Spice Roasted Pumpkin and Ricotta Brushetta

OMG I don't think I have ever mentioned on here that my favourite place to go to enjoy fresh farm produce and wine is Green Olive at Red Hill, right here on the Mornington Peninsula.  Noel and I actually attended a sausage making class there and enjoyed ourselves so much that we often go there just to enjoy their tapas style menu and sit, relaxing, enjoying the views which look over the winery,  the paddocks normally full with sheep grazing and the dam with the ducks waddling about.  (I have added some of our recent photos after the recipe.)

Why is this bruschetta so enjoyable?  To be honest I would never have strayed away from the traditional bruschetta made with tomatoes, red onion and feta until we went to Green Olive.  Roasted Pumpkin with cumin until tender, slightly mashed and served on crusty bread with ricotta.  It makes your taste buds dance - trust me!

Now the chefs at Green Olive actually serve this magnificent treat with Salsa Verde but we did not have this one hand (or the ingredients) so I improvised and drizzled balsamic glaze over the toppings.  It was still very nice (however if you live near the Mornington Peninsula do yourself a flavour and visit Green Olive).

Spice Roasted Pumpkin and Ricotta Brushetta

(recipe adapted from Green Olive)

Serves: 4

250 grams Jap pumpkin, peeled and diced large

cooking spray

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

8 slices crusty bread

olive oil

100 grams rocket leaves

100 grams fresh low fat ricotta

balsamic glaze, to drizzle

Preheat oven to 189 degrees Celsius.

Line a baking sheet with baking paper and spray with cooking spray.  Place pumpkin on baking tray in a single layer. Sprinkle with cumin seeds.  Spray pumpkin with a light layer of cooking spray.  Cook, turning once, for 20 - 25 minutes or until tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat grill.  Brush with olive oil and place under the grill until lightly toasted.  Turn over and repeat with other side of bread.  Remove from grill.

Mash pumpkin lightly, retaining some shape and texture.

Place bread slices on serving plate or individual plates.

Place the rocket leaves on the bread slices.

Top evenly with pumpkin. 

Sprinkle ricotta randomly over the pumpkin.

Drizzle balsamic glaze over the bruschetta.

Serve immediately.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Bangin' Good Prawns (Bangin' Good Shrimp)

I was trawling (pardon the pun) for a recipe for prawns... something out of the normal, something totally new to excite my taste buds.  I love visiting Gina's webite site, Skinnytaste.com, as it is an amazing site and she is such a good cook not to mention photographer.

Gina had recently posted a recipe for Bangin' Grilled Shrimp Skewers which made my mouth water but then I found this recipe!

Bangin' Good Prawns (Shrimp in the USA) are stir fried prawns mixed with a creamy sweet and spicy chilli sauce served on a bed of shredded salad topped with spring onions. OMG this recipe was amazing.... Gina has transformed it into a low fat version of another take of a dish called Bang Bang Shrimp served in an American restaurant called Bonefish Grill.  Looking at the menu I can see that they crumb and deep fry their prawns and serve with the sauce.

This dish, very much similar to a prawn salad, yet served warm was exactly the kind of dish I was looking for.  I will be making this again and would make a great entree or lunch - it is definitely a light dinner meal though.

Bangin' Good Prawns

(recipe sourced from Skinnytaste.com)

Serves: 4 

ProPoints: 6

5 tablespoons light mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Sweet Chilli Sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha (or to taste)

3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1 carrot,  grated

2 spring onions, chopped

500 grams large prawns, shelled and deveined (weight after peeled)

2 teaspoons cornflour

1 teaspoon canola oil

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce and Sriracha. Set aside.


Combine lettuce, carrot and half on the spring onions. Place on serving plate.  Set aside.


Coat shrimp with cornflour, mixing well with your hands.

Heat a large skillet or wok on high heat, when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the prawns to hot pan and cook tossing a few times until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and combine with the sauce, coating well.

Place prawns on lettuce and top with remaining spring onions.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

NOTE: You will find Sriracha in asian grocery stores or a well stocked supermarket.  Otherwise use a hot chilli sauce in this recipe.

Bacon and Corn Polenta Muffins

Something quick to make and oh so very very tasty.  These will fit the bill for a lunchbox treat if you can manage to stop others from eating them when they come straight out of the oven.

The combination of the bacon and corn, always a wonderful combination on their own, partnered with cheese and polenta makes a satisfying flavour hit that are delicious whether they are served hot or cold.

Only 2ppts each but very morish - I could eat quite a few.  Freezable so you can control how many you have for lunch :)

Bacon and Corn Polenta Muffins

(recipe adapted from WW The Complete Meal)

Serves: 24

ProPoints per Serve: 2

cooking spray

1/2 cup (80 grams) yellow polenta

2/3 cups (160 mls) skim milk

80 grams Weight Watchers Bacon, finely chopped

4 green shallots, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups (220 grams) self raising flour

2 x 125 gram cans corn kernels, rinsed, drained

2 x 125 gram cans creamed corn

1/2 cup (60 grams) extra light grated tasty cheese

100 grams Weight Watchers Canola Spread, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Line two 12 hole mini muffin tins with paper cases.  Spray with cooking spray if needed.

Combine polenta and milk in a bowl.  Set aside for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile lightly spray a small non stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Cook bacon, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add shallots and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until bacon is crisp.  Remove pan from heat.  Cool for 5 minutes.

Sift flour into a large bowl. Add corn kernels, creamed corn, cheese and bacon mixture and stir until combined.  Add spread, egg and polenta mixture and mix until combined.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each paper case.   Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.  Cool muffins in tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.  Serve warm or cold.

Note: for a mini muffin this mixture can make 48 muffins by using small paper cases and 1 tablespoon of mixture per case - the ProPoints value per muffin would then be 1 ppts each.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

"Quickie" Nachos

Back from a week away in Tasmania for work - entirely eating out for the whole time.  Saturday after shopping and football I thought I would make an early afternoon snack for the crew prior to cooking dinner. I called on a favourite of ours, "Quickie" Nachos!

These, while not traditional, are very easy to make and always a crowd pleaser - here is my quick version that never fails.

No sooner are the nachos out from under the grill they are gone - serve these with guacamole or sour cream but be quick especially in our house!!

"Quickie" Nachos

Serves: 8

ProPoints per serve: 4

cooking spray

175 grams Natural Corn Chips, Salted

375 grams tomato salsa

100 grams low fat grated tasty cheese

Preheat grill on high heat.

Spray a quiche dish or microwavable shallow dish with cooking spray.  Cover with half the corn chips.  Top with half the salsa.  Repeat layers finishing by sprinkling cheese over top of final layer of salsa.

Microwave on high heat for 2 - 3 minutes or until cheese starts to melt.

Place under grill for 2 - 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Shredded Chicken Leek and Thyme Tart

This meal has been on my menu planner for the last few weeks but somehow keeps getting brushed aside for no particular reason - either something else gets requested or our plans change.  What ever the reason we had some left over barbecue chicken again this weekend so I was determined to have this no matter what.

The thought of having pastry while dieting is a novelty in itself  for as we all know as a rule pastry is a NO-NO.  This recipe called for reduced fat shortcrust pastry therefore reducing the fat content. 

Although the pastry component was a little fiddly, the rest of the recipe was easy.  The dish was quite inviting to look at and not to mention it was definitely full of flavour.  The feta cheese made a nice change to normaly cheddar and the flavour was delicious combined with the sundried tomatoes and the thyme.  The serving sizes were quite large so this recipe could easily serve 6 - 8 for a light meal.

Overall this recipe sured pleased my crowd, with it being devoured last night.

Shredded Chicken Leek and Thyme Tart

(recipe sourced from WW Magazine January 2012)

Serves: 4

ProPoints per serve: 14

2 sheets reduced fat shortcrust pastry, just thawed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 small leeks, halved, thinly sliced, washed and drained

3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

3 eggs

1/2 cup skim milk

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup shredded left over skinless cooked chicken

1/3 cup fat free semi dried tomatoes, chopped

70 grams reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

Line base and sides of a 2.5cm deep 11.5cm x 34cm loose bottom flan tin with pastry, trimming of the excess.  Place flan tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Place flan tin on a baking tray.  Line pastry case with baking paper and fill with ceramic pie weights or uncooked rice.  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are crisp and light golden.  Remove weights or rice and baking paper and bake for a further 6 - 8 minutes or until base is light golden.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Reduce oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium non stick frying pan.  Add leeks and half the thyme leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened.

Spread leek mixture over pastry case.

Whisk eggs and milk in a medium jug and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Top leeks with shredded chicken, tomatoes and crumbled feta, then pour over egg mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining thyme.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until just set. 

Serve Chicken Leek and Thyme Tart warm or cold.

(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)

Prawn and Herb Rice Paper Rolls

These are something that we love and have made them a lot over the years. Not only are they full of flavour but although being a little fiddly to make that really aren't difficult. This recipe uses prawns but you can use any meat you like or omit the meat to make them a vegetarian roll.

Served with any flavour asian sauce they make a nice light meal, a picnic dish or even a entree.

Prawn and Herb Rice Paper Rolls

(recipe adapted from WW Recipe Collection 2002)

Serves: 4

Points per serve: 3

50 grams cellophane noodles

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons crushed peanuts

500 grams whole cooked prawns, shelled and cut into pieces or shrimp, shelled and left whole

1/4 cup basil, finely sliced

1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

4 cabbage leaves, finely shredded

5 spring onions, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

16 rice paper rolls

Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water, rinse with cold water, drain. Chop into pieces and combine with the vinegar, nuts and prawns.

Combine the fresh herbs, cabbage, shallots and carrot together. Stir in the prawn mixture and mix well.

Working with 1 wrapper at a time, soak the rice paper in warm water for 30 seconds and place on a flat surgace. On each wrapper pile a litlle prawn mixture. Roll up tightly, folding the sides in the enclose the filling. Continue rolling and folding until all ingredients are used.

Serve with your choice of sauce (don't forget to account for any extra points).

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)