Turkey Ham and Vegetable Pot Pies

Merry Christmas to you all

and best wishes for the New Year.

 



Thank you all for your support and patience with me and my blogging in 2014.  As I have mentioned many times it has been a hard year in the Murray house - one of many changes, one that found me time pour and one where I was just lost and finding things very difficult.  I am now at the end of the year and looking forward to a better 2015 and wishing you a prosperous and creative New Year.

My first post of the year is brought to us by the dreaded Christmas leftovers.... everyone has them.  Some us of us end up with lots of them - in our case it was only some turkey slices but a whole leg of ham on the bone.

I love turkey but once it's cooked and served the first time it tends to get dry really quickly.  Ham on the other hand doesn't change when stored correctly but you must keep an eye on the used by date.  My favourite use of left over ham, especially ham on the bone, is Pea and Ham Soup which I normally make a long time after Christmas when the cooler months start to make their way in.  Tonight something different was called for and to be honest everyone in our house loves Pot Pies so it was a no-brainer.

These flavours work so well together - the turkey, the ham, the creamy thyme flavoured sauce and of course being packed so full of vegetables made for a perfect one dish wonder that everyone loved.  All individually portioned up so no there was no arguments over "he got more pastry than I did" - oh the dramas!!

Turkey, Ham and Vegetable Pot Pies

(recipe adapted from Taste.com)

Serves: 8

ProPoints per serve: 10

cooking spray
150 grams button mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 carrots, peeled and thinly diced
2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

60 grams Weight Watchers Canola Spread

1/2 cup plain flour

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup light (reduced fat) thickened cream

320 grams chopped cooked turkey

90 grams chopped leg ham
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 sheets Reduced Fat Puff Pastry
 

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray, add mushrooms, carrots, spring onion, corn, peas and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes or until carrots have softenend. Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until mixture bubbles. Add chicken stock and wine, then cook for a further 2-3 minutes, whisking to remove any lumps. Add the thickened cream and cook for a further minute or until the mixture boils and thickens. Season to taste, then stir in the turkey, ham and mushroom mixture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, defrost pastry sheets. Cut into quarters.
 
Divide mixture evenly amongst 8 x 1 cup capacity ramekins.  Spray ramekin dish rims with cooking spray and place 1 piece of pastry on each dish.  Trim if required and use remaining pastry as decoration.  Place on baking tray and spray pastry top with cooking spray.

Bake the pie for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden.

 

 (Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Ham, Zucchini and Caramelised Onion Lasagne

As intriguing as this dish sounds was exactly how it tasted.  My tastebuds were intrigued with every mouthful and every mouthful was enjoyed. I have tried so many lasagne recipes but this one really surprised me. For a different lasagne you should really give this a go.

The flavours were amazing yet so different.  The sweetness of the carmalised onion complemented the chargrilled zucchini perfectly. In fact I would have never thought of this flavour combination. 

There is no thick Bechamel Sauce with this dish either but to be honest it doesn't need it.  It has a fresh flavour and is nice and light for either lunch or dinner.

Ham, Zucchini and Caramelised Onion Lasagne

(Recipe adapted from WW 1 Recipe 3 Ways Cookbook)

 

Serves: 8

ProPoints per serve: 8

 

cooking spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 brown onions, thinly slice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 kilogram small zucchini, thinly sliced lengthways

2 2/3 cups (660ml) tomato pasta sauce

2 tablespoons dried oregano

6 x 47 gram fresh lasange sheets

300 grams shaved ham, fat trimmed and chopped

1 1/2 cups Bega So Extra Light grated Tasty Cheese

4 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 180 degrees Celsius fan-forced.  Lightly spray a large lasagne or baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until golden.  Add sugar and vinegar and cook, stirring, for 3 - 4 minutes or until sugar has dissolved and onions have caramelised.  Transfer to a bowl.  Cool.

Meanwhile, preheat a chargrill or barbecue over high heat.  Lightly spray zucchini with cooking spray.  Cook zucchini in batches for 1 minute each side or until charred and tender.  Transfer to a plate.

Spread 2/3 cup pasta sauce over base of prepared dish.  Top with 1 layer (2 sheets) of lasagne, cutting sheets to fit. Top with half the zucchini, caramelised onion and ham.  Top with 2/3 cup pasta sauce.  Sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of oregano.  Top with another layer of lasagne sheets.  Repeat layer of zucchini, onion, ham, pasta sauce and oregano.  Finsh layering with the remaining sheets and sauce.  Sprinkle with combined cheeses.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until pasta is tender and top is golden. 

Serve with a ProPoint free salad.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Ham, Cheese, Tomato and Avocado Toastie

I rarely blog a breakfast or a lunch but I do realise that this blog cannot just be about mains, it does need to cover other meals that we cook and eat.

Coming home from work early due to Alex being sick all night (long story) I wanted to ensure that I made myself something for lunch that fit into the ProPoints plan and was quick.  I decided on a "toastie".. or as many know the dish - a toasted sandwich.

I love a good toastie.. and any filling normally hits the spot.  Today I went for something basic... a combination of ham, cheese, tomato and tomato and I really enjoyed it.

Ham Cheese Tomato and Avocado Toastie

Serves: 1

ProPoints per serve: 8

2 slices wholegrain bread

1/8 medium avocado, sliced thinly

1 small tomato sliced

30 grams sliced ham

1 slice reduced fat cheese slice

cooking spray

Preheat a sandwich press or similar.

Assemble sandwich on work area having a slice of bread, avocado slices, tomato slices, ham and cheese.  Top with second slice of bread.

Spray hot plates of sandwich press with cooking spray, add sandwich and close lid.

Cook until golden and cooked through.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Spicy Ham and Pineapple Quesadilla

A quick enjoyable lunch was on the cards today. Something full of flavour and different to a sandwich or a salad.

I remembered I had a packet of tortillas in the cupboard and had several ingredients that could be used to make up the fillings for a Quesadilla - one of my favourite treats.

Saying this my filling combination wasn't exactly Mexican but it was really nice.

Spicy Ham and Pineapple Quesadilla
Serves: 4
ProPoints per serve: 6
cooking spray
4 96% fat free tortillas
80 grams ham
80 grams crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 medium avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely sliced
1/4 bunch coriander, roughly diced
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes, or to taste
80 grams reduced fat tasty cheese

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and place on tortilla in the pan.

Top with half of the ham, pineapple, avocado, tomato coriander, chilli flakes and cheese.

Place second tortilla on top.

Place over a medium heat allowing to heat through for 3 - 4 minutes. Reduce heat if too hight.

Place a dinner plate over the quesadilla and flip over. Return quesadilla to pan to cook other side for a further 3 - 4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Cut each quesadilla into four pieces and serve immediately.

Note: You could easily cook this in a large sandwich press and it wouldn't be as fiddly!


(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Ham and Zucchini Carbonara

Back into the swing of menu planning this week as I am back on my weight loss journey now that the silly season is officially over with the end being marked by my birthday on Saturday and the fact that I am also armed with a new cookbook, Weight Watchers Cook Simple, I decided we had to try this pasta dish which looked delish just looking at the picture.

My kids both adore pasta carbonara so I was interested to see how they would like the change of ingredients with using ham and zucchini as the base flavours. I have to say that like with normal Carbonara this recipe was very easy to make and very quick to cook, with the whole dish on the table in under 30 minutes.

I didn't find it neither as cheesy or as eggy as a normal carbonara but saying this the dish itself did have a really nice flavour and I really enjoyed the hint of nutmeg. The serving sizes are large and very filling. Overall it is a weeknight winner in our house.

Ham and Zucchini Carbonara
(recipe sourced from WW Cook Simple)

Serves: 4
ProPoints per serve: 10

250 grams spaghetti
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
150 grams sliced lean leg ham, fat trimmed, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 egg
25 grams finely grated parmesan cheese

salt

freshly ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet instructions, or until just tender. Drain and return to the pan.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large non stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softenend. Add garlic and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until zucchini is just tender. Add ham and stir to combine.

Combine cornflour and water in a small bowl. Whisk milk, egg and parmesan in a medium jug. Add egg mixture and cornflour mixture to pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 - 3 minutes or sauce slightly thickens.

Add zucchini mixture to pasta. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss to combine. Serve.


As I mentioned I recently had a birthday - infact it was my 40th birthday and I only wanted one thing as a gift and that was a Canon Digital Camera. I set up a donation envelope system with my invitations and once my party was over I counted the money to find that I had enough money to buy the camera of my dreams - only problem was that the camera of my dreams was sold out so I had to settle for the next model up.... damn shame that.

Needless to say that I am now the very happy owner of a Canon EOS 60D complete with twin lenses!!


Now I am praying that photos of my food dishes will look much better now than using my small point and shoot that I have owned for years. I am pretty sure they will - please let me know what you think.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Ham Cheese and Tomato Omelette

Both Alex and I are sick today, she has a sinus infection and well as for me an accumulation of things relating to high blood pressure and high blood sugars combined with just feeling under the weather. Both of us went to see the doctor after dropping Oliver off at school so needless to say there was no breakfasts for either of us before we left.

I decided to make myself a nice healthy lunch, especially after the spray I got from my doctor about my blood pressure, sugar levels and then of course it all came down to my diet (or lack there of!). Like I was saying a healthy lunch (or I will say brunch) was on the menu, so we came straight home and I decided an omelette would fit the bill covering both breakfast and lunch, being low fat and of course yummy.

Of course you could share this omelette with someone and half the points but I was hungry and it has fit in nicely with my daily total.

Ham Cheese and Tomato Omelette

Serves: 1

Points per serve: 7

2 eggs

2 tablespoons skim milk

salt

freshly ground black pepper

cooking spray

50 grams lean ham, roughly chopped

1 tomato, diced

2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

30 grams grated reduced fat tasty cheese

Preheat grill.

In a small bowl or jug beat the eggs and milk together. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Spray a small frying pan with cooking spray, add ham and tomatoes and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until ham is slightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley. Pour in eggs ensuring to cover the base of the pan. Cook over a medium for a further 2 minutes or until eggs are starting to set.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and place under grill until melted and golden.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Ham, Corn and Cheese Pasta Pie

You know the minute you open a cookbook or a recipe magazine, look at a picture of a meal that you need to cook it. This is what happened with this particular pasta pie in the recent Australian Weight Watchers magazine. The picture made the dish look sensational (I need a photographer like that!!)

I have to say even though this recipe was easy to make I was a little concerned that it may infact be flavourless due to the ingredients. But it wasn't, in fact it was very full of flavour and very good size servings for the points value considering it was a pasta dish. I made a few minor changes due to ingredients on hand which only altered the points value, increasing it by half a point due to using deli brought ham. The original recipe called for Weight Watchers branded ham, which wasn't available to me.

The kids demolished it and wanted more, needless to say the next time I make this (which will be soon) I will have to make two.

Ham, Corn and Cheese Pasta Pie

(recipe adapted from Australian Weight Watchers Magazine May 2010)

Serves: 4

Points per serve: 6.5

100 grams penne pasta

1 onion, finely diced

200 grams frozen corn kernels

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 medium zucchini, grated

4 spring onions, sliced

150 grams 95% fat free shaved ham

3 eggs, lightly beaten

20 grams (1/4 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese

90 grams (3/4 cup) reduced fat grated tasty cheese

Cook pasta according to packet directions, drain and set aside allowing to cool.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Lightly spray a large non stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add onions, corn, garlic and zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Transfer leek mixture to a large bown. Add pasta, spring onions, ham, eggs and half of each cheese. Stir to combine.

Transfer pasta mixture into a prepared cake tin. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Pea and Ham Soup

Pea and Ham Soup would have to be my favourite after product from Christmas... made with the ham bone and what remaining ham is on it, it is definitely one of my favourite soups and I must say would top my "comfort" food list.

I remember as a child my mother making this soup every year after Christmas and it was always something that I looked forward to. In fact anytime my mam made this I looked forward to it. This year she has made this batch for me and I have to say I follow mam's recipe everytime I make it.

Not only is this a soup full of flavour and taste it is quite easy to make even though it does take a fair amount of time. Time that is well worth spending on making this soup.

Pea and Ham Soup

(Recipe courtesy of my Mam)

Serves: 12

Points per serve: 4.5

1 ham bone

1 brown onion, diced

2 litres water

salt

pepper

2 brown onions

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

1 kilogram green split peas

additional water, if required

Cut the majority of the ham off the bone and set aside.

In a large saucepan place ham bone, onion and water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat, simmering for 1 hour. Allow to cool.

Once cool drain bone from stock - keep all the stock in a large saucepan. Remove any meat from the bone that comes off easily. Add ham pieces.

In a food processor, chop onions, carrots and celery until finely chopped. Add to stock along with split peas. Bring to the boil and simmer for several hours until peas are softened and soup is thick.

If soup is too thick add small amounts of water until desired consistancy is reached.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Chicken In Pyjamas (Chicken Parmigiana)

"Parmigiana" is a big word for little children and both of mine have called this dish Chicken in Pyjamas for as long as I can remember. It's quite funny really as the chicken does look all snug and wrapped up in it's topping that I suppose it does actually resemble Chicken in Pyjamas... lol!!

There are several versions on how to cook this, especially in the pubs and bistros and all the ones I have tried are nice. Some breadcrumb the chicken fillet, some use bottled pasta sauce, some have ham, some don't, and the list could go on ... like every dish I think it comes down to taste and at times your region. Personally I prefer the chicken to be uncrumbed, topped with ham and a homemade tomato sauce, then finished off with cheese. But as the old saying goes "each to their own", right?

Besides the fact that my version of cooking Parmigiana is lower in fat/calories due to it not being crumbed removing that step makes this quite a quick and easy dish to prepare and cook. But by all means please feel free to crumb your chicken fillets.

Anyway this is how I made it and we all enjoyed it.... sorry about the plating, it could have been neater!! It was late and we were hungry. LOL - that's the problem with us food bloggers - making our family wait to eat is sometimes VERY VERY HARD!

Chicken Parmagiana

Serves: 4

Points per serve: 5

1 quantity of Homemade Tomato Sauce

or 1 cup passata/pasta sauce

cooking spray

4 x chicken breast fillets, 125 grams each approx.

4 slices lite ham

100 grams grated low fat tasty cheese

Prepare Homemade Tomato Sauce as per recipe.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.

Using a meat mallet, pound each chicken fillet to the same thickness. I find this easy to do between two sheets of baking paper.

Cover a baking tray with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken fillets on to baking tray. Place a slice of ham onto each chicken fillet. Top with a quarter of the homemade tomato sauce and sprinkle evenly with grated cheese.

Cook in oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is golden.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)