemon juice and stir well.
Put the chicken pieces back in the pan.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan again, and allow to rest.
Tip in the broad beans and coriander and allow 5 minutes to heat through.
Cut the chicken into thick slices on a slight diagonal.
Make a bed of mashed vegetables on each of 4 warmed plates.
Place the chicken slices on top of the mash.
Spoon over the sauce.
Garnish with extra coriander, if desired
Ingredients
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin1 Tblsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, sliced
250ml chicken stock
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1 Tblsp honey
1 x 300gm can broad beans, drained
6 Turkish apricots, thinly sliced
2 Tblsp chopped coriander
200gm mashing potatoes
3 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 small butternut, peeled & cubed
Cook the potatoes, butternut and carrots together.
Once cooked, drain well and mash.
Keep warm.
Sprinkle the chicken with the combined cinnamon and cumin.
Heat the oil in a large pan.
Fry the chicken about 5 minutes each side on a moderate heat, then remove from the pan.
Fry the onion, in the same pan, until it starts to soften.
Add the stock, honey, apricots and lemon juice and stir well.
Put the chicken pieces back in the pan.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan again, and allow to rest.
Tip in the broad beans and coriander and allow 5 minutes to heat through.
Cut the chicken into thick slices on a slight diagonal.
Make a bed of mashed vegetables on each of 4 warmed plates.
Place the chicken slices on top of the mash.
Spoon over the sauce.
Garnish with extra coriander, if desired
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Skinny asparagus pasta : Wk50/2
Labels:
healthy eating,
recipes,
vegetarian
Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick
Ingredients
240gm ‘angel hair’ pasta
1 onion, chopped
250ml strong chicken stock
200gm fresh green asparagus pieces
300gm cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 Tblsp fresh chopped parsley
2-3 Tblsp fresh chopped mint
1 clove garlic, crushed
Green salad
Method
Cook the pasta in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
When cooked, drain and keep warm.
Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and dry fry the garlic and onion until it softens.
Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until they start to go pulpy.
Now add the stock, asparagus, parsley and mint.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and lift the pasta through the sauce to combine.
Serve with a fresh green salad on the side.
Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock for a vegetarian option.
Ingredients
240gm ‘angel hair’ pasta
1 onion, chopped
250ml strong chicken stock
200gm fresh green asparagus pieces
300gm cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 Tblsp fresh chopped parsley
2-3 Tblsp fresh chopped mint
1 clove garlic, crushed
Green salad
Method
Cook the pasta in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
When cooked, drain and keep warm.
Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and dry fry the garlic and onion until it softens.
Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until they start to go pulpy.
Now add the stock, asparagus, parsley and mint.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and lift the pasta through the sauce to combine.
Serve with a fresh green salad on the side.
Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock for a vegetarian option.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Granma’s apron
Labels:
cooking
A friend recently sent me an email about ‘Granma’s Apron’.
Remember making an apron in Home Ec? I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
I think the apron has fallen out of use because people generally have become very lazy cooks. Who shells peas anymore – don’t they come in cans or frozen in a bag?
Remember making an apron in Home Ec? I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
"The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..
And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,
bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
But I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love... “
I think the apron has fallen out of use because people generally have become very lazy cooks. Who shells peas anymore – don’t they come in cans or frozen in a bag?
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