Pan Fried Marinated Steak Salad

 

Yep, steak and salad in the same sentence, but really it is pretty healthy, veggie packed and fairly light on the old Pro Points.

Pan Fried Marinated Steak Salad
Serves 2  Approx 14 Pro Points per serving

Marinade

400g thin sliced sirloin/frying steaks

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and lay the steaks in it for a couple of hours. 

Then take a scorching hot griddle pan and fry for a couple of mins each side, put to one side to rest.

Salad

300g potatoes, part boiled and then sliced 

1 bunch of asparagus, each spear cut into 3 pieces.

1 onion, thinly sliced 

2 tsp oil

S&P

In a non stick frying pan heat the oil.  Add the sliced potato and onions and fry until golden, add the asparagus, seasoning and continue cooking for a could of mins, you still want the asparagus to retain some bite.

Dressing

2 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt

1 tsp finely chopped red chilli

Zest and 1 tsp juice of lime

Pepper and a dash of sugar

Mix all together

To serve
Put some watercress on you plate, top with the potatoes and asparagus. Slice the beef into strips, lay on top then dollop the yogurt dressing on.

This really was a very delicious little salad the marinated beef was packed with flavour and juicy.

Lebanese Spiced Spatchcock Chicken

 

To make the most of the glorious weather we have been having recently, but without having to drag out the BBQ I took a leaf out of my parents menu and decided on spatcthcocking a chicken.

I cooks so much easier, quicker and more even than roasting a whole bird.  We had a small FR bird, approx. 1kg or just under.  Turned it face down then using poultry shears, cut out the back bone.  Flip him over again and press down until you hear the bones crack and he is flattened.

Lebanese Spiced Spatchcock Chicken

1 Chicken, spatchcocked
1-2 tbsp. Lebanese Spice rub, my new favourite, but there are loads of different types available.
1 lemon halved length ways
a drizzle of oil
S&P

Rub the spices all over the chicken and place him on a trivet in a roasting tin, with the lemon halves underneath.  Drizzle with a little oil and a grind of S&P.  Place into a hot oven 200oc for 45 mins. (based on our small bird).

I served the chicken on a bed of cous cous that I made up with more Lebanese spices in the water and mixed it with some chopped parsley and the seeds of half a pomegranate along with a simple Caprese salad and some finely sliced onion pickled in red wine vinegar.

The bird was tender and juicy, I took the cooked lemons and squeezed them over the chicken, they added a lovely sweet and sour flavour. 

We ate outside in the sun with a couple of white wine spritzers.  Utter heaven.

Yet More Turkey Meatballs

 

I swear I am addicted to making different variations of the little balls, they really are the most versatile and easy of dishes to prepare.

Here are a couple more options that I tried out recently.

Honey Chipotle Turkey Meatballs.
Makes approx. 16 4cm dia balls, serves two greedy
Approx WW Pro points per serving 10


This is a recipe I found on the Martha Stewart website HERE. A few tweaks of my own thrown in.

500g turkey mince
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp. runny honey
1 tbsp. Tesco's Chipotle sauce
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp oil

Pre heat oven to 200oc.  Mix together the turkey, onion, garlic, S&P.  Then form into the 16 balls.
Place these on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 20 mins turning them halfway.

Mix the honey, chipotle and vinegar in a bowl.  In a non-stick frying pan add the oil and gently heat, add the cooked meatballs and the honey chipotle mixture, swirl them around the pan until the sauce reduces and the meatball turn more golden brown.

I served on a bed of orzo and green beans and a mixed salad with the sauce drizzled over the top. Juicy, sweet and spicy. Yum.

 

Lebanese Spiced Turkey Meatballs with Yogurt Dressing
Makes Approx 16 meatballs.  Serves 2
Approx WW Pro Points per serving 10

500g turkey mince
1 tbsp Lebanese dry marinade spiced, I pick up some from Tesco, but really you can add any spiced you want.
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper

Mix all the above ingredients together and form into 16 balls.  as before place on a baking tray in the oven at 200oc for 20 mins.

2 tbsp. 0% fat Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp. the green tail ends off a bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
2 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
Zest of one lime.

Mix the above together in a bowl.

I serves the meatballs and dressing over some griddled courgette and aubergine slices.  To cook them I sprayed with one cal spray, sprinkled with mixed herbs and S&P then placed on a ferocious hot griddle pan for a couple mins each side.

Skinny Roast Vegetable Quiche

A cheeky little cheat for all those that love quiche, but not the calories they contain.

I got this recipe from a Weight Watchers mini cookbook for meat free meals.  It really hits the vegetable quota and still give you a feeling of being slightly naughty.

Skinny Roast Vegetable Quiche

Serves 4

206 cals or approx 4 Pro Points per serving.

3 Capsicum peppers, 1 each red, yellow, green, de-seeded and sliced

1 red onion, cut into eighths

4 shallots cut into quarters

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

450g potatoes, cubed

1 tbs horseradish sauce

1 large egg

150ml skimmed milk

30g Manchego cheese, grated (recipe called for half fat cheddar, but life is too short for that stuff, besides I love the creamy,nutty, salty flavour of Manchego)

One cal spray

S&P

Preheat oven to 220oc.  Place all the veg on a baking tray and coat in one cal spray and a little S&P, roast for 20 minutes.

Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and then mash adding in the horseradish.  Then place the mash into a loose bottom baking tin 20cm dia (mine was 24cm so my potato base was not as deep as it could have been) and press down.  Put into the oven for 10 minutes until the potato has formed a crust.

Pile to roasted veg on top of the potato and in a jug mix together the milk and egg then pour over the veg.  Scatter the cheese on top and a final S&P and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until the top is set and golden.

A nice little dish, but a bit tricky to get the quiche off the base of the pan, could be that I did not cook my potato base long enough for it to firm up, but it was nice enough.  Served with rocket and a couple of slices of ham, the horseradish really perks up the flavours.

Chicken in Creamy Rosemary Sauce

This dish from last night was remarkably full of flavour and really light on the old WW Points.  Can definitely recommend and will be cooking again as it was quick and easy.

Chicken in Creamy Rosemary Sauce

Serves 2  Approx PP per serving 9

2 chicken breasts, no skin or bone about 165g each

50g low fat cream cheese with garlic and herbs

100ml chicken stock, from 1/2 a stock cube

1 onion chopped

one cal spray

250g new potatoes

Cherry tomatoes on the vine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves pulled from stalks

1 measure white wine or vermouth

In the oven roast the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray with one cal spray and S&P, about 20 mins at 180oc. Boil the potatoes until tender and drain.  Leave to one side until ready to plate up.

Take the chicken breasts and season.  Heat up a frying pan and spray with one cal, add the chicken and cook over a moderate heat for 5 mins each side until golden.  Add a little more spray and toss in the onion and the rosemary cook until soft.

Add the white wine and cook down.  Take the stock and cream cheese, whisk together and add to the pan. Cover and simmer for 15mins until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve up and enjoy.  I served with green beans.

Sloe Gin & Ginger Beer Cocktail

A cheeky quick little post, mainly so I never forget this cocktail, missing out on this would be a tragedy! 

I tell you it is going to be favourite drink of summer.  An absolute glugger not too sweet, not to sour and so refreshing. The fruity sweetness of the sloe gin is counteracted by the lime perfectly

Sloe Gin & Ginger Beer Cocktail

Makes 1 Drink

2 Measures Sloe Gin

Juice of 1 Lime
Jamaican Ginger Beer


Take a tumbler of crushed ice pour over the sloe gin and lime juice, top up with ginger beer - not ginger ale, it needs the fiery punch of root ginger.  Enjoy.



I also have this little recipe from the time I was in Hong Kong.  It is a nice alcohol free drink, but makes you feel like you are actually having a tot.

Ginger Gunner
Makes 1 drink

Over crushed ice add ginger beer and ginger ale and finish with a few drops of Angostura Bitters

This one is best when you tinker around with the quantities to find what suits you best, I love lots of Angostura so I put in around 7 good drops.  If you don't like the snap of ginger beer add more ginger ale and vice versa.

Roasted Sea Bass with Chorizo, Red Onion & Cherry Tomatoes

Had a little trip to see Gordon the Fishmonger on Saturday morning and he tempted me with some glorious fresh sea bass, I chose two that were not too big, not too small just perfect for serving one each.  Once home I trawled my cook books for a suitable recipe, I vaguely remembered trying one years ago served with honey and onions, but could not find it.  Thinking it may be a James Martin recipe I hit up Google and came across THIS recipe which made me forget all about my original search. 

We had it last night (with a bottle of wine, so excuse the poor photo!) It was so very tasty, a recipe that really lets every single ingredient shine through.  Will definitely be cooking this one again.  I have tinkered with the quantities to suit myself.

Roasted Sea Bass with Chorizo, Red Onion and Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 2

2 tsp oil
1 large red onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
100g cooking chorizo, chunky chopped
50g black olives, without stones
12 cherry tomatoes
bunch fresh thyme
2 medium sea bass, descaled and gutted.
glug of olive oil.

Heat the oven to 190oc

Heat the 2 tsp oil in a frying pan, and add the onion, garlic and chorizo.  Fry for 5 minutes until onions soft and the oil for the chorizo renders out.  Add 2-3 sprigs of thyme, roughly chopped, olives and tomatoes. cook for a couple of mins and then transfer into a ovenproof dish.

Take the sea bass and slash the skin in three places along the body of the fish on both sides, stuff with more sprigs of thyme, season well with S&P then lay the fish on top of the chorizo, tomato mixture and drizzle the fish with a glug of oil.

Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until fish is tender and cooked through, flaking from the bone.