Spicy Quorn Chicken Jambalaya

This is a gorgeous Cajun style recipe. Perfect for when you fancy something a bit spicy and it's so quick and simple to make. I make this regularly and whats great about this recipe is you can choose to add or take out what ever you like, such as substituting the quorn for chicken, or adding in some different vegetables. Plus for all you fellow Weight Watchers out there, this recipe serves 4 and is 10pp a serving.

Ingredients:

250G Brown Rice (You can choose white if you prefer)
1 Large red onion
3 Sweet bite peppers (I like to use one of each colour)
Button Mushrooms - Chopped (As many as you would like)
Cherry Tomatoes Halved (As many as you would like)
Frylight Oil Spray (Or regular oil)
2 Teaspoons of Cajun Seasoning or Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon of Chilli Powder More if you like it hot!)
500g Quorn Chicken Style pieces
Fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Start by preparing your rice. Depending on the type of rice you are cooking , methods and times will vary.

Once your rice is on. Gently heat your frying pan adding some sprays of your oil. Add in the chopped mushrooms, onion and peppers. (Chopped small - No big bites)
about 4 minutes then add in your quorn chicken pieces. Next add in your spices (I also like to add a few chilli flakes at this point) and continue to stir fry together until the quorn cooks through, is coated and starts to brown. Be careful not to let the food stick. The coating will get slightly sticky, make sure you constantly toss/stir to prevent sticking. Now chuck in your halved tomatoes for the last few seconds or stir frying.

Next you want to add in your cooked rice and give the mixture a really good mix, making sure you are scraping all the spice residue from the pan and getting the rice nice and coated. Season with some ground pepper and add one more dash of Cajun seasoning to the mix. Give it a gentle stir fry for a few minutes and serve immediately.

My Second Super Seven!

Well it's official! I have now lost over a stone (Biggest grin ever) My total weight loss for the past 4 weeks is 14.5 lbs. I am over the moon as I never imagined I would have such a good loss. If I am honest I was rather sceptical about Weight Watchers, and really did not expect to lose any weight. I have loved getting proved wrong!

Onwards and upwards! Here's to another loss next week!

Fancy shedding a few pounds yourself? I cannot recommend Weight Watchers highly enough. If you follow the plan than you will get the results you want..

Head on over to there site now and take advantage of there £1 joining offer (That's both online and weekly meetings)

Weight Watchers

Easy Peasy Pasta

Here is a fantastic little recipe for a tasty pasta dish. Easy to prepare and not time consuming, while still being healthy and using fresh ingredients.

Thanks to Karen over at The Mums To Do List for this great recipe.

1. Chop 1 onion (I use red) and add to pan with 1 tablespoon of oil.

2. Add 2 garlic cloves (sliced)...but if your children will cringe if they see a slice of garlic, crush it instead...they will never know!

3. Add 1 chopped red pepper.  Again if kids are funny about peppers chop it really finely to hide it, or you could substitute for mushrooms, carrots, peas or courgette.  In fact any veg that your children like could be added to give them another of their 5 a day.

4. Soften the above ingredients in the pan, then add a big handful of pancetta.  If you can't find pancetta in the supermarket just buy streaky bacon and chop it up.  Cook until pancetta browns a little.

5. Add half a teaspoon of fennel seeds if you like a bit of flavour, then 4 (chopped) fresh tomatoes and 400g of tinned tomatoes.  Then a little water (about 75ml).  Bring to a simmer and add 1 beef stock cube.  You could season with salt and pepper, but if cooking for toddlers lay off the salt.

6. Allow the sauce to thicken on simmer, and once the pasta is cooked either spoon over the pasta, or you can mix the pasta into the sauce and serve.

7. Sprinkle with a little grated parmesan (or any cheese finely grated).

Mine differed only slightly from the above recipe. I omitted the fennel seeds (not a fan) and instead of peppers packed out the sauce with peas, green beans, carrots and sweetcorn. (Love my veggies) 

Clean plates all round and safe in the knowledge we have had our 5 a day :-)