Cheats Harissa Cauliflower Pilaf

One of my lovely friends got me a Good Food Magazine subscription for Christmas. Now I have a terrible habit of absolutely loving reading recipe books and magazines, but never actually making anything out of them as I tend to just go off and do my own thing so I decided that I would try and make a least one thing out of each monthly edition. The January edition was full of tray bakes and, having had a read through the mag, I decided the Harissa Cauliflower Pilaf was the most up my street. Now whilst I committed to making something out of the edition, I knew it wouldn’t be too the letter and so, having made this a few times now, I can confirm my version is actually rather different to the original.

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Turkey, Brie and Cranberry Burgers

I originally wrote this recipe in early December as a nice Christmassy addition to the fakeaway/burger selection on my site but with Max’s early arrival I never got around to the second testing and posting of it so it’s been somewhat delayed…until now. This is a lovely burger recipe that is bursting with those classic Christmas flavours but that actually works all year around (who doesn’t love a bit of brie!!).

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Mac and Chorizo Bake

Who doesn’t love Mac and Cheese!? A few of you may have tried the other Mac and Cheese recipe on my site which uses Butternut Squash to recreate the smooth and creamy texture of a regular Mac and Cheese and I love it but this week I thought I would try and make a more traditional style Mac and Cheese – whilst still keeping it WW friendly. The result, I have to say, was amazing. This is probably one of my hubbie and I’s favourite dishes I’ve created in a while as its both cheesily good and bursting with that lovely smoky chorizo flavour. It’s a little higher in points than other dishes but it really doesn’t feel like a ‘diet’ dish so in my view, it’s worth every single point! Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

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Harissa Lamb and Goat’s Cheese Potato Salad

Whilst I was pregnant, one of the things I wasn’t supposed to eat was goat’s cheese. Goat’s cheese is one of my favourite cheeses and 9 months without its creamy delight was hard going so I knew one of the first recipes I would write once I could have it again would include it! I also love the combo of lamb, harissa and goat’s cheese and so, after a bit of experimentation, I came up with this lovely salad which works perfectly as both a healthy, filling evening meal as well as for left overs for lunch the next day.

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Cajun Prawn and Coriander Risotto

Coriander is probably my favourite herb and I find it makes its way into lots of my cooking. One dish it hadn’t yet made it into was a risotto and, after fancying a different kind of risotto this week, I decided to have a little experiment with a Mexican style creation. The result was delicious. The risotto itself is creamy and indulgent yet bursting with fresh and vibrant flavours and the Cajun prawns add that little bit of extra oomph to the dish.

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Apple Pie Baked Oats – 6sp

Coming back into the colder mornings, one of my favourite warming autumn breakfasts is baked oats. Easy to prepare in advance or on the day, they are a lovely filling breakfast which feel like a real treat at the same time.

Having had a craving for apple pie recently, I decided to combine the two dishes together to come up with something that would fill me until lunch but would satisfy my need for something sweet and fruity.

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Korean Mackerel and Potato Salad – 5sp

Korean gochujang chilli paste is one of my favourite store cupboard essentials. I use it in lots of my recipes and, as it’s always in my cupboard/fridge, I love to come up with new ways to use it in my everyday meals. Last week, after fancying something summery for tea, I thought I would give it a whirl as part of a potato salad dressing and the result was delicious. Bursting with flavour, colour and goodness, the best thing about this recipe is that the dish can be on the table in the time it takes to boil the potatoes.

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Meatball Marinara Sub – 9sp

At book club last month we had an Italian themed buffet. I whipped up my Mozzarella, Pepparoni and Pesto Boccones and I suggested my friend bring along some mini Polpette (meatballs) to which she delightfully obliged. After whipping them up in the afternoon, she told me she had actually used Quorn meatballs and as an avid meat eater, I have to say I was a little cautious about trying these veggie balls (I hadn’t actually tried Quorn since my university days!). I have to admit however, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that not only were they delicious, they were also low in points and best of all, could be cooked from frozen. I’ve been planning to test my meatball marinara recipe again for a good while now and so I thought to myself, why not incorporate these meatballs into the recipe. Not only are they tasty but the texture is perfect to be sat inside a bun with oozy tomato sauce.

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Mackerel Kedgeree – 6sp

Mackerel is a fish that both the hubbie and I love and it’s often on offer /reduced (or on a ‘whoopsies’ as our local supermarket likes to call it) near the end of the day in larger supermarkets. As a cheap and flavoursome fish, mackerel is great way to add oily fish to your diet without adding in too many extra points.

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