Things have been pretty hectic at work and not been cooking for a few weeks. We have been very naughty and just living on takeaways and bar snacks for a few weeks.
And more recently just got back from 2 and a half weeks in Spain which I LOVED! I so needed a holiday and it was perfect and I spent my days getting up at around 9.30 and going for a 3 mile run on the seafront before it got too hot, then just chilling by the pool, swimming, reading 50 shades of Grey on my kindle (soooo crap but wierdly addictive, definately a guilty pleasure) and of course EATING!
We didn't hold back! We stuffed ourselves on bread, cheese, chorizo, cured meats and olives. Not to mention copius amounts of beer and wine! Thankfully my early morning running seemed to stave off the weight gain so I didn't seem to come back too much heavier.
Check out this study I'm living proof that training first thing can put the body into fat burning mode and offset even a very high calorie diet!
So here's what I made...
My healthy(ish) homemade tapas feast!!!
Heres what I made:
- Chicken in white wine, garlic and lemon juice
- Sweet potato chips with red chilli
- Chickpeas and chorizo
- Stuffed peppers with feta and pine nuts
- roasted courgette and manchego bites
- Roasted asparagus salad
Wrong and wrong again. I knocked this little lot together in less than an hour (although the kitchen did look like a bomb had hit it by the time I'd finished) and it contains low fat cheeses to cut down on fat and only good for you, complex carbs. No stodgy white bread or potatoes and definately nothing deep fried! I made double what we needed with the intention of packing the rest up and going for a picnic the next day but guess what... we ate nearly all of it! It was just too nice... if i do say so myself!
Heres what I did...
Cut 2 large or 3 small chicken breasts into thin strips and spread out in an oven proof dish. Drizzle over 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Crush 2 cloves of garlic over the chicken and rub into the meat. Squeeze over the juice of a lemon and pour 100ml of white wine and mix it all together. Leave to marinate for as long as possible while your preparing the rest of the tapas dishes and then bake at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes
Roasted Asparagus salad
Roast Asparagus tips in olive oil, oregano, salt and black pepper at 170 degrees for about 12-14 minutes.
serve on a bed of baby gem lettuce and shaved reduced fat parmesan cheese. Drizzel over the roasting juices from the asparagus to dress the salad.
Stuffed Peppers with feta cheese and pine nuts
Fry finely diced peppers, mushrooms, onions and a crushed clove of garlic and sweat down until soft. While that is cooking roast 2 halved peppers in a little olive oil and put 50g brown rice on to cook. The rice should take about 20 minutes and the peppers about 15. While the peppers cool mix the cooked rice into the veg mixture and add 30g pine nuts and 50g crumbled feta cheese. Spoon the rice mixture into the cooked pepper halves and top with a little cheese that will melt (i used manchego) and return to the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned on top.
Cut 1 sweet potato into 1cm cubes and fry in a little olive oil. When they are nearly cooked add 1 finly diced red chilli and cook for a further few minutes then season with a little salt. (As you can see from the picture I forgot about mine and burned them slightly but they still tasted really good. Might be an idea to make them first and then just bung in the oven to heat through at the last minute as they do need a lot of attention.)Chickpeas and chorizo
When vegetables are soft remove from the pan and fry sliced chorizo for 3-4 minutes. I used about half of a horseshoe shaped chorizo for 2 people but the amount it made could easily have fed four.
When the chorizo is cooked return the softened veg to the pan and add 1 can of drained chickpeas. Cook together for a few minutes until it is all warmed through.
Roasted courgette and manchego bites
Very easy! Slice a large courgette into lengthways slices, you should get about 6. Roast them in a little olive oil until soft and then take out and roll each slice up with a a slice of manchego cheese. (Andy's favourite can you guess). Put back into the oven for another few minutes until cheese has melted slightly and the top of the courgette has browned.
We washed it all down with a bottle of Albarino from the wine shop in West Didsbury. I dont usually drink white but this was delicious and went perfectly with the food and the weather. It was very dry and light but still fruity and fresh. I am realiably informed it had a slightly salty aftertaste due to the vineyard being close to the sea. I cant say i noticed it but it was a really nice wine nonetheless. Definately a 9/10!
It cost about £12.
Needless to say I'm not going to even try to calculate the calorie content in this because we ate LOADS! Far more than 2 people needed but as I mentioned before, there was loads of good stuff in there and not too many bad fats. If your going to indulge then this is definatly the way to do it!
So anyway I am back on the wagon now of healthy food and for the next few weeks I am going to attempt no booze!
I will update on how I get on but I'm hoping to get my cook/bake on and have some tasty offerings to write about.
Would be lovely to think that someone might read this but even if I'm just rambling to myself... Ciao for now!
xx
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