Gazpacho

This chilled soup could not be easier to make and is a joy to eat on a warm day. Adjust the seasonings to taste as I like it quite hot.

Gazpacho Soup
Serves 4 - 0 pts

1 carton passata
1 red pepper peeled and de-seeded
1 green pepper peeled and de-seeded
1 red onion
A small bunch of fresh coriander
Juice of half a lemon
3 cloves of garlic - bashed
Sea salt
Black pepper
Worcester Sauce
Tabasco

Finely chopped spring onion, cucumber and tomato to garnish

Place all the ingredients apart from salt, pepper, Tabasco and the garnish into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add extra water if required. Season to taste then chill well.

Serve ice cold with the garnish in the centre

Mussels

I love fresh seafood and I had forgotten how low in points it can be! I don't eat nearly enough fish and I am trying to correct this so be prepared to see a lot of seafood recipes on my blog as I try to create some low point recipes

Mussels with Garlic, Lemon and Butter
As a main course serves 2 - 2 pts per person
As a starter serves 4 - 1 pt per person

1 kilo fresh mussels in their shells
1 1/2 teaspoon half fat butter
3 small or 2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Finely chopped parsley

Ensure that the mussels are clean and remove any beard. Discard any with cracked or broken shells and any that are open and do not close when given a sharp tap. In a large saucepan melt to butter and add the chopped garlic, do not allow to colour you just want the garlic to soften. After a few minutes add the lemon juice and parsley and stir well, then it's time to throw in the mussels. Stir again to ensure that the buttery mixture coats all the mussels. Turn up the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid. After a few minutes shake the pan to mix up the mussels. Cook for a further 3 minute then turn off the heat. Leave the mussels to steam for a couple more minutes and then serve.

Serve with pasta or fresh crusty bread but remember to add the points. if serving with pasta then reducing the liquid and maybe adding a little cream is wonderful!

Chicken Tikka Starter

I am planning a dinner party, well some friends coming over to dinner so nothing too formal. They are not dieting but I don't want to break my diet so I am on the lookout for lowfat options that I can serve without any loss of flavour.

This is the idea I came up with for a starter

Chicken Tikka Starter

Serves 6 - 1 pt each

2 packs low fat chicken tikka mini fillets

Assorted salad

1 Lemon

1 tsp mint sauce

6 tsp very low fat WW Mayo

Put the chicken in the oven to warm through - it's already cooked. Arrange the salad onto plates (I used lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onion). Mix the mayo and mint sauce together with a dash of lemon juice. When the chicken is warm slice and arrange on top of the salad and spoon a little of the dressing into the middle. Cut the lemon into wedges and serve on the side.

Add mango chutney and mini naan breads for those not dieting or add the points

Venison

Venison is a really rich and tasty meat. As it is game it is very, very lean and so an ideal meat for dieters as a little goes a long way. I am very fortunate in that I live very near to one of the best venison farms in the UK. They also sell a lot of other game such as rabbit and the more exotic kangaroo, all of which are high in taste and low in fat. This is an ideal recipe for venison steaks or even beef if you cannot get venison.

Venison Steaks with Red Onion Marmalade
Serves 2 - 5pts each

3 medium red onion thinly sliced
10 g mustard seeds, (2 tsp)
2 teaspoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 medium portion venison steaks
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoon redcurrant jelly

To make the marmalade, heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, cover and leave to cook on a low heat for 15 mins. Add the mustard seeds and sugar and cook for a further 5 mins uncovered.. The onion should be softly caramelised. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook for 2 more mins until syrupy. Set aside to cool.

Season the steaks both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan with oil from mister until sizzling, add the steaks and cook for 5-8mins, turning occasionally, until browned. Set aside.

Add 3-4 tbsp of water to the pan, scraping up any bits, add the redcurrant jelly and swirl to dissolve. Serve the steaks, drizzled with the pan juices, a spoonful of relish and a selection of vegetables.

Roast Gammon

One of my favourite roasts is gammon. I know some people boil them for days in strange and wonderful substances, cola, cider etc and then glaze them in pounds of sugar and various honeys and syrups but I don't. I buy good quality cured ham that is not too salty. I bung it in the oven and cover it in foil to steam. 40 minutes before it is due to come out of the oven I remove the foil and blast the gammon until it has a good colour. I then rest it for at least half an hour, it is so much nicer warm rather than hot (like chicken).

Simple but effective and no hidden points. It is one of my favourite dishes when entertaining, and so many people have commented that it is nice to have gammon that tastes like gammon rather than lots of other flavourings. When I spend a little extra on a nice piece of meat I want to be able to taste it.

Inspired by Japonica

An internet friend of mine has used the raspberries in jelly idea on here and loved it. So much so that the conversation turned into plans to elaborate the dish. The end result is this trifle that went down a storm when my Mother-in-law came for lunch. Low fat, low point and really indulgent. Thanks for the inspiration Japonica x!

Trifle
Serves 6 - 2 points each

1 sachet sugar free jelly
1 punnet raspberries
1 punnet blueberries
4 trifle sponges
1 carton reduced fat custard
4 tbsp half fat spray cream
1/2 pt diet lemonade

Make the jelly according to the instructions on the packet but substitute the lemonade for part of the water. Add the fruit and sponges and chill until set. Once set add the custard and refrigerate again. Just before serving add the spray cream and decorate with extra fruit.

Brunch Pasta

I was really looking forward to a cooked breakfast today and had bought the ingredients. We usually have it about 11.30 so it’s more of a brunch and it sets us up for the day. Then my darling husband remembered that he had invited his mother and sister to come to see us today and would I mind cooking. There was no way that my breakfast ingredients would stretch to 6 people (my sons have HUGE appetites despite being toddlers) so I came up with the idea of brunch pasta

Brunch Pasta
Serves 6 – 8pts each

500 g uncooked pasta

8 Low Fat Pork Sausage

6 medium egg

8 Bacon Medallions
1 Red onion
2 Tins of tomatoes
400g Mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
200g low fat cheese
Salt and pepper

Spray a large frying pan or wok with oil from a mister and add the garlic onion and bacon (these should all be chopped) cook until the bacon is browning and the onions are starting to soften. At the same time put the sausages under the grill and brown. You can then put the pasta on to cook in boiling water. At this point you can switch on the oven to pre-heat at 150 degrees.

Add chopped mushrooms and herbs to the bacon mixture and cook with a splash of water. The mushrooms should start to release their liquid and at this point you can add the tomatoes.

Remove the cooked sausages from the grill and slice into bite size chunks. These should then be added to the rest of the sauce.

Once the pasta is cooked drain well and put into a large oven proof dish. Add the sauce and stir in to ensure that it is evenly distributed. Then with a wooden spoon make six hollows in the pasta. Fill each hollow with a little cheese to form a nest then carefully crack an egg into each "nest" and place in the oven. Once the eggs are set but the yolk still runny the dish is ready to serve.

Lemon Sorbet

Finding a suitable dessert when you are entertaining is very difficult. You don't want to give your guests a pre-bought Weightwatchers dessert but you don't want to make a hugely indulgent pudding that will tempt you too much. I find that a tangy lemon sorbet fulfills both roles. I serve mine in the lemon shell which adds a little something.

Lemon Sorbet

Serves 8 -2 pts per person

Juice of 8 lemons

4 tspn of finely grated lemon peel without pith

240g castor sugar

600 ml water

4 egg whites

Mix all the ingredients except the egg white in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a tin ice container and place in the freezer. Stir through several times as it starts to freeze at the edges until the whole thing becomes mushy. At this point whisk the egg white until firm but not stiff and fold it into the lemon mixture until well blended. Leave to freeze properly. When needed allow to soften slightly in the fridge before taking scoops and placing in lemon shells or pretty glass dishes with a slice of lemon on the edge to decorate.

As this contains raw egg it is not suitable for very young children or pregnant woman.

This is especially nice served with a shot of vodka or a liquer such as Cointreau poured over the top. I let my guests decide which they would prefer. Just don't forget to add the points on! You could try it made with granulated sweetner subsituted for all or part of the sugar.

Simple lunch

When you are watching what you eat entertaining can be dificult. You want to do something that your guests will enjoy without overdoing it on the points. My mother-in-law often come to lunch on Saturday's to see the boys and I know that one thing guaranteed to satisfy is a pasta bake.

I use my ratatouille as the sauce and then add pasta that has been cooked part way through. The raw weight in dried pasta is 350g (14.5 pts). Mix together with the ratatouille and top with 4 pts of finely grated parmesan. This can then be baked until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. This provides 4 huge portions and 1/4 is only 5 points.

I serve this with fresh salad and maybe a little garlic bread (low fat of course!)