Reduced Fat Mince Beef Stroganoff

I love a beef stroganoff, but it's an incredibly rich dish and doesn't exactly make for the most healthy of meals. This is my attempt at making something that is both healthy(ish) and scratches that comfort food itch.

You will need:
1 calorie spray
500g 5% fat minced beef
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
300g mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp english mustard
½ tsp black pepper, ground
200ml beef stock
6 tbsp reduced fat creme fraiche
Salt to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped

Method:
1. Put a high sided pan over a medium/high heat to warm.
2. Spray in a few squirts of 1 calorie spray and add the minced beef. Once browned, tip the beef into a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the onions, to the same pan, and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
6. Add the worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper, stir through until incorporated.
7. Add the beef stock, bring to the boil, reduce the temperature and simmer for 10 minutes, until reduced slightly.
8. Add the browned beef and creme fraiche and stir through.
9. Check for seasoning and add salt, if needed.
10. Serve over rice, pasta or mash and sprinkle with parsley to garnish.

Notes:
Stroganoff is a very widespread dish, with dozens of different variations, so adept it to suit your own taste. I often add a couple of spoons of paprika, mostly because I love paprika.

Apple And Cinnamon Cupcakes

The flavour combination of apple and cinnamon is a firm favourite of mine, also, I really love cake. This recipe combines apples, cinnamon and cake in a glorious amalgamation of heavenly delight.

You will need:
100g low fat spread
60g Half Spoon
2 Eggs, beaten
1 tbsp fat free creme fraiche
100g self raising flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 apples, peeled, cored, chopped and lightly tossed in plain flour

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.
2. Add the spread and half spoon to a medium sized mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy.
3. Add about ¼ of the beaten egg and stir until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining egg, until it’s all added.
4. Stir through the creme fraiche.
5. Add half the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, fold into the mix, until fully incorporated, and repeat with the remaining flour.
6. Add in the apples and fold through the mix.
7. Using a spoon, add the mix to paper cupcake cases, filling to about ⅔ up the side of the case (the mix should make about 9, depending on the size of the cases being used).
8. Put in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until a skewer comes out of the cake clean.
9. Remove from the tray immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

Notes:
I like these on their own, but they’re also great with a super simple cream cheese frosting.

My Lack Of Inspiration

I'm starting to run a little low on ideas for recipes, I've put together maybe 50 or so in the last year, some of which I've cooked just for myself and others I've made for family and friends. Most of them have turned out well, some not so much, and when they haven't I've tried to improve on them and suggest ways to make them better. Whether they were taught to me as a child, are me just formalising things that I've been cooking for years or are something that's been inspired by someone else cooking, I've tried to make each recipe my own and hopefully I've been fairly successful in doing so. I know a few people have tried cooking some of my recipes themselves and when they have I've generally received positive feedback, which is absolutely awesome, however, to be honest just knowing that people are making and eating things that I've come up with is a great feeling. I think I've got maybe 1 or 2 more left, that I'm yet to post, before I'm completely out of ideas and, to be honest, I'm hoping that something will come along and inspire me to come up with something new before then. If not it definitely wont be the last recipe I post, though it might be the last one for a little while.

Cooking My Meals In Advance Because I'm Lazy

That’s my dinners sorted for the next few days, jerk chicken, roasted seasoned veg and rice and peas.

Gotta Love Leftovers!

Everyone knows that you can't have a roast turkey dinner without the obligatory leftover turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce sandwich.

Thanksgiving Dinner

As a Brit we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, however, this year I’ve decided that I’m going to use it as an excuse to put together a big old family roast dinner, though I’m actually going to wait until Saturday afternoon since we’ve all got the weekend off. I’ve been out, looking more than a bit weird buying all the Christmas staples a month early, and bought myself a fat assed turkey crown, a stack of pumpkins, cranberry sauce, bacon strips for days and a plethora of roughly seasonal vegetables, I have enough food to feed a small army. To try and make the meal a little more authentic, I’ve also spent the last few days looking at popular American Thanksgiving sides and trying to come up with my own take on a few of them, the results of which can be seen below.

Green Bean Casserole

You will need:
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
200g mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp plain flour
300ml milk
500g green beans
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven the 150°C.
2. Melt the butter in a large, high sided frying pan over a medium heat.
3. Add in the onions and mushrooms and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the onions soften.
4. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
5. Add in the flour, stir thoroughly and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
6. Slowly add in the milk, stirring continuously until smooth.
7. Add the beans to a casserole dish, pour over the onion mixture and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes.


Old School Stuffing

You will need:
1 tsp butter
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 slices of dry thick cut bread, cut into chunks
2 fat pork sausages, skinned and cut into chunks
150ml chicken stock

Method:
1. Preheat to oven to 150°C.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat.
3. Add in the onions and celery and cook until softened.
4. Add in the herbs, salt and pepper, cook for a further minute before removing from the heat.
5. Add the bread to a large bowl, pour over the onion and herb mixture, add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
6. Line an oven proof dish with greaseproof paper, pour in the mixture and spread out evenly.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes.


Brussel Sprouts

You will need:
1 tbsp butter, melted
500g sprouts, halved
A pinch of salt and pepper

Method:
1. Preheat to oven to 150°C.
2. Toss the sprouts in the melted butter to get an even coating.
3. Line an oven proof dish with greaseproof paper, tip in the sprouts, spread out evenly and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes.

There are a few other common sides, but I don’t think most of them need a recipe. I think it would just be patronising trying to tell someone how to bake a sweet potato, wrap bacon around a sausage or mash the humble spud.