March 11, 2009 at 7:32 pm (Healthy Recipes, Pasta Recipes)
Tags: credit crunch recipes, easy healthy recipes, easy recipes, healthy vegetarian recipes, quick healthy recipes, vegetarian recipes
Stirfried broccoli florets in a white wine, garlic and chilli sauce tossed with wholewheat spaghetti and finished with toasted pine nuts and parmesan. This easy recipe is so quick to make and just requires a fresh head of broccoli – the rest you’ll find in your cupboard.
5 mins prep :: 7 mins cook :: 12 mins total :: 2 servings @ 415 calories per serving :: 5 Weightwatchers points per serving
Ingredients:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 50 ml white wine
- 1/2 red chilli
- 1 garlic clove
- Sea salt
- Parmesan
- 2 small handfuls of pinenuts
- 200g dried wholewheat spaghetti pasta
Directions:
- Boil a kettle of water and cook the pasta as per pack instructions (about 10 minutes).
- Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in to florets; crush the garlic and finely slice the chilli
- Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a large pan, then add the garlic and fry gently for 1 minute to release the flavour. Then add the broccoli florets with the chilli, and salt then stirfry for about 5 minutes.
- Once the broccoli starts to colour, add the wine and cook for a further 2-3 minutes as the alcohol cooks off.
- When the pasta is ready add the pinenuts to the broccoli until lightly toasted (about 30 seconds), then add the drained spaghetti and toss with a glug of extra virgin olive oil and serve topped with the fresh parmesan.
Foodwitch Factoid:
Stir in a spoonful of green pesto instead of the olive oil at the end for about 100 extra calories per portion and extra flavour. Make extra to reheat for lunch the next day or use any leftovers cold as a tasty snack.
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March 4, 2009 at 7:14 pm (Healthy Recipes, One-Pot Recipes, Rice recipes)
Tags: easy healthy recipes, Healthy Recipes, healthy vegetarian recipes, quick healthy recipes, quick recipes, vegetarian recipes
Spicy Moroccan vegetables in a delicious sauce with a crazy but oh-so-perfect secret ingredient served with wild rice and fresh flat leaf parsley all for under 400 calories.
5 mins prep :: 25 mins cook :: 30 mins total :: 4 servings :: 380 cals per serving :: Doubler :: Lazy Leftovers
Ingredients:
* 2 sweet potatoes
* 2 courgettes
* 1 onion
* 1 red pepper
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1 inch cube of peeled ginger (approx)
* 400g tin of chickpeas
* 1tsp dried cumin powder
* 1tsp dried curry powder
* 1tsp dried chilli flakes
* 1tsp dried cinnamon
* 1tsp dried coriander leaf
* Big pinch of salt (this is for 4 servings)
* 350ml of vegetable stock
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 400g tin of tomatoes
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* 2 tbsp peanut butter
* 2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
* 40g of wild rice & basmati brown rice per person (makes 100g cooked serving per person)
Directions:
1. Boil a kettle of water and cook the wild rice as per pack instructions (about 25 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, crush the garlic; grate the ginger and cut the sweet potatoes, courgettes, onion and red pepper into similar sized pieces (about 1 inch).
3. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a large pan, then add the garlic and ginger and fry gently for 1 minute to release the flavour. Then add the sweet potatoes, courgettes, onion, red pepper and salt then stirfry for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the cumin powder, curry powder, chilli flakes, coriander leaf and stirfry for a further minute before adding the tomatoes, lemon juice and stock.
5. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep simmering for about 20 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. In the final couple of minutes stir in the secret ingredient – peanut butter to warm through and thicken the sauce. Then serve with the rice, scattered with the fresh parsley.
Foodwitch Factoid:
Enjoy leftovers the next day with a pitta bread instead of rice for about the same calories or you can even enjoy it cold for lunch with a green salad to save 150 calories per serving (that’s a mere 230 calories and about 4 portions of veg per serving!).
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February 25, 2009 at 10:41 pm (Healthy Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Rice recipes)
Tags: credit crunch recipes, easy healthy recipes, easy recipes, Healthy Recipes, quick recipes, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
Velvety portobello mushrooms in an aromatic lentil sauce infused with garlic and rosemary, served with wild rice and scattered with fresh parsley.
5 mins prep :: 20 mins cook :: 25 mins total :: 2 servings :: 486 cals per serving :: One-off wonder
Ingredients:
* 8 large flat portobello mushrooms
* 1 red onion
* 200ml vegetable stock
* 3 garlic cloves
* 4 tbsp fresh parsley
* 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
* 1 tbsp brandy or white wine (vegan friendly)
* 400g tin of brown lentils
* 80g wild rice
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* Black pepper
* Sea salt
Directions:
1. Boil a kettle of water, wipe the mushrooms, rinse the herbs and cook the rice following pack instructions (usually 20 minutes).
2. Slice the mushrooms into 1cm slices, finely chop the onion, crush the garlic and finely chop the fresh herbs.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the crushed garlic and onions and fry for 3 minutes until the onions are softening, then add the mushrooms with the rosemary and half the parsley and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, boil a kettle with enough water to make 200ml of vegetable stock; drain and rinse the lentils and make the stock.
5. Add the lentils, brandy and stock to the mushrooms and adjust the heat to keep at a gentle bubble, stirring occasionally and cooking for 10 minutes until the rice is ready. By this time, the liquid will have reduced to leave you with a wonderfully aromatic sauce. Drain the rice and serve scattered with the remaining fresh parsley.
Suggestions & Alternatives
You can serve the mushroom and rustic lentil sauce with pasta or a jacket potato instead of rice. If you can’t decide, why not make double the amount to have a different way another day. Simply cover and refrigerate overnight then reheat in the pan on a low heat for 5-10 minutes. If you choose pasta for the 2nd time your dinner can be ready in under 10 minutes!
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February 7, 2009 at 10:11 am (Healthy Recipes, One-Pot Recipes)
Tags: easy recipes, eco recipes, quick recipes, seasonal recipe, seasonal recipes, vegetarian recipes, winter recipe, winter recipes
Roasted mediterranean vegetables and veggie sausages wrapped in a light and crispy rosemary and garlic infused Yorkshire pudding, served with lashings of gravy.
Quorn veggie sausages and Cauldron vegetrian sausages both come in packs of 5, which is why this recipe calls for this for every 2 servings. You can simply split it down the middle, so there’s 2.5 sausages per serving. Alternatively, someone with a smaller appetite can have 2 sausages for 650 calories per serving and someone indulging in 3 sausages will increase their calorie intake to 708 per serving. You could also use meat sausages instead but this will shoot the calories up to about 849 for 2 sausages and 1007 for 3 sausages.
15 mins prep :: 45 mins cook :: 50 mins total cooking time :: 2 servings :: 689 cals per serving :: One-off wonder
Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1 courgette
1 red onion
5 veggie sausages
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 bunch fresh rosemary
2 medium free-range organic eggs
250ml semi-skimmed milk
4 oz flour
Sea salt
Black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Gravy granules to make 250ml of gravy
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 220c. Add the olive oil to a roasting tin and heat whilst preparing the vegetables.
2. Cut the courgette into slices; the pepper into small pieces and the onion into wedges all about the same size and crush the garlic. Add the vegetables and garlic to the roasting tin and swirl around to coat in the oil then roast for about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile make the Yorkshire pudding batter by sieving the flour into a bowl creating a well in the middle of the flour and breaking the eggs into it. Using a wooden spoon beat the eggs until the yolks and whites have combined, then gradually beat in the flour until you have a doughy mixture. Add the milk a little at a time, beating out any lumps until you have a batter (similar to the consistency of paint). Once your batter is ready stir in a pinch of salt, a twist of pepper and the fresh rosemary leaves, discarding the woody stems.
4. When the vegetables are starting to colour, remove the tin from the oven and add the veggie sausages arranging them between the vegetables so that when the dish is ready it’s easy to ensure everyone gets their fair share of sausages and vegetables! Then simply pour the batter between the vegetables and sausages and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes or so until the Yorkshire pudding has risen and is a rich golden brown colour.
5. Just before the Veggie Toad in the Hole is ready, boil a kettle of water to make up your gravy using the gravy granules. Then divide the toad between the plates and serve with the gravy.
Foodwitch Factoid:
This is not only a great winter warmer recipe, it’s also an extremely well balanced meal so you don’t have to feel guilty of the giant plate experience that you’ll enjoy! With a great mix of anti-oxidant rich vegetables to prevent colds and which are are also handily high in fiber. Plus with tasty protein rich veggie sausages you get everything you need in one sitting!
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February 7, 2009 at 10:02 am (Egg Recipes, Healthy Recipes)
Tags: low-fat recipes, quick healthy recipes, quick recipes, seasonal recipes, store cupboard recipes, vegetarian recipes, winter recipes
Grilled goat’s cheese and spinach wrapped in a light omelette.
Delicious on its own, or even healthier with a green salad. If you’ve got eggs, cheese and some leftover spinach you’ve got yourself a tasty dinner without needing to go down the shops (perfect with all this snow and ice about). To make this meal more substantial serve with a portion of roast vegetables, new potatoes or oven chips (if you’re really short on time, you could even grab a small portion of chunky chip shop chips on the way home – everything’s healthy in moderation!).
Ready in 10 minutes :: 2 servings :: 360 cals per serving :: One-off wonder
Ingredients:
1 goat’s cheese in paper
4 large handfuls of spinach
4 eggs
2 tsp olive oil spread (or butter or olive oil)
Sea salt
Pepper
Directions:
1. Turn the grill on. Unwrap the goats cheese and transfer to a baking sheet leaving the paper it was wrapped in underneath. Taking care to ensure the paper is flat (so it doesn’t catch fire) place the cheese under the grill for 5 minutes, until golden brown. Then carefully cut into smaller pieces whilst leaving on the paper.
2. Meanwile, wash the spinach and drain.
3. Beat 2 eggs in a mug with a fork, stirring in tsp of water.
4. In a non-stick frying pan, add the olive oil spread and heat until melted on a medium/high heat.
5. Add the eggs and gently swirl the pan so the bottom is covered, immediately add half the the spinach ensuring the leaves are evenly spread.
6. Using a spatula gently push in the edges of the omelette and tilt the pan to fill in any gaps with the egg.
7. As soon as the spinach starts to wilt, add half of the goats cheese pieces to the omelette on one half only, then use the spatula to gently life away the edges and take a peak at the colour. Once golden brown underneath (and as set as you like your eggs cooked on top), carefully lift the half of the omelette without any cheese and fold onto the cheese. Then tilt the pan and slide the folded omelette onto a plate. Finish with a sprinkle of salt and a few twists of black pepper and serve. Repeat steps 3 to 7 for the other serving.
Foodwitch Factoid
Goats cheese is lower in fat than cheddar and the spinach is full of vitamins such as iron.
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January 28, 2009 at 7:49 pm (Healthy Recipes, Stirfry Recipes)
Tags: easy recipes, healthy vegetarian recipes, quick recipes, vegetarian recipes
Strips of red pepper, broccoli florets, red onion, beansprouts and noodles in a spicy, soy sauce, honey and ginger sauce.
Profile:
Ready in 10 mins :: 2 servings :: 360 cals per serving :: one-off wonder
Ingredients:
- 1 red pepper (slices)
- 1 red onion (wedges)
- 1 small broccoli (florets)
- 200g beansprouts
- 200g egg noodles
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- 2 tsp clear honey
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 cm ginger (shredded)
- 1 red chilli (sliced)
- 1 pinch Chinese Five Spice
- 1 pinch sea salt
Directions:
- Cut the red pepper and red onion into thin strips and the brocolli into small florets all of a similar size.
- Boil a kettle of water and use to cook the noodles as per packet instructions (simmer for 4 minutes), then drain.
- Prepare the garlic, ginger and chilli, then heat the peanut oil on a high temperature in a large pan or wok.
- When the oil is really hot, add half the garlic, ginger and chilli and stirfry for a few seconds before adding the brocolli, red pepper and onion. Stirfry for 2 minutes before adding the beansprouts and strifrying for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining garlic, ginger and chilli, with the soy sauce, sherry and honey, adding the cooked/drained noodles and stirfry for a further minute or so until the sauce has reduced and serve.
Foodwitch Factoid
Cook an extra portion to enjoy the next day for lunch or use a saved plastic takeaway container to store in the freezer to create your own healthy ready meal for when you haven’t got time (or the inclination) to cook.
Healthy Vegetarian Recipes Tip
My healthy recipes blog has even more healthy vegetarian recipes.
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January 21, 2009 at 9:21 pm (Healthy Recipes, One-Pot Recipes, Pasta Recipes)
Tags: credit crunch recipes, eco recipes, green recipes, low-fat recipes, vegetarian recipes
Chunky peppers, onions and courgettes in a rich tomato sauce, layered in between spinach lasagne pasta and topped with a deliciously thick, low fat cheese sauce. Whip this little beauty up in 25 mins, slam it in the oven and it’s ready in another 25. My top tip is to make more than you need to enjoy it again with zero-cooking another day. Plus there’s no cook-in sauces so this vegetable lasagne is really cheap to make – costing about £1.50 per serving.
This vegetable lasagne recipe does involve making a bechamel sauce from scratch, but do not fear, it’s really not that complicated. If it goes lumpy just keep stirring until the lumps have gone – it’s great for those arm muscles! Only add a little bit of milk at a time and when you’ve added it stir the mixture quite vigorously. For the best lump-free results, create a little well for the milk to go into and gradually stir in from the edge of the well incorporating a little of the milk on each stir. Don’t forget that the heat is constantly under the sauce so don’t leave the sauce to do anything else, it only takes about 5-7 or so minutes to make. If you absolutely must leave it, just take it off the heat temporarily and return it when you come back.
4 servings :: 500 calories per serving :: 25 mins prep :: 25 mins cook :: Lazy leftovers
Vegetable Lasagne
Ingredients
3 tri-colour peppers (red, yellow, green)
2 red onions
4 courgettes
2 tins of chopped tomatoes with herbs
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves
Salt & pepper
4-5 spinach lasagne pasta sheets (no pre-cooking type)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2pt semi-skimmed milk
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 220c. Peel and crush the garlic. Chop the courgettes. Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium/high heat. Add the garlic and courgettes and stirfry for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile deseed/chop the peppers into 1 inch pieces and peel/chop the onion into wedges and add straight to the courgettes, strirfrying until the vegetables have softened and starting to colour.
2. Stir in 2 tins of chopped tomatoes with herbs (add 1 tsp of dried basil/oregano if the tomatoes don’t have herbs already). Stir in 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. To make the low fat cheese sauce, take a small saucepan and melt 1 tbsp butter over the lowest heat setting. When the butter is melted add 2tbsp plain flour and make a “roux” (classic bechamel sauce base) by stirring together with a wooden spoon. The roux should have a similar consistency to sticky dough (just add a touch more flour if it’s too gloopy). Measure out about 1/2pt milk and gradually add a generous splash to the roux, working in the milk into the dough until the milk has been absorbed and the roux is smooth. Continue to add a splash more milk, stirring it in so there are no lumps, until you have no more milk left and the sauce is a similar consistency to paint (add a bit more milk or stop adding if need be). Then just grate in some nutmeg and some cheddar, give it a stir and it’s done (taste test the sauce and adjust if necessary – “cook’s perk”).
4. To compile the vegetable lasagne take a large oven proof lasagne or casserole dish. Add a third of the vegetable sauce to the bottom, followed by 2-3 spoons of cheese sauce, followed by 2 sheets of lasagne sheets. Then repeat and repeat again so you have 3 layers, making sure you leave plenty of cheese sauce for the topping. Spread the cheese sauce to cover all the lasagne sheets (if they’re not covered they won’t cook). Grate some parmesan to help it go a lovely rich golden brown colour. Then bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes until you can’t wait for it any longer. Enjoy!
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January 14, 2009 at 9:49 pm (Healthy Recipes, Stirfry Recipes)
Tags: credit crunch recipes, easy recipes, low-fat recipes, quick recipes, vegetarian recipes
Thai inspired noodles with baby corn, carrot, brocolli and beanspouts in a spicy chilli and peanut sauce. This vegetarian stirfry is so easy to make, is naturally low fat and tastes amazing.
Serves 3 :: Lazy leftovers :: 300 calories per serving :: cook in 15 minutes
Satay Noodle Stirfry
Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp sweet thai chilli sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 brocolli
200g baby corn
1 large carrot
250g bean sprouts (1 bag)
1 bunch of spring onions
4 garlic cloves
1 inch of ginger
1 tbsp sunflower oil
150g wholewheat noodles
Method
1. Crush the garlic and cut the brocolli into small florets. Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium/high temperature and stirfry the garlic, baby corn and the brocolli for about 5 minutes.
2. Boil a kettle of water and cook the noodles for 3-4 minutes (as packet instructions).
3. Meanwhile, peel the carrot and cut into chunky batons and add to the stirfry and stir. Then trim the spring onions ends, cut them lengthways down the middle, then cut again into similar lengths as the carrot batons and add to the stirfry. Add the bean sprouts. Peel the ginger, chop into sticks and add to the stirfry.
4. Drain the noodles and set aside whilst you stir in the soy sauce, peanut butter and thai chilli sauce. Stir in the noodles, frying for a final minute to help the noodles absorb the flavour and serve.
Foodwitch Factoid
Peanut butter is often thought of as being bad for you but in fact, it’s naturally high in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and a great source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – those handy fats that actually break down bad fat (whoop!). Although peanut butter does also contain a moderate amount of saturated fat so don’t go eating the whole jar!
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January 7, 2009 at 9:46 pm (Healthy Recipes, One-Pot Recipes)
Tags: low-fat recipes, vegan recipe, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipe, vegetarian recipes
Spicy sweet potato, spinach, apricots and chickpeas in a morroccan inspired sauce. Serve with a grilled flat bread on the first night and enjoy the leftovers with cous cous the 2nd night – or go mad and do it the other way round! Either way you only need to cook the dish once, but eat it twice.
Serves 4 :: 30 mins cook :: 10 mins reheat :: 300 calories per serving :: Lazy leftovers :: Double destiny
Sweet Potato & Spinach Chermoula
Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes (cut into small chunks)
250g spinach
1 onion (diced)
1 lemon (juice only)
400g chickpeas (cooked)
16 dried apricots (halved)
3 tbsp harissa paste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pt vegetable stock
Flat leaf parsley
Sea salt
Crushed black pepper
Mixed seeds
Method:
1. Dice the onion and fry gently in 1 tbsp of olive oil on a low heat for 5 minutes, whilst cubing the sweet potato.
2. Add the juice from 1 lemon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, harissa paste to the onion, followed by the sweet potatoes and stir.
3. Boil a kettle of water and make a pint of vegetable stock. Add this to the pot so the water covers the potatoes and boil covered with a lid for 10-15 minutes.
4. Once the sweet potatoes are tender add the apricots, chickpeas and spinach and simmer for another 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the sauce has reduced. Grill the flatbread. Serve scattered with torn flat leaf parsley and a small handul of seeds, together with the grilled flatbread.
Foodwitch Factoid
I leave the skins on the sweet potato, it saves valuable cooking time and they are very good for you as the skins are where the essential nutrients are found (good for fighting for winter colds).
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December 31, 2008 at 2:07 pm (Healthy Recipes, One-Pot Recipes)
Tags: vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
Courgettes, peppers, new potatoes and onions in a rustic stew, topped with feta cheese and served with crusty bread to mop up all the juices. It’s an early version of a classic ratatouillie and is made with potatoes instead of aubergines. This is so easy to make and is one of my absolute favourites, I love the way the fresh herbs infuse in to the potatoes. Plus it’s so healthy you can have an extra big helping and not feel guilty.
Prep time 15 mins :: Cook time 1.5hrs :: 400 calories per serving :: Lazy leftovers :: Easy Peasy :: Serves 4
Mediterranean Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
12-16 new potatoes
4 courgettes
3 peppers (red/yellow/green)
2 onions (white or red)
6 vine ripened tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
4 tbsp fresh mint
4 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
190 ml vegetable stock
50 ml white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt
Freshly milled black pepper
Crusty french bread (buttered)
200g organic feta cheese
1. Heat the oven to 200c or equivalent.
2. Chop the courgettes, peppers and onions in to similar sized chunks (about an inch) and crush the garlic.
3. Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole dish with a lid and gently fry the garlic.
4. Add the courgettes, peppers and onions and gently stirfry for a few minutes while you make the stock, chop the herbs and halve the new potatoes and tomatoes.
5. Stir in the stock, potatoes, wine, paprika, lemon juice, sea salt, peppers, together with the chopped mint and parsley (keep back a couple of pinches for later).
6. Place the halved tomatoes skin-side down on the surface and drizzle with another glug of oil. Put the lid on the dish and place in the oven for 1.5hrs.
7. Meanwhile, cube the feta and butter the crusty bread. When the stew is ready, serve in bowls scattered with the feta, remaining herbs on top and the bread on the side.
Foodwitch Factoid
This dish is great cold or reheated the next day. Sometimes I make a massive vat of it and have it for a no-cook healthy lunch for a few days! You can make this dish vegan by ommitting the cheese and the butter from the bread or using vegan alternatives.
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