Wednesday, 18 September 2013 - , , , , , , 0 comments

RECIPE : Salad-Topped Spanish Omelette


This light lunch or supper dish is a great one for the transition from Summer to Autumn. As the days are drawing in, I'm feeling less inclined to eat huge cold salads, so popping a tasty mixed salad on top of a hot omelette takes the chill off without losing the crunch!
 This recipe is so quick and easy and you can customise it to your heart's content, adding your favourite fillings and toppings, more or less propoints/calories depending on how many you wish to use.
Think of this as the basic recipe and ring the changes every time you make it if you like!

 This is 7pp/approx.300kcal per portion

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YOU WILL NEED : Per portion

For the Spanish omelette:

1 onion
1/2 a leek, sliced
4 mushrooms
2 tiny peppers or 1/2 a red pepper
6 cherry tomatoes
or 1 large chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
1-2 tablespoons water
2 medium eggs, beaten
Pinch of white pepper
40g half fat cheddar, grated
(this is 3pp, so substitute with something else if you wish)

For the salad:

Handful mixed salad leaves
(I bought a mix containing strips of carrot and red cabbage)

10ml lighter than light mayo mixed with
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Fresh basil leaves

***

Using an individual frying pan, simply chop and fry the onion, leeks, pepper and mushrooms in a little Frylight oil and water until softened. Season with herbs.

Add the tomatoes. Cook until all the vegetables are soft. Add more water if necessary.

Beat the eggs together and season with white pepper. Pour on top of the vegetables.
Cook until the base is solid and the egg is beginning to set.

Sprinkle with the grated cheese and pop under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles and browns.

The egg will puff up, soufflé-style, around the edges making a lovely, thick omelette.

Gently slide the cooked omelette onto your serving plate.


Finally top with the dressed salad.
Sprinkle with torn basil leaves.

 ***

 Delicious, comforting and tasty.

 ***

 RINGING THE CHANGES

 Add some aubergine

 Try asparagus or green beans-parboil for a few minutes first

 Add 50g boiled diced potato and fry with the onion and mushrooms for an extra 1pp/approx.40kcal

 Add 90g uncooked chicken to the onion and mushroom for an extra 2pp/approx.80kcal

 To spend less propoints on cheese, use 12g grated strong cheddar for 1pp/50kcal instead

 The list is endless!


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 PRINT RECIPE HERE
Sunday, 15 September 2013 - , , , 2 comments

CUPBOARD LOVE : Vermicelli Nests


When I first started the WeightWatchers plan, I think the thing that shocked me the most was the realisation that I had been serving portions of pasta and rice to myself and my family that were far too large!
I was always a 'chuck it in' kind of cook, never really weighed or measured my ingredients unless I was baking and I suppose I lost sight of what an average portion should look like.

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The WeightWatchers plan has taught me to weigh my portion sizes and calculate the propoints for them religiously for accurate tracking. This is the best habit I have acquired and adhered to in my daily food prep routine... and it's paid off, rewarding me with significant weight loss and the tools to enable me to maintain my goal weight for ever.

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However, sometimes, weighing everything can feel a little tedious, or may be inconvenient. So, when cooking rice I always use boil-in-the-bag so that I don't have to think about the portion size as it's done for me.
Maybe there is a technical reason why boil-in-the-bag pasta doesn't exist, I don't know, but I've found the next best thing in these vermicelli nests.


Vermicelli is widely available. I use the Sainsbury's one, so if you use a different brand, check the weight of the nests, but this is my fail-safe method for easy portioning.


USING UNCOOKED WEIGHTS;

1 nest weighs 20g, which is 2pp/73kcal
2 weigh 40g, which is 4pp/146kcal
3 weigh 60g which is 6pp/219kcal
4 weigh 80g which is 8pp/292kcal

and so on...


I find that 4 nests makes a perfect portion size if served with an interesting sauce, such as my Bloggynaise.

(Click HERE for link)
or any sauce of your choice.

 ***

So, if you are time-short or fancy a little break from weighing, these are great. You just count out the number of nests you need, pop them into boiling water and in 3-5 minutes, they unravel and turn into a fine angel-hair type spaghetti. I find I have to help them separate a little with 2 forks once they have softened in the hot water.

***


If you are cooking more than one portion, obviously you will have to weigh the cooked pasta before redistributing. Otherwise,if people want differing portion sizes, my quirky but effective method using cutlery drainers works really well with the vermicelli nests!

(Click HERE for link)

***

Easy peasy portions. 
Thursday, 12 September 2013 - 0 comments

Hot Off The Press NEWS : WeightWatchers Booklets in The Telegraph this weekend


I've been given a bit of a heads up on some WeightWatchers booklets which will be free with The Telegraph this weekend.
For those of us already following the propoints plan, these could really help to inspire...or if you know of someone thinking of joining, this could be the incentive they need to get them started.

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The bookets will appear both days over this weekend, the 14th and 15th September and feature 100 recipes including some meal ideas from Gregg Wallace.
There are also some exclusive offers included in the booklets.

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Here's a link to The Telegraph with some bonus videos and articles for you to have a browse through...


Wednesday, 11 September 2013 - , , , , , , 0 comments

CUPBOARD LOVE : Pickled Garlic


I featured this delicious pickled garlic recently in my 'Pile it High' salad.
(Click HERE for link) 
These are a great little find to keep in your store cupboard...they are fab chopped or sliced into a salad as I suggested, but also make an effective zero propoint nibble to put out with drinks instead of snacks like olives or crisps which contain much higher propoint/calorie values.

***

The flavour is not nearly as pungent as you might expect from garlic. The cloves are mild and crunchy with a salty, subtle garlic taste.
I bought these in Morissons. They only come in small 100g jars. The jar, however, is jam-packed full of pickled cloves, so goes quite a long way as you only need a few per person.

Monday, 9 September 2013 - , , , , , , 0 comments

RECIPE : Autumnal Vegetables Roasted with Lemon & Garlic


In this Autumnal "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" (Keats), I've been really inspired to create a delicious mix of earthy roasted vegetables flavoured with lemon and garlic, to serve as a beautiful accompaniment to any grilled/roasted meat or fish.


I bought this amazing orange cauliflower in Morrissons last week and wanted to invent a dish to fully exploit its beauty. The flavour is exactly the same as a regular cauliflower, but it looks as though it has been dyed with saffron or turmeric!
When a whole cauliflower is cut into slices, it reminds me of a tree, so this became the basis of the inspiration for my Autumnal dish.

***

YOU WILL NEED:(Serves 4)
This is 0pp/approx.100kcal per serving

 1 medium cauliflower
(if you can find an orange one, it looks gorgeous)
1 small celeriac
1 bulb fennel
1 small butternut squash
1 head of garlic
1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
Frylight oil
Paprika
Dried herbs eg; sage/thyme/mixed Italian

 To serve:

 Black pepper
Fresh torn basil leaves

 ***

Strip the outer leaves off the cauliflower. Cut into chunky slices. Make as many whole 'tree' shaped pieces as you can. Break the rest into florets.

Cut the remaining vegetables into chunky pieces and scatter evenly on a baking tray.

Spray with olive oil and
mist with Frylight oil.
Sprinkle liberally with paprika and season to your liking using dried herbs.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the vegetables. Break the cloves of garlic off the bulb and, leaving in their skins, scatter them across the baking tray.

Slow-roast at 190 degrees C/375 F/Gas 5 for around one hour. Check that the vegetables on the edge don't burn. Turn gently after half an hour.


 The vegetables and little cauliflower 'trees' should have lovely crispy edges without being burnt. The roasted garlic will be like garlic 'toffee' in its shell.



 Arrange on a serving plate, allowing one whole cauliflower 'tree' per person. Scatter freshly torn basil leaves over the rest. Season again if needed.
You can squeeze the roasted garlic pulp over the vegetables or allow people to do it themselves as they eat.

 ***

 TIP

You could allow the veggies to cool slightly and add them to a salad with a simple Balsamic vinegar dressing for a hearty Winter dish.

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 PRINT RECIPE HERE

 ***

Friday, 6 September 2013 - , , , , , , 0 comments

SOMETHING FOR NOTHING: Forager's Fruit Jelly


I fight the brambles in my garden all year round. They scratch me, I chop them back. I shout at them....and yet, come September, they show up bearing beautiful gifts!
So I forgive them until next year...


There's an abundance of blackberries in the British hedgerows at the moment, and there's nothing quite like a bag of fruit for free! Then you have to decide what to do with your foraged harvest.
I picked these in my garden and I didn't have a huge amount...so I decided to turn them into delicious zero propoint jellies.
I used VIMTO with no added sugar in mine as I thought the vanilla-tinged fruity flavour would compliment the berries beautifully, which it did.
If you have any sugar free fruit squash, it will work in this recipe- elderflower, lemon or Ribena would be wonderful too.

***

YOU WILL NEED : For 2 servings

This works out to 0pp/approx.50kcal per serving

100g blackberries
1/2 teaspoon artificial granular sweetener


One 6g sachet Vege-gel
(I use the Dr.Oetker brand).
If you use regular gelatine, follow instructions on the pack as it differs slightly from the vegetarian version.

150ml cold water
50ml Vimto (no added sugar)
or any sugar free fruit squash of your choice

To Garnish

Tiny fresh mint leaves
One thin slice of apple

***


Wash the blackberries thoroughly and blot dry on some paper towels.
Divide equally into 2 dishes and sprinkle with a little sweetener.


Measure the water and Vimto accurately into a measuring jug.


Sprinkle the sachet of Vege-gel on the top and whisk until dissolved.


Heat until boiling. You can do this in a pan, or like I did in the microwave.
It took about two minutes.
Whisk after one minute.
It will look cloudy, then becomes clear again on boiling.


Share the jelly mixture equally between the two portions.


Arrange a few tiny mint leaves on the top of the jelly. It starts to set quite quickly so they won't sink!


Cut the slice of apple into tiny, matchstick slivers.


Arrange a few pieces of apple on the top of the jelly in a pretty pattern. Gently push the apple under the surface of the jelly with a sharp knife or cocktail stick to stop them oxidising and turning brown.


Pop into the fridge to set and chill. This takes about an hour. Serve on a plate using leaves from the blackberry bush as a garnish.

***

Hats off to Mother Nature!

***

Tuesday, 3 September 2013 - , , , , , 0 comments

RECIPE : Pile It High Salad


Salads can be wonderfully exciting food!
The beauty of this fresh dish on the WeightWatchers Propoints plan is that most of the ingredients you use are going to be zero propoints, so even if you don't have many left to use from your allowance, you can still have a spectacularly gorgeous and filling meal.
This salad is piled as high as the sky but I've only used 2pp of ingredients!
(Calories work out slightly higher as you will have to 'charge' for all salad ingredients).

This salad works out to 2pp/approx.150kcal
It works for a Filling & Healthy day too if you charge for the mayo, or substitute for something on the F&H list such as quark.

My trick is to use loads of interesting and tasty, vibrant and attractive ingredients, then top the salad with a fabulous dressing and seasonings to keep your tastebuds alive. Please feel free to substitute any ingredients I suggest with your own personal preferences-I probably make this three or four times a week but it's different every time, depending if I'm in a pickly, tangy mood or a fruity, crunchy one!

***

YOU WILL NEED : (Per serving)

2 generous handfuls salad leaves
(I buy supermarket mixes-sometimes watercress/rocket, sometimes sweeter, crunchy varieties)

1 large tomato, sliced and diced

1/4 cucumber, diced

 Baby sweet peppers in mixed colours, sliced

 3 slices pickled cucumber, sliced finely

 1 Spring onion, sliced

2 cloves pickled garlic, sliced
(these are so tasty-the garlic flavour is much more mild than fresh garlic)

 A handful of sugar-snap peas

 Freshly torn basil leaves

 50g protein-either wafer thin ham, cooked chicken breast or vegetarian equivalent such as Quorn, sliced thinly

 For the dressing:

 1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
(if you cant get this, simply sweeten white vinegar with a little artificial sweetener)

 15g Lighter than Light Mayonnaise

 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
(black pepper alone is fine)

 1/2 teaspoon chopped, dried garlic
(this looks like sesame seeds)

 Chilli sauce, drizzled (optional)

 ***

Starting with the salad leaves, simply layer up all the salad vegetables as high as you dare. For some reason I love the tomato diced into small squares-it just seems to taste even more delicious!
Dress with the vinegar.

 Add the sliced meat/vegetarian equivalent in a generous mound on the top.

I like to 'squiggle' my mayo on the top for a cheffy finish, but it's really important to measure accurately as WeightWatcher followers don't have to charge propoints for the first 15g of extra light/lightest mayo.
(It's 10kcal).
The best method is to pop the salad onto the scales, recalibrate back to zero, then squiggle away until you reach 15g.
It's actually quite a generous amount.

Finish by sprinkling with garlic pepper , chopped, dried garlic and a drizzle of hot chilli sauce if you're in a spicy mood!

 ***

 A salad to reach the stars.

 ***

 PRINT RECIPE HERE

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There's now a fabulous tutorial on my YouTube channel to show you how to make this recipe step-by-step!

Click HERE to see it.

Don't forget to subscribe to the channel then you will be automatically updated every time there's a new film fresh from the Slice of Slim kitchen!

Sunday, 1 September 2013 - 0 comments

Hot Off The Press NEWS! : October issue of WeightWatchers Magazine


The latest issue of WeightWatchers (UK) magazine hits the shelves this week. It's the October issue and is jam-packed full of great stories, inspiration and recipes.

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Of course I'm excited as it also has my latest double page feature;
'Lunch that packs a punch' 
with some innovative ideas for easy ideas for packed lunches to take to work.

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These are the foods featured in the article;
A Hot cous cous pot, Mini Scotch eggs and Granola squares...

Hope you enjoy!
Love, Janey
x x x
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