Chicken & Haloumi with Brown Rice

This recipe was originally meant to be made with Quinoa, however after hunting every where for it I had to settle for brown rice...I really enjoyed this dish! It also comes from the Feb issue of Weight Watchers Magazine. And as a bonus the chicken and haloumi were cooked on the BBQ, and as we all know that is a blokes job! woo hoo I only had to make the vege & rice part lol 


I am also very pleased to tell you that after a week of being on my healthy eating plan that I have lost 3.4 kg! yay for me :) 


SERVES 4 (We halved the recipe) 
Pro Points 9 

Ingredients

1 (180g) cup quinoa, rinsed drained (or 2 cups brown rice) 

1/2 cup (65g) marinated red pepper strips, drained

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley leaves, chopped finely

400g lean chicken tenderloins 

100g haloumi cheese, thinly sliced

Method

Pace quinoa and 2 cups (500ml) water in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add pepper strips, tomatoes and parsley, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. OR you can do what I did and buy 2 cups brown rice in the microwave pack and bung it in the microwave for 2 minutes and mix in the rest when it bings!! 

Meanwhile, preheat a chargrill or BBQ over high heat. Cook chicken in batches, turning occasionally for 6 - 8 minutes or until browned. Lightly spray haloumi with cooking oil and cook for 1 - 2 minutes each side or until golden.

Serve quinoa (or rice) topped with chicken and haloumi. 

Barbecued Chicken & Hokkien Salad

I seem to be stuck on the same magazine for my healthy meals at the moment! :) yet another recipe from Jan 2012 Weight Watchers Magazine. 


This meal had all the right ingredients, it was big! it was crunchy! but it just lacked something....I think if I make it again perhaps a zingier dressing...decide for your self :) 


SERVES:4 (looks like this is my lunch for the next 2 days lol) 
Pro Points 9

Ingredients
400g Hokkien noodles
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium red capsicum, thinly sliced
150g snow peas , thinly sliced 
150g wombok (Chinese cabbage), shredded
400g barbecued skinless chicken, shredded (I used the breast meat) 


Dressing
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves finely chopped


Method
Prepare the noodles following the packet instructions, or until tender. Rinse under cold water, then drain well. 


Place noodles, carrots, red onion, capsicum, snow peas, wombok and chicken in a large serving bowl and mix well to combine. drizzle  with dressing and mix to combine again


Serve sprinkled with coriander. 

Spinach Quiche

Day 3 of my healthy eating challenge for the 1 million kilo challenge :) Tonight we went an vegetarian option and this dish was really delicious! I recommend that you give it a try. 

There is half of this quiche left over so it will also do us for lunch tomorrow! cheap!

Again this recipe is straight out of the pages of Weight Watchers Magazine Jan 2012 

and any thing I have added to the recipe is marked in red

SERVES 4 

6 ProPoints 

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil 

1 medium red onion, cut into rings

4 sheets filo pastry

200g baby spinach leaves

3/4 cup (90g) Bega So Extra Light Tasty Grated Cheese

5 eggs 

1/4 cup (60ml) skim milk 

Method 

Preheat oven to 180c or 160c fan forced. Heat oil in a small non stick frying pan over low heat. Add onion and cook stirring occasionally for 12 - 15 minutes or until soft. 

Meanwhile lightly spray a 20cm round spring form tin with oil to help prevent sticking. Lay one sheet of filo on a flat surface and lightly spray with oil. Top with another, turned on a 45 degree angle, and lightly spray with oil. Repeat layering with remaining filo at different angles. Gently ease pastry into prepared tin and fold the overhanging pastry back into the tin. Place on a baking tray. 

Place spinach in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain and rinse under cold water (I covered for 30 seconds and then scooped the spinach out and plunged it into iced water). Drain again and pat dry with paper towels. 

Arrange spinach, onion and cheese in pastry shell. Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper> Pour mixture over filling. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until set and golden. Stand in tin for 5 minutes. Release sides, cut quiche and serve either hot or cold with a Greek salad. 

Chilli Prawn Pasta

Another dish for the 1 million kilo challenge which was really delicious! 
Taken from the Feb 2012 Weight Watchers Magazine 


10 Pro Points 
SERVES 4 - so we just halved the recipe, they were large serves as well 
any thing extra that I have added is in the recipe as red 

Ingredients 
240g dried fettuccine
1 tbs olive oil
400g peeled green prawns, tails intact
1 medium red onion, finely chopped 
1 long fresh red chilli, thinly sliced 
1 garlic clove crushed 
1/2 cup (65g) marinated red pepper strips, drained
400g can chopped tomatoes 
1/2 cup (75g) pitted Kalamatta olives in brine, drained
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves 
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley 
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves 
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves


Method 
Cook fettuccine pasta in a large saucepan of boiled salted water following packet instructions, or until just tender, then drain well.


Meanwhile heat half the oil in a large non stick frying pan over high heat. Add the prawns in batches and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.


Heat remaining oil over medium heat then and add onion, garlic & chilli stirring for 2 = 3 minutes or until softened.


Add pepper strips and tomatoes and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until sauce had thickened. I thought the sauce was a little dry and added 4 tablespoons of water from the pasta pot. 


Return prawns to pot and add olives cook for a further 2 minutes until heated through. 


Remove from heat and stir through chopped herbs and serve. 

Weight Watchers Burger & Chips

Well here I am day 2 of my diet :) and so far the food has been great! except I was too busy to eat today so um I had fruit in the car on the way home... that's bad isn't it? oh well sometimes that's the way the cookie (low-fat) crumbles lol 


Tonight we had Weight Watchers burgers which were really really yummy! I did add a couple of things to the recipe but I have written them in red in case you want to leave them out. 

Serves 4 (we just halved this) 
POINTS per value Serve = 9


Ingredients 
4 small potatoes cut into wedges and micro-waved until tender
400g extra lean beef mince
1 1/2 tbs tomato pizza sauce
1 onion sliced into rings
1/2 onion finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves 
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf Italian parsley chopped 
4 medium bread rolls halved and toasted (didn't have any so we used bread)
handful of rocket leaves
2 tomatoes sliced 
4 weight watchers cheese slices 


Method
Preheat the oven to 220 
Place potato wedges in single layer on a non stick baking tray
give a quick spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt
Cook for 20 minutes until golden


Combine mince with pizza sauce, diced onion, thyme, oregano, parsley and salt and cracked pepper.
Coat a non stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat. Cook the onion until soft and remove and keep warm (I chucked it in with the meat patties) 
Recoat the frypan with a spray of oil and add the burger patties and cook for 2 - 3 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking


To Serve
Fill each toasted roll with a pattie 
top with a slice of cheese 
add the onions 
add the tomato 
add the rocket 
stick the lid on!
and voila there you have a really yummy weigh watchers dinner :) 

This recipe came from the Weight Watchers Food Magazine/Cookbook

I think I got it for free for reaching a goal.....wish I kept it up! lol 


enjoy!

Bali Beef Stirfry

This recipe is adapted from a sizzling soy satay dish that we love to have when we are in Bali. 

You can substitute chicken for beef into the recipe as well, which is also delicious!

Ingredients 


Marinade
1/4 cup kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy)
1 clove of garlic thinly sliced 
1 knob of ginger 2" julienned or grated 
1 red onion cut into 8ths on the round (wedges) 
1 red chilli finely diced




Stir Fry
200g lean beef cut into strips 
1 red capsicum sliced into strips 
1 small head of broccolli
2 spring onions chopped 
1 bunch fresh coriander finely chopped 


Method 
Marinade meat for at least an hour 


Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large wok 
when smoking add marinated meat and stir (2 minutes)
add broccolli first then capsicum and spring onions 


turn off heat and stir through half the chopped coriander


serve with jasmine rice if desired and topped with the extra coriander.