when stressed make soup

I don't binge eat - we all know I binge drink when there is wine in the house though! Overeating or emotional eating is not really my thing. I got fat because I didn't pay attention to what I was eating and thought nothing of creamy thai dishes, gourmet cheeses, rich delicious crusty pies etc... I also didn't exercise unless I was walking to a restuarant. So that has all changed - I'm definitely back to exercising and watching what types of food I eat.

I do use food to calm me down sometimes when stressed - but it's the cooking process not the gorging. In particular it's sourcing great ingredients and making something that is as healthy as possible.

Today it's Roasted Tomato and Sweet Potato Soup - heavy on the tomato.

I first skin the tomatos by scoring them at the top and pouring boiling water over them - then letting them sit for 1-2 minutes. Peel the skin off - cut them in half and cut the hard core off. Throw them in a roasting tin with peeled and diced sweet potato, spring onion, garlic cloves in the skin. Drissle yummy good for you Olive oil over it all - season and then slow roast for an hour possibly longer. Just before it's finished roasting I put in some rosemary sprigs. When ready put it all in a large saucepan - take the skin of the roasted garlic though! Add chicken stock and then wiz away with a bamix. I don't do food processers if I don't have to - I hate washing them!



Delish!!!

Core Cajun Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad

Chicken lightly coated in cajun spices and paprika - optional to add a squeeze of lemon juice. Salad is rocket, baby spinach, baked sweet potato slices, snap peas and truss tomatoes. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of dressing but I do add a dash of the WW honey and mustard dressing to this salad..

Oh and that's a photo taken from my new phone - the Nokia N95 - at night in my dark kitchen!

Garlic Prawn and Bacon Gnocchi - CORE & WW Points (6) Recipe

Love this! Serves 2 = 6pts per serve and totally CORE

Ingredients


20 Green Prawns - with tails on
I packet Gnocchi (approx 300 gr)
1 packet Weight Watchers Bacon
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Brown Onion
Dried Chilli Flakes
5 large Roma Tomatoes
Handful of dice Parsley and Basil

Method


Spray a non stick pan very lightly with spray oil. Dice onion and garlic - fry gently until onion clear. Add sliced WW bacon and fry a little more with the onion and garlic. Add diced roma tomatoes and cook/sweat until soft and falling apart a little. During this cook the gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water until the gnocchi floats to the top and drain in a colander. While the tomatoes are cooking add the prawns & a quick sprinkle of chilli flakes, stir through and cook until they change colour. (Take one out and test so you don't over cook them - yum!). When the prawns are cooked add the gnocchi to the pan and stir through with fresh parsley and basil.

Lamb Shanks with Lentils and Mash

I can't live without my Le Chasseur cookware but then again the list of kitchen items I can't live without is quite extensive - so lets just say I can't live without everything in my kitchen - but I adore my Le Chasseur. I love it even more that it was a gift from a treasured Set Dresser on one of the gorgeous Australian films I've worked on recently..

Now for one of my favourite winter time recipes that just happens to be Core.

Ingredients

Lamb Shanks - trimmed of visible fat by the butcher
1 1/2 Cups Red Split Lentils - rinsed and drained
1 Diced Onion
2 Cloves Crushed Garlic
1 Zucchini
1 Carrot
1 Can Crushed Tomato
4 Medium Washed Potatoes
2 Tbl Olive Oil
2 tsp Dried Herbs
1 tsp Paprika

Method

Heat Olive Oil in the pot and brown the Lamb Shanks. Set them aside and fry the olive oil and garlic until soft. Add the dried herbs and paprika and stir through the onion/ garlic mix..


Put the lamb back in and add the carrot (sliced). Fry gently for 2 min then add the stock and the can of tomatos.


Simmer for 10 mins then add the Lentils. Cook (with the lid on) for another 45 minutes - gently. Either in the oven or on the stove top - the beauty of Le Chasseur!



Add the sliced zucchini and cook for another 30 mins - or until you see the lamb start to pull away from the bone - then you know it's super tender and very yummy!

When it gets close to serving time make the mashed potato - I 'm sure you all know how to do that. I leave the skins on to give a rustic texture. Yes. Yes and because I can be lazy..



Then just serve.. not the prettiest of meals but oh so delicious!

Lamb and Tomato Curry with Yoghurt

Serves 2

500gr Lamb, trimmed and cubed
1 sm Onion, finely chopped
15 g Fresh ginger, finely grated
3 Cloves garlic, finely Chopped
1 Can Diced/Crushed Tomato
1/2tps Turmeric
2 tps Chilli powder or 2 small fresh chillies
1 tbl Ground coriander
1/2tps Ground cumin
1 tps Garam masala
1 cup Water or Vegetable Stock
150g Diced and Peeled Potatoes
Fresh Coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 sml tub Fat Free Natural Yoghurt

1. Spray a large saucepan with vegetable oil - add the onion, ginger and garlic
and fry until the onion is golden.

2. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin, 1/2
teaspooon salt and garam masala and toast a little.

3. Add the meat - coat with the toasted spices. Add the can of tomatoes and cook,
covered, over a low heat for about 30 minutes.

4. Add the potato and the water and cook for a further 20 minutes or until tender but not soft. Add Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Mix yoghurt and 1/2 cup of hot liquid from the curry in a separate bowl and then add to pan and stir through curry - do this a few minutes before serving so the yogurt doesn't seperate - don't boil.

5. Serve with 1 cup of cooked rice each and garnish with coriander leaves.

Spanish Paella with Chicken and Seafood

Or just Chicken if you don't like seafood!

I love paella and I truly believe you can make this dish a Core one by going easy on oil, not using chorizo :( and watching the portion sizes. It's great for a dinner party where you place it in the center of the table for guests to help themselves. Of course you can always start the dinner with Tapas including:

*Garlic Prawns
*Spiced Potato Cubes
*Oven Roasted Wild Mushrooms
*Mussles steamed with Garlic
*Peppers and Tomatoes
*Spanish Omelette's
*Cherry Tomatoes stuffed with Olive Tapenade

and all of these can be made Core.

But onto the Paella recipe - which I'll be making this weekend for friends and hopefully post photos later..

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 2 rashers of WW bacon
* 500 grams of boneless chicken breast or thighs
* 1 olive oil spray
* 1 and 1/2 cup aborio or medium grain rice
* 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
* 1 red onion diced
* 1 capsicum (red pepper) diced
* 2 to 4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
* 2 cups of paella or short grain rice
* 3 cups of chicken stock
* ½ teaspoon of saffron threads
* ½ teaspoon of turmeric
* 1 teaspoon of chili powder or flakes
* 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
* salt and pepper to taste
* ½ cup of fresh or frozen green peas
* 1 tsp each dried cumin, oregano, thyme & basil
* 4 tbl spoon fresh chopped parsley

For optional Seafood include:
* deveined green prawns * squid * fresh mussels

Method

Make the Sofrito - a Spanish sauce which is the flavour base of many dishes. To make heat the pan and spray very lightly with the Olive Oil spray - add the diced red onion, 1/2 of the diced capsicum (pepper), 2 tablespoons of parsley and 2 of the chopped garlic cloves and sauté for 8 minutes - stirring occasionally. Add the can of tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the sofrito has the consistency of jam. Spoon into a bowl and set aside.

Slice the Bacon and quickly brown in the pan the sofrito was cooked in. If it sticks just add a tiny amount of water. When cooked set aside. Season the Chicken pieces with salt and pepper and then add to the pan - cook approx 7 minutes and set aside.

To assemble the Paella first spray a little more oil in the pan and add the rice - stir to coat with the oil and toast slightly. Add the saffron, tumeric and chilli powder and stir through. Add the sofrito and mix well. Add the 3 cups of stock and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine - bringing to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered without stirring. You can move the pan around the heat though to make sure it cooks evenly. Lower the heat and add the bacon and chicken - stir a little and let simmer some more.

If you are adding the seafood then this step is for you... While the paella is simmering slice the squid into rings and put in a mixing bowl with the prawns, chopped garlic, parsley and chilli combine (add white wine if you wish here - but add the points!). Heat a wok and then quickly cook the seafood for 1 minute. Transfer to the simmering paella.

Just before the paella is ready (when most of the liquid has been absorbed) add the frozen peas - and push in the mussels if you are adding seafood. Cover with a large Bamboo Steamer cover or aluminum foil, simmer for 2 minutes while the mussels are steamed. Discard any mussels that do not open.

Garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro - place in the centre of the table on a heat absorbing plate and enjoy!

Kylie Kwongs Amazing Eggs

This is absolutley my favourite egg recipe of all time... In a perfect world it would be fried in about a cup of vegetable oil! Though with an excellent non stick pan you can get away with vegetable oil spray and not lose any flavour.. This is my own version of Kylie's eggs as explained here.

Ingrdients

4 free range eggs

knob of ginger

3 small red chillies

1 tbls Oyster Sauce

1 tsp Light Soy Sauce

2 Spring Onions

Method

Spray oil in a hot non stick wok. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and mix with sliced ginger and spring onions. Pour into the wok. After 2 minutes, reduce heat to allow the bottom of the eggs to become firm and crisp - while the top is still a little runny.

Gently remove eggs from wok - easing onto a plate. Drizzle eggs with oyster sauce and garnish with sliced chillies.

Optional - add Cherry tomatoes while cooking