Ohhhhh I've been slack - a week at home, a hen party with lots of fun and games and baking with the mad Tates means I'm dreading weigh in this week - but I will go and face the music! It's just under 2 months to Ciaran and Julie's wedding AND just under three til I do the 3 peaks challenge - so whether I like it or not I have to get my fat ass back to the gym to be able to complete that grueling challenge. More about that in coming blogs though..... I was chuffed to walk into the Tate household last week and see Elaine cooking the dinner with the laptop powered up and the blog open! Let me know if you read it, what you've cooked and what you think of it! It will spur me on to keep blogging.
Although it's Sunday and we're having a yummy roast dinner - I thought I'd post two of my favourite curries and - for those of you planning your meals ahead one of these will make a nice treat for either Friday or Saturday night. Both are low in points, one spicier than the other, both very satisfying and take-away like and much healthier without the ghee butter. Both are extremly fuss free and once the chopping has been done - it's just basically a waiting game!
Watch our for a few more yummmy meat recipes this week and then it's back to a veggie week after that! Enjoy
Beef Rogan Josh (quite spicy)
This curry thickens up beautifully while cooking. Don't be put of by the length of cooking time - you can walk away and let it cook on its own. With a well stocked press this dish also means you only need a handful of cheap ingredients so it is also much cheaper than a take away! I know the picture doesn't look very appetizing - but it really is delicious!
Serves 2
6 pp per serving
low fat spray
200g beef (a cheaper cut works well because of the length of time it takes to cook)
1 onion, slices into half moons
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
4cm root ginger grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
4 cardamom pods (remember to fish them out before serving - Matt found 3 out of the 4)
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps turmeric
2 tsps ground coriander
3 tbsps low fat natural yoghurt
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1. Lightly coat a large, lidded, non stick pan with the cooking spray and heat until hot. Add the meat and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned all over. The first time I made this I added all the beef at the one time which meant it started to stew in its own juices instead of brown - so do this in small batches to get the meat nice and brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Spray the pan again and add the onion and pepper and stirfry for 5 minutes until beginning to soften.
3. Add the ginger, garlic and spices and cook for a further minute before adding the yoghurt tomatoes and finally the beef.
4. Stir in 300ml of water (I actually added in a beef stock cube), bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat. Leave to simmer for about 1 hour (or 1.5 hours if you can), until the meat is tender. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes to help thicken it up.
5. I served with 60g of rice (dried) per person, cooked in salted water.
Lamb Dhansak
This is a mild, fragrant curry - if you like it spicier add more chilli, I cooked it for nearly 2 hours too - the longer you leave it the more tender the lamb will be - but I judged it on the lentils - when they were soft, I was happy. Keep it nice and liquidely by adding more stock if needed.
Serves 4
7 pp per serving
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 large onion, chopped finely
150g tin of chopped tomatoes
225g butternut squash, peeled de-seeded and chopped finely
bunch of coriander, chopped (I omitted because Matt doesn't like Coriander!)
bunch of mint, chopped (I omitted because I didn't have any)
150g split yellow lentils
300g lamb, cubed (biggish chunks)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp caster sugar
420ml water (or lamb stock if you have it - and as I said above - have more to hand in case you need it)
4 tablespoons vinegar
Salt and pepper
1. Crush the cumin seeds using a pestle and mortar.
2. Put all the ingredients in a large pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for up to 2 hours or until the lentils are soft and tender
3. That's it - serve and enjoy. I served with a Tesco healthy living naan bread for an extra 4 pp per person! ummmmm
Last but not least..... Curried Chicken Dippers - we just used curry powder, but if you have Tandoori Curry Powder this will also work well.
Serves 4
4 pp per serving
Curried Chicken Dippers
For the dippers
100g low fat natural yoghurt
1 tbsp medium curry powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tsp salt
350g skinless chicken breasts cut into long strips
For the dip
150g low fat natural yoghurt
1 tbsp mint jelly
100g cucumber, diced finely
1. mix together the yoghurt, curry powder, turmeric, lemon juice, coriander and salt. Spoon this mixture over the chicken and stir to coat all the strips well. Cover and leave to marinate for 20 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium and line the grill pan with foil.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the dip. Beat together the yoghurt, mint jelly and cucumber and chilli in the fridge until required.
3. Place the chicken strips under the grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning frequently, until they are cooked through
4. Serve the dippers hot with the dip alongside.
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