Month: January 2014

Poultry

Low calorie roasted chicken with fresh (or dried) figs and Kalamata olives

Belinda

This is a low calorie high flavor dish that will become a favorite. If you don’t have fresh figs then use dried figs, apricot or prunes.
With the fat dramatically reduced, you will want to serve this often

Serves 2

3 chicken breast halves, on the bone, skin removed
1/4 cup finely minced garlic
1/4 cup low-fat chicken broth
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp pitted Kalamata olives, 6 to 8 olives
2 tbsp capers with a little juice
3 bay leaves
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cu fresh figs, cut into halves or 1/2 cup dried figs, apricots or prunes

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, garlic, broth, oregano, pepper, vinegar, olives, capers with juice and bay leaves.
(If using dried fruit, add them now)
Cover, refrigerate and marinate overnight or for at least 8 hours

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish and cover with the marinade. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pour the wine around the chicken pieces.
Bake for about 1 hour, basting every 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
After 15 minutes of cooking add the fresh figs.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Garnish each serving with sauce, olives and figs and serve immediately.

Only 300 Calories per serving too

 

Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Oil free orange balsamic dressing

Belinda

This is worth having in your repertoire of salad dressings as it has NO oil at all and you don’t miss it.

Makes abut 1 cup

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup good balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp finely minced orange zest
Salt to taste (optional)

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Whisk before serving

12 calories per tbsp!

 

Fish

Broiled honey soy salmon

Belinda

I think this is one of my favorite dishes, as it’s very light, very quick and has terrific flavor.
Served with lemon-dill rice and ginger green beans (both recipes on this blog) makes the best meal without any guilt!

Serve 6

6 tbsp honey
6 tbsp soy sauce
2lbs salmon fillet, skin on
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 generous tbsp minced fennel fronds or Italian parsley

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

In a small bowl, combine the honey and soy sauce and mix well.
Lay the salmon, skin side down, on the baking sheet.
Drizzle a quarter of the sauce over the salmon.
Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and fennel and broil 2 inches from the heat source for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
Drizzle every 2 to 3 minutes with the remaining sauce until the salmon turns a deep mahogany, is opaque and flakes when pierced with a fork.
Do not allow it to char.
Serve immediately

Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Easy garlic roast chicken pieces with rosemary and lemon

Belinda

This is a really lovely dish to serve with my lemon-dill rice and the combination of flavors complement each other very well.

Serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes to cook

2 1/2lbs boneless chicken pieces, whether thigh or breast, cut into large chunks
6 to 8 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from the stems and coarsely chopped   (You can also use fresh oregano instead of rosemary)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp grill seasoning blend  (I use Montreal Seasoning, but you can just use coarse salt and pepper)
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 450 F

Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish, about 9” by 13”.
Add the garlic, oil, lemon zest and grill seasoning or salt and pepper to the dish.
Toss and coat the chicken with all these ingredients, then place in the oven.
Roast for about 20 minutes.
Add the wine and lemon juice to the dish and combine with the pan juices.
Return to the oven and turn the oven off and leaving the chicken in the oven for another 10 minutes or so before removing from the oven and serving.

Serve with my lemon-dill rice, spooning the pan juices over the chicken.

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free · Sauces

Tangy and fresh lime and caper vinaigrette to have with fish or chicken.

Belinda

This is a wonderful and versatile vinaigrette to serve with fish or chicken.
It’s divine paired with my “Light and zesty lemon dill rice” recipe. (in the RICE folder)
Thank you Delia Smith!

Juice and zest of 1 good sized juicy lime
1 heaped tbsp capers, drained
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp good grain mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To garnish

A few sprigs of fresh cilantro

Prepare the dressing by simply whisking all the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

Warm it through a little in a saucepan (to take off the chill) and tip over a nice piece of sauteed or poached fish, chicken or halloumi cheese
Top with the garnish of cilantro sprigs.
Serve with my lemon dill rice and you have a really light, stunning meal.

Grains

Light and zesty lemon dill rice

Belinda

This is very light, fresh and tangy and a perfect accompaniment to fish or chicken.

Serves 4

2 1/2 cups low fat chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
4 tsp finely minced lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp finely minced fresh dill
4 scallions, finely minced, green part only

In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth, rice, garlic, lemon zest and juice to a boil over high heat.
Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Remove from the heat, season with the pepper, stir in the dill and scallions and fluff with a fork.
Serve immediately

Meat · Pasta

Pasta chorizo carbonara

Belinda

A little cross culture and all the better for it too!  Well worth a try.

Serves 2 but can easily be doubled

6 oz spaghetti, linguini or other long pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
6 oz chorizo, crumbled, or the bought cooked one, cut into small dice
2 large egg yolks
4 fl oz heavy cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the pasta to a large pan of well salted boiling water and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet. Add the chorizo and fry briskly for about 10 minutes, until crisp and cooked through.

Whisk the egg yolks and cream together and season lightly. (since the chorizo is already seasoned quite well)

When the pasta is done, drain it thoroughly and immediately return it to the hot saucepan.
Tip in the cooked chorizo, followed by the egg mixture.
Use 2 forks to mix the eggy cream into the hot pasta.
It will cook in the heat of the pasta, coating each strand in a light creamy sauce.

Serve straight away, with a final twist of black pepper on top

 

Baking

Divine Roquefort cookies

Belinda

These just melt in your mouth and are gorgeous to serve with a nice red wine.

Makes 36 small ones

4 oz self raising flour
4 oz butter
2 oz really mature Cheddar cheese
2oz Roquefort or other blue cheese that is pungent
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter
Crumble in the Roquefort.
Grate the cheddar cheese and add to the bowl.
Using your fingers, mix all the ingredients together well to form a dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins to 1 hour.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden, stirring and watching they don’t burn.
Remove and set aside to cool.
Roll the dough into 36 balls and toss each ball in the sesame seeds, pressing to coat well.
Place the balls on a greased baking sheet and press on each one lightly with a fork to flatten a bit.
Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes or until golden.
Store them in an air tight container. (but you won’t have any left to store!)

Appetizers · Fish · Gluten Free · Salad

Sweet herring salad with apple and dill

Belinda

This is so refreshing and tangy and a lovely way to start a meal.

Serves 4 to 6

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tart apples, like Granny Smith, cut into thin slices, or bite sized cubes
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill weed
2 x 8oz jars pickled herring, drained and cut into bite sized pieces
chopped chives for garnish, if you fancy

Combine the sour cream, yoghurt, lemon juice, sugar, sliced onions that have been separated into rings, apple and dill.

Alternate herring and sour cream mixture in layers in a dish.

Cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or more.

Serve very cold

Accompaniments · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Great caramelized onions in your slow cooker

Belinda

Now you can do a heap of caramelized onions and not have to watch them incase they burn. Do far more than you need, and freeze them in small containers for up to 3 months. Perfect!

Makes several cups

5 large yellow onions
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or melted butter, or a mixture of the two
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: 1/2 to 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

You will need a 4 to 6 qt slow cooker

Thinly slice all the onions;  Peel and thinly slice all of the onions into half moons. Transfer all the onions to the slow cooker. The slow cooker should be 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Toss the onions with the olive oil;  Drizzle the olive oil/melted butter, the salt and the fresh thyme, if using, over the top of the onions. Toss evenly to coat all the onions with a thin glaze of oil

Cook for 10 hours on LOW; Cover the slow cooker and cook for 10 hours on LOW. If you’re around while the onions are cooking, stir them occasionally – this will help them cook more evenly, but isn’t strictly necessary.
After 10 hours, the onions will be golden-brown and soft and they will have released a lot of liquid. If you like them as they are now, stop cooking and pack them up.

Optional, and worth it – cook for an additional 3 to 5 hours with the lid ajar; If you’d like jammier, more concentrated onions with a deep color, continue cooking for another 3 to 5 hours on LOW. Leave the lid ajar so the liquid can evaporate.
Check every hour and stop the cooking whenever the onions reach your desired doneness and taste good to you