Garlic Chilli Prawns with Sesame Noodles

My revitalised life style continues with regular sessions at the gym and healthy eating and I am starting to see great results. I've decided to get back to weekly meal planning as a way of trying out new recipes and providing material to blog about. I still plan on blogging bakes as frequently as my hubby can get through them. This delicious garlic chilli prawns with sesame noodles is a quick and easy low calorie meal that was thoroughly enjoyed by hubby and me. Definitely one we will enjoy again!

Garlic Chilli Prawns with Sesame Noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients
250g medium egg noodles
1 tbsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve (optional)
1 tbsp groundnut oil
bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced lengthways
300g bag beansprouts
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
400g raw peeled tiger prawns
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Cook the noodles following pack instructions, then rinse with cold water and drain. Toss with 1 tsp of the sesame oil.

Heat 2 tsp of the groundnut oil in a non-stick wok. Stir-fry most of the spring onions and all the beansprouts for a couple of mins until tender. Add the noodles and warm through. Stir through the remaining sesame oil and tip out of the wok onto a serving dish.

Carefully wipe out the wok and add the remaining groundnut oil. Toss in the garlic and chilli, and cook for 10 secs. Pop in the prawns and stir-fry for a couple of mins until they have just turned pink. Stir in the sugar and soy, then bubble until the sugar has melted and prawns are cooked through. Spoon on top of the noodles and sprinkle with the remaining spring onions. Add an extra drizzle of sesame oil, if you like.

Prawn, Avocado and Pecan Herb Salad

After too many lunch times consisting of the same sandwich or tortilla wrap day after day I decided it was time for a change and with Hubby working from home it was a perfect opportunity to make something special. What better way for a change than with a heart healthy recipe from Sally Bee’s The Secret Ingredient? This dish proved that salads do not have to be boring! The prawns cooked with the garlic, spring onion and soy sauce combined wonderfully with the avocado and pecans to deliver a great tasting, warm and full of texture salad. This is a recipe I will certainly make time and time again! It would also make a great healthy starter.

Prawn, Avocado and Pecan Herb Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

drizzle of olive oil

2 salad onions or spring onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

8 (or more) uncooked king prawns

mixed salad leaves

watercress

1 ripe avocado

2 tomatoes, sliced

juice of 1 lemon

handful of fresh basil, torn

handful of shelled pecan nuts

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped salad onions or spring onions, crushed garlic, soy sauce, black pepper and raw prawns. Sauté until the prawns have turned pink all the way through.

Arrange the salad leaves, watercress, avocado and tomatoes in a big dish, then pour over the prawns and other cooked ingredients. Squeeze over the lemon juice, sprinkle with torn basil and pecan nuts and serve.

Smoked Salmon and Pea Pasta

Hubby's gone to Singapore on business again this morning but thankfully this is a short trip and he is back Friday morning. I hate it when he goes away and miss him terribly, so I keep busy around the house, cleaning, baking and making yummy meals for one! Comfort food is something I always crave when I am home alone and I found it in this recipe for Smoked Salmon and Pea Pasta. This recipe definitely delivered comfort; it’s low fat and incorporated Total Greek Yoghurt! A heart healthy, speedy meal packed with omega-3s and ready in 20 minutes.

Smoked Salmon and Pea Pasta

Serves 2

Ingredients

175g fusilli or other pasta

100g frozen peas

125g pack cooked smoked salmon fillets

3 rounded tbsp 0% Greek yogurt

2 rounded tsp horseradish sauce

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water according to pack instructions, adding the peas for the last 3 mins. Meanwhile, flake the salmon and set aside, then mix the yogurt with the horseradish, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, then return to the pan and stir in the salmon and yogurt, letting the heat of the pasta warm the sauce. Tastes great with a crisp green salad.

Prawn Curry

Last week I received an email from the lovely people at Total Greek Yoghurt asking if I would like to receive a sample of different variants of Total Greek Yoghurt. Having seen other bloggers that have also been selected to trial the range I immediately sent an email back saying YES! I received my huge delivery from Ocado this morning and my fridge is now bursting with small and big pots of natural Greek yoghurt, 0%, 2% and natural ones with honey.

I couldn’t wait to put my yoghurt to use and decided on this Prawn Curry that I have adapted in order to incorporate the 0% Total Greek yoghurt, which also made it low fat to suit my needs. This curry is mild, creamy and has a hint of mango sweetness from the chutney. A thoroughly enjoyable experience, although I will probably add a stronger curry powder next time as I only had mild. Watch this space for more recipes incorporating yogurt.

Prawn Curry

Serves 2

Ingredients
225g king prawns, rinsed
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp plain flour
300ml chicken stock or fish stock
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tbsp mango chutney
½ lemon, juice only
3 tbsp 0% Total Greek Yoghurt

Fry half the onion in a little vegetable oil over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until transparent.

Stir in the curry powder and fry gently for 1 minute.

Blend in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

Gradually add the stock and stir until the sauce thickens and comes to the boil (3-5 minutes).

Add the tomato purée, chutney and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes, then strain the sauce through a sieve.

Heat the other tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the remaining onion until soft, then add the prawns.

Blend in the curry sauce and bring to the boil.

Stir in the 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and remove from the heat.

Arrange the prawns in the sauce on top of boiled rice and serve with naan or poppadums.

Prawns with Tomato and Feta

I have a confession to make, remember my healthy eating mission? Well for the past few weeks I’ve done terrible! So I decided after feeling bloated, unhealthy and my clothes starting to feel tight I needed to get back on track. I needed some motivation and found it in the Good Food 101 Low-fat Feasts cookbook that was nestled amongst the other cookbooks on the shelf. I immediately found lots of great recipes which looked yummy and I choose this Prawn and Tomato with Feta dish for dinner. This Mediterranean inspired recipe was super easy and quick and the feta bought a new dimension of flavour to all the other ingredients. I served it alongside rice but it would be equally at home with pasta. Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this and it felt good to know I was eating healthy food again.

Prawns with Tomato and Feta

Serves 2-3

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
350g large peeled prawns, thawed if frozen
100g feta
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Rice or pasta to serve

Heat the tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the onions and fry gently for about 7 minutes, until softened and light brown. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.

Throw in the prawns, season and cook gently for 5 minutes until the prawns are thoroughly hot.

Serve spooned over rice or pasta. Crumble over the feta and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Salmon, Peas and Crème Fraîche Pasta

This evening I rustled up this speedy but very tasty special recipe for Salmon, Peas & Crème Fraîche Pasta from Tana’s Kitchen Secrets. I adapted it to my healthy eating and taste, omitting the dill (not a fan of dill) which is used in the original recipe and adding basil instead. I also added some petit pois for nutrition’s sake and because they are one of my favourite veggies and I simply love them. I really enjoyed this pasta dish with all the wonderful combination of flavours and textures. Perfect comfort food for wifey’s who are missing their hubby’s.

Salmon, Peas & Crème Fraîche Pasta

Serves 1 (lonely wifey that is missing her hubby)

Ingredients
1 x 140g salmon fillets (I used smoked salmon fillet)
Salt flakes and black pepper
100g spaghetti, preferably fresh (I used fresh pasta)
handful of frozen peas
handful of basil, chopped
Finely grated zest of ⅓ unwaxed lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche

Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/gas mark 5.

Place the salmon fillet in an ovenproof dish and season. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat and add the peas with the pasta and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, return to the pan.

Meanwhile, flake the salmon into a bowl and toss in the basil and lemon zest. Add to the pasta and gently mix through with the lemon juice and crème fraîche, taking care to keep the fish in large flakes. Season well and serve immediately.

Linguine with Garlic, Prawns and Spinach

My hubby is away on business in Singapore for a week and I hate it when he has to go away but its part of his job. He hates having to leave too but with his job he gets to fly first class all over the world, stay at 5 star hotels and wines and dines at the best restaurants, lucky sod!

I feel lost when hubby isn’t around and it can be lonely! So I decided to pay Amazon a visit and order two cookbooks to keep me company. I ordered Tana’s Kitchen Secrets by Tana Ramsey and The Itailian Diet by Gino D’acampo. The books arrived yesterday and both are great and full of so many yummy recipes. I particularly love The Italian Diet coobook with 100 healthy Italian recipes to help you lose weight and enjoy food. I couldn’t wait to try out some recipes from this book and tonight I tried the Linguine with garlic, prawns and spinach recipe.

This dish is so quick and easy, perfect for when you’re starving and your tummy is grumbling. I loved this simple delicious low-fat pasta recipe and can't wait to make this for hubby on his return, he will definitely love this too. If you’re a prawn and garlic lover then this one’s for you.

On a side note, I weighed myself this morning and my healthy eating is paying off, I have lost 5lbs in the past 2 weeks!

Linguine with Garlic, Prawns and Spinach

Serves 4

Ingredients
300g linguine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
150g spinach leaves
400g uncooked prawns, peeled
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered (I omitted these)

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 minute until golden.

Add the spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the prawns with the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan, then lower the heat.

Add the lemon zest and cherry tomatoes and stir everything together for
30 seconds.

Serve immediately.

449 calories 13.4g fat 1.9g saturates 4.2g sugars 0.9g salt

Summer Prawn Curry with Coconut and Lime

Here is a really great recipe by Sophie Dahl from this month’s Waitrose magazine. This curry really caught my eye with its wonderful combo of flavours and juicy king prawns. I’m a big fan of Thai curries and this is the first prawn one I’ve made. I adapted the recipe to make it lower in calories using half-fat coconut milk and less oil, every little bit helps in my quest to shift some weight!

I knew I was right to make this dish, oh my gosh it was absolutely scrumptious and nothing less than fantastic! This is a light and refreshing curry with a subtle spicy kick which in no way over-powers the other flavours. Whether you love Thai curries or never tried one before this is one you must make!

Summer Prawn Curry with Coconut and Lime

Serves 4 (I halved the recipe for 2)

Ingredients
2 tbsp sunflower oil (I used olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp Cooks’ Ingredients lime leaves
450g raw king prawns
400ml can coconut milk (I used half fat coconut milk)
2 limes, juice
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
100g mange tout
10g coriander, chopped

Heat the oil in a large pan; sweat the onion for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli, curry powder and lime leaves and cook on low for another few minutes.

Add the prawns and cover with the coconut milk. Cook for about 7 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and desiccated coconut, then add the mange tout and cook for another few minutes.

Season. Sprinkle with the coriander. Serve on a bed of plump rice.

Summer Salmon with Zingy Pesto and Veggies

I’ve been doing really well on my healthy eating and am feeling a lot better for it, less bloated, less irritable and generally a lot happier. It also helps that in summer you tend to want to eat lighter meals and salads have been playing a bit part in my menu. I’m also having fun trying out new lighter/low fat meals and confirming you can have tasty satisfying meals whilst they are still good for you.

The following recipe definitely falls in the above category. I came across this recipe on the Good Food website whilst looking for a recipe to jazz up my smoked salmon fillets. I just adapted to suit my needs and used less oil for the zingy pesto sauce. This meal really delivered a wonderful dining experience with an explosion of flavour!

Summer Salmon with Zingy Pesto and Veggies

Serves 2

Ingredients
325g small new potatoes, thickly sliced
325g frozen peas and beans
1tbsp olive oil
zest and juice of ½ lemon
medium bunch of basil, leaves only
2 salmon fillets about 140g/5oz each (I used smoked salmon fillets for added flavour)

Boil the potatoes in a large pan for 4 mins. Tip in the peas and beans, bring back up to a boil, then carry on cooking for another 3 mins until the potatoes and beans are tender. Whizz the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and basil in a blender to make a dressing (or finely chop the mint and whisk into the oil and lemon).

Put the salmon in a foil parcel, season, then pour the dressing over. Cook in a preheated oven, 200oC/180oC/Gas 6. Drain the veggies, then mix with the hot dressing and cooking juices from the fish. Serve the fish on top of the vegetables.

Note: If you don't have any basil to hand, you can use mint or dill instead. Both add a delicious, herby freshness to this dish.

Thai Red Salmon Curry

I'm moving house in a week and have been busy packing. I can't wait for this to be over, moving is a nightmare but I'm excited and looking forward to be moving into my new home. The last thing I want to be doing at this moment is spending too much time cooking, so quick easy meals are a must. Yesterday whilst leaving Waitrose I spotted one of their free recipe cards for Thai Red Salmon Curry. It not only looked delicious but it was just the kind of quick meal I am able to do right now. I cooked this for hubby and I and it was the perfect end to a busy day. This curry is mild, yet has depth of flavour that comes from the combination of all the wonderful ingredients. I will definitely be making this again!

Thai Red Salmon Curry

Serves 2

Ingredients
100g Le Puy Green Lentils
1 tbsp sunflower oil
100g green beans, topped, tailed and halved
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 Salmon Fillets, skinned and cubed
100g jar Thai Red Curry Paste
½ x 400ml can Coconut Milk
½ x 20g pack fresh coriander, chopped
½ x bunch salad onions, thinly sliced

Rinse the lentils and place in a medium-sized pan, generously covered with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes until just tender. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and add the beans and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the salmon and stir together for 1 minute.

Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and simmer gently for 4–5 minutes until the salmon is cooked through. Add the drained lentils, then scatter with the sliced salad onions and coriander. Serve with steamed rice

Tomato and Prawn Spaghetti

Pasta is always a favourite comfort food for my family and me; it’s quick and easy to cook and always tastes good. This simple but delightful Tomato and Prawn Spaghetti is one of my own recipes that I cook when I want a quick meal during the week. It has so many flavours, is low in fat and perfect if like me you are trying to lose some weight!

Tomato and Prawn Spaghetti

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

240g tiger prawns, peeled

splash of white wine

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes

salt and pepper

spaghetti or pasta of choice

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the crushed garlic for a few mins at a gentle heat. Add prawns and a splash of white wine and cook for a further few mins. Add the tomatoes, crushed chilli flakes, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 mins. Boil pasta according to packet instructions, drain and add to the tomato sauce and serve.

Honey-Seared Salmon with Sesame Noodles

Here is another great recipe from In the Mood for Food. The moment I first saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. I absolutely love salmon and stir fries and the both combined sounded really yummy. The salmon , soft noodles, sweet honey and crunchy veggies offer an amazing combination of texture and taste. With my fussy son, who is not fond of fish, being out for the night it was an opportunity to have a quiet evening in with hubby and enjoy this lovely meal with a glass or 2 of wine.

Honey-Seared Salmon with Sesame Noodles

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 strips of egg or rice noodles (I used rice noodles)
3 teaspoons sesame oil
2 thick salmon fillet, skinned and sliced into 2cm thick strips
4 teaspoon runny honey
4 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds
8 spring onions, sliced
2 handfuls of bean sprouts
4 large handfuls of spinach leaves

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and drain. Toss in a teaspoon of the sesame oil to prevent them sticking together. Toss the salmon with the honey, soy sauce and chilli flakes. Heat a non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the sesame seeds, toast until they are lightly golden, and then remove from the pan. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to the pan and once hot, cook the salmon for about a minute each side or until golden (reserving any of the honey and soy left behind in the dish). Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the remaining teaspoon of the sesame oil to the pan and quickly fry the noodles, spring onion and bean sprouts until the noodles are heated through. Add the spinach, sesame seeds and any remaining honey and soy mixture from the salmon. Toss until the spinach is starting to wilt. Tip the noodles and spinach mixture into a serving bowl. Sit the honey-seared salmon on top and serve straight away.

PS....For a bit of a kick, add a pinch of chilli flakes to the honey and soy sauce.

The salmon can be swapped for prawns or strips of chicken, pork or beef.