Creole Chicken

This is spicy and and tasty. I use whatever vegetables I have to hand when making this.

Creole Chicken
Serves 2 - 3.5 pts each

2 chicken breasts cut into chucks
1 Can tomatoes, cut up
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sticks chopped celery
1 tsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
Few drops Tabasco sauce

Fry the chicken until it is sealed then add the peppers, garlic, onion and celery. Cook for 5 minutes then add the tomato and other ingredients. Cook slowly for an hour until the sauce has reduced into a thick consistency. Serve with plain boiled rice.

Game and Poultry

Game tends to be leaner than more traditional cuts of meat and this makes it low in fat and in points. I am exceptionally lucky that I have a deer farm close by (see the links section) and that they also do a fabulous range of other meats.

All values are for raw weight large portions (6 ounces) unless stated

Venison – 4.5 pts
Kangaroo – 4 pts
Wild Boar – 3 pts
Ostrich – 4.5 pts
Crocodile – 3 pts
Rabbit – 3 pts
Rabbit whole ¼ - 2.5 pts
Pigeon whole – 4 pts
Duck breast – 3 pts (with skin 13 pts)

As these tend to be highly flavoured a little goes a long way so you may not need such large portions.

These need to be cooked wither very quickly or very slowly there is no in between or the results will be tough.

Although I love venison I have to say that my favourite is ostrich fillet served rare nicer than any fillet steak I have ever eaten.

Steak Sandwich

One of my favourite treats is a steak sandwich. I often use venison steaks as they are so lean a decent sized one is only 2 points. They also have a more intense flavour than beef and when cooked to medium rare are delightfully juicy.

Make sure your pan is smoking hot, season the steaks and then spray with oil from the mister, do not spray the pan or you will have a kitchen full of black smoke. Sear for a couple of minutes on each side then set to rest. I like ciabatta bread as the dry texture makes a wonderful contast to the juicyness of the steak and really absorbs the flavour.

Cut the bread in half and toast in the griddle pan - it literally takes seconds and both warms and crisps the bread. Add the steak to the bread and pour over and escaped juices.

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.

Chicken fried rice

This is so many points when you get it from a takeaway so I thought I'd have a go at my own version and this is such a cheats version. It literally takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish and really packs a punch in the flavour department.

Chicken Fried Rice

Serves 2 - 3 pts each

1/2 pack healthy living cooked chicken breast fillets

Handful of mushrooms sliced

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Garlic and chilli from the grinder

Soy sauce to taste

Pack microwavable basmati rice

Spray a wok with oil from a mister and add the mushrooms. Chop the chicken and add that plus a couple of turns from the garlic and chilli grinder. Add a splash of soy sauce and some water to stop the whole thing sticking. Put the rice in the microwave and add the oyster sauce to the chicken and mushrooms. When the rice is warmed through add to the wok and stir well. Divide between two dishes and devour. Add more soy if required

For a main meal why not eat it all to yourself?

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuffed Chicken Breast
Serves 2 - 5 pts each

2 large chicken breasts
1 pack of turkey rashers
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
4 low fat cheese triangles

Take a large chicken breast and split to create a butterfly effect, do not cut the whole of the way through. Mix together 4 low fat cheese triangles with a little chopped garlic and some dried mixed herbs, and stuff the breast with the cheese mixture.

Wrap turkey rashers around the chicken breasts and secure with a skewer or cocktail sticks. Heat an oven proof dish or tray on the stove and spray with oil from a mister. Brown the chicken breasts all over then place in a warm oven (180 degrees) until the juices run clear and the flesh is firm.

I served this with garlic and chilli roast potatoes and salad.

Roast Chicken

The variations on roasting a chicken are endless. Some stuff others don't. Butter and olive oil are rubbed into the skin and under the skin to keep the flesh moist. Hundreds of variations of herbs, both fresh and dried are used to enhance the flavour. They are roasted with garlic, onion, lemon or all three. They are roasted on beds of root vegetables so that the juices add flavour and richness. Then there are the simples souls like me that simple bung them in the oven.

I like the flavour of chicken. When I have paid for a fresh free range organic chicken I want to taste it and not the herbs etc. I eat spicy chicken and curried chicken every week but roast chicken is special. Besides if I cover it in butter and bacon etc that means less points for my spuds and Yorkshire puddings!

I roast my chicken on a rack so that the fat drains away. I then skim the fat off and use the juices to make gravy. A proper roast deserves proper gravy.