Tag Archives: onion

Sweet Piccolo Tomato & Creamy Mozzarella Grilled Pitta Pizzas with Fresh Basil & Red Onion

Posted in Lunch by

  
Culinary elaborations have their time and place but sometimes the simple quick and easy ideas are best. Pitta pizzas are so versatile you can basically put whatever you fancy on them peppers, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, chicken the list is quite endless. This was lunch today coming in at 7 propoints but you could easily make this for 5pp as I didn’t have any weight watchers pitta breads in the house and these are full fat white pitta breads from Aldi which are 5pp each (you can have this on filling and healthy for just two pro points for the cheese if you use the weight watchers pittas). I hope your Wednesday is wonderful!   
One pitta bread

A squeeze of Passata 

1 Tbsp of tomato purée 

A sprinkle of oregano

Salt and black pepper

Piccolo tomatoes halved

60g reduced fat mozzarella

Red onion sliced

Fresh basil leaves  

Toast the pitta bread in a toaster or under a hot grill and slice open lengthways into 2 halves, be careful of escaping steam. Mix together the passata, tomato purée & oregano and season with salt and pepper. Spread generously over each half of the pitta bread. Slice the tomatoes and red onion and lay on top. Dot the mozzarella across the pizzas and season with salt and pepper. Place under a hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves, devour and enjoy!  

Sumptuous Creamy Goats Cheese, Velvety Parma Ham, Spinach & Balsamic Glazed Red Onion Petit Pain Pizzas

Posted in Dinner, Lunch by

  
A bit of a posh lunch today! I have made petit pain pizzas before using many variations and decided to give them a decadent twist today using creamy goats cheese and beautiful Parma ham, it is the weekend after all! It’s a little bit of effort caramelising the onions but worth every second. These come in at a very healthy 6 propoints (or 3 pro points on Filling and Healthy). Here’s the skinny:  
1 Weight watchers petit pain 

One red onion finely sliced

30 g of goats cheese

One slice of Parma ham

A good handful of fresh spinach

2 teaspoons of Balsamic vinegar

Tomato purée 

Salt and black pepper  

Bake the petit pain as per packet instructions and set aside to cool for 10 or 15 minutes. Fry the onion in a medium saucepan sprayed with oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft them add the balsamic vinegar and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes until the onion is broken down, caramelised and brown. Wilt the spinach in a saucepan over a medium heat this will only take a few minutes. Always put on more spinach than you think you’ll need it shrinks down to nothing. Split the roll in half lengthways with a sharp knife. Spread on a small bit of tomato purée on each half & layer the spinach on top then add a layer of the onion. Arrange the Parma ham on top split evenly between the two pizzas. Slice the goats cheese and & lay on top. Season with salt and black pepper. Grill under a medium heat for two minutes or so until the goat cheese is brown and melting enjoy!  

Creamy, Sausage, Sage & Onion Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Parmesan

Posted in Dinner, Lunch by

  
A beautiful starter if you’re planning that special dinner or just a gorgeous low point tea with some salad. These tasty little numbers are low in Propoints & have a beautiful stuffing & cheese centre. This recipe makes 4 large stuffed mushrooms at 2pp a piece (1pp on F&H) or you can use the stuffing with a roast dinner without the cream cheese or parmesan & the whole thing is just 5pp easily serving 2/3 people. Here’s the recipe:   

4 Large Cap Mushrooms 

2 Slices Wholemeal Calorie Controlled Bread 

2 Low Fat Sausages 

3 Tbsps Lightest Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 Medium Shallot 

2 or 3 Leaves of Fresh Sage 

Few Sprigs Fresh Thyme 

Handful of Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley 

20g Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Salt & Black Pepper   Preheat the oven to 180c. Finely chop the shallot & fry in a heated pan sprayed with oil for approximately 3 minutes until softened. Remove the skin from the sausages & add to the pan breaking them apart with a wooden spoon into small bits frying them for approximately 5 minutes stirring & breaking all the time until they are fully cooked. Blitz the bread, sage, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor or hand blender to make breadcrumbs. Add these to the sausage & onion mix for about 5 minutes stirring until the breadcrumbs are well toasted. (At this stage you can use this loose stuffing for a roast dinner or cool the mix & add 1 or 2tbsps of cream cheese to make stuffing balls that you can bake in the oven & use for a roast dinner too or continue with the recipe for the stuffed mushrooms). Transfer the breadcrumb sausage mixture to a bowl & put aside for about 10 minutes to cool & then mash in the Philadelphia cream cheese evenly mixing it through. Peel & destalk your mushrooms or prepare them as you usually do (I normally peel them as I’m slightly OCD like that! but just brush them off with a pastry brush or similar if not peeling them to remove loose dirt, you’re not supposed to ever wash mushrooms it water logs them & makes them incredibly soggy). Lay them on a baking tray lined with foil. I gave the foil a quick spray of oil too. Fill each mushroom with equal amounts of stuffing & top each with 5g of grated parmesan. Carefully place in the preheated oven & bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked & the cheese has melted on top. Serve the Mushrooms with a fresh salad as a starter or serve with the accompaniments of your choice for a nice low propoint tea & Enjoy! 

Blooming Marvellous Baked Blooming Onion with Creamy Sweet Chilli Dip

Posted in Snacks by

  This is a popular appetiser that has it’s origins in the good old USof A. It is usually deep fried & a gazillion points but I’ve used breadcrumbs instead of flour & skinnied up this fabulously tasty dish. Made for dipping the warm oniony petals into scrummy dip it’s great for when you have friends around & is made for sharing! If you like onion rings you will love this. It looks slightly complicated but believe me it’s extremely easy & has the added Wow factor for entertaining. I’m a little at a loss at pointing it purely because it doesn’t use near half the breadcrumbs or egg prepared but you need the amount to season & coat it well so I’m shaving a point off for unused products (you can freeze the extra seasoned breadcrumbs to use again on chicken or what not) 6 points for the whole lot including the entire dip so give it 3pp if sharing with one & less if sharong with more. On Filling & Healthy plan it comes in at just 1pp for the whole lot if you use bread that’s in the designated list 

  For the Onion:

1 large spanish onion

2 slices of calorie controlled bread

1 egg

1/4 tsp smoked paprika 

Salt & pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano 

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried parsley 

1/2 tsp ground cumin 

1/4 tsp garlic granules

For the Sweet Chilli Dip:

100g 0% fat greek yogurt

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 

Combine the yogurt & sweet chilli sauce swirling to get a marbled effect. Cover & refrigerate unril needed. Preheat your oven to 200c & blitz all your breadcrumb mixture & spices in a food processor to make fine breadcrumbs. Peel your onion & slice a little off the top part. Carefully slice away the root hair being careful to leave the root intact. Place onion on a chopping board root side up. Carefully start to slice 1/2 a centimetre from the root downwards. Turn 90 degrees & slice again continue making 4 cuts. Cut again in between these segments as thin as you can without cutting through. Line a baking sheet with baking paper & flip the onion carefully over onto it. Brush with the beaten egg being careful to get in between the petals of onion. Start sprinkling on the breadcrumbs delicately pressing down & use a fork to seperate the petals & get the breadcrumbs between them. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until breadcrumbs brown & serve with the dip. Enjoy!   

Smokey BBQ Cheese & Bacon Burger with Spicy Mayo & Caramelised Balsamic Onions Served on a Lightly Toasted Brioche Bun with Pickles & Homemade Fries

Posted in Dinner by

  Phew! Get your mouth around that! The name & the burger! There are days when I seem to use my points quickly & they’re nearly all gone by lunch, then there are other days when I’ve barely used any points come dinnertime, well today was one of those days and I haven’t really felt like eating that much the last few days after being in pain with my back but following a visit to the chiropractor earlier today I’m feeling a good bit better & I’m making up for it with Dinner. This makes 4 Burgers & it’s 14pp including the fries. I hope you enjoy!   For the Caramelised Balsamic Onions:

3 Onions Sliced

A Splash of Balsamic Vinegar

Start making the onions first thing as they take a while to cook, the longer the better. Place the sliced onions in a pan sprayed with sprayoil over a very low heat & cook slowly for at least 25 to 30 minutes stirring occasionally until the onion has gone very soft & is browning. Add in a splash of Balsamic Vinegar for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.  For the Homemade Fries:

600g (150g per person) potatoes cut into chips.

Sprayoil

Place the chipped Potatoes on a plate & microwave for 3 minutes. Spray well with sprayoil & place in a preheated oven at 200c for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned & cooked through.  For the Smokey BBQ Burgers:

450g Steak Mince (5% Fat)

1 Red Onion Finely Diced 

1/8th of a tsp of Mustard

1 tsp Dried Oregano 

1 tsp BBQ Seasoning 

A Sprinkle of Garlic Granules

A Sprinkle of Smoked Paprika 

A Splash of Worcestershire Sauce

Small Handful of Fresh Parsley 

Salt & Pepper

Mix all the Ingredients well but lightly in a large bowl & shape them, lightly pressing the mixture into 4 equal size burger patties. Cook on a preheated griddle pan sprayed with sprayoil for approximately 8 to 10 minutes a side until fully cooked through. 

For the Spicy Mayonnaise:

3 Tbsp lighter than light mayo

1 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup 

1/4 of a tsp of Smoked Paprika 

Mix well in a small bowl until smooth & refrigerate until needed.

To Serve:

4 Brioche Burger Buns 

4 Light Cheese Slices

8 Fat Free Bacon Medallions Fried

Pickles Sliced

Place the Brioche Buns in the Oven for a minute or so with a cheese slice on each lid. Place pickles on the bun base, layer burger on top with bacon, caramelised onions, spicy mayo & top with the cheesy bun lid. Secure with a bamboo skewer to hold it in place. Serve with the hot Homemade Fries with Salt & Vinegar & Enjoy!