Beef Bourguinon

There is nothing better than a Friday night in during Autumn. I got home from work, made a cup of tea, put the PJs on and threw my prepared tea into the oven. Within a few hours, my house was full of lovely aromas including apple Yankee Candles and the various Autumn scented air fresheners. Heaven.

Now, I am curled up with the dog, and my husband is out so I can just enjoy rubbish TV and a glass of wine. Perfect night to me!

Ingredients:

500g stewing steak, diced as preferred

200g bacon, cut into cubes

8 shallots, peeled

4 carrots, cut into chunks

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp tomato purée

450ml rich beef stock (I like the Knorr stock pots)

100ml red wine

200g button mushrooms

Instructions:

1. In a casserole dish (or in a pan if you want to cook in the slow cooker), heat some Fry Light and brown the beef in batches. It's important not to over-crowd the dish - well-browned meat will have an intensified flavour. Remove the beef and keep on a plate. Repeat as necessary.

2. Fry the bacon and shallots in the same pan, until the bacon is cooked through. Add the beef back to the pan (or place all in the slow cooker and use from now on).

3. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and tomato purée to the meat mixture. Add the red wine and reduce the liquid. Give the dish a good stir, releasing any flavours on the bottom of the dish. 

4. Make up the beef stock as directed, add to the casserole dish and bring to the boil. (Tip: I actually did these steps this morning and then left it ready to put in the oven tonight.)

5. Place the casserole dish in the oven and cook on 160 for 2 hours (or in the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours).

6. Add the mushrooms and stir through. Return to the oven for 30 minutes. 

7. When done, stir well, before serving with accompaniments of your choice (I went for herb roasted potatoes).

 

(I won't lie - my photo is me pretending I didn't have a mush bigger portion after!!) 

Unicorn's Blood Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 tbsp gin

2 tbsp elderflower cordial

Prosecco

Method:

1. Add gin and elderflower.

2. Top up with prosecco. 

Felix Felicis 'Liquid Luck' Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 tsp lemon sorbet
1 tsp lime cordial
Prosecco

Instructions:
1. Add lemon sorbet and lime cordial to a tall flute glass. Mix to begin to melt the sorbet.

2. Pour prosecco on top and mix quickly (but gently).

Shredded Chipotle Chicken

For Halloween, we invited friends over for a ghoulish feast and potions (cocktails). We had seen the idea of a dissected man online so decided to go with it...

In all honesty, we cheated quite a lot. We've been decorating, I still had a lot of school work to do so we went for quick and easy options. The intestines (Taste the Difference apple and pork & pork and caramelised onion sausages) and ribs (apple BBQ pork ribs) were out of a packet and we take no credit for them (other than for choosing a very good selection from Sainsbury's!). However, the shredded flesh (chipotle chicken) is a recent Slimming World recipe from one of their magazines, and I love it. Luckily, our friends really enjoyed it too, so much so that they wanted the recipe. And here we are...

Ingredients (serves 4):

3 skinless chicken breasts

Sauce: 

4 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp mustard powder

2 tbsp chipotle paste

2 tbsp Worcester sauce

1 tsp black treacle

2 tsp smoked paprika

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil the chicken for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover. Leave in the boiling water to poach for 30 minutes. Remove from the water and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. 

2. Mix together the ingredients of the sauce and set aside. 

3. Using two forks, pull apart the chicken breasts until appropriately shredded. Stir through the chipotle sauce. 

4. Add the chicken and sauce back to a pan, and cook over a medium/low heat for 10 minutes until hot and serve as desired.

The recommendation in the magazine was to serve in bread rolls, but we enjoyed with the other meat, fries and coleslaw. This is currently 2 syns per serving, but please check syn values before cooking. 

Oreo Cheesecake

This is just about the best invention ever. This is based on my regular cheesecake recipe and inspired by a colleague in work who suggested oreo cheesecake. I love any kind of cheesecake, but the oreos really make this for me =) Get ready for umpteen compliments from your friends who are bound to love this really easy recipe! 

Ingredients (for a 21 inch cheesecake):

Base:
16 oreos
100g butter

Cheesecake:

600g cream cheese
100g icing sugar
280ml double cream
6 oreos

Instructions:

1. Crush the oreos for the base into fine breadcrumbs. This may be easier if you have a food processor, or alternatively, place in a bag and bash with a rolling pin until you get the right consistency for the base.

 

2. Place the biscuit crumbs in a mixing bowl and melt the butter over a low heat. Pour the melted butter over the biscuit and mix well ensuring that all crumbs are covered.

 

3.  Line the base of a 21” cake tin with baking parchment. (A springform tin is best for this recipe if available). Add the biscuit to the base of the tin, and distribute evenly, pressing down with your fingertips. Place the base in the fridge for at least an hour.

 

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk together the cheese and icing sugar. Add the cream and and whisk again until just combined. Do not over whisk the mixture as it can become runny due to the heat generated.

5. Cut the remaining oreos into small pieces. Gently fold the pieces through the cream cheese mixture, ensuring even distribution of the pieces. (You can use a whisk on a slow speed for this, which may also help to break down the pieces into even smaller pieces).

6. Pour the cheese mixture into the tin, and spread using a spatula. Leave as it is, or decorate with other oreos

7. Remove from the fridge about half an hour before serving; just be careful removing from the tin.

BBQ Pulled Pork

This is another Slimming World recipe, which is syn free. So easy to do as it all just goes in a slow cooker (or on a low temperature in the oven) for several hours meaning you can cook it whilst in work or getting on with something else. On top of that, it was absolutely delicious - just a shame Rhys couldn't taste it due to his cold. Still, good reason to have it again sooner rather than later :-) 

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 kg pork shoulder

500g passata

5 tbsp Worcester sauce 

3 tbsp sweetener

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp mustard powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Remove the skin and any visible fat from the pork. This is the time consuming bit, and can be quite a tough job so get a good sharp knife!

2. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sauce thickens.

3. Spray a frying pan with FryLight and seal the meat on all sides.

4. Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with some sauce, place the meat in, and cover with the remaining sauce.

5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is so tender it can be shredded with two forks. Mix the shredded meat through the sauce to cover well and serve.

Toad-In-The-Hole

Everyone loves a good old British classic, and me probably more than anyone else. Pie and mash, sausage and mash, roast beef, Eton mess... They all top my favourites list.

Rhys had the Masterchef Complete Cookery course cookbook for his birthday, and this Toad in the Hole recipe instantly appealed to me. I'll be honest and tell you that I had never actually cooked it before - and Rhys had apparently never even tried it (deprived childhood obviously!) - but I will definitely be making it again.

Try and buy the best sausages you can afford; more pork = more flavour! My mum's tip is that you should also buy the best quality roasting tin you can afford, and to have the oil really hot before you add the batter which will help them to rise.

Ingredients (serves 4):

125g plain flour

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

300ml milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

8 sausages 

Instructions:

1. Put the flour in a bowl with the salt, make a well in the centre and add the eggs with a little milk.

2. Whisk together the mixture, gradually incorporating the flour. Add the remaining milk and whisk until smooth. Put the batter in the fridge and leave for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 220C. Pour the oil into a roasting dish, and heat. Add the sausages and cook for about 5 - 10 minutes until they are starting to brown. 

4. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200C.

5. Carefully pour the batter around the sausages and return the tin to the oven. Cook for approximately 30 minutes until the batter is risen, golden and crisp. Serve hot with gravy and vegetables.

Hummingbird Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are the signature red velvet cupcakes sold by the Hummingbird Bakery.  The recipe features in both 'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook', and 'Cake Days' - both of which are easily my favourite books for baking.

You will need a good deep muffin for baking 12 cupcakes, or 2 tins if you're going to make smaller fairy cakes. I would also recommend buying a good quality red gel food colouring from your local craft store - the liquid food colouring that they sell in the supermarkets isn't really the best at giving the desired effect for red velvet. However, if you do choose liquid food colouring, go for the best quality option - natural food colouring will make these go orangey/brown.

Ingredients (makes 12-16):

Sponge:

120g softened unsalted butter

300g caster sugar

2 large eggs

20g cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

300g plain flour

1 tsp salt

240ml buttermilk

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Red food colouring (until colour resembles red velvet!)

Frosting:

100g softened unsalted butter

600g icing sugar

250g full-fat cream cheese

Decorations

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C and line a muffin tin with cases

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy (use an electric whisk if available). Add the eggs one at a time, and beat thoroughly to mix in.

3. In a separate small bowl, stir together cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla essence to form a paste. (Note: if you use gel rather than liquid food colouring, you may need to add a small amount of water to make the paste). Add to the mixture and mix thoroughly until the paste is incorporated.

4. Sift together the flour and salt in another bowl. Add to the batter in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix thoroughly after each addition.

5. In another bowl, mix the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda by hand. Add to the batter and mix in until fully incorporated.

6. Spoon the batter into the cases until 2/3 full. Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes (note: the sponge should bounce back when lightly pressed). 

7. Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

8. Whilst the cakes are cooling, mix the butter and icing sugar together on a low speed until the resemble a sandy texture. Add the cream cheese and continue to mix slowly until incorporated. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy but take care not to over mix as this will cause the frosting to warm up and it will become runny!

9. Pipe the icing on to the cool cakes and add your decorations. 

Fanta Chicken

This is a recipe that does the rounds in Slimming World. I must admit when hearing about this and the diet coke chicken I was pretty skeptical, but this is delicious.

This creates a sweet and sour type meal, which I think rivals anything you'd get in a jar in the supermarket minus the calories and syns you'd find in those. I'm already looking forward to having it again.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 chicken breasts

Your choice of vegetables (I used pepper, onion, mushrooms and baby sweetcorn)

330ml diet Fanta (or any substitute fizzy orange drink)

250g passata 

1 tbsp Worcester sauce

1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1) Fry the onion and chicken in some fry light until the chicken turns white. Don't overlook as it will cook in the sauce

2) Add your vegetables and fry for a few minutes

3) Mix the Fanta, passata, 5 spice and Worcester sauce in a jug, and add to the saucepan bringing to the boil.

4) Season before turning the saucepan down to simmer. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened (about 30 minutes).

5) Add some fresh pineapple and stir through (don't cook or this will add syns), then serve with the accompaniment of your choice.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

I'm so bad at keeping this up to date; I always take pictures of the food we cook ready to put them up and then get otherwise distracted. It doesn't help that the Blogger app on iPhone isn't the best when you want to edit your posts so I need to wait until I have a spare 5 minutes on the computer. I've since been told off so here's a new post.
I don't eat seafood, so the thought of a paella never appealed to me. However, this recipe I came across in my Desperate Housewives cookbook and, without the prawns and mussels, instantly tickled my tastebuds. This is another recipe that is loved by everyone I've made it for: to the point that my Mum used my DH cookbook so much she had to buy me a new one as she ruined the page for this recipe.
Conversion of cups isn't the easiest, so would be useful if you had measuring cups too!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 cup (about 120 ml) dry white wine
1 tsp saffron
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 chorizo ring, sliced (or 6 links if you buy them uncooked)
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups (about 280g) rice (paella rice or long grain white)
3 cups (about 700 ml) chicken stock
1 cup (about 150g) frozen peas

Instructions:
1. Pour the wine over the saffron in a small bowl. Let stand while preparing the paella.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the chicken and chorizo. Cook, turning as necessary, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides. With a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken and chorizo into a bowl and cover.

3. Add the onion, red pepper and cayenne if using to the pan. (Note: cayenne pepper is really spicy - so miss this out, or reduce the quantities if you don't want it too spicy). Cook until the vegetables are wilted, stirring regularly.

4. Add the rice and cook for a minute. Then add the white wine mixture, and cook until the liquid has all evaporated.

5. Add the chicken and chorizo back to the pan and stir.

6. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil, until the level of liquid reaches the rice. Season to taste and cover.

7. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the rice is tender and the stock is absorbed; this will take about 15 minutes.

8. Scatter the peas over the paella and stir through. Serve straight away.

Chinese Chicken

This is actually called Sweet and Sour Chicken, and is from one of my SW cookbooks but I think of this more as Chinese chicken. Don't be under any illusions that it tastes like your local Chinese takeaway - it doesn't - but it is EASILY my favourite SW recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4):

100ml passata

4 chicken breast fillet

6 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp sweetener

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Instructions:

1. Dice and place chicken in a bowl. Add chopped spring onions, garlic, seasoning and light soy sauce. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Spray a pan with fry light and cook chicken mixture for 5 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir well. Bring to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve with rice or noodles, and garnish with sliced spring onions.

Note: I also like to add vegetables - stir fry before adding the sauce mixture. 

Cheesecake - Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

This is a recipe which was first discovered by my best friend on BBC Good Food, and then by me on the box of my new cake tins. Obviously meant to be! I don't know anyone who doesn't love this cheesecake - even people who don't like cheesecake have eaten, and loved, this - and now it's a staple at every social gathering we have.

Ingredients:
250g digestive biscuits
100g butter
600g full fat soft cheese
100g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
284ml double cream

Instructions:
1. Place the digestives in a sandwich bag and beat with a rolling pin until crushed. Place the biscuit crumbs in a mixing bowl and melt the butter over a low heat. Pour the melted butter over the biscuit and mix well ensuring that all crumbs are covered.

2. Line the base of a cake tin (between 22 and 24" in size) with baking parchment. (A springform tin is best for this recipe if available). Add the biscuit to the base of the tin, and distribute evenly, pressing down with your fingertips. Place the base in the fridge for at least an hour.

3. Using an electric whisk, whisk together the cheese and icing sugar. Add the cream and vanilla and whisk again until just combined. Do not over whisk the mixture as it can become runny due to the heat generated.

4. Pour the cheese mixture into the tin, and spread using a spatula. Top with a chocolate or fruit of your choice and refrigerate overnight.

5. Remove from the fridge about half an hour before serving, and be careful removing from the tin.

Note: Don't be tempted to use elmlea in replacement of the double cream - it doesn't work! Trust me on that one ;-)

Pasta in Bacon, Tomato and Red Wine Sauce

I love carbs. I could go without meat but I could not do without pasta or potatoes. Part of this is the reason I love Slimming World - I don't have to sacrifice my carbohydrates in order to lose weight. After a binge at Christmas, or rather just in the last 6 months or so, I'm back at group weighing in weekly to help me lose the extra pounds, so this is a dish I cooked up on Sunday as part of my plan. The red wine is 1/2 syn per serving and I used the Parmesan as my healthy extra (though you can have 30g in one serving and I certainly didn't use that!). I made up two portions so I could heat it up for lunch the next day, which worked well, and I'm sure you could freeze it too! My apologies for the messy photo - I'd started eating before I even thought about a picture.

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 onion
1 clove garlic
4 rashers of bacon
8 mushrooms
50ml red wine
1 can tinned tomatoes
1 tsp chilli powder
200g pasta

Instructions:
1. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry the onion in Fry Light for 5 minutes till soft, then add the garlic and fry for another minute

2. Slice the bacon removing all visible fat and add to the onion, frying until cooked through

3. Add the mushrooms and red wine, and cook until the wine is just about evaporated. Then add the tinned tomatoes and chilli powder, season to taste, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or so

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain well and stir in to the tomato sauce. Add some more chilli powder if you like a bit more spice!

5. Serve, covering with a sprinkle of Parmesan

Sausage Casserole

Yesterday I was feeling very autumnal. I went shopping early, we bought a new lamp, I got some Christmas decorations and then by midday was back in my PJs with no intention of leaving the house again. I felt this was an appropriate winter-warmer to have for tea, and one that I could prepare in the afternoon and just serve at tea time.
This is a recipe that Emma and I discovered whilst at university and attempting to cook more for ourselves. We would each pick a new meal and cook for the rest of the house once a week (something that wasn't really embraced by our pizza cooking housemate), and this was one such meal. Hard to believe that was now nearly 10 years ago - however, this is still a meal that I love!

Ingredients (serves 4):
8 pork sausages (I use standard sausages but I'm sure this would also taste nice with a Cumberland sausage.)
8 rashers bacon
1 red pepper
1 onion
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Vinegar
2 tsp chilli powder

Instructions:
1. Cook the sausages in the grill. Remove when done and slice.

2. Heat some FryLight (or oil) in a large saucepan. Chop the bacon, and cook in the oil. Drain any excess fat and add the sausages.

3. Dice the pepper and onion, and add to the meat. Stir through.

4. Add the tinned tomatoes (you could substitute one tin for a tin of beans which works just as well). Add a few drops of vinegar and the chilli powder. Stir well.

5. Cover the saucepan and heat on high until boiling. Once boiling, turn down on to a low temperature and cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring often. (If at any point it looks a bit dry, add a few tablespoons of water.)

6. Serve with cheesy mash, and enjoy!

Mexican Chilli Bean Soup

When I went to university, my Dad bought me a student cookbook by Fiona Beckett as I'd never really done much cooking at home.  Neither had he for that matter, so I don't know where his perceptions of being the next Gordon Ramsey come from.  I’ve been through a number of different phases of food including a vegetarian phase more than once, so this year he bought me Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Veg Every Day cookbook… I struggle to cook many things from there due to Rhys’s inability to eat a meal without meat in it, but there’s so many lovely looking dishes. This recipe is a combination of one of his soups and one of Fiona Becketts… with my own little twist naturally.
Anyway, it appears a number of the people accessing Nom-Appetite are actually my students (hello!), many of whom are on diets as well, so after making this soup on Monday evening and finding that it is absolutely delicious (not that it looks particularly appetising), I thought I would share it with them. I think the gem in this recipe is that it's so cheap (and easy) but it’ll feed a good number of mouths which makes it easy to make friends with.

Ingredients:

2 red onions

1 green pepper

2 cloves garlic

1-2 red chillies (depending on your preference for heat)

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chilli powder

400 ml passata

600 ml vegetable stock

1 can red kidney beans (drained well and rinsed)

1 can baked beans

1 small can sweetcorn

Instructions:

1. Finely dice the onions and pepper. Add to a large saucepan with FryLight and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Crush the garlic and finely chop the chillies. Add to the saucepan along with the cumin and chilli powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add the passata and vegetable stock, and bring to the boil.

4. Drain the kidney beans and rinse them well, before adding them to the pan. Boil for 10 minutes, and turn down to simmer.

5. Add the baked beans and sweetcorn and simmer for a few minutes (try not to overdo this stage as you don’t want mushy beans).

6. Serve immediately (Hugh recommends a scoop of sour cream on top, Fiona recommends with tortilla chips) or keep for later – your choice.  

Indian Chicken

The other day we watching Celebrity Masterchef and they were asked to make a cumin and coriander chicken dish, with an Indian flatbread and raita of sorts. The dishes they made looked amazing and Rhys had commented on how nice they looked. I decided I would have a go at a similar recipe (after all, the way to please a man is through his stomach) and so for once, this is me thinking off my own head and putting in what I think tastes nice... I hope you (and Rhys) enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, crushed

125ml natural yogurt (I used fat-free yogurt)

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 tbsp hot chilli powder

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Cut diagonal slits into the chicken breast. Place into a dish for marinating (I used my small oblong Pyrex dish).

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, spices and salt and pepper. Taste the mixture - add more of any flavour as required.

3. Spoon the mixture over the chicken breasts, making sure you tuck some into the slits you cut earlier.

4. Put the dish in the fridge to marinate. Leave it at least 3 hours to allow the flavours to develop, but overnight would be preferable.

5. Preheat the oven to 220c (200 for a fan oven). Put the chicken in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

6. Serve as required!

Chilli Chicken Noodles

It's been a while since I've posted anything but with the start of term, Rhys has done most of the cooking. Such a god send! However, today I've been inspired after telling some students about my blog so here is tonight's dinner.

Ingredients (per person):

FryLight

2 large cloves of garlic

2 chillies

1 chicken breast, cubed

1/2 pepper

1/2 onion

5 mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 portion dried egg noodles

Instructions:

1. Boil the noodles as stated on the packet instructions. Drain well, and rinse in cold water.

2. Crush the garlic and finely chop the chillies. Add the FryLight to a wok, and cook the garlic and chillies for 30 seconds.

3. Add the chicken and vegetables and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Add the soy sauce and mix well before adding the noodles to the wok. Toss to coat the noodles in the mixture.

5. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Bacon in a Crème Fraîche and White Wine Sauce

Well, I've really been slacking recently. With it being the end of the summer holidays, I've tried to really enjoy myself and not go on the computer too much so now I have all these recipes on my Blogger app that I am yet to finish off and publish. Guess I'll be posting quite a few tonight - thank God for back dating.

First day back at work today obviously meant the first day back on my diet. But what I overlooked was the fact that we had two birthdays (meaning cake in our office) and I forgot my lunch resulting in a naughty pub lunch. Good start! So when I got home to find no food in the house and dire need of a supermarket trip, this was my request for dinner. Not the healthiest recipe ever, but there's always tomorrow ;-)

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
250g mushrooms, sliced
4-5 rashers of smoked bacon, fat removed and sliced
1 large glass of white wine
200g pasta
400ml crème fraîche (I use reduced fat)
50g grated cheese

Instructions:
1. Put the pasta on to cook as per packet instructions. Fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

2. Add the bacon, mushrooms and white wine and fry until cooked through and wine mostly boiled off. Season with black pepper.

3. Add the crème fraîche and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer before adding the grated cheese.

4. Add the pasta to the pot. Coat well in the sauce. Keep on a low heat for a few minutes before serving with a voilà! (and with a giant glass of wine if it takes your fancy).

Carrot and Coriander Soup

This recipe seems pretty apt now that I've seen my second tutor group right the way through their A-levels as it's from my Fiona Beckett student cookbook, which my Dad bought me nearly 10 years ago when I was preparing to leave home and go to university.
Now that I am going back to work, I need to take control over my diet once again and last time I made this, eating it in conjunction with no snacks and a balanced meal in the evening, I lost 5 pounds in a week. That would make going back to work a little easier for me.

Ingredients:
1 white onion
350g carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 sticks celery (you can't taste it, I promise!)
1 medium-sized potato
750ml vegetable stock
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Dice the onion and cook on a low heat in Fry Light (or oil/butter depending on your preference) for 5 minutes, until soft.

2. Add the carrots, celery and potato to the pan and stir well. Cover the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add the stock and on a high heat, bring to the boil. Turn the saucepan down to a medium heat and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until the veggies are soft. Allow to cool slightly (you don't want to melt the blender - that's happened to my Mum before now!).

4. Using a blender, blitz the soup until smooth and return to the saucepan, reheating slowly. Add a little extra water if required, and season to taste.

Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Risotto

I think I should be Italian! I seriously love all their food - pasta, risotto, pizza, calzone... We're currently considering going to Rome for October half term but I could come back the size of a house! This is an adaptation of a recipe I found a long time ago on a website. I've cooked it for just about everyone I know and they've all loved it - even my brother who's just the teensiest bit fussy!

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 chicken breasts, diced
8 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
250g sliced mushrooms
300g arborio risotto rice
1 glass white wine
1 litre chicken stock
30g Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook the chicken in some fry light until the outside is just white, and add the bacon. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and set aside.

2. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

3. Stir the rice through. Cook it for 1 minute until it starts to go transparent. Then add the white wine, and cook until evaporated before stirring through the cooked chicken and bacon.

4. Add the chicken stock a ladle at a time. Make sure that the stock is absorbed before adding any more but do not allow the pan to go dry.

5. Once all the stock has been added, sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and stir it through. Season as required and serve immediately, with a salad.

Note: Always taste the rice about 15 minutes after you first started adding stock. Cook until it is "al dente" - there should be a little bit of resistance when you chew but it shouldn't be rock hard in the center and mushy on the outside.
Also be prepared to add more liquid if required (add hot water) or less stock than is stated in the recipe. It will depend on your risotto.