Chick Pea Tagine

I made this dish for dinner last night. I am following a w.watch.ers diet plan and I wanted a dinner with low points. I wanted to use rice but I didn't want to have the fat of a risotto, so I decided to use the Tagine.

I am not expert at using the Tagine yet, it is supposed to be a slow cooker but I am finding that everything cooks quite quickly. Maybe I will have to use a very low heat. I am also finding that the liquid content needs to be low as it bubble out from under the "lid" if there is too much. I am still experimenting.

Consider making a yoghurt sauce to serve in future as it was a little dry. It would then bump up the points a little, but considering that I had yoghurt for sweets (with rock melon), I could have halved my dessert serve and used the other half in the sauce.

Serves 2 each serve is 4.5 ww points, it is 1 serve each of protein and cereal and 3 serves of vegetables

1 cup drained canned chickpeas

240g gold sweet potato

240g kent pumpkin

1/2 cup arborio rice

1 onion cut into quarters

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp stock powder

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

2 small red chillies

1/4 red capsicum

2 stalks celery

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups water

Heat the tagine base over a low heat, lightly spray the base with an olive oil spray. Add the onion to the tagine to saute, then add the rice so that it toasts a little. Pour over half the water, it will steam and bubble, so be careful.

Add the spices and stock powder. Next add the chick peas, chillies, garlic, celery and capsicum, stir to combine. Push the chunks of pumpkin and sweet potato into the rice then pour our 1 tbsp lemon juice and the remaining water.

Cover the tagine with the lid and place into a moderately warm oven for 40minutes to finish cooking. Season to taste with the remaining lemon juice and freshly ground salt and pepper.

Serve with a large fresh salad of cucumber, snow peas and greens.

Mattar Pulao (Green Pea Pulao)

500 gms Basmati Rice, washed & soaked for 1/2 an hour
1 Onion, sliced
2 cups green peas, parboiled
170g Ghee
1 Bay leaf
8 Peepercorns
3in Cinnamon stick
2 Cardamom pods
8 Cloves
50g Cashews
100g Raisins
Salt to taste
Fry the onions in a pan with the ghee till brown. Fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
Add cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and cardamoms and fry for a minute. Then add the rice and fry on low heat so that the rice grains are coated with the ghee. Add the green peas and fry for another 3 minutes.
Add salt and cover the rice with double its amount of boiling water. Bring to a boil and then simmer till the water is absorbed.
Garnish with the fried cashews and raisins and serve hot.

Rice Pudding

7 litres milk
7 cups short grain rice
5 cups sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
8 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar:
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
In a large rice cooker combine the milk, rice, sugar, nutmeg and lemon zest. Set onto cook, stirring occasionally.
Leave in the rice cooker on keep warm function, covered, until rice is tender and mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the eggs and leave on "keep warm" for another 15 minutes longer.
Stir in vanilla extract. Place in a large serving dish and chill prior to serving. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before serving.

Gwens Secret Fried Rice Recipe

Gwen is one of our Community Kitchens participant. She says that she always cooks this dish for family gatherings and parties, she says there is never-ever any leftovers and she always gets compliments. We all agreed that it is very yummy. It worked well as a main dish because it is loaded with meat and eggs. It is the best fried rice I have ever eaten!
Serves 15
8 cups Rice, steamed
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 chicken thigh fillets
500g bacon pieces
250g bean shoots
2 small cans prawns
8 spring onions
4 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Using the rice steamer, cook the rick as per the instructions. When cooked transfer the rice to 2 large baking dishes. While waiting for the rice to cook, prepare the other ingredients.
Beat the eggs together with milk. Heat the olive oil in a large frypan. when the frypan is hot pour in the eggs. Stir the eggs often and break them up as you go, so they form in small lumps. Set the eggs aside. Clean the pan.
Dice the chicken in very small pieces. Stir fry the chicken with a little extra olive oil.
Dice the bacon and add to the pan with the chicken. Stir fry to combine and to prevent burning.
Open the cans of prawns and drain them, discard the liquid. Add the prawns to the chicken and bacon. Add the bean shoots, spring onions and garlic to the pan, stir fry untill all ingredients are combined and hot.
Divide the contents of the pan, half going into each of the two baking dishes with the hot rice. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil over each dish. With a large spoon fold the ingredients together to ensure that everything is well combined.
Place both dishes into the oven at 180deg Celsius. Bake for 10 mins uncovered, turn the Fried Rice at least once during that time, to ensure that there are no dried out bits. If serving time is delayed the baking dishes will need to be covered with foil, as the rice will dry out quickly in the oven.
Serve.