AROMATIC SPICED MEATBALLS

Meatballs infused with a cocktail of Eastern spices. These were so aromatic, delighting all the senses - just as everything Ottolenghi does.
Transforming beef and lamb mince into a flavour sensation far removed from most other burgers and meatballs. You can always turn them into burgers if you prefer! If you are looking for something different and have an hour to spare, you won't be disappointed. The dish is not difficult to make at all and came from Ottolenghi's 'Jerusalem' recipe book. It would make a fantastic sharing platter with friends.
The main spice for the meatballs was Baharat, which you can make yourself (plenty of online recipes) or buy ready made. We made enough spice for a few meals and will probably use it next time to experiment with fish.
We served our meatballs with Orzo - small pieces of pasts which look like rice and a few chunks of toasted ciabatta to help mop up the wonderful lemony juices. We also added a few sliced asparagus spears at the end of cooking which added a nice crunchy texture to the dish.
Here's a link to the Ottolenghi recipe
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BEEF AND MUSHROOM PIE

National Pie Week was celebrated with a home made beef and mushroom pie. The recipe is easy enough if a little time consuming. You can make this in two stages by cooking the beef first and eventually making it into a pie.
We used a cheap cut of beef and slow cooked this first in the slow cooker. You can use any of the cheap cuts such as brisket, stewing beef or braising steak. If you can find it, you can also use LMC - which stands for leg of mutton, a cut from over the blade, and often used for a pot roast. We wanted to test this cut of meat which we hadn't used before, and we were very impressed with the results and flavour.
Eating food you enjoy is the secret to keeping the weight off. It's no good craving foods you can't eat because the likelihood is that you will end up eating it anyway, partly because you are thinking about it all the time.

Be who you want to be.

Do you know how many calories you can eat each day?

Our very first blog post about our weight loss journey - back in 2011.

You'll find our successful weight loss method and a few tips and tricks here: WEIGHT LOSS STORY.

Tweak what you eat and lose weight.

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2015), all rights reserved.

Here's our recipe:

TERIYAKI BEEF MOOLI BITES

We bought Marks and Spencer's teriyaki mooli bites and liked them so much, we thought we would make our own version.
What a lovely surprise - and you can make lots of these for very little cost. These mooli bites are great for a party especially if you are on a budget, and if your guests are trying to lose weight, these little bites won't harm them. They must be less than 30 calories each, as they are just vegetables and a small amount of meat.
Buying the mooli was probably the most difficult part, but here in Bristol we have a fantastic oriental supermarket. The mooli is a very long, white radish with a bit of a 'bite' and very crunchy texture. After peeling lengthways into strips with a vegetable peeler, we created these wonderful party bites using various other vegetables which we had in the fridge. We were slow cooking a beef for a casserole (or pie) and took a few chunks of the meat, shredding it and mixing it with some teriyaki sauce. Everything was easily rolled up into a nice little parcel. The resulting snack was satisfyingly crunchy and cost very little to make! You could possibly get away with some meat from the deli and fish or prawns if you prefer. We also think you could use tinned tuna fish too. Next time we'll try this with shredded crispy duck and bean sprouts along with other salad vegetables. The dip here is teriyaki - which you can buy ready made, but as we had already marinated the beef in the teriyaki, we experimented and found the mooli bites went better with sweet chilli sauce which complemented the teriyaki. If you don't marinate the beef (or other protein) first, then just use the teriyaki sauce dip.

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Be who you want to be.

Do you know how many calories you can eat each day?

Our very first blog post about our weight loss journey - back in 2011.

You'll find our successful weight loss method and a few tips and tricks here: WEIGHT LOSS STORY.

Tweak what you eat and lose weight.

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2015), all rights reserved.

BEEF PARTY BITES under 50 calories

Here is a very simple recipe for leftover beef - and will keep your party guests happy too! You'll never believe these weigh in at under 50 calories each. If you are on a budget, these work out at around 2p each plus the filling - whichever you choose.
We used a mini muffin tin, making 18 beef party bites with this batter recipe:
75g plain flour, 1 egg, 115 ml milk plus 25 ml water (or use all milk). Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the flour, salt and pepper into a bowl and make a well, crack the egg into the well with a small amount of the milk. Using a whisk, gradually add the rest of the liquid. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour - the longer the better.
Add a very small amount of fat (such as goose fat or lard) to the muffin tin. The tip of a teaspoon should be sufficient. Put the muffin tin into the oven while it's heating up.
Bake in a very hot oven 200ºC for 20 minutes.
Make a hole in the top of each pudding and insert (reheated) beef with a touch of horseradish sauce. If you prefer you can fill with freshly fried pieces of steak. We reheated brisket of beef in the microwave oven and added a dash of hot gravy too. Season with salt and pepper. Alternatively, fry beef chipolatas and put slices of these inside.

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Be who you want to be.

Do you know how many calories you can eat each day?

Our very first blog post about our weight loss journey - back in 2011.

You'll find our successful WEIGHT LOSS STORY here. Tweak what you eat and lose weight.

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2014), all rights reserved.

Please do not copy any of this material without our express permission.

500 CALORIE BEEF STROGANOFF

This beef pasta recipe was made using double cream, rather than the usual sour cream used for a BEEF STROGANOFF. I didn't have any sour cream so to tone down the creaminess I added a tablespoon of full fat yoghurt.
The creamy mushroom sauce also goes very well with a whole steak.
I would estimate this dish (including the pasta) at around 500 calories per portion.

REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours?

We began our weight loss journey in January 2011 - and began this blog in June 2011.
You'll find our first post (about our successful weight loss method here).

Read about our successful weight loss story and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.

Here's the RECIPE:

Beef chilli and beans

Shin of beef chilli with pinto and kidney beans made for a luxurious meal.
The shin of beef contains quite a lot of silvery looking tough membrane. This doesn't need removing as it breaks down whilst cooking, and adds lots of flavour.
We invested in a pressure cooker as we regularly cook with tougher cuts of meat. A slow cooker is great if you plan ahead, but the pressure cooker is fab if you want to be more spontaneous.
After a busy day at work you can pick up a budget cut of meat and enjoy it that very evening.
This meal normally takes around 6-8 hours in a slow cooker. It took just 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and the results were impressive.
I also bought dried pinto and kidney beans after reading how quickly and easily they can be cooked under pressure. Again, the results were pretty amazing. Although I was prepared, and had soaked the beans beforehand, they can also be cooked using a fast method in the pressure cooker.
For this dish I used my usual beef chilli recipe, but replaced the can of kidney beans with the pre-soaked kidney and pinto beans. After 20 minutes at high pressure, I turned off the heat and let the pressure drop naturally. As for the beans, we were really impressed with the creamy, silky texture of beans cooked this way. Great if you are on a budget as dried beans are a fraction of the price of tinned beans. The real bonus - a very rich and tender, budget meal in under half an hour.
Here's the recipe:

BEEF STEW & PEARL BARLEY

SLOW COOKED beef stew and pearl barley is another of our favourite dishes. We revisited it today, making a large batch - enough for 8 to 12 portions.
There's something comforting about pearl barley in a stew, provided it's not overcooked - see our tip below. Pearl barley swells up a lot, and can take over the dish if you're not careful.
Use about one tablespoon of (uncooked) pearl barley per portion. This will add around 45 calories to the dish.
Each dumpling is around 90 calories. The portion of beef stew in the photograph contains around 75g of beef and two (very fluffy) dumplings which worked out at around 500 calories.
For this recipe I used a SLOW COOKER, but you can always cook this in an ovenproof dish on a low heat - 140ºC for two to three hours. Cover tightly with foil first, then the lid. You'll need to check that it hasn't dried out.
Here's how we make our stew:

Slow cooked beef

We love the budget cuts of meat - they have a lot of flavour. This BBQ BRISKET OF BEEF is no exception - and is one of our favourite cuts of meat. Cooking the beef slowly results in a very tender and juicy piece of meat. Most of the fat is drawn out of the meat too.
Over the weekend, we decided to try a different method of cooking the beef. We weren't disappointed with the results either. Usually we cook slowly in the oven for 3 to 4 hours on a low heat.

A TIP FOR GREAT BEEF BURGERS

Home made BEEF BURGERS can be so juicy and tender, and you get to control the ingredients that go in.
We decided to make these BEEF SLIDERS after picking up a good tip, which resulted in a pretty amazing burger.
You don't need egg to bind the meat either.
So what's the secret? For these burgers, we started out with good quality minced beef. You can add your favourite spices to the basic mix below. The calories in each burger will change depending on the fat content of the beef.  At around 150 calories per slider, these make a great party snack. They were very filling too.
Here's how we made them:

Chilli beef with wild rice

This minced beef chilli with long grain wild rice was made using mainly store cupboard ingredients. It's a dish that always comes in handy, when you're not quite sure what to do with that pack of minced beef.
I often make this using basmati rice, which is what I usually have in the cupboard. But here I used a packet mixed with long grain and wild rice. It was quite cheap at around £1 per 500g.
I love the nutty texture of the wild rice which adds something to the whole dish.
If you can get hold of star anise - then add this to the pot. It's not necessary, but it does add a hint of something 'different' to the dish. We tend to use star anise more, since discovering it. Unlike lots of spices which can easily accumulate… This woody spice can be added to many other dishes e.g. stews. The only thing you have to remember is to remove it before serving, as it's not very pleasant if you end up chewing on it.
The minced beef was very simple to put together too, and a portion of this will set you back somewhere around 300 calories (or 450 calories including the rice).
Here's how we made the chilli:

BEEF STEW & DUMPLINGS

When the weather turns cold there's nothing more comforting than BEEF STEW & DUMPLINGS. This is a classic dish and despite the bit of stodge on the side - those fluffy herb dumplings - it's relatively low in calories.
Pick up any ready made stew and you might be surprised at how low in calories they contain. Better still, make your own as it's so easy.
It's hard to believe the stew is around 350 calories (that includes the dumplings) - your tastebuds may be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
This recipe makes 6-8 hearty portions - costing around £1.00 per portion. It's a great budget dish with so much flavour it would quickly fly off any gastro menu. The secret is really in the ingredients - and using the right cut of meat.
You can use whatever ingredients you like, but here's how I made this:

HOT OPEN BEEF SANDWICH

This HOT BEEF SANDWICH turned out so much better than I had anticipated.
My previous attempts at achieving tender roast beef, using the cheaper 'Silverside' or 'Topside' cuts were all pretty disastrous. A lot of websites will tell you these cuts of meat are better slow roasted. Yet I've also seen instructions for conventional roasting.
Today I thought I would experiment. Having been spurred on by the ever increasing cost of roast beef on the deli counter and my thrifty conscience.
There was a hint of where I had been going wrong after I tested out Michel Roux's method of roasting pork loin.
This fabulous open beef sandwich includes just a few of the deliciously sweet and sticky shallots which went into the roasting tin. The meal is under 400 calories - and very satisfying! If you don't have time - use some deli slices, but if you want to try this recipe - here's what I did:

Beef Stroganoff

We wondered what to do with some LEFT OVER BEEF, and after surveying the contents of the fridge, we opted for a simple BEEF STROGANOFF. What better way to use up the solitary green pepper and some mushrooms.
We were undecided whether to use greek yoghurt (and save calories) or sour cream for authenticity. Sour cream is around 200 calories per 100ml whereas the same amount of full-fat Greek yoghurt contains around 135 calories. With little difference in calories - we decided to use sour cream on our first tasting attempt. We estimate the stroganoff recipe below at around 350 calories per portion. Add a small portion of rice (50g dried weight each) at 175 calories and you have a very tasty dish at around 525 calories per portion.However, divide by three portions and you will be looking at a satisfying dish (with rice) at around 350 calories - amazing! Here's the recipe we used and what we thought of the end result:

Beef & mushroom fried rice

Tonight we chose BEEF & MUSHROOM fried rice with pak choi.
People we speak to say one of their greatest aids to weight loss is being prepared. We agree and we are now more likely to plan ahead for the next few meals.
Having prepared some of this dish earlier, we were able to go about our busy day, and return to a meal which was ready in less than 10 minutes. We doubt we could have eaten sooner if we had chosen a takeaway!
The mushroom, egg fried rice was very delicate, and the whole dish was around 400-450 calories - which was pretty amazing. Here's how we made it:

BREAD & WEIGHT LOSS

Lunch was a tasty BEEF, EGG & ONION sandwich, and it certainly hit the spot. (See how we made it below).
If you love bread, why give it up to lose weight? We carried on eating bread and believe this actually helped us. If you stop eating foods you are likely to crave, you might just find you eat more of it. Perhaps you'll find yourself skulking around the bread bin, sneaking a slice of bread here or there? Why go through the torture.
Embrace bread and try different flavours, like we do. Just keep a balanced approach, vary your diet and enjoy your food.
We counted the calories in this tasty sandwich

Spicy BBQ beef ball in breadcrumbs

This little morsel - BBQ beef in breadcrumbs -was a bit of a showstopper. We wanted to add a little texture and crunch to our dining experience, where we were cooking 'beef three ways'.
The beef ball recipe although experimental, turned into one of the finer elements on the plate.
Our guests were more than impressed and so were we! The beef ball was placed ceremoniously on a bed of sweet onion puree (I'll post that recipe later) and helped balance the whole plate.
Everyone wanted to know how to make them. We had searched for something akin online, and found nothing, so we came up with our own recipe.
They would certainly work as appetisers on their own. Here's our recipe:

Beef with orange spiced carrots and onion puree

This was our dinner party meal - which we enjoyed experimenting with.
Yesterday I posted how to make the balls of beef, and today I'm concentrating on the ORANGE SPICED CARROTS which will compliment lots of meals.
The dinner is more time consuming than technical, but the bonus, especially when you are entertaining, is that a lot of the components can be prepared beforehand.
Besides the melody of beef, the sweet onion puree and orange spiced carrots were a firm favourite. Even if you are cooking a simple beef dish - dressing up the vegetables like this is easy to do.
Take a look at this fabulous recipe for the

Short rib of beef

We bought JACOB'S LADDER (short rib of beef) the other day but ended up with far too much - double the quantity we actually needed.
So... we decided to try the short rib cooked two ways.
The other day we braised the beef ribs in a slow-cooker overnight, using this fabulous short rib of beef recipe.
This time we slow roasted the meat in the oven after rubbing the beef with spices. Slightly more expensive to roast in the oven, but was it worth the effort and expense?

Jacob's Ladder

Now this cut of beef is very cheap - JACOB'S LADDER is also known as short rib of beef. All it requires is long, slow cooking.
It's not a common cut and I've never seen it in the supermarket. We bought ours from the butcher, who generally supplies local restaurants with this particular cut.
It has to be one of the tastiest cuts of 'budget' beef you can possibly buy. The end result is slightly sweeter than the more well know 'shin' of beef.
I'm not sure if my Mum ate it or inhaled it, as it disappeared so quickly! Not bad on calories either!

BEEF BOLOGNESE

I made this BEEF LASAGNE (new recipe) after cooking a batch of bolognese sauce with the intention of making a spaghetti bolognese.
Unfortunately, I used cheaper pre-packed minced beef, but found the grainy texture of the meat disappointing, and I didn't want to use it in a spaghetti bolognese.
Without wishing to waste all my hard work, I reasoned the bolognese would benefit from further slow cooking. And... I wasn't disappointed either; the resulting lasagne, slow cooked in the oven yesterday, proved to be a hit and was devoured in minutes. What a great rescue plan.
Making meals from scratch takes effort and time - both can be in short supply! Then if things go wrong, it can be very frustrating. So, as I've just learned, it makes sense to start with good ingredients. They may cost a bit more, but the end result will be worth it.
I'm experimenting with garlic too - and found this smoked garlic (front of pic) in Morrisons supermarket at just 59p. I wish I could 'attach' the wonderful smoky aroma to this post!
We love pasta, and have eaten it right from the start of our fabulous weight loss. It's filling, tasty and this lasagne for example is under 500 calories! What more can you ask? Oh, and egg pasta is more filling because it contains egg (protein).
If you are going to turn this beef bolognese into a LASAGNE here's a link to how we achieved the perfectly smooth white sauce - it never fails!!
Here's the NEW bolognese recipe I was trying out - experimenting with smoked garlic and other vegetables. The sauce was positively bursting with so much flavour.