One ingredient - so much choice!

2^nd May 2014

The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there. Vince Lombardi

Busy morning cars having MOT and annual service and I’m off to meet my new boss, times are changing!  But first to blog and get all the paperwork done that’s sat on my desk.

Lean beef mince – I have a pack in the fridge that I need to use, mmm what shall I make, I’m doing F&H but have weeklies to use on added ingredients (that’s because I’m not drinking see spare ProPoints!), such a versatile meat isn’t it, here’s just a few things I could make;

-          chilli

-          spaghetti bolognaise

-          beef burgers

-          meatballs

-          cottage pie

-          meatloaf

-          Keema http://www.happyowls.co.uk/KeemaConc.html - use quorn or beef

-          Beef chilli fry http://www.happyowls.co.uk/chillifry.html

-          Donor kebab fakeaway http://www.happyowls.co.uk/365days/day16.html

-          Loads of recipes on Weight Watcher esource too

So much to choose from but of course I fancy doing something I haven’t done with mince before, so I’ve just found a recipe on the bbc website for beef and pea pilaf, if I change the rice to brown and add more water if needed, it will be mostly F&H ingredients and a cheap meal too.  I also like the fact it’s a one pot meal, no messing!

Beef and pea pilaf (total 39pp) serves 4 at 10pp each

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp olive oil (4pp)

·         1 onion, chopped

·         3 garlic cloves, chopped

·         ½ tbsp cumin seeds

·         1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped

·         250g/9oz extra lean beef mince (8pp)

·         25g/1oz butter (5pp) I probably won’t use this

·         200g/7oz white rice (I’ll use brown rice – 20pp)

·         1 litre/1¾ pint chicken or beef stock, made from a cube

·         300g/10½oz frozen peas (7pp)

·         salt and pepper

1.    Heat a large saucepan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and, once hot, fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through and lightly golden-brown. Add the garlic, cumin seeds and chilli and continue to cook for two minutes, or until aromatic.

2.    Add the beef mince to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until all the meat is brown rather than raw.

3.    Add the butter and, once melted, stir in the rice, mixing over the heat for two minutes so that the rice begins to absorb the melted butter and any juices in the pan. Pour in enough of the stock to cover the rice by 1cm/½in. Stir once, cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to medium-low and leave for five minutes.

4.    After five minutes remove the lid, add the peas and stir through. Poke some holes into the rice to allow any steam to escape and continue to cook with the lid off until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.

5.    Serve warm, dividing up the crisp rice at the bottom of the pan.

That’s a few ideas, if the day gets away from me, I have a sauce jar I can use that I’ll ProPoint, that’s what makes Weight Watchers the best, there’s always a choice!

Have a great day BeYOUtiful. xx