Dish of the day: Weight Watchers zero-point curry

The 16lbs in 16 weeks challenge has kicked up a gear this week with the start (or should that be return?) of Weight Watchers. My initial non-ww weight loss has been a perfectly acceptable 4lbs but after a weekend of what can only be referred to as overindulgence (involving fried chicken and half a jar of nutella-not together, obvs) I've decided to embark on a Weight Watchers meal plan for the next few weeks.
WW has always served me well. Back in January 2010 I had a kind of ephipheny (you know the kind: I'm fat and ugly and I'm never going to amount to anything, yeah that kind of thing) which lead to me starting to live a far healthier lifestyle, and I lost three stone over the following twelve months in the process. I now feel more confident than ever but there's still room for improvement (isn't there always?) so it's back on Weight Watchers I go.

A classic recipe that I always return to again and again because it's healthy, tasty and really easy to make is Weight Watchers zero-point curry, which is also a great recipe for using up any leftover veg.

Ingredients:
Garlic
Onion
Leek
Courgette
Mushrooms
Aubergine
Cauliflower or broccoli
Carrots
Curry powder
Vegetable stock
Tin of chopped tomatoes


Chop the onion and crush the garlic and place in a large pan.

Add the chopped leek and chopped courgette to the pan.

Add the broccoli or cauliflower florets and the chopped aubergine.

Cut up the carrot and add to the saucepan.

Add some curry powder to the pan, as strong or mild as you like, and stir through until the vegetables are well coated.


Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and approximately 400ml of vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.

Once the curry is boiling turn down the heat and allow the curry to simmer for 40minutes. Serve immediately or allow to cool and then freeze in meal-size portions. As you can see from these photographs I don't tend to measure or weigh the ingredients and just make one big batch that will do for more than one meal. Depending on how spicy you make the curry it can taste nice when used as a pasta sauce or as a ratatouille-style accompaniment to meat dishes.


Weight Watchers zero-point curry: DONE

Dish of the day: Gnocchi with peas and pancetta

My signature dish (which The Boy was lucky enough to have for dinner on Saturday night) is Gnocchi with peas and pancetta. Doesn't sound that exciting I know and yes, currently the gnocchi I use comes from a packet (hey, life's too short) but it tastes like a little piece of heaven, especially when accompanied by a glass of white wine and the knowledge that tomorrow is Sunday and you don't have to get up for work in the morning. I usually top with fresh basil leaves as it adds a certain "something" but I'm pretty sure any herb will do.


Ingredients:
70g cubed pancetta or two rashers of bacon
A handful of frozen peas
300g of gnocchi
2-3tbsp of cream
2tbsp of grated Parmesan
1tbsp of olive oil

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and add 70g of cubed pancetta or two rashers of bacon (chopped). Cook for about 3 minutes, add a handful of frozen peas (I use quite a lot, it doesn't detract from the taste) and continue to cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the peas start to soften.

Add about 300g of gnocchi to the boiling water and cook following the packet instructions (generally cook until the gnocchi floats to the surface).

Drain well and add to the frying pan along with 2-3tbsp of cream (I use elmlea single cream) and 2tbsp of grated Parmesan.

Stir lightly and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with extra grated Parmesan and basil leaves if desired.


Gnocchi with peas and pancetta: DONE