Sweet and Sour Jalapeno Poppers

I know I have mentioned this before but I, we, both of us LOVE Poppers.

This recipe from Taste of Home not only intrigued me but definitely intrigued my tastebuds from the first mouthful.  Sweetness of the brown sugar, saltiness of the proscuitto and the tingle from the chilli combined make for a delicious mouthful.

The best things about Poppers is that they are not only easy to make, they are quick and perfect for entertaining or even just a quick snack. 

Sweet and Sour Jalapeno Poppers

(Recipe adapted from Taste of Home)

Makes : 16

ProPoints per Popper: 1

8 Jalapeno peppers

125 grams Philadelphia Extra Light Cream Cheese

60 grams grated tasty cheese

1 teaspoon dried thyme

freshly grated black pepper

8 thin slices (100 grams) prosciutto or parma ham, cut in half lengthways

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon chilli powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove seeds, set aside.

In a small bowl beat cheeses, thyme and pepper until well blended. Spoon into pepper halves. Wrap a half strip of prosciutto around each pepper half.

Combine brown sugar and chilli; coat peppers with sugar mixture.

Place on prepared baking tray. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and prosciutto crispy.

Serve immediately.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Chilli Barbecue Sauce

A beautifully chargrilled steak needs to be accompanied by a nice sauce.  Normally Noel and I would choose a Creamy Blue Cheese or Creamy Peppercorn sauce, however sometimes our favourite purchased sauce, Byron Bay Coconut Chilli Sauce.  Tonight however I wanted to make something totally different so off on my little mission I went.

Upon flicking pages of a gorgeous little cookbook I was given, Mayonnaise Hollandaise Bernaise - A Cook's Book of Sauces, I came across this Chilli Barbecue Sauce recipe that was not only quick to make but very easy.

Seriously just by adding spices to purchased Barbecue sauce and Sweet Chilli Sauces the outcome was delicious.  A hint of indian, smokiness of the paprika lacing a barbecue sauce with chilli undertones was actually really suited to the chargrilled steak we had for dinner.

Chilli Barbecue Sauce

(Mayonnaise Hollandaise Bernaise - The Cook's Book of Sauces)

Serves: 6

ProPoints per serve: 1

20 grams reduced fat butter

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1/3 cup ready-made barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the cumin, coriander and paprika and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the barbecue sauce, sweet chilli sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.

Serve with barbecued steak, lamb or hamburgers.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Roasted Pumpkin and Carrot Soup

Pumpkin soup is our second favourite soup in the Murray house.. the first being Chicken and Sweet Corn and then Pumpkin Soup. 

Pumpkin was on special this week so I have two large pumpkins sitting on the bench top just staring at me and me staring back wonderful what is something else besides good ol' pumpkin that I could make with them. 

I came across this recipe with an Indian inspired influence on the flavours and thought well we all love pumpkin soup and we all love Indian so it should be a winner - right?

Not only did it still have the homely thick texture of pumpkin soup but it was laced with the undertones of a mild curry which went together perfectly.  I didn't add chilli while cooking as I wanted to assess the flavours.  To be honest it doesn't need the chilli unless you would like a little extra "kick". 

This soup is well worth trying.....

 

Roasted Pumpkin and Carrot Soup

(recipe adapted from Taste.com)

 

Serves: 12

ProPoints per serve: 1

 

2 kilogram Kent pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm pieces

1.5 kilograms carrots, peeled, cut into 1cm pieces

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

4 brown onions, halved, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ - ½ teaspoon chilli powder (optional)

8 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock

4 cups water

Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius.

 

Line several baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place pumpkin and carrot in lined pan. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of oil and toss to coat. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until golden and tender.

 

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom and chilli powder, if desired. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until aromatic and the mustard seeds start to pop.

 

Add the pumpkin, carrot, stock and water to the saucepan. Increase heat to medium. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly.

 

Transfer the pumpkin mixture to the jug of a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer the soup to a clean saucepan. Repeat with remaining pumpkin mixture.

 

Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until heated through. Ladle among serving bowls.  Serve with low fat cream or low fat natural yoghurt if you would like a creamier soup.

 

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Mint Raita

Served with Tandoori Chicken or most Indian dishes in fact, this side dish accompanies them perfectly.  It's great for helping to reduce the heat and calm the tastebuds while enjoying a spicy dish.

There are so many different versions of Raita - some with mint and coriander, some with mint and cucumber, some just cucumber, to name a few.  We like this nice clean flavour of plain mint with a hint of garam marsala but best of all it's very easy to make.

Mint Raita

Serves: 6

ProPoints per serve: 1

1/4 cup freshly chopped mint leaves

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/2 cup no-fat plain yoghurt

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

In a medium sized bowl place mint leaves and sprinkle with sugar.  Mix and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Add yoghurt and garam masala and mix well until completely combined.

Refrigerate until required.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Prawn and Avocado Salsa Wonton Cups

Boxing Day we headed off for lunch at our long time family friends' house.  It was a lovely day so I decided to take something light yet tasty as my food offering.

Wonton cups are so easy to make and make an attractive entree, finger food and even a dessert.  They can be filled with whatever takes your fancy.  I decided that it would be prawns with an avocado salsa just for something different.

 Prawn and Avocado Salsa Wonton Cups

Serves: 30

ProPoints per Serve: 1

30 fresh wonton wrappers

30 cooked and peeled prawns

1 avocado, diced

3 large tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

freshly ground black pepper

150 grams Kraft Philadelphia Extra Light cream cheese

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Spray a large muffin tin with cooking spray.  Line each muffin hole with a wonton wrapper.  Spray tops of wrapper and cook in oven for 5 - 8 minutes or until wrapper is crisp and golden.  Remove and allow to cool.

In a bowl gently mix together the avocado, tomatoes, red onion, lemon juice, chilli powder and black pepper.

In the base of the wonton cup place a teaspoon cream cheese, stand up the prawn and fill the wonton cup with a couple of teaspoons of salsa.

Serve.

Note - do not fill too early before serving or wonton cup with go soggy.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

This would have to be one of Noel's favourited sauces to accompany steak. In fact where ever we go for dinner he always ordered Steak cooked rare with peppercorn sauce! Talk about being a creature of habit. I like to scan the specials boards looking for something different - something I haven't tasted or tried before, but that's another story.

Knowing that Noel likes a good peppercorn sauce it was obvious that I needed to come up with one that tasted brilliant but was also lower in fat that the normal cream ladden accompaniment that he has grown fond of. All I can say is thank God for Carnation Light and Creamy Evaporated Milk!!

If you have just cooked your steak and it's resting please use the pan juices as it adds flavour to the sauce but if you don't have pan juices it still tastes brilliant.

Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Serves: 8

ProPoints per Serve: 1
Old Points per serve: 1

cooking spray
30 grams green peppercorns, drained and crushed
375 ml can Carnation Light and Creamy Evaporated Milk
1 tablespoon beef stock powder
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons water

 

Spray frying pan with cooking spray (or use the same pan you cooked your steak in) and heat over medium high heat. Add peppercorns and cook for 1 minute to release flavour.

 

Add milk and stock powder, stirring until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer. Combine cornflour and water and add to sauce, continually stirring for 2 - 3 minutes, until thickened slightly.

 

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Low Fat Hollandaise Sauce

I have to admit that Hollandaise Sauce is my favourite sauce of all time. Guaranteed if it's on a menu I order that meal with an extra serve of sauce on the side.... I know it's bad considering the sauce base is butter and lots of it.


Thankfully I have come across a recipe that is a mock Hollandaise and there is no butter involved. Not quite as silky smooth as a good Hollandaise but fits nicely into a diet plan that's for sure.


This recipe makes approximately 1 cup and can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for up to a week.

Low Fat Hollandaise Sauce

Serves: 8
ProPoints per serve: 1

Points per serve: 1

1/4 cup water

2 tsp cornflour

1/2 cup light thickened cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 egg, lightly whisked

Place water and cornflour in a saucepan and stir until smooth. Add the cream and stir to combine. Use a balloon whisk to whisk constantly over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until mixture boils. Remove from heat.


Whisk in lemon juice, mustard and egg until well combined. Return to heat and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly (do not overcook). Remove from heat.


(click here for a printable version of this recipe)