Easy Stress-free Recipes

From time to time on nmp some of us share recipes and I thought I'd share one that I tried today. Some of you may already use it but was the first time for me and it was really yum.

It's a short-cut version of a traditional cauliflower cheese, but no flour or butter and no messing about with making a cheese sauce.

Ingredients :

1 medium cauliflower without the leaves and cut into florets, or a pack of frozen florets thawed
125ml or half cup of milk (I used half fat)
1 garlic clove crushed (I used a teaspoon of garlic paste)
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup either regular or fat free
100g or 1 cup of grated cheese of choice

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180c or gas 4 ( apologies but not sure what the farenheit equivalent is)

In a large bowl mix the milk, garlic, condensed soup and half the cheese together, then add the cauliflower and mix in well. Transfer to an oiled baking dish or tray, sprinkle the rest of the cheese over and bake in centre of the oven for 50mins or until the cauliflower is tender.

I covered mine with foil for the first half hour so the cheese didn't burn, then uncovered it for the rest of the time. Despite the soup being creamy it's not heavy like the traditional sauce, and it takes no time to prepare.

For those who try it I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did :D

Cath x

Can you cook it and then reheat it later, Cath?

Sounds like something I could attempt!

Yes you can Pulisa, and it can be frozen too apparently. The easiest way would be after mixing it all together just pile it into it in one of those aluminium trays...the larger size ones, cover and freeze it before baking or transfer any baked leftovers to a smaller container and freeze. Mine didn't last that long lol!

:D

Thanks...I'll give it a go!:)

Love this thread! Care if we share more recipes?

Of course you can Vee, the more recipes the better...preferably not too fattening or complicated lol!

Thanks! Sounds really yummy, I'll give it a go!

I make my own Hummus... the only caveat is you need a good food processor/blender. Fast, extremely easy and delish! :D

2 cans of garbanzo beans
3-4 tablespoons of sesame seeds
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of cumin
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (I prefer extra virgin)
salt/pepper and other toppings (cilantro/crushed red pepper etc) to taste and optional.

Empty one can including liquid and one can drained into the blender/food processor. Chop the garlic and add that along with the sesame seeds, cumin and olive oil. Start the blender on low and increase the speed making sure ingredients are blending smoothly. It really is as simple as that. Place in a serving container and refrigerate until chilled. Add toppings, drizzle a little more olive oil on top and serve with fresh veggies and pita chips.

Positive thoughts

I love casseroles this time of year.
You can use any meat or just veg. Put in to stock, and a bit of ketchup for thickening and flavour. Leave in the oven on low-med for hours, then make the remains in to soup. You can freeze if you make in bulk. Just right for this time of year and good for getting rid of scraps. Cheap too. :)

Have to agree Carnation, I do love casseroles and stews this time of year.

Another favourite low fat meal is Slimming World's Paprika Chicken, using skinless & boneless chicken thighs...10-12 pieces to serve 4 and a smaller pack of 6 to serve 2 which I buy in Aldi quite cheaply. Then a mix of 2 garlic cloves minced and 1 tablespoon each of hot paprika and oregano and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to coat the chicken. Put into an oven dish or tin and spray lightly with low calorie cooking oil and put into a 220c fan oven, 240c non fan, or gas 9...yes high temp required...for 25 mins.

Transfer to a warm serving dish then add 120g of Quark which is a very low fat cream cheese, to the chicken juices before pouring over the chicken. The recipe uses pasta with it, and I've also had it with rice. Leftovers can be frozen.

:D