Chicken and Ham Hock Pretzel Pies

These were absolutely yummy. Something a bit different with the pretzel topping, full of chicken and ham. I served it with green veggies.

Chicken and Ham Hock Pretzel Pies (from WeightWatchers)

(11 Smart Points per serving)

(Serves 4)

165g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust 

½ x 7g sachet fast action dried yeast 

1 tsp brown sugar 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Calorie controlled cooking spray 

1 onion, finely sliced 

300g skinless chicken breast fillet, diced 

2 tbsp plain flour 

300ml chicken stock, made with ½ stock cube 

2 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche 

150g cooked ham hock, shredded 

100g frozen peas 

1tbsp fresh thyme leaves  

2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda 

rock salt 

Put the bread flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine 110ml warm water with the yeast, sugar and half the oil, and add to the flour. Mix for 5 mins, until you have a smooth dough. Put in a bowl misted with cooking spray, cover, and let rise in a warm place for  30 mins to 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, gently fry the onion in the remaining oil for 3-4 mins, until soft. Add the chicken and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the plain flour and cook for 1-2 mins, stirring. Gradually add the stock, stirring well between each addition. Simmer gently until the sauce starts to thicken, then add the crème fraiche, ham, peas and thyme. Set aside.

When the dough has risen, tip it onto a floured surface and divide into four equal portions. Roll each one into a long sausage, then form a U shape. Cross the ends over each other twice, fold the U down to sit on the two ends, and press the ends in to secure. Leave to rise for 20-30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Divide the pie filling between four pie dishes. Bring 1 litre of water to the boil and gently poach the pretzels, two at a time, for 1 min, turning once. Remove with a slotted spoon. Put a pretzel on top of each pie, scatter with the rock salt and bake for 20-25 mins, until deep golden brown.

 

Crab, Spinach and Avocado Salad with Tabasco-Lime Dressing

Crab, Spinach and Avocado Salad with Tabasco-Lime Dressing
(from Skinny Meals in Heels by Jennifer Joyce)
(Serves 4)
(10 WW ProPoints per serving)

2 handfuls fresh chunky breadcrumbs
cooking spray
150g baby spinach
1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
100g crabmeat

For the dressing
juice 2 limes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp tabasco
1 tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Spread the breadcrumbs evenly on a baking sheet. Spray with a little cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 mins until golden and crisp.

Divide the spinach, avocado, tomatoes, spring onion and crab meat between 4 plates

Make the dressing: Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and season. Pour over enough dressing to coat the salad and when ready to eat, scatter with the breadcrumbs. If packing for lunch, pack the breadcrumbs and dressing separately and sprinkle over a lunchtime.

Skinny Banana Ice Cream

This is such a simple idea that I can't believe I hadn't come across it before. I made enough for four people but obviously I am only one, so I froze the rest and I have to say it was better softer the first time than frozen for a couple of days when it went a bit grainy. As the original poster notes, don't go overboard with this, stick to one serving and it'll be 0PP if you go over that, start counting because although fruit is 0PP if you eat a whole lot of it you won't lose weight. This is lovely with berries or chocolate chips.

Skinny Banana Ice Cream (from Simple Nourished Living)
(Serves 4)
(0 WW ProPoints per serving)

4 ripe bananas, cut into chunks and frozen

Put the frozen banana pieces in a food processor or high powered blender.

Blitz until creamy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.

Serve immediately if you like a soft texture. For a firmer texture, transfer the mixture to an airtight container and place it in the freezer for about an hour. If the mixture gets too hard, let it soften for about 10 mins.

Creamed Chard Soup

I had a Sunday making soup a couple of weeks ago and one of the soups I made was this chard soup. There is a garden at school which is planted with all sorts of fruit and veg, the chard has been there almost a year and it's still going. So I asked if I could pick some and the Principal said yes. So the soup was born!

Creamed Chard Soup (from Riverford)
(Serves 4)
(3 WW ProPoints per serving)

400-500g chard, washed, trimmed of tough stalks and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
40g butter or 2 tbsp olive oil
1l chicken or veg stock
200ml milk
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp grated or ground nutmeg
juice ½ a lemon
salt + pepper

Bring the stock to a simmer and add the potatoes. Cook for 20 mins or until the potato is soft.

Add the chard and the milk into the stock pan and bring back to the boil and cook for a further 5 mins. Purée the soup with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper and add the nutmeg and lemon juice to taste.

Creamy Beef Pasanda

I wasn't all that impressed with this. It might have been because I used yoghurt instead of creme fraiche but the sauce was a bit thin and watery and there wasn't really enough heat to call this a curry, even a mild one.

Creamy Beef Pasanda (from WW Nice N Spicy)
(Serves 1)
(11 WW ProPoints per serving)

cooking spray
100g lean rump steak
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp ground coriander
pinch ground tumeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground almonds
2 tbsp half fat creme fraiche
salt and pepper

Heat a frying pan and spray with cooking spray. Cook the steak for 4-6 mins, turning halfway, until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Spray the pan again with cooking spray and gently cook the onion for 3-4 mins. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 30 secs.

Add the almonds, creme fraiche and 3 tbsp of cold water. Bring just to the boil, season and remove from the heat. Slice the steak and serve with the sauce.

Daring Cooks June 2015: Lemongrass and Lime Herby Chicken Kebabs

With summer just around the corner, ML Spell from Dry Spell invited us to play with fire! She challenged us to make some mouthwatering eats on the grill for the June daring cooks challenge.

Ok, so, I haven't done a Daring Cooks in ages, in fact in over a year, for a lot of reasons, so this is my first one back and it fitted right in with WeightWatchers as grilling (in the English sense of the word) is a good way to cook without adding oil. I wasn't going to fire up a barbecue just for me so I cooked them under the grill/broiler. I made Lemongrass and Lime Herby Chicken Kebabs. They were fabulously tasty and reminded me that I should definitely make kebabs more often, the meat was lovely and tender and the peppers soft but crisp.

Lemongrass and Lime Herby Chicken Kebabs (from WW Seasonally Sensational)

(Serves 4)

(6 WW ProPoints per serving)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 lemongrass stalk, very finely chopped

grated zest and juice 1 lime

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp coriander

600g chicken breast, cut into chunks

salt and pepper

2 peppers, cut into chunks

For the tzatziki

4 tbsp 0% yoghurt

juice 1/4 lemon 

handful chopped mint

1/2 cucumber, deseeded and chopped

In a bowl mix together the soy sauce, lemongrass, lime zest and juice, garlic and coriander. Add the chicken and season. Mix well, cover and marinate for at least 30 mins in the fridge.

Meanwhile, make the tzatziki. Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl, then set aside.

Preheat the grill to high. Thread the chicken pieces onto kebab sticks alternating with the peppers.

Grill the kebabs for 8-10 mins turning often. Make sure that the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with the tzatziki with either rice or in a pitta bread with some lettuce.

Smoked Haddock Rarebit

This was really easy and quick to make too. I made it for dinner on Sunday whilst running around maniacally trying to get stuff ready for the week. I don't think I've ever made a proper rarebit before, so making a smoked haddock one was a bonus. I used smoked cod instead of haddock.

Smoked Haddock Rarebit (from WW Cook Smart Easy Everyday)
(Serves 2)
(10 WW ProPoints per serving)

2 200g smoked haddock fillets
400g frozen chopped spinach
75g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
few splashes of Tabasco
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Put the haddock fillets into a microwave safe bowl and add 200ml water. Poach gently for about 5 mins until the fish is cooked, the flesh should be opaque and flake easily. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the spinach according to the packet instructions. Drain well and when it is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess moisture. Divide between two individual, shallow, heatproof dishes. Season.

Remove the skin from the haddock and the lay one fillet in top of the spinach in each dish. Preheat the grill to medium.

Mix the cheese with the mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and nutmeg. Spread this mixture over the fish fillets to cover them completely. Grill until browned and bubbling. Serve.

Cheat's Chicken Makhani

This was dinner on Friday. This is such a cheat's recipe as it uses pre packed chicken tikka pieces but it totally works. The flavours were lovely and it was so quick to whip up, prefect when I got home from work knackered on Friday. I added some spinach into the pan for the last 2-3 mins of cooking time for no extra points. I served it with 50g brown rice (5) and 1 tbsp mango chutney (2).

Cheat's Chicken Makhani (from WW Seasonally Sensational)
(Serves 2)
(6 WW ProPoints per serving)

230g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp grated root ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp chilli powder
200ml chicken stock
15g ground almonds
1 tsp caster sugar
225g chicken tikka breast pieces
1 tbsp low fat spread
1/2 tsp garam masala

Put the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, ginger, garlic, chilli powder and chicken stock in a saucepan and simmer briskly for 10 mins to reduce.

Stir in the ground almonds, sugar and chicken tikka pieces. Gently heat through for 7 mins and then stir in the low fat spread and garam masala. Serve.

Spicy Chicken Patties

For dinner on Thursday night I had Spiced Chicken Patties. I made them the night before and stuck them in the fridge as I don't get home until 7.45pm after pilates. Then I fried them off when I got home. I served them in a wholemeal pitta (4) with 2 tsp of lighter than light mayonnaise (0) and some lettuce. They were really tasty, just lightly spicy and great in the pitta. I made enough for two and froze the leftovers to have another time. I could easily see myself whipping up a hole batch of them and freezing them for sandwiches.

Spicy Chicken Patties (from WW Fresh and Easy Everyday)
(Serves 2)
(5 WW ProPoints per serving)

150g chicken breasts, chopped roughly
1/2 red fresh chilli, deseeded and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 cm ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
cooking spray

Add all of the ingredients except the cooking spray to a food processor. Whizz until finely minced and the mixture comes together.

Empty onto a board and using wet hands shape the mixture into six patties. Heat a frying pan and spray with cooking spray. Cook the patties gently for 6-8 mins turning once or twice, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve.

Italian Fish Stew

This was Thursday lunch. I spent Wednesday evening getting everything ready for Thursday, so the fish stew was easily heated up at lunchtime on Thursday. I added chickpeas as I had 2 points to spare and chickpeas that needed using and I served it with a slice of wholemeal bread. This was very tasty although it could have done with maybe a little more tabasco or some kind of spice.

Italian Fish Stew (from WW Seasonally Sensational)
(Serves 4)
(4 WW ProPoints per serving)

pinch saffron strands
cooking spray
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 red peppers in brine, chopped
2 400g cans chopped tomatoes
300ml veg stock
2 bay leaves
small bunch fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
450g cod fillet, skinned and cut into chunks
8 large cooked, shelled prawns
salt and pepper

Put the saffron in a small bowl, add a few tbsp of hot water and leave to soak for 30 mins.

Heat a large lidded saucepan and spray with cooking spray. Fry the onion and garlic for 5 mins until the onion has softened, adding a little water if they start to stick.

Stir in the peppers, tomatoes and add the stock, saffron with liquid, bay leaves, half the basil, tabasco, tomato puree and seasoning. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins.

Add the cod and cook, covered, for a further 5 mins. Gently fold in the prawns and allow them to heat through. Check the seasoning and scatter with the remaining basil to serve.

Chilli Chicken with Flageolet Beans

This was actually surprisingly really good and it's low on points, only six. The chilli flakes add a lovely spicy element to the dish and the tomatoes provide a juiciness. Not bad for a WeightWatchers dish!

Chilli Chicken with Flageolet Beans (from WW Nice N Spicy)
(Serves 2)
(6 WW ProPoints per serving)

cooking spray
2 chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, sliced
6 tomatoes
410g can flageolet beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 200C. lightly spray a frying pan with cooking and heat until hot. Add the chicken breasts and fry for 3-4 mins until golden on bother sides.

Mix together the remaining ingredients and tip into a roasting tin with 2 tbsp water. Nestle the chicken breasts into the beans.

Cook for 25 mins until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Creamy Smoked Mackerel Pasta Salad

Smoked Mackerel is a kind of a no-no on WeightWatchers in my head, although no food is a no-no really on WeightWatchers, you just have to account for it. Anyway, since I last tried to lose weight things in my life have changed. I discovered that I was insufficient in vitamin D as I suspect are most of the population of the UK and the doctor suggested that I ate oily fish twice a week, which I have been doing for a long while now. Other forms of oily fish are much lower in points but I have tinned and smoked mackerel in the house already and it's going to need eating at some point, so why not start now.

Creamy Smoked Mackerel Pasta Salad (adapted from WW Seasonally Sensational)
(Serves 4)
(14 WW ProPoints per serving)

240g dried pasta
100g tenderstem broccoli, cut into 3 pieces
325g smoked mackerel
4 tbsp 0% fat yoghurt
25g parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions, add the broccoli for the last 3-4 mins. Drain and run under the cold tap. Leave to drain.

Toss the pasta and broccoli with the smoked mackerel, yoghurt and parsley and pack into a lunch box.

Baked Chinese Trout

This was dinner on Tuesday evening and it was really tasty. I served the trout over 40g rice noodles (4) and stir fry veg (0). I had forgotten how much I love rice noodles, there is just something so yummy about them, note to self, make more rice noodles in future. 

Baked Chinese Trout (adapted from WW Nice N Spicy)
(Serves 1)
(5 WW ProPoints per serving)

1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
120g trout fillet

Preheat the oven to 200C. Lay a piece of foil out with a smaller piece of greaseproof paper on top. Lay the trout on top and sprinkle over the five spice powder.

Scrunch up the sides of the foil to create a packet but leave the top open. Pour in the sesame oil and the soy sauce and scrunch up the top of the parcel.  Put the parcel onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 mins until the trout is cooked through.

Eastern Cod Skewers

This was lunch on Tuesday. I found them fairly easy to make, although I only made enough for two portions and you can't halve an egg so I think they were maybe a little sloppy. I succeeded in turning two of the skewers over under the grill but the third broke apart, so be careful when turning them! I served them in a wholemeal wrap (5) and 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce (0) and a packet of M&S Salt and Vinegar Curls (2) and a Coke Zero (0).

I have discovered that M&S now do a range called guilt free snacking and that the Salt and Vinegar Curls and the Moroccan Chickpea Shells are only 2PP per packet. The other ones I've tried, the Tortilla Chips are 3PP per packet, but you get a lot in the packet for all of them.

Eastern Cod Skewers (from WW Fresh and Easy Everyday)
(Serves 4)
(3 WW ProPoints per serving)

50g wholemeal bread
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cm ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 small chilli, deseeded and chopped
300g cod, cut into small pieces
1 tsp light brown sugar
15g coriander
1 egg
6 lemon grass stalks, halved lengthways
cooking spray

Using a food processor, whizz the bread into breadcrumbs. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and whizz again. Then add the cod, sugar and coriander and whizz until everything is finely minced. Add the egg and whizz once more until it comes together.

Divide the mixture into 12 portions, then shap each portion around half a lemongrass stalk, squeezing it into shape.

Preheat the grill to medium high. Spray the kebabs with the cooking sprsy and cook for 5-7 mins until cooked through, turning occasionally. Remove from the lemon grass stalks and serve.

Spiced Meatballs with Roasted Carrot Couscous

This was dinner on Monday. I really enjoyed this meal, it was flavourful and tasty and I love meatballs! You really need to yoghurt though I think it would be a little dry without it. I also steamed a whole pile of veg to eat with it and then promptly forgot about it, so when I went back into the kitchen there was a pile of over steamed veg which was a bit yucky and the meal really didn't need the extra veg.

Spiced Meatballs with Roasted Carrot Couscous (from WW Fresh and Easy Everyday)
(Serves 4)
(11 WW ProPoints per serving)

450g carrots, cut into small chunks
cooking spray
250g extra lean beef mince
250g extra lean pork mince
1 tsp ras el hanout spice
30g dried breadcrumbs
1 bunch spring onions, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ground coriander
zest 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C, Put the carrots in a baking tray and spray with cooking spray. Season and roast in the oven for 10 mins until starting to brown.

Meanwhile, mix together the beef and pork mince, ras el hanout, breadcrumbs and white end of the spring onions. Season and divide the mixture into 24 pieces then roll each piece into a small meatball.

After the carrots have roasted for 10 mins, add the meatballs to the roasting tray. Sprinkle the carrots with the coriander and return to the oven for 20 mins, tossing everything halfway through.

Meanwhile, put the couscous, the green ends of the spring onions and the lemon zest in a bowl and pour over 400ml boiling water. Cover and leave for 10 mins.

Fluff the couscous with a fork. Remove the meatballs from the roasting tray and keep warm. Mix the carrots, meatball juices and seasoning into the couscous.

Divide the couscous into four bowls and top with the meatballs and for an extra ProPoint, 1 tbsp zero fat yoghurt each.

Chinese Vegetable Pancakes

This was lunch on Monday, I wish I had reserved some of the sweet chilli sauce to drizzle over the top of the pancakes, a lesson learnt for next time, but other wise these were really tasty, I definitely need to investigate what more I can do with pancakes.

Chinese Vegetable Pancakes (from WW Cooking for One)
(Serves 1)
(9 WW ProPoints per serving)

50g plain flour
pinch salt
1 egg
125ml skimmed milk
cooking spray
150g stir fry veg
pinch Chinese five spice powder
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

Put the flour, salt, egg and milk into a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to make a smooth batter. Set aside for 20 mins.

Heat a frying pan and spray with the cooking spray. Pour in half the batter and swirl it over the base of the pan. Cook over a medium heat until the top has set, then flip over to cook the other side. Repeat with the second pancake.

Meanwhile, heat another frying pan and spray with cooking spray. Add the stir fry veg and cook, stirring for 3-4 mins until done. Sprinkle with five spice powder and add the sweet chilli sauce.

Share the veg between the pancakes and fold into triangles. Serve at once.

Super Berry Blitz

This was the first recipe I tried from my WeightWatchers cookbooks last week. It was just like the smoothies I have been drinking but using water instead of milk. It does fill you up and because it just contains fruit it has no points. You can use skimmed milk instead of water for 1 PP per person and add 80g oats to the recipe to make it a proper smoothie for 2 PP per person.

Super Berry Blitz (from Cooking the WeightWatchers Way)
(Serves 4)
(0 WW ProPoints Per Serving)

200g blueberries
200g strawberries
200g raspberries
2 bananas, sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract
425ml chilled water

Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour into glasses and serve.

Ham and Sweetcorn Pasta Lunchbox

This was a really tasty salad, I'm definitely getting used to the curds in cottage cheese and they're not bothering me so much anymore! It's a WeightWatchers recipe but it definitely doesn't feel like it.

Ham and Sweetcorn Pasta Lunchbox
(Serves 4)
(6 WW ProPoints per serving)

150g dried pasta shapes
150g small broccoli florets
150g frozen sweetcorn
150g low fat cottage cheese
110g smoked ham, diced
60g salad leaves
salt and pepper

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Add the broccoli and sweetcorn to the pasta about 3-4 mins before then end of the pasta cooking time. Drain and rinse under the cold tap.

Return to the pan. Toss the pasta and veg together with the cottage cheese and ham, season. Divide between four lunchboxes and top with the salad leaves but wait to mix them in until just before eating.

Lamb Steaks with Minty Yoghurt

I still dig out those WeightWatchers cookbooks every now and then as they have some really tasty recipes in them. This was no exception, I served it with a ton of green veg and a bulgar/quinoa mix.

Lamb Steaks with Minty Yoghurt (from WW Cooking for One)
(Serves 1)
(7 WW ProPoints per serving)

125g lamb leg steak, trimmed of fat
2 tsp ras el hanout
cooking spray
salt and pepper
a lemon wedge to serve

For the yoghurt sauce
50g 0% fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp mint, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tomato, halved

Put the lamb on a chopping board and sprinkle over about 1 1/2 tsp of the ras el hanout. Season and rub the spices in well.

For the yoghurt sauce, mix together the yoghurt, mint and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Sprinkle the tomato halves with the remaining ras el hanout. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Spray the lamb steak with cooking spray and add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 mins on each side for medium. Remove and let it rest for 5 mins.

Add the tomatoes to the pan cut side down and cook for 2-3 mins on each side, then transfer to a serving dish. Slice the lamb and serve with the tomatoes and minty yoghurt sauce.

Serve with 30g dried couscous for an extra 3 ProPoints.

Avocado, Bacon and Potato Salad

This a lovely bacon, avocado and potato salad, simple to make but wonderfully tasty.

Avocado, Bacon and Potato Salad (WeightWatchers Foods)
(Serves 4)
(6 WW ProPoints)

650g new potatoes, halved

cooking spray

4 rashers bacon medallions

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp clear honey

125g avocado, stoned, peeled and sliced

85g watercress, any large stalks removed

125g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes. Cover, and simmer for 10-15 mins or until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, mist a pan with cooking spray and fry the bacon turning once, for 5 mins. Roughly chop.

Drain the potatoes and tip into a bowl.

Place the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, mustard and honey in a screw-top jar and season. Shake to combine and then pour over the potatoes. Toss to coat.

Add the bacon, avocado, watercress, tomatoes and onion, then toss lightly to mix.

Divide between 4 plates and serve, or transfer to an airtight container and chill for up to 24 hours.