Creamy Cauliflower Soup

It seems like summer is on the way out today and as usual we've gone straight back to winter! Some soup on the blog today to banish the rain. Cauliflower and veg are gently simmered in chicken stock, then flavoured with white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.

Like the other soups I've posted, this is great served with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Asparagus & Pea Soup

Some soup on the menu today! Asparagus and peas, simmered in vegetable stock and thickened with potatoes. This soup is perfect as a lunch time pick-me-up or would work well as starter. 

Like the other soups I've posted, this is great served with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Vegetable Frittatas

Frittatas are a traditional baked egg dish that originated in Spain. Great as a filling lunch or even as a starter, they are beefier than an omelette and can be served hot or cold.

You can add additional blanched veg or even throw in some cooked chicken or prawns to make them go a bit further. 

Carrot & Lentil Soup

Some soup on the menu today! Lentils are a great standby cupboard item as they contain lots of vitamins and nutrients and they really fill you up. You can use tinned or dried pre-soaked lentils and any colour will work. Unlike some of the other soups on the site, this one doesn't contain any potatoes so is kept on the lighter side and is a little more Summery. 

Serve with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative. 

Seafood Chowder

Delicious seafood chowder on the menu today. Onion, leek and celery gently sautéed, then simmered in milk and stock. Thickened with potatoes and finished with smoked coley and cooked prawns.

You could easily substitute the coley for haddock or cod. You could also add some mixed seafood like clams, mussels or even calamari. 

Vegetable Samosas

These vegetable samosas contain the classic combination of seasoned mashed potato with peas and spring onion wrapped in filo pastry. Most traditional recipes suggest you deep fry them, but in this recipe they are baked to reduce the calories.

They are a bit fiddly to start with but become easier with a little practice. 

Leek & Bean Soup

Some soup on the menu today! This soup is an Italian style vegetable soup that's ready in no time and really fills you up. Tinned cannelloni, butter, kidney or mixed beans would all work well. If using dried beans, soak as advised and allow to simmer in the stock for the required time before frying the additional veg. 

Serve with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative. 

Arancini - Crispy Risotto Balls

Arancini is a rustic Italian dish that's a great way to use up any left over cooked risotto rice. In my version, a little low fat cheese is hidden inside a ball of cooled risotto rice, coated in breadcrumbs and gently pan fried so the outside crisps up, while the cheese inside melts. Perfect as a starter, they are great served with a little Tomato Pesto or pasta sauce on the side for dipping.

Also, this post is the 100th recipe I've posted on the site. Since it's been set up in February, over 2,500 unique visitors have viewed more than 5,000 page impressions and I'd like to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Here's to the next 100!

Wholemeal Bread

A bit of baking on the menu today! This wholemeal bread recipe is kept light by using a mixture of white and wholemeal flour.

While perfect for finger sandwiches, it's a good idea to have some soup in the house when baking this loaf as it's simply perfect for dunking!

Potato Rosti

Potato rostis are a great alternative to mashed or boiled potatos. They go great with chicken or fish and can be impressive if entertaining.

The secret to making great rostis is to remove as much liquid as possible from the potato onion mix and not poking around too much when it's in the pan! 

Aubergine & Tomato Bake

This Italian vegetable bake is a delicious mix of cooked aubergines and ripe tomatoes, baked in the oven with parmesan cheese.

Ideal as a light meal, or great as a starter. It can easily be assembled before hand and popped into the oven when needed.

Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

Another lighter soup on the menu today. One of the favourites from the takeaway, Chicken & Sweetcorn soup is a delicious simple soup that's a great way to use up left over chicken. Turkey would work well too.

Focaccia Bread

Italian Focaccia bread on the menu today. This classic Italian flat bread is a lighter alternative to garlic bread. It combines the great Italian flavours of roasted tomatoes and fresh rosemary.

Focaccia bread is an ideal accompaniment to almost any Italian dish, but works very well when there's lots of sauce to be mopped up!

It's hard to pin down what Focaccia actually means in Italian. It seems to relate to the word 'centre' though. Let me know if you know better!

Broccoli Soup

This light creamy soup is a great option for lunch or would work well as a starter. To maintain the colour and vitamins, the broccoli is steamed over the simmering stock and then added at the end.

Like the other soups I've posted, this is great served with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Sweetcorn Fritters

These sweetcorn fritters are a light savoury pancake that would work well as a starter or a great lunch. Alternatively, you could make two larger fritters for a main meal or to accompany some grilled chicken or fish.

The basic batter is the same as my Buckwheat Crepes recipe. Using half buckwheat flour keeps the fritters on the light side. You could add more veg such as chopped spring onion or chopped peppers to make them go a bit further. Alternatively, you could add a little low fat cheese or even some cooked chicken or ham.

Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup

This delicious soup combines carrot, sweet potato, onions and curry powder to give an Indian flavoured soup.

The soup would go great served with Weight Watchers naan breads or a couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

A lovely lighter creamy soup up today! The weather seems to be brightening up over the last few days and at the risk of sounding a thousand years old, there's a grand stretch in the evening! 

This soup is best when you use a mixture of mushrooms although standard button mushrooms would work fine. Fancier types like chanterelles, shitake or oyster give a woodier taste that's really delicious. Many of the supermarkets do a pack with mixed varieties that are perfect.

Serve with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Buckwheat Crepes

Buckwheat crepes are a light thin pancake that can be served with sweet or savoury fillings. This recipe uses a equal portions of buckwheat and plain flour to give a lighter mix that's better for you.

Ideal as a weekend breakfast or a light lunch when served with a sprinkle of sugar and lemon juice or some fresh fruit. Alternatively, the crepes would make a more filling lunch or starter when served with some extra low fat cream cheese and smoked salmon or a slice of low fat cheese with lean ham or salami. 

The batter will make smoother crepes if it's chilled beforehand for at least 30 minutes and can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours on standby. 

Wontons

Wontons are a classic Chinese starter that consist of meat or vegetables cooked in filo pastry and served with an Oriental Dipping Sauce.

Following on from the Oriental Meatball recipe previously posted, these wontons use the same Oriental meatball mix, which is added to the filo wrappers and baked in the oven.

These are great served with a dipping, soy or sweet chili sauce.

Oriental Meatballs

The third bout of meatball goodness! We go even further east for these delicious Chinese style meatballs. Ginger, garlic and coriander are the classic Chinese combo that come together in this dish.

Unlike the previous meatballs recipes, these meatballs are done in the oven, not the pan,  facilitating the slightly looser mixture. The meatballs are great served on their own with a little soy, Oriental Dipping Sauce or sweet chili sauce. Alternatively, they go great with a vegetable stir fry with some soy or oyster sauce or simply served with noodles.