I am on a quest now to lower the fat, salt and carbohydrates of what we are eating, and to that end I cooked a delicious chicken dish for us the other day that I had adapted from a cookery book entitled "The Ultimate Diabetes Cookbook" from Diabetic Living.
Garlic Cashew Chicken is a lovely melange of crisp and colourful vegetables, flavourful chicken strips, with a nicely spiced sauce, and brown rice . . . and plenty of garlic. Yum!
I cut the recipe in half and it worked very well. I only used two small sized chicken breasts, which I sliced into strips crosswise and then browned in a non-stick pan I had sprayed first with low fat Fry Light Avocado Cooking Spray. We don't get Pam cooking spray over her so . . .
After that you take the chicken out and you stir fry the vegetables . . . onions, carrots, bok choy, green peppers, garlic. . . one serving of this provides you with a full serving of vegetables.
I didn't have bok choy so I just used sliced cabbage and it worked well. You make a simple sauce using chicken stock, hoisin sauce, freshly grated gingerroot, cornflour, and red pepper flakes. This sauce has lotsa lotsa flavour. It is really tasty. I love hoisin sauce.
You stir the chicken back into the sauce and vegetable mix along with some cooked brown rice and then the whole thing gets poured into a casserole dish, tightly covered and baked.
Then you uncover it and sprinkle the top with cashew nuts and chow mein noodles. We cannot get the fried chow mein noodles over here (and its a good thing too because I could eat them like potato chips and they are not that good for you.) So I just used some cashew nuts. Banged back in the oven to toast the nuts . . .
And with a final sprinkle of sliced spring onions, this went down a real treat. I did serve Todd some additional brown rice on the side of his because he is not needing to watch his carbs and can use the extra calories. One of our neighbors brought him a piece of their wedding cake last evening as well, so he was one very happy camper.
*Cashew Garlic Chicken*
Makes 6 servings
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Spray a 2 litre/2 QT baking dish with low fat cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the chicken stock, hoisin sauce, fresh ginger, cornflour, red pepper and black pepper. Set aside.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and the chicken is no longer pink inside. Sprinkle with the cashew nuts and chow mein noodles (if using). Return to the oven for a further 4 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with the sliced spring onions and serve.
This really was delicious. Don't let the long list of ingredients put you off. Once you get them all assembled the dish goes together really quickly. I was able to enjoy the extra serving today. I made something suitable for Todd to eat, so he wasn't left out and I got to enjoy another healthy meal. I'd call that a bonus! I hope you will try it. I think you will really enjoy it, and maybe even more so in knowing that you are eating quite healthy as well. At 340cal per serving and 40g of carbs (and even less if you leave out the chowmein noodles) this is a winner/winner chicken dinner! Bon Appetit!
I have had a long and hard think about this in recent weeks, and I have to say that I have decided unequivocally that my favourite pie is Lemon Meringue. This was not an easy decision for me to come to because . . . well . . . I love pie. IF its in a crust I am all over it . . . sweet, savoury and inbetween!
So what is it about Lemon Meringue Pie that gives it that edge, albeit a tiny one, above all the other pies . . .
Perhaps it is the fact that I adore the flavour of lemons . . . cheek achingly tart . . . but with a touch of sunshine that never disappoints . . .
That quivering, mouth puckering and yet sweet, almost translucent filling . . . almost like a jelly, but more unctuous and richer . . . like a golden jewel. When we were children, my mother used to keep out some of the filling without the crust, and add a big of milk to it for my brother. It was thought that pastry was hard for small children to digest. It looked delicious that way but . . .
Then there is the pastry. What is a pie without pastry? I favour my recipe for Butter Lard pastry. It is crisp and flaky. Yes, it does make two crusts, but you can always freeze one disc of pastry for future use. Wrapped up tightly it will keep for several months. Simply bring to room temperature when you want to use it and roll out as desired.
Then there is meringue. I was awfully tempted to add an extra egg white to mine the other day so that it would be piled gloriously on top of the pie, but I did not. If you have your egg whites at room temperature they will whip up with more volume than if they are cold, so always bring them to room temperature first!
You want to beat your egg whites stiff, but still moist before you start adding the sugar. Add the sugar slowly, beating them constantly until you have a thick, stiff, glossy billowing mixture.
Like sweet soft clouds on top of that lovely filling, you only want to bake it until it is golden brown. I will confess right now, I am not fond of the British propensity to cook meringue until it is hard. On a Lemon Pie, to my way of thinking . . . it should be soft and almost marshmallow like.
And, oh . . . I know the tempation is oh so great to want to cut into it almost right away, but do chill it overnight in the refrigerator if you can resist it that long. It is really worth the wait.
You will get lovely straight edged, shimmering wedges of pie. Use a sharp knife and dip it into hot water with each cup and the meringue won't stick to the knife and tear. You will get perfect slices.
This truly is a most beautiful pie. The MOST beautiful tastiest of pies. It is a rare treat for me, but when I do cave in and make one, I find it achingly impossible to resist!
*Lemon Meringue Pie*
Makes one 9 inch pie 
Combine the sugar, flour, cornflour and salt in a saucepan.
Gradually whisk in the boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly, over
medium heat, until thickened. Cover and cook over low eat for about 2
minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Whisk a small amount of the hot
mixture into the egg yolks to temper them then blend them back into the
hot mixture, whisking constantly. Cook for a further two minutes,
stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter lemon
juice and lemon zest. Cool to lukewarm, stirring a few times. Pour
into the unbaked pie crust.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar using an electric whisk, until the mixture forms stiff but moist peaks. Very gradually add the sugar, beating continuously, until very stiff and shiny. Spread onto the lukewarm pie, touching the crust all the way around. Swirl points. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Cuts best when ice cold. To cut, dip a sharp knive into hot water and cut into wedges, wetting the knife each time. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
I have decided that it is almost impossible to photograph a lemon Meringue pie and have it look like the yellow ones you see on the boxes of Lemon Meringue Pie mix, or maybe it is just that this is homemade. Those mixes probably contain artificial colouring. Trust me when I tell you that once you have eaten a homemade one from scratch . . . you will not want to use a mix ever again. Bon Appetit!
A healthy big breakfast? Is that even possible you ask? Well, I am quite happy to tell you that it is and its quick, easy AND delicious!
Sorry, there's no sausage or bacon, or hashbrowns, but trust me when I tell you that you won't miss them at all. These breakfast tastes and feels luxurious to say the least!
This is in part due to beautiful baby Portabella Mushrooms which are brushed with ready-made (Or homemade if you have it) Basil Pesto prior to baking . . .
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Medium sized vine ripened tomatoes also get the luxury touch. You simply cut an x into the tops and poke a sprig of fresh thyme down into the cuts. A judicious sprinkle of good sea salt and a nice grinding of black pepper and they are ready for the oven.
While they are in the oven you get busy scrambling some eggs (I always use large, free-range rspca approved eggs) in a hot skillet along with a few handfuls of baby leaf spinach (I remove as may of the stems as I can prior to cooking).
This adds loads of extra colour and vitamins and lots of lovely flavour to the eggs. You can leave it out if you wish, but I rather like it myself. Or you could use any other cooked vegetable that you enjoy. Chopped cooked asparagus, courgettes, peppers and onions, etc.
I am not sure I can adequately describe just how delicious those roasted tomatoes are. In Winter when we are sadly lacking in fresh tomatoes, warm from the summer sun, roasting them helps to really enhance their natural sweetness.
They are some tasty! I use whole wheat English Muffins because I am a diabetic and if I am going to eat carbs, I try to make them good ones.
*A Healthy Big Breakfast*
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut an x in the top of each tomato with a sharp knife. Push a sprig of thyme down into each x. Place onto the lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and black pepper. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Place them onto the baking sheet with the tomatoes, in a single layer. Top each with 1/2 tsp of basil pesto. Place into the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes.
While the mushrooms and tomatoes are roasting cook your eggs.
Beat
your eggs together with the milk and some salt and black pepper. Heat a
large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Spray it generously with
low fat cooking spray. Pour the eggs into the heated pan. Let sit
for about 30 seconds and then with a wooden spatula start to scrape the
cooked egg from the outside into the centre of the pan, folding and
stirring as you go. Don’t rush it. You don’t want to over cook it,
neither do you want to undercook it. You just want to cook them until
they all pull together into soft creamy lumps, not dry curds. This
should take several minutes.Add the spinach a handful at a time, cooking
to wilt it and scramble it in with the egg. You may want to turn the
heat off
under the pan for the last minute or so. I often do.
And just so you know, my husband did not suffer much when I fed him this . . . he enjoyed the addition of some Hashbrown patties and a couple of sausages that I had cooked ahead and frozen. That's a handy tip actually. I like to roast a whole pack of sausages until cooked through and then I freeze them individually until they are frozen solid and then pop them into a freezer bag, ready to take out and reheat in the oven when I want to use them.
There were NO complaints.
I was happy. He was happy, and I am pretty sure my waistline was happy.
This recipe today is a brilliant one to use when you have some leftover cooked chicken (or turkey) that you are needing to use up. It's quick and easy and quite tasty!
The recipe is one which I adapted from this BHG cookery book that I bought way back in the early 1970's. Yes, it is old, just like me! But old doesn't necessarily mean its no good!
I started buying these books when I was still in High School. There was a whole enclopedia of them. I have talked about them before on here. They contain a lot of recipes that I cut my culinary teeth on.
I have adapted this one somewhat. I tend to use my own homemade stuffing mix (see recipe below). Stuffing Mix is not the same over here as it is in North America. They use rusk crumbs, not bread cubes, and the flavouring is quite different. After making my own stuffing mix, I don't think I would ever buy a stuffing mix again. Its really quite good and you know exactly what is in it. (Note - If you are living in the UK, do NOT use British Stuffing Mix. It will not work the same. Make your own from scratch. Its worth it.)
It also uses a tin of condensed soup. Mushroom. I am not a tinned soup snob. They do have their uses. By all means use the lower fat one if you can find it.
The stuffing gets mixed with half of the tin of soup (undiluted) and some chicken stock, and a couple of beaten eggs. I did cut down on the quantity of chicken stock. The original recipe called for 2 cups, I thought 1 1/2 cups was sufficient.
It also did not state what size eggs to use. I used medium. This mixture bakes into a savoury stuffing flavoured bread pudding. It is topped with chopped cooked chicken prior to baking. That in turn, gets the remaining half tin of soup (which has been thinned with some milk and mixed with chopped red peppers) poured over top.
Covered and baked for abotu 45 minutes, I uncover it and bake it for a bit longer just until lightly golden. This is actually delicious. Proof positive that these older recipes, with a tiny bit of adaption, are still solid and quite usable!
*Chicken & Stuffing Bake*
Makes 6 servings 
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 11 by 7 1/2 inch baking dish. (I used a 9 inch pie dish.) Set aside.
Toss the dry stuffing crumbs together with 1/2 of the tin of soup, the chicken broth and both eggs. Spread in the prepare baking dish. Top with the cooked chicken. Mix together the remaining half tin of soup with the milk and chopped red pepper. Pour over all. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until set. Uncover and bake for a few minutes longer until golden. Serve hot.
*Herbed Stuffing Mix*
Makes about 12 cups
I served it with tiny baked potatoes, roasted beetroot and steamed broccoli. Todd gobbled his up. I did cut the recipe in half as there are only two of us. It was quick, easy to make and quite delicious. My trinity of good eating! Bon Appetit!
I decided to bake some little Valentine Treats for my sweetie pie today in the way of these cute little Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts. Todd loves jam tarts. I think they are about his most favourite thing of all that I bake, next to a Victoria sponge, fruit cake, or apple pie . . .
The Queen of Hearts. So sweet here with her little tray of baked goodies and her cute crown, dress, etc. It was really difficult to find a nice picture of the Queen of Hearts . . . most are associated with that grouchy old Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland . . . and someone who looks that grouchy doesn't belong on my page!
These however are not that grouchy, and they really put a smile on our Todd's face when he came in from being in town.
They are a really simple make. If you can make pastry, then you can make these. I used my basic butter and lard pastry with a bit of sugar added. The recipe makes enough for 24 double heart tarts.
I only did one half of the pastry as tarts however, I baked the other half blind as a pie shell for a Lemon Meringue Pie. (Which I will tell you about another time!)
You want a well flavoured nice strawberry jam for the filling. I favour Bon Maman, but you use whatever strawberry jam you like best. If you have homemade, use that. Its the best!
Just be sure not to overfill them. This is definitely a case where less is more!
And even being judicious with your filling, blow outs will occur, no matter how well you try to seal them! So really . . . less is more! Trust me on this.
Mind you, if you are like me (And I like to think that we are more alike than we are different!) a little bit of blow out only makes them tastier, with their chewy sweet crunchy almost candy-like bits . . .
*Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts*
Makes 24 little heart pies
Pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour (280g)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour (280g)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup butter (76g)
1/3 cup lard (or white vegetable shortening) (74g)
5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water
1/3 cup lard (or white vegetable shortening) (74g)
5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water
You will also need:
strawberry jam
(I like Bon Maman)
milk for brushing
demerara sugar for sprinkling
icing sugar to dust
First make the pastry. Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and
lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas.
Add
ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry
comes together. Form in to a
ball and cut in two pieces. Form each into a round flat disc. Wrap in
cling film and
refrigerate for 1 hour.
At the end of that time,
preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray
with aluminium foil and spritz the foil with non-stick cooking spray.
Set aside.
Working with one disc at a time, roll the
pastry out on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling
pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out heart shapes with a 2- inch heart
cookie cutter. (Set the trimmings aside for the end.) Place spaced apart
on the baking tray. Place 1/2 tsp of jam or to taste in the centre of
each heart. Roll out the other disc of pastry the same as the first and
cut out an equal amount of herat shapes with the same cutter. Brush
the edges of the hearts on the baking tray with some milk and press the
other hearts on top to enclose the jam. Press around the edges with a
fork to seal completely. Brush the tops with some more milk and
sprinkle with demerara sugar. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife,
cut a little x shaped vent in the centre of each.
Gather
up all of the scraps and shape into another dish and roll out as for
the other pastry, and cut and fill tarts as before, bearing in mind that
they will not be as tender as the first ones because of the extra
handling. Repeat brushing with milk, sprinkling with sugar, etc.
Like I said I used the other half of the pastry to do a single baked crust for a Lemon Meringue Pie, and I am using an unsual amount of restraint keeping it in the refrigerator until it gets really cold before cutting! Lemon Meringue is my favourite kind of pie, next to raisin pie . . . so its hard to not want to cut into it right now!
In any case if you are looking for a delicious little Valentines treat to bake for your loved ones that's not that hard or fiddly and one that they will really enjoy, look no further than Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts!! Bon Appetit and off with their heads!
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