Chicken Arrabiata Bake

If you are looking for some lower calorie meals, this delicious and spicy Chicken Arrabiata Bake is a great way to go. 

Each portion is about 200 calories, I serve with a green salad for me, and if you want to add some carbohydrates for the rest of the family you could either have the bake over some just-cooked pasta or some fresh crusty bread; both work well.

This has all the heat and flavour of a Pasta Arrabiata but without the calories. The melted mozzarella feels like a real treat too when you're following a lower calorie diet. 

The picture doesn't do this justice as it really tastes a whole lot better than it looks!

Chicken Arrabiata Bake

The below serves four.

Here's how:

• 400g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 white onion
• 2 red chillies
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Handful basil leaves and stalks
• 1 courgette
• 1 ball of mozzarella
• Salt and black pepper
• Pinch sugar
• Drizzle of olive oil, or a few sprays of Fry Light

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. 

Now peel and finely dice the onion and mince the garlic, and slice the red chillies and place on a low heat with the olive oil or Fry Light in a frying pan or wok.

Now take the stalks from the basil leaves and finely chop, set both the leaves and the stalks aside for the minute. 

Tear the mozzarella into thin slithers, and set aside.

Chop the courgette into bite sized pieces and also set aside.

Now take the chicken thighs, and chop into large pieces. 

By now, the onion and garlic should have softened in the pan; at this point add the chicken to the pan to gently sear. 

Now add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Season well at this point and add the pinch of sugar and the basil stalks to add flavour to the sauce. 

Cook out for about five minutes, then add the courgettes and stir through.

Now transfer the contents of the pan to an oven proof dish and ensure to spread out as evenly as you can. 

Place over the mozzarella all over the dish, again trying to evenly distribute as best you can.

Chicken Arrabiata Bake

Place the dish into the oven on a middle shelf and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the mozzarella is nicely melted and the chicken is cooked through. 

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a minute; serve with your choice of accompaniments and garnish with a couple of basil leaves if you like. Enjoy!

If you are looking for some lower calorie meal ideas here are a few you may enjoy:

Sticky Asian Salmon

Chicken Satay Noodle Salad

Tuna Fishcakes

Vegetarian Chilli

Roasted Celeriac Soup

Beef Kofte Kebabs

Reduced Calorie Bolognese

Thai Beef Salad

Pesto Topped Haddock with Herby Couscous

Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

Spicy Beef Quesadilla with Avocado Salad

These Spicy Beef Quesadilla are a really comforting dish to have on a work/school night and the accompanying creamy little salad works perfectly with it.

I've used beef mince here but you could just as easily use turkey, lamb, pork or chicken mince - but the beef work well with the level of spicing I've used. If you don't like much heat, adjust the spices accordingly and maybe remove the red chilli.

The below serves a family of four with a couple leftover to fight over.

Spicy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Salad

Here's how:

• Few sprays of Frylight Olive Oil or a drizzle of olive oil
• 450g beef or steak mince
• 1 large red onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp hot paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 250g mushrooms
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 can red kidney beans

• x6 tortilla wraps
• 1 ball Mozzarella
• Handful of grated Cheddar

For the salad:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 8 sweet cherry tomatoes
• 1 small tin of sweetcorn (or one corn on the cob, cooked, and with the corn extracted)
• Pinch sea salt
• Juice of half a lime

Firstly prepare the beef by adding the Frylight or olive oil to a large wok or frying pan and placing on a low heat.

Peel and finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the chilli (keep the seeds in for an extra kick) and add to the warm pan.

In the meantime, slice the red pepper and the mushrooms and set aside.

Once the onion mixture has begun to soften, add the mince to the pan, season well with the salt and pepper and use a wooden spatula to break up a little and ensure it cooks evenly all over.

After a couple of minutes in the pan, add the coriander, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and mix well.

Allow to cook until the meat is completely browned off and then add the red peppers, red kidney beans, mushrooms and the tomato puree; mix well and then allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the salad by firstly removing the flesh of the avocados and placing into a small bowl. Use the back of a fork to carefully mash the avocado - you don't want a complete puree here, so go easy. Chop the cherry tomatoes up into small pieces and add to the avocado and then add the corn too. Squeeze over the lime juice, season with sea salt and mix gently and the salad is ready.

Now take the Mozzarella ball, and very thinly slice and set aside.

To make the quesadilla, firstly place the frying pan on a medium heat and add a couple of sprays of the Frylight.

Now place one tortilla wrap into the pan, with half on the pan side - you can use a knife or a spoon to prevent the other half going into the pan. Work quickly here. Now spoon over a generous portion of the spicy beef mix and ensure the half of tortilla is well covered. Top with a little Mozzarella and grated Cheddar, fold the other half of the tortilla over and fry for 3-4 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Now carefully use a fish slice and/or spatula to turn the tortilla over and cook on the other side until golden and the cheese has just melted.

Remove from the pan carefully placing onto a wooden board or plate and pop into the oven on a low heat to keep warm.

In the meantime, be assembling the next quesadilla in the pan repeating the process until all are cooked.

Now slice each quesadilla in half or smaller pieces for any little ones, and place onto a plate, stacked up with a couple of spoonfuls of the avocado salad. Enjoy!

Bruschetta Two Ways

On Monday I had a couple of friends, Stephanie and Jemma over for a meal and whipped up a couple of fail-safe bruschetta choices as part of our antipasti - or starter.

Bruschetta is a beautiful, beautiful thing and yet so often I've had bland versions and been disappointed. When the three of us, and our jet-setting friend Jade, were in Rome earlier in the year, we attended a pasta making class and I asked the chefs about the perfect bruschetta (theirs was insanely good). As ever in Italian cookery, the key is using the best possible ingredients - quality is mandatory. Also they told us to never, ever put tomatoes into the fridge as this takes away from the flavour - a rule I've stuck to since, and can genuinely taste the difference.

Here are two ways to top bruschetta Italian style - the second is a creation of my own made simply to use up the last of my homemade Walnut and Basil Pesto. The below makes about 6-8 slices for each topping and they are suitable for all the family.

Bruschetta - tomato and Pesto and Mascarpone

Tomato Bruschetta

• 1 ciabatta (or other crusty fresh bread) Couple of large tomatoes (room temperature)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Italian preferably
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Tsp sea salt
• Tsp black pepper
• Optional: few basil leaves

Firstly slice up the ciabatta and set aside. Peel a garlic clove and cut in half, now rub all over the bread slices using the 'wet' part of the garlic to impart some great flavour. Lay flat on a plate or a board and season with sea salt and black pepper, then turn over and do the same. Set aside for the minute.

Cut the tomatoes into small chunks, removing most of the seeds and place into a small bowl. Top with the olive oil and balsamic and stir. Leave to stand for a good half an hour.

Now lightly toast the slices of ciabatta under the grill on both sides. Remove from the grill and top with the tomatoes.

You can of course add a final flourish of basil to add another classic Italian taste, but these are great as they are.

Pesto & Mascarpone Bruschetta with Mozzarella

• 2 tbsp Walnut Pesto (homemade pesto is always better but jarred is fine if that's all you have)
• 1 tub mascarpone cheese
• Half a ball of mozzarella
• Grating of fresh nutmeg
• Black pepper

Repeat step one from the Tomato Bruschetta to get the slices ready for the topping.

Simply combine the pesto and mascarpone and mix really well with a wooden spoon until completely combined and a minty green hue. Add a generous pinch of black pepper and mix some more.

Spread over a generous spoonful onto each, and then grate over a little nutmeg onto each.

Tear the mozzarella and add a small piece to the top of each slice.

Tip: any leftover topping makes a fantastic alternative dip for blanched asparagus spears, sliced peppers or carrot batons.

Baby Bites Pitta Pizza

This is a really great finger food and one that the whole family can enjoy way beyond the weaning process – they are delicious. The pizza sauce is super easy to make and whilst it takes a little time, it makes a big batch that you can freeze into an ice tray for each time you want to make these pizzas.

Have fun with the toppings and as little one gets older you can encourage her to choose from a selection and place them on herself – I recently made these for my friend’s ten year old and he was a big fan of popping on as much sweetcorn as the pitta could carry!

This works equally well on wraps too or even naan breads.

The below makes enough for one child and one parent, for lunch, with a little side salad.

Here’s how:

• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 jar passata or chopped tomatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 pitta breads
• Toppings of your choice – we used sliced mushrooms and peppers plus tinned sweetcorn
• Few strips of mozzarella

Firstly you need to make your sauce. Add the olive oil to a non-stick pan and place onto a low heat to slowly warm through.

In the meantime, finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to soften.

Once soft and translucent, add the tomatoes or passata.

Peel and finely grate the carrot and add to the sauce mixture (this is a sneaky way of getting extra fibre into children’s diets too if they’re not fond of vegetables).

Add the pepper and oregano and allow to slowly cook for, about thirty minutes, then remove from the heat and portion up accordingly. If you are putting some in the fridge or freezer till a later date, then make sure you allow it to fully cool before placing into the chiller.

Now place your oven on at around 180 degrees.

Now get your pittas onto a baking tray and put a 1-2 tablespoons full of the pizza sauce onto each and spread roughly.

Add the toppings of your choice and then the mozzarella cheese.

Place into the oven where they should cook in about ten minutes – you know they are cooked enough once the cheese is oozing and melted and then remove from the oven.

Cut into fingers for your little one and allow to cool enough for them to handle. Enjoy!

Tricolore Salad

There are many glorious salads that make summer eating so wonderful and the tricolore is an absolute classic. Named so after the triple colour or three coloured elements that make up both the Italian flag and of course the salad - it's simplicity doesn't take away from it's fresh, vibrant deliciousness. 

Again, this is hardly a recipe. merely a few ingredients thrown together to make up a big bowl of loveliness that can either make up a meal or act as a side with a versatile range of dishes. 

The one thing that I will advise on here is ensuring you buy the best possible quality ingredients to prepare this - with a dish so simple, there is nothing to hide behind so you don't want brown, bruised avocados or unripe tomatoes, everything needs to be just so. 

So to prepare a salad as a side for four, you need 3-4 decent sized and perfectly ripe tomatoes. Simply wash then slice and add to your salad bowl. Halve a large, ripe avocado and remove the stone, then using a teaspoon, scoop out curls of avocado flesh and add to the bowl. Pull or slice a ball of the best quality buffalo mozzarella and scatter around the salad. The final flourish is to add a generous handful of full basil leaves around the bowl and then to dress. 

Drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil, be generous as this really does aid the flavour with it's peppery tang. Finally, throw over some coarse sea salt a large pinch will do and some freshly ground black pepper and give a stir or a shake. 

Three-Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne

Foolishly,and in my natural greed, I forgot to take a photo of Sunday night’s dinner – but frankly it was too delicious not to share so here we are. Not a health tonic, it’s much more of an indulgent, comfort-food style of eating: my Three-Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne.

This can of course be tweaked to include beef or lamb mince, but do try the pork version as it is a definite flavour winner.


Ingredients


400g lean pork mince

1 red onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp dried oregano

Tin of tomatoes

2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

Lasagne sheets (I used dried but you could use fresh or if you have a pasta maker make your own)

425ml milk

45g butter

20g plain flour

Parsley stalks

10 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

Half ball of Mozzarella

100g Parmigiana Reggiano

100g Mature Cheddar


How To


The Béchamel Sauce

  1. First in a saucepan warm through the milk with the peppercorns, parsley stalks and bay leaf as well as some generous seasoning. Allow to boil, then simmer for five minutes. Take off of the heat.

2. In a separate pan melt the butter slowly, not letting it burn. Once melted add the flour, bit by bit, constantly stirring it in with a wooden spoon.

3. Sieve the milk contents into the butter and flour mixture slowly, keeping up the stirring until all milk has been added and the consistency is thick and sauce-like whilst also smooth.

4. Add about 20g of the Cheddar and continue to stir until the sauce returns to the thick and smooth consistency

5. Taste and then add seasoning where necessary and take off of the heat.



The Meat & Sauce

1. Firstly sauté the chopped onion and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan.

2. Once softened add the pork mince and continue to move around the pan with a wooden spatula or spoon until its beginning to brown.

3. Add the cinnamon and oregano to the meat with a pinch each of sea salt and ground black pepper and allow to cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the tin of tomatoes and stir through so the meat is evenly covered. Next add the two tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minute. Just before taking off of the heat add in some roughly torn fresh basil leaves.


Assembly


1. In your greased, ovenproof dish firstly layer some of the meat.

2. Use a large spoon or ladle to pour on some of the béchamel sauce then use a palette knife to spread over the meat.

3. Add a sprinkling of the Parmesan over the sauce.

4. Top with the lasagne sheets so all of the sauce is covered and then add your next layer of meat.

5. Repeat this process so you have three layers of meat and then for the top layer top the lasagne sheets with the remaining béchamel sauce.

6. Finally use the remaining cheese to cover the top, sprinkling the Parmesan and Cheddar on evenly and tearing the Mozzarella and placing in even spots around the lasagne.

7. If you want to you can top with slices of tomato for a garnish.


Cook


1. Place in a pre-heated oven at around 160-170 degrees and allow to cook for around 40-45 minutes or until the top is a glorious golden brown and the cheese is bubbling away


Serve


Perfect with a simple green leaf salad, lightly dressed with either a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a glass of glorious Italian red wine - I enjoyed with a Barolo Milani 2007/8 Rocca, which was given to me recently as a present, and it went down rather well indeed.