WARM FIG & GOAT'S CHEESE SALAD

Feast your eyes on this colourful warm fig, goat's cheese and sweet red pepper salad. Add fresh crunchy croutons for texture. The secret ingredient is temperature - warming the figs through in the oven to bring out their full flavour.
To make this salad for two you will need:

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1 bag of mixed salad leaves

4 figs

one sweet pointed red pepper

soft goat's cheese

day old bread cut into cubes

pine nuts

olive oil

vegetable oil

a sprinkle of dried herbs - use whatever you have

salt/pepper

optional - chilli flakes

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Turn oven to 160ºC. Cut figs in half and lay on an oiled baking tray and drizzle lightly with melted butter. Cut the bread into cubes and coat with vegetable oil and a sprinkle of mixed dried herbs. Place the bread onto the same tray as the figs. Slice the pepper and coat lightly with oil. Put the red pepper into a separate oven proof dish and place in oven at the same time as the figs and croutons. When figs have warmed through (around 15 minutes), remove from oven.  Turn the croutons over. Keep the croutons and red pepper in the oven while you assemble the salad (you can turn the oven off). Take a handful of pine nuts and fry lightly for a few minutes in a little vegetable oil - if you like a little heat, add a few chilli flakes to the pan. Dress the salad leaves with your preferred dressing. We used a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt/pepper. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and enjoy.

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Do you know how many calories you are allowed each day?

Here's a link to our very first blog post about our weight loss journey, which we began in January 2011. We started this blog as a way of recording what we ate while losing weight. The blog is a food diary, and contains lots of recipes, tips and ideas about losing weight.

Copyright © all rights reserved. Please do not copy any of this material without my express permission.

Spinach saag bhaji and bombay potatoes

Here is a very quick and easy way to enjoy spinach and potatoes. Add flavour without adding  calories.
Spicy bombay potatoes and spinach saag bhaji are made using the same ingredients.
There is such a wonderful fresh taste to these simple, light and mildly spiced side dishes. The bombay potatoes have a lovely creamy texture when cooked this way. The spinach is very refreshing and will adorn anything from curry to sausages!

Use the following ingredients to create the base for these simple side dishes:

One small onion

One garlic clove

1 cm ginger

1 - 2 teaspoons mild curry powder

oil for frying

Blend the onion, garlic and ginger to a puree and fry in a little oil for 5 minutes. You may need to add a touch of water. Add curry powder and fry for another minute or two. Use this base to make your side dishes. For the spinach saag, simply add spinach and wilt - season with salt to taste. For the bombay potatoes, put the base into a pan with a lid, add cubed (uncooked) potatoes and add enough water or stock to almost cover the potato. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. If there is too much liquid left in the pan, remove lid and turn up heat to reduce and thicken the base.

***

Do you know how many calories you are allowed each day?

Here's a link to our very first blog post about our weight loss journey, which we began in January 2011. We started this blog as a way of recording what we ate while losing weight. The blog is a food diary, and contains lots of recipes, tips and ideas about losing weight.

Copyright © all rights reserved. Please do not copy any of this material without my express permission.

EASY CHICKEN and SWEETCORN CURRY

An easy CHICKEN & BABY SWEETCORN CURRY takes around 10 minutes to prepare. This was a very simple recipe using few ingredients and producing a wonderful depth of flavour.

The bombay potatoes and spinach saag bhaji was very quick to prepare too.

Our flatbreads flavoured with warm spice were less doughy but equally as tempting as any naan bread.

We prepared everything in the afternoon so the meal was ready to heat through within 10 minutes.
Why not save on the cost of a takeaway and enjoy a lovely fresh tasting curry with a lot less calories.

Why not take a look at our easy recipe below: