Here at Tandem we realize that whilst celebration meals are fantastic, too many of them can leave you feeling a little less trim than you would like. Holidays often go hand in hand with extra calories its a fact of life and it's a fun time so go with it.
Most of us will be thinking about taking in a few less calories as we hit the New Year and will be tempted by expensive diet plans, fat sucking pills, juicing, pulping, raw eating, gluten free, taste free, content free plans (yes I have tried them all). So a few weeks ago I started thinking about a gimmick free, hunger free way to slim down a bit and it's totally free to anyone who wants to give it a go.
Using only seasonal ingredients packed with protein, vitamins and minerals I have created 24 sensational recipes all under 500 calories. Some can be prepared in batches and taken to work for lunch and some are just simple evening meal recipes. I have cooked each one and fed them all to my family and the results have been nothing short of amazing.
Just keep checking in for new recipes. The only catch is that you have to let me know how you are getting on and give me some feedback.
Here goes with recipe No 1.
Thai Green Curry with fragrant sticky rice
Ingredients
For the curry paste:
One 2” piece of fresh ginger, grated
2x Cloves of garlic, grated
4 Bird eye chillies (more if you love a lot of heat)
2 x Shallots coarsely chopped
1.5 sticks of lemon grass, tough outer leaves removed and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp Kaffir lime leaves chopped (the jar variety are the best)
Juice of one lime
1 x Tsp shrimp paste
1x Tsp Fish sauce
½ teaspoon cumin
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
Half a bunch of coriander stalks and all
To complete the curry
3-4 Chicken breasts chopped into 1.5 inch slices
1x Tbsp Palm sugar
1x Tin full fat coconut milk
500ml Vegetable or chicken stock (no need to use it all you can judge as you go)
1 x aubergine cut into small cubes
175g packet of mixed mange tout and baby sweetcorn
Half a bunch of coriander roughly chopped
For the sticky rice:
200g Thai sticky rice grains (this will serve four so just add a qtr more for each extra serving you require.
Method
Place the rice in the steamer and fill a small saucepan ½ way with water, bring to the boil and place the steamer over the saucepan and cover. Leave for 35 minutes to cook.
Meanwhile grate the ginger and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Roughly chop the bird eye chillies and add them to the bowl. Add the roughly chopped shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime, lime juice, fish sauce and shrimp paste pour in the vegetable oil. Tear the coriander roughly and add that to the blender too.
Pulse the blender until you have a smooth green coloured paste.
Put a large heavy bottomed pan on the hob with a little oil and heat on a medium heat. Using a spatula scrape out all of the curry paste into the pan and warm through. Add the coconut milk and gently bring to the boil stirring well. Add the aubergine, chicken, mange tout and sweetcorn and simmer gently. Toward the end of cooking about 10mins add the palm sugar some salt and pepper stir the sugar in until it has dissolved then throw in the remaining coriander that has been roughly chopped and stir well.
Divide the rice between plates and pour the sauce over the top, garnish with a coriander leaf and serve.
Comments