This is so good! Great for a dinner party.
350g chicken breast fillets
¼ cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g thinly sliced prosciutto
1 Lebanese cucumber
2 tablespoons seasoned pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups penne pasta, cooked
½ cup thinly sliced sun dried tomatoes
½ cup pitted black olives, halved
½ cup halved bottled artichoke hearts
½ cup parmesan cheese flakes
Creamy Basil Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 teaspoons cornflour
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup cream
1/3 cup shredded fresh basil
Salt, to taste
Remove excess fat and sinew from chicken. Flatten slightly with a mallet or rolling pin.
Place chicken in medium bowl with combined lemon juice and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Cut prosciutto into thin strips. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut each half into slices.
Drain chicken and coat in seasoned pepper. Heat oil in large heavy based frying pan. Cook the chicken for four minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from heat. Cool and cut into 2 cm pieces.
Combine pasta, chicken pieces, cucumber slices, prosciutto, sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts in a large serving bowl. Pour warm creamy basil dressing over and toss gently to combine.. Serve salad warm or cold, sprinkled with parmesan flakes.
Creamy Basil Dressing
Combine oil, vinegar, seasoned pepper and mustard in a medium pan. Blend cornflour with water in a small bowl or jug until smooth. Add to pan. Whisk over medium heat for 2 minutes or until sauce boils or thickens. Add cream, basil and salt. Stir until heated through.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All Recipes, Chicken, Italian, Main Meals, Pasta, Salad, Special | Leave a Comment »
(Makes about 40)
I made these recently. My teenage sons saw the recipe and asked if I was really going to cook chickens balls…
½ cup rice
2 teaspoons oil
5 spring onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
750g chicken mince
1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra oil for deep frying
Boil, steam or microwave rice until tender.
Heat oil in a pan. Add spring onions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring until spring onions are soft.
In a large bowl combine chicken, cheese, parsley, spring onion mixture and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls.
Deep-fry balls in extra hot oil until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper.
Serve with Spicy Sauce (below).
SPICY SAUCE
2/3 cup mild Thai-style sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All Recipes, Appetisers, Chicken, Spicy, Thai | Leave a Comment »
By using thinly sliced eggplant and zuchinni you can have lasagne with virtually zero carbs.
300 g Minced lean beef
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 Cup Beef stock (low salt)
1 Large Eggplant
2 Large Zucchini
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Tomato paste
2 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs, dried
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 Cup Cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
Heat a saucepan and spray with olive oil. Cook garlic and onion until soft. Add the meat, sprinkle with half the Italian Herbs and cook until brown, then stir in the tomatoes.
Add the tomato paste, beef stock, fresh oregano and basil. Season with fresh cracked pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes until the juice has reduced and thickened.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini longways then place on a lined baking tray. Spray lightly with olive oil. Season with the rest of the mixed Italian herbs. Cook in oven for about 20 minutes, turning once. Once cooked, allow to cool for a few minutes.
Grease a small, square oven-proof dish and place the eggplant in it so it completely covers the bottom. Top this with a layer of meat sauce. Next, top with a layer of zucchini slices then again with the meat sauce. Keep layering until sauce is finished and finish with a layer of eggplant. Top with the cheeses.
Place foil over the top of the dish and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes at 200c.
Remove foil and grill for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with a large garden salad.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All Recipes, Low Carb, Main Meals | Leave a Comment »
3 ½ Red onions
1/3 Cup dry red wine
1/3 Cup red wine vinegar
¼ Cup light brown sugar
¼ Cup honey
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Cook onions, wine, vinegar, brown sugar and honey over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Simmer until mixture is the consistency of a marmalade, about 30 minutes.
Stir in orange and lemon juices. Continue to cook, stirring, until juices are absorbed. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about two cups.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All Recipes, Chutneys, Sauces | Leave a Comment »
HIGHLY addictive! But oh, so good!
Crust
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup icing sugar (plus more for dusting)
Topping
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan
To make crust:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and icing sugar
- Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
- Press mixture into bottom of pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
To make topping:
- While crust is baking, prepare topping.
- In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
- Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
- Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- When cool, dust with icing sugar and refrigerate.
- Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All Recipes, Baking, Easy | Leave a Comment »
One of our favourite weekend family breakfasts is pancakes. Not the thin crepe-style pancakes, but the thick, light-as-air ones, stacked and oozing with syrup.
Delicious.
225 grams plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
30 grams melted butter
350 mls buttermilk
Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and whizz till well blended. You may need to scrape down the sides of the jug/bowl after a few seconds to ensure all ingredients well mixed in. Leave for 20 minutes.
Fry pancakes in a buttered pan. Not too hot though or the butter and first side burn before you have a chance to flip it over. Remember that when the top side of pancake is bubbling it’s time to flip.
The size of the pancakes is up to you. This mixture makes about 10 smallish pancakes (about 10cm diameter). And of course you can use whatever toppings take your fancy. Maple syrup, fruit, berries, cream, sugar and lemon juice…
Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Breakfast, Easy, Favourites, Recipes | Leave a Comment »
This was one of many wonderful dishes served up at a pre christmas get-together we went to last year. It wasn’t until later that we were told all the foods served were very low calorie slimming foods. This dip was my favourite so I made sure I got the recipe, and now I can share it with you. Do try it. It is wonderful!
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1-2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Dash of chilli sauce or chilli powder to taste
Blend peas and garlic in food processor or blender till roughly chopped. Add half the oil and remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Add remaining oil and check seasoning. Can thin with a little water if necessary.
Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Appetisers, Dips, Low Calorie, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
This recipe makes everyone in my family happy. They even do the dishes without complaining and that has to be a good thing!
(Will replace with a photo of my own next time I make it)
In a large bowl whisk the following ingredients together.
500ml cream
6 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
2 tsp salt
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
Take 1.5kg chicken breast fillets (skin and fat removed) and cut into three pieces. Place a piece into a ziplock bag with a tiny splash of water then pound with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy based pan until about 1/2 inch thick. Dont be too aggressive though or the chicken will tear.
Drop the flattened chicken into the coating and push down to make sure it is covered. Continue until all chicken has been flattened and added to the mix.
Heat a large frypan (not too hot!) with olive oil about 1/2 inch deep. Piece by piece, lift chicken from the coating shaking off excess then lay it in a tray of breadcrumbs. Turn over to ensure both sides thoroughly coated then place directly in hot pan. Cook about 4 minutes then turn over to cook other side.
When cooked, place in single layer in large oven dish. When all are cooked, spoon a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste over each portion and sprinkle with a mixture of your favorite cheeses (mozzerella & parmesan work well) and place in a moderate oven for 10 minutes until cheese melted.
Serve with pasta and a tomato based sauce, and salad.
Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chicken, Favourites, Main Meals, Recipes | Leave a Comment »
This has so much flavour. I served it up to my beloved and he didn’t even notice that it had no meat until I mentioned it later.
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 tsp minced ginger
1 deseeded red pepper, diced
1 1/2 Tbsp Korma curry paste
400 gram can condensed pumpkin soup
400 mls lite coconut milk
700 grams peeled and diced potatoes
400 gram can lentils, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Heat a large saucepan with a dash of oil and gently fry onion, ginger and red pepper until tender but not brown. Stir in korma curry paste. Increase heat and cook for 1 minute.
Add the pumpkin soup, lite coconut milk and potatoes to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are just soft.
Add the lentils, season with salt, pepper and coriander. Serve hot in bowls with basmati rice and naan bread or crisp poppadums.
Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Curry, Main Meals, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
A sophisticated version of a homely favourite. Can be made as one pudding in a larger dish, but it is more special made in individual ramekins. Great after a family meal or dinner party. One of my personal favourites.
1 loaf white unsliced day-old bread
About 2 tablespoons softened butter
About 1 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup white chocolate drops
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Cut bread into slices about 1.5cm thick and remove crusts. Butter one side of each slice. Place 1 slice, butter side down in the base of 6 ramekins, cutting it to fit. Spread over 1 heaped teaspoon of jam and sprinkle with chocolate drops. Repeat layers.
Cut remaining bread into cubes and place on top. Beat eggs and sugar together then add milk, cream and vanilla. Pour mixture over puddings and leave to settle for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 170C. Place puddings in a large roasting pan and add boiling water to come half way up sides of the ramekins. Bake until puddings are golden and set, 30-40 minutes. Leave in water bath until cool, or serve hot. Dust with icing sugar and add a dollop of jam and cream.
Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Desserts, puddings, Recipes | 2 Comments »
