Syn-Free Beef Stroganoff and Wild Rice Pilaf

So… in case you hadn't gathered...  I joined Slimming World again, because why not? It’s the only program that lets me cook the same meals for the whole family and no one notices that it’s healthy and I’m allowed pasta. Nuff said. The challenge now is finding a way to cook normal food but in a healthier manner. We love beef stroganoff in this house and I daresay I make a mean one, full of butter and booze and gloriousness. I didn’t think a “healthified” version would make the grade, but nobody seemed to notice the difference, myself included.  I left out the flour and allowed the sauce to reduce, which as any chef will tell you, always results in much more flavour.

I served this Slimming World Beef Stroganoff with Wild Rice Pilaf, another family favourite that always brings me back to Michigan. In terms of Slimming World, this entire meal is syn-free and so delicious you will wonder how. I recommend filling up the plate with some steamed greens like asparagus, broccoli or broccolini.  Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for loads more SW-friendly recipes!

Slimming World Beef Stroganoff

• fry-light
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 packet of mushrooms, sliced
• 400g thinly sliced lean beef steak, thinly sliced*
• salt and pepper
• 250 ml beef stock (made using two stock cubes)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons 0% fat Greek Yoghurt
• Parsley, chopped, to garnish
• Salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet and spray liberally with fry-light.

Add onions, garlic and shallot and cook down until onion is just softened. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid is cooked off, stirring to ensure nothing sticks.

Season steak liberally with salt and pepper.

Add beef and fry until just browned. Add stock and Worcestershire sauce. Turn up the heat and allow to reduce by half or more until slightly syrupy. Stir occasionally scraping the bottom of the pan, where all the flavour is. This can take awhile if the mushrooms are still releasing liquid.

Once sauce is thickened, stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the Greek Yoghurt and cook for another minute or two, longer if you prefer a thicker sauce. Stir in some fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.

You can use fillet for the leanest option, but sirloin or round steak is more flavourful and if sliced thin enough, you can’t tell the difference. If you throw the steak into the freezer for 30 minutes, it’s easier to slice. Just be sure to trim all the fat.

Slimming World Wild Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dried wild rice*
• Fry-light
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 cup of basmati rice
• 250ml chicken or vegetable stock (made with two stock cubes)

Heat a small pot and bring some water to a boil.  Cook wild rice for about 30 minutes, or according to package directions.

Meanwhile, spray a pot with fry-light and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until softened. Do not let brown.

Add the basmati rice with a few tablespoons of stock and cook for a few minutes to coat rice until stock is gone. Stir in the now cooked wild rice. Add enough stock to barely cover the rice. Put a lid on the pot and turn down to the lowest heat. Leave for 15-20 minutes until rice is cooked through.

Remove lid and fluff rice with fork and season with salt and pepper.

* Can be obtained from most health shops, alternatively use a wild/long-grain mix

Cheater's Sushi Stacks

I had the girls around on Friday night for Wine and hors d'oeuvres and had a terrible hankering for sushi.  Living in the Midlands, that's generally impossible to satisfy without driving to Dublin.  Even to make my own I would have to be extremely confident in the freshness of the fish and being so far inland and having only access to one fishmonger who I don't particularly care for means I won't be making sashimi at home any time soon.  I decided to use some gorgeous Irish smoked salmon instead. I was slightly pressed for time, so didn't want to mess with vegetables and rolls, so I made stacks!  This is super easy and very appealing to sushi newbies with all the ingredients available at Tesco!

Smoked Salmon Sushi Stacks

• 1½ cups sushi rice 
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 
• 2 teaspoons sugar 
• 2 teaspoons mirin 
• 2 teaspoons sake (can use water)
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt 
• 4 sheets toasted nori 
• 1 tsp wasabi 
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 8 ounces smoked salmon
• Pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi to garnish and serve

Bring rice and water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, mirin and sake in a small saucepan and cook until salt and sugar are dissolved. 

When rice is cooked, mix in vinegar mixture and spread out on a clean surface to cool.

Mix mayonnaise with wasabi until combined and light green.

Lay one sheet of nori on a clean surface and spoon 1/3 of the rice on top. Spread out over the nori using wet hands and press down to seal.  Top with a layer of smoked salmon. Using a pastry brush, brush with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Top with another sheet of nori and press down frimly to seal. Repeat twice more finishing with the fourth sheet of nori, shiny side up.

Wrap the square in plastic film and refrigerate for a few hours.

When ready to serve, get a very sharp knife and run the hot water.  Wipe and run the knife under the water before each slice using the wet blade to cut the stack into one inch pieces.  

Serve topped with pickled ginger and leave out soy sauce, wasabi and some extra wasabi mayonnaise for people to add as desired.

Submit to: Recipe Sharing Monday

Pan Seared Cod with Chorizo and Leek Risotto

This is a glorious evening meal that hubby and I really enjoy.  It's the type of dish that a restaurant will charge you €23 for that can easily be made cheaply at home.  It looks like you've spent hours cooking it too, when in reality it's ridiculously simple!

Risotto is one of those meals that gets a bad wrap in terms of home cooking.  Supposedly it's difficult to get right, but like other notorious tricky eats such as choux pastry and hollandaise sauce, it's incredibly simple once you get the hang of.  This dish comes together quickly, so I recommend having all your ingredients (mise en place) ready in advance.  Try and get fresh cod from a fish monger.  This also works well with Monkfish. The measurements below serve two, any tips on getting the kids to eat fish are always welcome!

Ingredients:


For the risotto -

• knob of butter
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 large leeks, finely sliced (white and light green parts only)
• 200g Carnaroli or Arborio rice
• glass of dry white wine
• 1 pint hot chicken stock
• handful parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

For the fish -

• 2  thick loins of cod, skinned and bones pin-picked
• 1/2 link of chorizo, skinned and cubed
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Season fish with salt and pepper, set aside while you prepare the risotto.

Saute the shallots with the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat until soft.  Add the leeks and cook for a few minutes until leeks begin to soften.  Add rice and stir to coat well. Cook for a minute, stirring frequently.

Add the wine and allow to cook off before adding a ladle of stock. Allow to cook down and repeat.  Continue until the rice is just under al-dente.  Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and another knob of butter if you like.  

While you're cooking the risotto, heat a frying pan and render the chorizo.  You want it to be relatively crispy but not burnt.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add a little olive oil to the rendered chorizo fat and sear your cod.  Cook for 3-5 minutes per side until firm to the touch and just cooked through.

To plate, serve a scoop of risotto, top with the cod, sprinkle with chorizo and drizzle with some of the chorizo oil. 

Linking up to: Recipe Sharing Monday,