Just Recipes!

[ditzeeblonde]

Braised celery with bacon & courgettes

Serves 4.

1 head of celery, trimmed & roughly chopped
750ml vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
125 smoked back bacon, cut into small strips
1 medium onion, peeled & finely chopped
2 large courgettes (300g ish), finely diced
25g fresh thyme, seperated into sprigs
4 tablespoons single cream

Place the celery into a shallow pan, add the stock & bring to the boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon & set aside, reserving 150ml of the liquid.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan, cook the bacon & onion for 5 mins, until the onion is soft & bacon golden. Add the courgettes, thyme & celery.

Cook for 1-2 mins, then our in reserved stock, cook for another 3-4 mins until the courgettes are tender. Stri in the cream, season & serve.

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Melanzane alla Parmigiana (unsuitable for induction phase)

Serves 2.

2 red peppers, halved lengthways & deseeded
2 medium aubergines, cut into 1cm thick slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled & finely chopped
340g arrabiata sauce
28g fresh basil, roughly chopped
50g parmesan, finely grated
125g mozzarella cheese ball, torn into bite size chunks

Preheat the grill to medium high, grill the peppers cut side down for about 15-20 mins, until the skins are fully blackened. Transfer carefully into a bowl & cover with clingfilm. Set aside for 10 mins to allow the steam to loosen the skins.

Meanwhile heat a griddle pan until hot & brush the aubergine slices with 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook in batches for about 5 mins on each side until chargrilled. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan 160c). Remove the peppers from the bowl, avoid the hot steam. Peel the skins from the peppers & discard.

In a seperate pan, heat the remaining oil & gently fry the garlic for 2-3 mins, stir in the arrabiata sauce, 150ml water & most of the basil. Bring to the boil, season well & remove from the heat.

Arrange a layer of peppers & aubergines into the bottom of a shallow 1.5 litres ovenproof dish, pour over some of the sauce & sprinkle with a little parmesan. Repeat with the remaining ingredients & top with the mozzarella & a final sprinkling of parmesan.

Bake for 30 mins, until bubbling, serve with remaining basil leaves.

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Cranberry & Brie stuffed Chicken

Serves 4

4 large chicken breast (approx 175g each)
80g Somerset brie
4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 courgettes, peeled into ribbons
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan 160c). Cut a pocket in each of the chicken breasts horizontally, don't slice all of the way thru. Stuff with sliced brie, cranberry sauce & thyme.

Wrap the chicken breasts in the courgette ribbons until the filling is enclosed... about 6-8 ribbons per breast.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil & season with salt & freshly ground black pepper. Cook in the oven for 20 mins.

Slice on the diagonal to serve. x

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Thai green curry mussel & prawn pot

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons thai green curry paste
400ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 stick of lemon grass, bruised
4 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1kg mussels, washed & beards removed (discard any open ones)
12 raw tiger prawns, shell & tail on
1 lime, quartered
2 green chillis, finely sliced

Heat the oil in a large pan & gently fry the curry paste for 1 min until the fragrance is released. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, lemon grass & lime leaves (if using). Bring to the boil then throw in the mussels & prawns

Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid & leave to simmer for 5 mins, occasionally shaking the pan, by which time the prawns will be cooked & the mussels will have opened (throw away any that are still closed)

Squeeze the lime wedges over the curry & garnish with the sliced chilli

 

[Spinoza]

Could you post the carbs in these please Linz? They look gorgeous, but my head will explode if I have to work them all out myself - I assume you've already done it!

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Yes will do hun... I have them logged somewhere. x

 

[dizzydelly]

Brilliant thanks!
is the cranberry and brie ok on induction?

 

[LVLLM]

omg the cranbery and brie. mmmmmmmmmmmm. i dont think it will be ok on induction. there is a low carb cranberry sauce you can get off the low carb sites though x

 

[LVLLM]

mmm thanks Linz. I love aubergines too!

 

[dizzydelly]

omg the cranbery and brie. mmmmmmmmmmmm. i dont think it will be ok on induction. there is a low carb cranberry sauce you can get off the low carb sites though x

Oh bother! it sounds so lovely and im so sick of chicken stuffed with philly thought it would make a change will check out the low carb site just in case!!

 

[LVLLM]

chicken stuffed with brie is nice and wrapped in bacon or parma ham. Or Aldi do brie with chilli in...thats scrummy!

 

[tazbabe]

pizza!!

grill a gammon steak on one side, turn it over and spread with a little tomato paste, sliced tomato and cheese, (and what haveyou) back under the grill.

serve with home made coleslaw,
yum!

 

[Quak]

Food glorious food - can't wait to get back in a working kitchen :cry:
Moussaka (atkins style) and then what was left after we attacked it - chicken curry, oopsies in the round and slicing oopsie

 

[Quak]

And more - mim cereal before I broke it up

 

[tazbabe]

mmmmmm look lovely! reminded me i haven't tried an oopsie yet, it's on my list!

moussaka for tea today it is then!

tell me more about the mim cereal?

 

[ladyfelsham]

Yum you'll have to come and work in our low cab cafe Bren!

I tried oopsies last week but couldn't get the @#%& egg whites to whip! Gave up after wasting 6 eggs....

Susie

 

[Quak]

Ta - no problems in the cafe try leaving your eggs at room temp as I find they whip better that way.

Taz - there is a recipe somewhere in the mim thread - basically just flaxmeal, cinnamon, splenda and water, roll it thin between 2 sheets of greaseproof and bake it till crisp - cool and break into bits and put cream on

 

[tazbabe]

thanks bren, sounds good, another thing to try!

just finished eating moussaka/lasagne type thing, oh boy it was good!

 

[ladyfelsham]

Ta - no problems in the cafe try leaving your eggs at room temp as I find they whip better that way

Thanks Bren

Do you whisk them in a copper bowl or anything special? And what sort of beater/whisk did you use? I used my thunderstick and it made lots of lovely watery egg

Sx

 

[Quak]

Thanks Bren

Do you whisk them in a copper bowl or anything special? And what sort of beater/whisk did you use? I used my thunderstick and it made lots of lovely watery egg

Sx

A glass bowl and a proper hand whisk with 2 beaters (old moulinex thingy) not tried a thunderstick as not sure it would work - and it sounds like it doesn't ! Also make sure when you separate your eggs that you do not get any yolk in the whites or that will stop them whisking to a proper consistency. Good luck!