Creamy Chicken, Pepper and Mushroom Skillet Dinner

Chickens, peppers, mushrooms, garlic and a creamy sauce - this dish needs very little introduction. It ticks the comfort food box for me and served with a heap of fresh vegetables it is almost virtuous. Almost.

I have reduced the calories significantly by using creme fraiche rather than the usual double cream and it is still delicious and creamy. I also refrained from serving over a bed of buttery mash potato - but I advise you do so if you’re not watching your calorie intake or diet.

I prepare the entire dish in one skillet too which means less washing up - win, win.

The below serves a family of four.

Creamy Chicken, Pepper and Mushroom Skillet Dinner

Here’s how;

• 3 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 150g mixed mushrooms
• 6-7 chicken thighs, skin on
• Xx Creme Fraiche
• 1/2 glass white wine. I used Vina Sol as it was knocking about in the fridge - any white wine is fine
• Handful Parsley
• Salt & black pepper
• Olive oil

Firstly coat the skillet in a little olive oil and place onto a medium heat on the hob. Also preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Now season the skin of the chicken thighs generously and place each thigh, skin down into the skillet.

Allow them to really brown and crisp up well, for about 8-10 minutes, moving around gently to stop them sticking to the pan.

In the meantime prepare the vegetables: peel and dice the shallot, mince the garlic, chop the peppers and slice the mushrooms and set aside.

Turn over each chicken thigh when satisfied they are brown and crisp enough and simply sear on the other side for a few minutes.

Now remove each thigh, and place on a plate for the moment.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan now and allow to gently cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the peppers for another couple of minutes to carefully soften.

At this point add the white wine and make sure the heat is between medium and high - you want the alcohol to cook out, but to flavour the dish lightly.

Once the wine is sizzling away and has reduced slightly, return the chicken to the skillet and add the mushrooms. Pour over the creme fraiche and stir well to combine - it will quickly thin down to a runny sauce.

At this point generously season the dish and place it onto the middle shelf in the oven and allow it to cook for ten minutes, or until the chicken thighs are cooked right through.

Remove from the oven.

Roughly chop the parsley and scatter over the skillet before serving. Enjoy!

Courgetti in a Creamy Bacon & Vegetable Sauce

I've been trying to adhere to a 1200 calorie count in a bid to shed the last stone of baby weight and just live an overall healthier lifestyle since 1st January and so far so good.

Allowing myself weekend treat meals and alcoholic beverages works well for me but sometimes I really crave the more comforting mid-week meals such as pasta.

To make up for this I have been experimenting with courgetti and butternut pasta - both to some success and here is the recipe for a creamy, yet low fat bacon, leek, mushroom and pea 'pasta' using courgetti or courgette pasta that I just love and that really ticks the comfort food box for me. Also it gives me the chance to use my spiraliser - win, win.

If you haven't got a spiraliser; you can buy courgette pre-prepared from the likes of M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury's but the fresher the courgette the better for it to hold it's shape a bit.

The below is enough for two people and each portion comes in at 380 calories.

Courgetti in a Creamy Bacon & Vegetable Sauce

Here's how:

• 2 courgettes
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 rashers smoked bacon
• 100g mushrooms
• 100g peas
• 2 leeks
• 2 tbsp half fat crème fraiche
• 30g Grana Padano cheese
• Pinch black pepper
• Small handful fresh parsley (flat or curly is fine) 
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Firstly spiralise the courgette on the finest setting to be left with spaghetti like spirals of courgette and set aside for the moment.

Add the coconut oil to a non-stick pan and place on the lowest heat setting.

Now peel and very finely dice the onion and garlic and allow to soften.

Chop the bacon into very small pieces and add to the pan.

Now slice the leeks and mushrooms and once the bacon is almost cooked through, add to the pan.

After a few minutes add the peas and cook for a further two minutes.

Now add the crème fraiche and the Grana Padano and stir. Season here and cook for a further five to ten minutes.

In the meantime, chop the parsley, ready to stir through before serving.

Now add the courgetti to the pan and stir through. You want to heat this through, but for it to remain in shape and not become to floppy - essentially for it to still have some bite.

Now remove from the pan and stir through the parsley before serving. Enjoy!

Creamy Pork, Peppers and Mushrooms with Butternut Spaghetti

This is a lovely pasta sauce that uses only a little crème fraiche to get that unctuous creamy gloss alongside chicken stock and a tiny bit of corn flour rather than full fat cream. Served here with butternut spaghetti instead of actual pasta this is another great option if you are calorie counting or cutting back on your carbs.

The Butternut Spaghetti or Noodles can be made easily using a sprialiser, but Marks & Spencer do a great version as part of their healthy range - the pack serves two, and half a pack is only 35 calories which is great for a mid-week meal - what's more this meal can be on the table in 25 minutes too. 

This meal comes in at 420 calories per person with a handful or 50g watercress.

Creamy Pork, Peppers and Mushrooms with Buttenut Spaghetti

Here's how:

• 1 pack Butternut Noodles
• 160g lean pork loin steaks
• 50g light crème fraiche
• 1 red pepper
• 100g mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 150ml chicken stock (I use Knorr) 
• 1/2 tsp corn flour
• 30g Grana Padano cheese
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Handful fresh parsley

Firstly place the coconut oil into a pan and place on a gentle heat.

Now peel and slice the onion and crush the garlic and add to the pan to soften.

Slice the pepper and mushrooms and set aside. Finely chop the parsley and also set aside.

Chop the pork into thin strips and once the onion has started to soften, add to the pan to sear. Turn each piece over till the meat has started to cook on each side.

Now add the peppers and mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile make up the chicken stock and set aside.

Add the crème fraiche to the pan and stir, season generously with salt and black pepper then pour in two thirds of the chicken stock and turn the heat up a little. Now also grate in the cheese.

Add the corn flour to the remaining stock and stir to make a thick, gluey paste then add this to the pan and stir. Cook for a further five minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Creamy Pork, Peppers and Mushrooms

In the meantime cook the butternut spaghetti in the microwave (for two minutes) or you could steam them if you prefer.

Finally add the spaghetti to the pan and mix to ensure every strand is coated well in the sauce and finally add the parsley and give one final stir before dishing up. 

Butternut Spaghetti

Serve with a handful of watercress or rocket. Enjoy!

Fillet Steak with White Bean Mash and Creamy Peas and Lettuce

I got the idea for this a few weeks ago, watching an old episode of Nigella Bites. Nigella used a sirloin 'minute' steak but as I made this just for myself on an evening when my partner was out with clients for a meal, I thought fillet steak was in order. I also added some vegetables to the equation as just steak and beans felt too plain for when I wanted something a little decadent, and the addition of creme fraiche to the veg just upped the ante a little further. I served simply, with a little whole grain mustard on the side and it was absolutely delicious together.

You could of course use sirloin or your own preferred cut of steak but I say if cooking for yourself, go fillet and treat yourself.

The wonderful thing about this dinner too is that it's completely low maintenance, it can be on the table in fifteen minutes, including marinading the steak but tastes terrific. 

Steak:
1 fillet steak or steak of your choice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 spriggs of Rosemary
Pinch of coarse sea salt
Pinch of black pepper

White Bean Mash:
1 tin of cannelini beans, chickpeas or butter beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
Zest & juice of half a lemon
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper

Creamy Peas and Lettuce: 
2 tbsp frozen peas
1 little gem lettuce
1.5 tbsp creme fraiche
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp grain mustard

Water from a recently boiled kettle

Firstly marinade the steak in the oil, Rosemary, seasonings and the crushed garlic and leave to infus or five minutes, or longer if you have it.

Get your steak griddle or pan on a low-medium heat to warm it up.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, drizzle in the oil and place on a low heat. Crush the garlic and add to the pan for 30 seconds just to slightly soften.

Open the can of beans of your choice, I used chickpeas here, drain the liquid and add to the pan.

Grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze out the juice and keep to one side.

With a wooden spoon keep moving the beans around, gently smooshing them downwards, after only a few minutes they will start to burst open, and their soft centres will start to take on the flavour of the oil. Now is the time to season and add the lemon juice and zest. Keep on stirring and smooshing downwards until the whole thing comes together and resembles mash. Then leave on the lowest heat and stir every few minutes to prevent any sticking to the pan and to make sure it stays hot.

My fillet steak was about 3cm thick and this is how I cooked it for blushing pink and rare inside, please check depending on your preference for steak and which cut and size you have to gauge cooking time.

Sear your steak for two minutes in the now hot griddle or pan without moving - if using a griddle this is what will give you those lovely griddle marks that I think make a steak that little bit more appealing.

After searing, allow to cook for 2-3 minutes further on each side, then remove and place onto a plate to rest. You can wrap with foil here to keep the steak hot, but remember the heat will keep the steak cooking, I tend to place onto a steak and then position a bowl over the top instead.

Remember to keep stirring the white beans throughout the steak preparation.

Finally you can prepare your vegetable accompaniment. Slice your little gem and wash then drain with a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper and leave to one side.

Place the peas into a small saucepan and then cover with boiling water and cook for two minutes.

In the meantime drizzle in the olive oil into a final pan and place on a low heat. Add the lettuce and allow to very gently saute.

Drain the peas and add these to the pan with the lettuce, also adding the creme fraiche and some seasoning. You can also add a little garlic here, but as the meal was already heavy on garlic I omitted here. Add the grain mustard and stir through. Once the creme fraiche has reduced down to a more liquidy form, this is ready - it takes no time at all.

Finally you are ready to plate up and enjoy this wonderful plate of food. Allowing the steak to rest for 4-5 minutes whilst getting the vegetables together will allow all of the juices to return and make for such a beautifully tender piece of meat.

A final flourish of coarse sea salt and pepper onto the steak before eating will again, up the ante. Enjoy!

Applewood Spreadable Challenge: Creamy Pea, Courgette and Mint Risotto

This is the second of three recipes I’ve devised for the Applewood Spreadable #SpreadStirShare challenge to create delicious family recipes using Applewood Spreadable. My first was Cheesy Pea, Leek and Pancetta Gnocchi Bake and this time it’s a Creamy Pea, Courgette and Mint Risotto. Perhaps a little summery and certainly a classic combination – but with the addition of crème fraiche and Applewood Spreadable it makes for a rich, luxurious, creamy tasting risotto – and that for me, never goes out of season.

I served this with a portion of rocket and some homemade garlic toasts (French stick sliced diagonally, rubbed with a halved garlic clove all over and drizzled with a tiny bit of olive oil then griddled on a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side) and it served four of us.

Here’s how:

5 spring onions

1 large garlic clove

75g fresh peas

2 small courgettes

2 tbsp fresh mint

1-1.5 pints chicken stock

1 glass dry white wine

2 tbsp crème fraiche

1 tbsp Applewood Spreadable

250g Arborio rice

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

Firstly crush your garlic and chop the spring onions and add this to the pan on a medium heat with the olive oil until starting to soften.

Slice the courgettes on a diagonal and add to the pan and allow to fry until a little crisp and golden on each side, then remove the courgettes and keep to the side, covered to keep warm.

Next add the rice to the pan and use a wooden or plastic spoon to move around to ensure all rice gets coated with the oil. Allow to cook for about five minutes and then add the wine to the pan with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Once the wine has been almost completely absorbed, add a ladle full of the chicken stock, keep stirring and continue the process for the next fifteen minutes or so, adding more stock as it is absorbed. (My Dad and I have an ongoing argument about whether or not the stock should be heated before adding to risotto – I say it doesn’t matter, he disagrees – if anybody has any thoughts do feel free to share!)

Once you have used about a pint of the stock, taste the rice to see if it is beginning to soften enough to your particular taste. Different rice seems to respond in different ways and needs varying amounts of stock, so continue to taste until the rice has become soft enough throughout.

Now you need to add the peas and stir through and then return the courgettes to the pan too and cook for a further few minutes, stirring all the while. Now add the Applewood Spreadable and as much of the crème fraiche as you fancy – 2 tbsp makes for a rich and creamy texture which I adore, but if you don’t want it to creamy, then just reduce the amount.

Taste once more and add seasoning accordingly. Chop up the mint and stir through about half to the dish, then once it’s been dished up, add a final flourish of mint leaves to each portion for some added zing and freshness. Enjoy!

To find out more about Applewood Cheese, Applewood Spreadable and the #SpreadStirShare challenge as well as keeping up with the other recipes from some fabulous other bloggers check out the Applewood news blog: http://applewoodcheese.co.uk/blog.php

Cinnamon and Honey Baked Nectarines

This simple dessert is one of many ways to enjoy nectarines while they are at their best and takes only a minute to prepare - of course this would work just as well with peaches too.

Take 1 1/2 nectarines per person and cut into three rounds, place on some tinfoil in an ovenproof dish or a baking tray, flesh side upwards. 

Sprinkle over some ground cinnamon and then drizzle over a generous slathering of runny honey over each. 

Pull the foil up around the nectarines to preserve the juices from escaping during cooking and place into the oven at 180 degrees for around 35 minutes. 

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little creme fraiche and drizzle oven the juices left in the foil for a seriously tasty and light summer pudding. 

Creamy Mushrooms on Toast - Brunch Dish For Two

This is a lovely weekend brunch or lunch dish improved when you can get hold of a glut of delicious wild mushrooms. I crave this though and sometimes supermarket fungi just has to suffice, in fact with a mixture of mushrooms, it's still gorgeous. A great alternative to bacon and eggs and fab with some fresh orange juice or better still a Bloody Mary cocktail.

Here's how:

Drizzle olive oil
1 small red onion
1 large clove of garlic
150g mushrooms (a mixture of any)~
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
3tbsp creme fraiche
2 ciabatta rolls or a ciabatta loaf sliced in half

Slice the red onion finely and crush the garlic and add to a frying pan with a generous glug of olive oil and place on a low heat.

Cut the ciabatta in half, drizzle a little olive oil over and place onto a griddle pan on a low heat. Alternatively you can grill or even toast.

Slice the mushrooms and set aside.

Once the onions are softened, add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes longer then add the mushrooms to the pan. 

Allow to cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms have softened slightly then add the creme fraiche, a pinch of salt and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper, stir through and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Remove the ciabatta and place on a plate and spoon over the mushroom mixture. Add some freshly chopped parsley and enjoy. 

Simple Supper - Gnocchi Pasta Bake

Sometimes in my life when preparing a meal for loved ones, I have all the time in the world, and can lovingly and leisurely prepare dishes that I’m quite proud of and which demonstrate the passion that’s have gone into them.Other times I might get home from work on a Friday evening, realise that dinner-making duties have fallen on my unwilling shoulders, and have very little motivation or energy for it. On these days I rely on my ‘simple suppers’, which basically do exactly what they say on the tin. They’re not time consuming, take little effort, fill a food hole, and fill it well.Last week I called on an old favourite – a Gnocchi Pasta Bake - which I adapt according to what’s in the fridge at the time – a crowd pleaser, that’s filling, comforting and damn-right yummy. But the real beauty of this dish is that it literally is completely changeable dish that can depend exactly on what’s already in stock – it’s also a very cheap dinner, so perfect for the end of the month, before pay-day when money might be tight.

This time I made the very easy sauce by sautéing chopped spring onions, (can use any type!), a little crushed garlic (optional), and some chopped smoked bacon. For ideal results I would use pancetta, but bacon was in the fridge and meant I didn’t have to leave the house, so bacon was used, and it gave a nice smoky flavour. I also chucked in 2 mushrooms, chopped – which again were left in the bottom of the fridge.

Once this was nicely cooked I added a tub of crème fraiche and cooked for about five minutes. While all of this was going on I cooked some fresh Gnocchi – or pasta potato dumplings – which only take a couple of minutes in boiling water and drained. I broke up a couple of fresh mackerel fillets that were in the fridge and mixed all in together with some chopped parsley and placed into an ovenproof dish.

It goes without saying that this must be seasoned to taste as you go along with salt and ground black pepper. I have made this with chicken before and it’s just as tasty – but I do love oily fish at this time of year.Finally I grated on some Cheddar (again a fridge essential – but other cheese would work just as well, especially a Mozarella or Emental which have that nice melting quality). This was then baked in the over for 25 minutes until the cheese was lightly browned and et voila – dinner was served.

I served with a simple salad thrown together. And in the 25 minutes the dinner took to cook I had time to clear away, lay the table and most importantly open a bottle of cold Pinot Grigio and pour myself a generous glass as a reward for all that hard cooking. Simples!