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!

Sundried Tomato & Olive Wholemeal Pizza

Delicious healthy pizza on the menu today. The classic combo of sundried tomato and olives served over tomato sauce with melted cheeses.

This pizza base recipe is made with half white and half wholemeal flour to keep it on the light side. You could easily add a little more veg or some chopped cooked meat if you want to make the pizza go a bit further. 

Smoked Trout with Creamy Pasta

Smoked trout is a great standby product to have in the fridge. It's fully prepared and can be added to cooked pasta or rice to make a great dinner or simply added to salad or served with Wholemeal Bread for a filling lunch. It's also very good for you as it's a great source of Omega 3 oils and is full of vitamins.

Supper Satisfaction was out and about yesterday at an event for the Irish food blogging community organised by Bord Bia - Irish Food Board & The Good Mood Food Blog- Donal Skehan. They very kindly arranged some samples from Irish food producers including the fantastic smoked trout used in today's recipe which was provided by Goatsbridge Premium Irish Trout.

Pasta & Beans

I've mentioned before that we try to have at least one veggie meal a week. A vegetarian, if not quite a vegan option is a great way to cut the calories, save a little money, not to mention saving the planet!

This pasta and beans dish is a great one pot supper that requires minimum effort. The veg can easily be chopped before hand and cooked off when needed.

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.

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!

Low Calorie Pesto

Pesto is the classic Italian mix of fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. To cut back on the calories, this recipe uses stock instead of olive oil, but it still retains all the flavour.

Fantastic stirred into pasta, it's also great added to sandwiches or a topping for a baked potato. 

Potato Gnocchi

Potato gnocchi are Italian dumplings that work as a fantastic alternative to pasta. Made using mashed potato, they are a great way to use up any left over mash. They are delicious with a little grated parmesan or with your favourite pasta sauce.

My previous Sun Dried Tomato Mash or basic Mashed Potato (with two teaspoons of olive oil added) would both work great for this recipe.

When planning this post, I did look up what the word gnocchi meant in English, hoping it would be some delightful Italian shape; It means 'lumps'!

Sun Dried Tomato Mash

Sun dried tomatoes are a great stand by item that can be kept in the store cupboard.

In this recipe, they are simply chopped up and soaked in a little olive oil and seasoning, then mixed with creamy mash. 

This mash is fantastic with any grilled fish such as John Dory or would go great will grilled meat or chicken.

Garlic Roasted Potato & Butternut Squash

Winter's back! It was getting nice for a few days there but we knew it wouldn't last. Wrap up warm and  banish any residual winter blues with this delicious veggie dish!

Potatoes and butternut squash gently roasted in garlic and herbs is a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. The veg can be left chunky or alternatively can be mashed with a little low fat milk and butter for a creamier consistency.

Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

I've posted before that there are lots of stir in pasta sauces available but many of them are quite bland and can be full of salt and sugar. 

This is another healthy alternative that is ready in no time and will keep in the fridge on standby for a couple of days.

The recipe used roasted peppers. Jarred peppers work just fine, but you roast your own if you have a little more time.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Italian recipe that combines bacon, cheese and cream with pasta to make a creamy sauce. Needless to say, this healthy alternative has no cream, but manages to maintain basic flavours of carbonara, but without the calories!
If you prefer, you can substitute the cooked bacon for cooked chicken, cooked prawns, smoked salmon or even mixed veg or mushrooms. 

Tomato Pesto

There are lots of stir in pasta sauces available but many of them are quite bland and can be full of salt and sugar. 

This healthy alternative is ready in no time and will keep in the fridge on standby for a couple of days.

The recipe used roasted peppers. Jarred peppers work just fine, but you roast your own if you have a little more time.

Italian Spicy Roast Chicken

This dish is another great favourite that is on the table in no time, with very little prep. 

The great combination of chicken, roasted with garlic, tomatoes and peppers in italian seasoning, served on pasta is ideal to heat you up on a February evening!

When roasted, the tomatoes and peppers in this dish char and release a delicious sweetness that really adds to the flavour.

Spicy Citrus Prawns

Prawns, spicy tomato and lime zest make a delicious combination served over warm pasta.

This dish is a great midweek (or after pub!) meal as it can be on the table in no time and is really easy to make, once you have everything chopped and ready to go.

Timing wise, get the pasta on and after 2-3 minutes or so, get the sauce going.

Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

These Italian meatballs are one of my favorite dishes and are a regular fixture of our weekend dinner line-up. I'm usually to be found in the kitchen from about 5pm chopping and measuring. There's generally food on the table by the time the X-Factor starts, or sometimes by the time Harry Hill's TV Burp starts, if the meatball aroma is exceptionally nice! I use minced turkey to greatly reduce the fat content, but they also work fine with extra lean beef mince.   

Pasta Sauce

This tomato based pasta sauce is a great basic sauce to which you can add things to. Chicken, prawns or veg would all work. It's an excellent stand by and can be frozen and thawed out in a hurry. I've always found that jars of tomato sauce gave me bad indigestion, no problems with this sauce!

Chicken Lasagne

This lasagne is a low fat twist on the old Italian recipe. Chicken, garlic and vegetables combined with both tomato and béchamel sauces to make a fantastic meal. I joke that making this dish is like having a part time job, but the effort is really worth it.

Whole Wheat Pasta

Pasta is one of the most versatile foods you can eat. It comes in many shapes and sizes which perfectly match the delicious sauces they accompany. When trying to lose weight, whole wheat pasta is the only way to go. It tastes similar to white pasta, but it's better for you, fills you up and keeps you full for longer. Adding a stock cube to boiling pasta is a great way to get additional flavour into your meal.

I find that Spaghetti and Linguini go better with thinner, watery sauces while pasta shapes, such as Fuseli or Penne are perfect for more creamy concoctions.