Skinny Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Sometimes we need yummy diet food. Here is an easy recipe which will fill you up and it’s only about 220 calories per serving. Recipe makes 10 servings of 100g meat and ¾ cups tomato.


For the meatballs

1kg extra lean ground meat
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp garlic powder

For the sauce

1.4 L crushed tomato
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
½ dried oregano
½ dried basil

Heat the olive oil with the fresh garlic until nice and fragrant. Discard the oil. Add the Crushed tomato and the dried herbs. Allow to come to a simmer.

Mix the meat with all the ingredients. Make small meatballs and place them in the simmering tomato sauce. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Do not allow to boil or the meatballs will fall apart.

Barley Risotto with Pear & Asiago

Back in November of last year I attended a cooking and tasting event with my sister at a local private cooking school. We had fun, enjoyed some wine, good food and each other’s company. Who was doing the cooking you ask? Well, Anna Olson! She is so down to earth, friendly and funny! I had the chance to talk to her and she was friendly enough to allow a photo taken with her, and got to eat her cooking and get her latest cookbook autographed. Nice…I really enjoyed the evening.

One of the dishes she made was a Barley Risotto which I absolutely loved. Most people think risotto is a rice dish, but in fact risotto is the method of slow cooking, slowly adding liquid. I have to say, this one has won me over compared to many rice risottos I have had. This is definitely a must try!

4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
450g mushrooms, sliced
1 clove, minced
1 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
310ml pearl barley, rinsed and drained
1.5l milk
360g cooked chicken, diced (optional)
2 Bartlett pears, diced
1,5l fresh baby spinach
150g asiago cheese, grated
Salt & pepper

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and add the onion and mushrooms, sautéing over medium heat until onion is translucent and any excess liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook one minute more.

Add the pearl barley and stir for a minute to coat it with the butter. Add 250ml of the milk and stir using a wooden spoon until the mil has been absorbed. Keep adding 250ml of mil at a time, stirring until absorbed. The barley should cook at a gentle simmer, so reduce the heat to low if needed. You can cover the pot and leave it for up to 5 minutes without stirring after each addition of milk.

When adding the final cup of milk, stir in the cooked chicken (if using) and pears to warm through.

Stir in the spinach until it has wilted. Stir in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and the asiago cheese until melted, then season to taste and serve immediately.

Visit Anna's website http://www.annaolson.ca/

Chicken Cacciatore

As I rush to prepare dinner while my son takes his 20 minute-a-day nap, I start placing ingredients in my slow cooker so that I can enjoy a nice home cooked meal later in the day. I don’t have much time to make my own chicken stock lately, let alone reduce it to add to this recipe. So I opted for the easy way out. I used the new Knorr Homestyle Stock which you can find at any grocery store beside those cubs of bouillon. They are pretty tasty for something off the shelf. It adds that extra flavour to your dishes to make it a little more special. OK, so most chefs wouldn’t approve of it, but sometimes you have to find short cuts! Make this easy chicken dish which takes less then ten minutes to prepare and ends in a good dinner table conversation.

900g chicken breast, cut into pieces
230g mushrooms, quartered
1 yellow pepper, julienne
1 red pepper, julienne
1 onion, sliced
1 (720ml) bottle/can crushed tomato
1 Knorr chicken home stock
Thyme, a few sprigs
Salt & Pepper to your liking

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours. That is it! You can make pasta or rice to accompany this dish and be sure to have good crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Sopa de Lentilhas com Salsichas Fumadas

Como é bom comer algo que satisfaz na barriga e que nos aquece do frio. Me lembro comer sopa de lentilhas quando era bem pequena. Assim meio grossa com o sabor das salsichas fumadas sabe tão bem. Não precisa demolhar as lentilhas, mas convêm passar por água várias vezes para as lavar bem.

500g Lentilhas secas
1,400ml de caldo de galinha
2 Salsichas fumadas, cortadas em rodelas
2 Cenouras, cortadas aos cubos
1 Batata, cortada aos cubos
½ Cebola, cortada aos bocados pequenos
1 Colher sopa de azeite
1 Raminho de tomilho
Umas raspas de noz-moscada
Sal e pimenta a gosto

Numa panela alourar a cebola no azeite com as salsichas. Adicionar os restantes ingredientes e deixar ferver. Ao começar a ferver, reduzir o fogo para médio e cozer por meia hora com a panela semi-tapada.

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Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage

It is so good to eat something that satisfies the belly and warms us up from the cold. I have been eating lentil soup for as long as I can remember. A little thicker then most soups with the flavour of the smoked sausages, it is so good. You don’t have to soak lentils but you should rinse them well before cooking.

500g lentils, dry
1,400ml chicken stock
2 smoked sausages, sliced
2 carrots, cubed
1 potato, cubed
½ onion, diced
1tbsp olive oil
A pinch of nutmeg
A few thyme springs
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in with the olive oil and sausage, add all the remaining ingredients and allow to come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce to medium heat and cook for half an hour with the pot semi-covered.

Filetes de Peixe Frito com Molho Tártaro

De vez em quando apetece algo frito. Filetes de peixe frito servido com batatas fritas e molho tártaro é tradicional de Inglaterra, Irlanda, Canada e Austrália. Mas também se pode servir com uma salada simples.

Para o Peixe

700g filetes de bacalhau fresco ou hadoque
250ml agua com gás bem fria
150g farinha
1 Ovo
1 Colher de chá de pó royal
Sal e pimenta a gosto
50g amido de milho
oléo vegetal para fritar

Cortar os filetes em bocados ao comprido e com cerca de 5 cm de largura. Misturar a farinha com a água, ovo, pó royal sal e pimenta. Deve ter a mesma consistência da massa de panquecas. Aquecer o óleo ate chegar aos 190°C (375°F). Passar o peixe pelo amido de milho e a seguir cobrir com a massa. Fritar logo de seguida por cerca de 2 minutos de cada lado ou ate ficar dourado. Servir de imediato com molho tártaro e limão.

Para o molho tártaro

3 Colheres de sopa bem cheias de maionese
1colher de sopa de mostarda Dijon
Sumo de um limão
4 cornichons pequenos, picados

Misturar todos os ingredientes e servir com o peixe frito.

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Fried Fish Filets with Tartar Sauce

Sometimes we crave fried foods. Fish n’ Chips is always a good option served with tarter sauce. This meal is traditionally served in England, Ireland, Canada and Australia. Instead of serving chips, make it with a simple salad.

For the Fish

700g cod or haddock filets
250ml sparkling water, very cold
150g flour
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
Salt & pepper to taste
50g cornstarch
Vegetable oil for frying

Cut the filets into long pieces about 5 cm wide. Mix the flour with the water, egg, baking powder, salt and pepper. It should look like pancake batter. Heat the oil to 190°C (375°F). Dredge fish in corn starch and then dip it into the batter. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side or until nice and golden. Serve immediately with tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon.

For the sauce

3 generous tbsp of mayo
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice of Lemon
4 gherkins, small diced

Mix all ingredients and serve with the fried fish.

Bolo de Banana com Chocolate & Nozes

Cá em casa, quando as bananas têm muitas pintinhas pretas já ninguém lhes toca. Eu coloco no congelador para depois fazer bolo (ou pão) de banana. Um bolo simples que dá para o pequeno-almoço ou como snack. Se não quiser não precisa adicionar o chocolate e/ou as nozes, mas da um sabor superior ao bolo. Aqui está a receita.

375g farinha
130g de açúcar
2 Ovos
3 Bananas bem maduras
80g pepitas de chocolate
80g nozes ou noz-pecã
85ml óleo vegetal
½ Colher de chá de sal
2 Colheres chá de pó royal
2 Colheres chá de extracto de baunilha

Bater os ovos com o açúcar e sal ate ficam cremoso. Adicionar o óleo, baunilha e bananas já esmagadas e misturar bem. Em seguida adicionar a farinha e o pó royal, mas não misturar demasiado, só ate envolver a farinha. Por fim adiciona-se as pepitas e nozes. Cozer numa forma rectangular de 22cm X 11cm, untada com manteiga e polvilhada com farinha em forno pré aquecido a 175ºC (350ºF) por cerca de 45 minutos.

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Banana Bread with Chocolate & Nuts

At my house, once bananas a a little over ripened, no one touches them, so I just throw them in the freezer so I can make banana bread when ever I feel like it. It’s a simple recipe to be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. You don’t have to use chocolate chips and nuts, but it just adds another dimension to the banana bread. Here is the recipe.

375g flour
130g sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
80g chocolate chips
80g walnuts or pecans
85ml vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the eggs with the sugar and salt until creamy. Add the oil, vanilla and mashed bananas and mix well. Mix in the flour and baking powder, but do not over mix. Lastly add the chocolate and nuts. Bake in loaf pan 22cm X 11cm greased with butter and dusted with flour in pre heated oven at 175ºC (350ºF) for about 45 minutes.

Couve-flor no forno com Parmesão

Sem saber o que fazer para acompanhar a sua carne? Sempre arroz ou batatas? Que tal uma bela couve-flor no forno com queijo parmesão? Até os seus filhos vão começar a gostar de vegetais!

1 Couve-flor
Azeite
Sal e pimenta a gosto
Queijo parmesão

Lavar e cortar a couve-flor em floretes. Colocar num tabuleiro de ir ao forno. Regar ligeiramente com azeite e temperar com sal e pimenta. Levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 190°C (375°F) por 45 minutos ou até ficar ligeiramente caramelizada. Retirar do forno e polvilhar com queijo parmesão.

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Baked Cauliflower with Parmesan

You don’t know what to make to accompany your meat dish? Always having rice and potatoes? How about cauliflower baked in the oven with parmesan cheese? Even your kids will start liking vegetables!

1 cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Wash and cut the cauliflower into florets. Place in baking dish and lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 190°C (375°F) or until a little caramelized. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.