Orange and apricot spread

 This is a quick, healthy alternative to normal jam or marmalade. It keeps well in the fridge for 8 days. The apricots need to be soft.

Ingredients

3 1/2 oz apricots

2 oranges

1 vanilla bean

2 tbsp honey

Directions

1 chop the apricots

2 squeeze juice from 1 orange and peel and chop the other one

3 blend chopped apricots, orange, juice, seeds from the vanilla bean and honey untill smooth

4 store in an airtight jar in the fridge

Yogurt spiced chicken

This recipe can also be cooked on a barbecue
Ingredients150g yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tsp coriander
4 chicken breasts or 4 quorn fillets
600g basmati rice
vegetable stock cube
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium chopped pepper
1 deseeded and sliced chilli
fresh coriander
salad to serve

Method
Mix the yogurt and curry powder together, add the coriander.
Place the chicken or quorn into the yogurt and marinate overnight.
Preheat oven to 175 C or 350F
Cook the rice with the stock cube. Drain and rinse to cool quickly.
Add the carrot, chilli, red pepper and coriander.
Take the chicken out of the yogurt mix and bake untill done, 45 minutes.
Serve with the rice and a nice green salad.
9 ProPoints for chicken and 6 for Quorn fillets

Tomato and Cheesy pasta

Looking for something quick and easy to do for our tea today. Found this, had to tweak it a little tho. Hope it works.

This is a  low-fat version of macaroni cheese. 

You can add a tin of drained tuna or chopped boiled eggs when you reheat this dish for a tasty alternative. Don't forget to add the ProPoints.

Ingredients

200g pasta

1 medium onion, chopped

100g green beans

1 tin chopped tomatoes

mixed herbs

200g cottage cheese

salt and pepper

Method

Boil the pasta according to the pack instructions, adding the chopped onion and tomatoes to the water at the same time as the pasta. Stir in the beans for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Drain everything together.

Add the herbs as well as the cottage cheese.

Season to taste and reheat. 

Serve hot.

Serves 4

ProPoints/serving = 6 

Baked vegetable frittata

 I have decided to finally get fit, now that I am well I intend to be healthy (does that make any sense?) Several years ago I lost a load of weight by going to my local  WeightWatchers meetings but now due to the miracle of the Internet I can do it all on-line. Don't worry though because the rest of the gang at the Mad House I call home will not be watching their food intake. This means I will still have to cater for their high calorie, indulgent tastes in food (why do you think that I need to diet in the first place). So more of those recipes to follow as well.
To help me lose weight I will include in my recipes the ProPoint value for each delicious creation. If you like me are struggling with the size of your assets then I hope that this may help you as well.

Ingredients

I hate aubergine with a vengeance but if you like you can add an aubergine and treat it the same as the courgette. 

1 medium courgette

10 sprays cooking spray (or oil if not watching your points)

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

2 peppers

6 medium whole eggs

4 tablespoons skimmed milk

 2 teaspoons dried oregano

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the grill. Arrange the slices of courgette on the grill rack.Coat lightly with spray oil (or use a little oil). Grill each side for about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a non-stick frying pan with spray oil (or a little oil) and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 190, gas mark 5.

Spray a 23cm (9 inch) round baking dish with cooking spray (or grease with butter). Add a layer of half the courgettes, half the peppers. Sprinkling each layer with some of the onion and garlic mixture. Then all the remaining courgette, and all the remaining peppers. Again sprinkle with onion and garlic.

Beat together the eggs, milk and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. 

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until set and golden brown.

Serve warm or cold. 

Serves 4
ProPoints value per serving is 3

Sweet potato bake

 I had 4 sweet potatoes that needed using up. This is what I came up with, omg it was delish.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, halved
dry parsley
1/2 medium onion, chunked
4 medium sweet potato, cooked

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. 190 C.

Place ingredients in blender or processor, in order listed. Puree. Pour into greased casserole dish or pie plate and bake, uncovered 45 to 60 minutes or until cooked. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Wojapi

Ingredients
Water to mix with flour to make a gravy or sauce mixture.
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 cans water
1 can blueberries

Directions
Put the blueberries into a medium sauce pan.

Add 3 cans water to blueberries.

Add the sugar and mash the blueberries.

Heat until boiling.

Slowly add the flour paste to make a gravey like mixture.

Sweet Potato Pie

 This sounds delish, gonna have to try it

The recipe!

 

You'll need:

1 lb sweet potatoes

1 stick butter, room temperature
or
(vegan margarine)

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup cream
or
(soya cream)

3 eggs
or
(1 egg = 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder

2 egg = 4 Tbsp. cornflour)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 banana

pinch of salt

1 recipe All Butter Pie Crust, prepared in a 9 inch pie plate

Preheat oven to 350F. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil, and bake for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. They should be very soft when pierced with a fork.

Simultaneously, roast unpeeled banana on a baking sheet for 30 minutes in the same oven. Remove and set aside. Banana will be extremely soft. 

Remove sweet potatoes from oven, unwrap them and allow them to cool until comfortable to handle. Remove the skins, and place the flesh in a mixing bowl. Mash potaotes with a fork. Pull the peel off the banana and add it to the bowl. Mix with sweet potato.

With a mixer, beat butter into sweet potato and banana. Add sugar, cream, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, and mix unti well incorporated. Mixture should be very smooth.

Pour filling into the unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350F for just at an hour, until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.