'Nando' chicken with ratatouille - Homemade and Healthy!

Saturday nights in autumn, let's face it, are a great excuse to have a cosy night infront of the TV and reach for the take away menu's. Nando's is a certain favourite in the H household, especially since they just opened a branch in our town. Mr H could be there and back within half an hour.....
Tempting as this is, willpower (and by the end of the month, my purse) tells me that there has to be an easy to make, quick and healthy alternative that still gives the flavour punch that we are craving.
With a little forward planning I love a home made version which is even easier thanks to the fact you can buy Nando marinades in pretty much all supermarkets now (my local Londis even stocks them!).
I won't patronise you by claiming that this is a 'recipe' except perhaps on the part of the ratatouille, I like to think of it as more of a meal plan.
It's also worth noting that if spice isn't your thing, the lemon & herb Nando marinade is delicious or you could of course create your own marinade by simply using fresh lemons and thyme! 
So here goes the simple 'recipe' for Nando's whole chicken with ratatouille. I like to serve it either with homemade wedges (peri-peri salt ties them in nicely) or mexican rice (Uncle Ben's microwave rice is a good calorie choice if you want a super speedy side).

Nando chicken
Serves approximately 2-4 people depending on appetite (I like to use left overs for another fab dinner - see suggestion below)

1.5-2kg Whole chicken
Nando's marinade of your choice (I like to use 2 packs of Nando's 'Coat & Cook' but any of their marinades will do the job, just be liberal!)

Method:
1) Simply coat the chicken in the marinade linerally. I always marinade the chicken for 24 hours before cooking and leave in the fridge. It's important to bring the chicken up to room temperature before you put it in the oven as this will make the meat succeulent and juicy.

2) Cook the chicken according to instructions which will depend on weight. As a general rule, it's 25 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 25 minutes on 200degreesC/ 180C fan/gas mark 6. Always make sure that the juices run clear. This can be tricky when using a strong coloured marinade such as Nando's but if it doubt make a cut and check. If in doubt, return to the oven and repeat until fully cooked.

3) Rest the chicken for around 30 minutes and then carve. Mr H is a big guy so he'll easily have half the chicken in one sitting.

You could easily do this recipe using joints of chicken or breast/boneless thighs if bones are really not your thing.

Ratatouille
Serves at least 6 people as a side (I make mine in quite a large batch and then either freeze or use for another delicious, speedy meal the following day - see suggestion below).

5 sprays of low-cal vegetable spray oil
2 x Red onions
3 x Garlic cloves
3 x Celery sticks
3 x Baby aubergines or 1 medium aubergine
1 x Large corguette
2 x Large peppers - I use 1 red and 1 yellow for colour
3 x 400g tins of cherry tomatoes (You could substitue for fresh and add a tablespoon of tomato puree and a little water if you wanted)
1 x Bay leaf 
1 x Large sprig of Thyme

1) Peel and finely chop the garlic. Add to the pan along with the spray oil and begin on a low heat, be careful not to let the garlic burn! 
2) Peel the onion and chop to roughly 2cm sized pieces. Add to the pan.
3) Chop all the remaining vegetables to a similar size to the onion and add to the pan. Cook them over a low heat until they begin to soften. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the freshness of the vegetables.

4) ) Once the vegetables are beginning to soften, add the tins of cherry tomatoes (do not drain!) and the herbs.

5) Now it's just a case of covering the pan with a lid and letting the ratatouille cook to your desired texture over a low heat. I leave mine for around 30 minutes which means the vegetables are 'al dente' - soft but retaining just enough texture to add a bite. The tomatoes will reduce and create a 'thick' sauce.
6) Serve with the chicken and ENJOY!

TOP TIP:
The left over ratatouille is fine to be frozen and this would mean the next time you fancy this dinner it would be super speedy! I like to use the left over chicken and ratatouille the following day as enchiladas, I just stir in some mexican spices (chilli, cumin or even a ready made enchilada seasoning), throw in the remaining chicken, wrap in corn tortillas, sprinkle with cheese and bake for around 20-30 minutes until the tortilla is crispy and the filling is warmed through. Of course, throwing on a low fat cheese would make this taste great with fewer calories but even better you could serve with low fat sour cream and a green salad.

Entrée!

Welcome to my blog! As the text at the top of the page suggests, I have started this blog with a view of sharing homemade healthy recipes and meal ideas.
Not only is this a place for me to compile my own recipes for reference but I'm hoping I can inspire you to either use the recipes or create your own versions of them! I'm also hoping to share meal plans and meals out because, let's face it, life sometimes gets in the way of the best laid homemade plans, so let's embrace a few shop-bought products along the way! I hold my hands up that as a busy wife, and mother, I have no qualms about using some 'cheat' products along the way. I'm not talking "take a ready meal and add salad" but if there's a shop-bought sauce that will be just as good (if not better) than a homemade creation, then I'm all for it! 

I've heard so many times 'healthy food is boring' and I plan to banish that myth! I'm also not the type of person who can live on a meal replacement or shake diet. I completely believe in the mantra that slow and steady wins the race when it comes to weight loss. I'm a  real food girl through and through so it's just about making sensible choices and getting the right balance.

I am no saint either. Are you?! I'm sure there will be some 'sod the calories' recipes from time to time(we all need a big blow out once in a while to put us back on track) but my aim is to create a collection of easy to prepare nutritional food which won't leave a bitter aftertaste at weigh in!


Disclaimers aka The boring bit!

Originality
This blog has been created in order to share recipes and meal ideas which, with so many like minded people worldwide when it comes to food, I cannot guarantee have not been created before. I will of course credit original recipes and authors where possible but I cannot be held responsible should someone else have already created something the same! 

Nutrition
All nutritional values are approximated by my rough calculations. I am not a human calculator nor a qualified nutritionist, therefore, please take everything with a pinch of salt (pun intended!)
 

Speedy Thai Red Curry - The guilt free way!

Monday's aren't many people's favourite days of the week, especially when it's a dull, damp evening and the time of the year that summer is looking well and truely departed. With the nights starting to draw in, it's natural to find it hard to resist the tempation to reach for stodgy, calorie laden comfort food.
Therefore, I've learnt to come up with some meals that are not only significantly lighter on the calorie intake but are super speedy and offer that warm, guilt-free comfort that goes hand-in-hand with the onset of Autumn.  

I have no qualms about using ready-made ingredients when time is of the essence. To be frank, the quality of the red curry paste product is so good that I couldn't rival by making a 'homemade' version. I simply check that the calories fit in with my requirements and then it's all systems go! 

Thai Red Curry with Fragrant Jasmine Rice 
Serves 2

This dish can easily be tailored to your own requirements. I like to use a variety of vegetables as per ingredients list below but you can add/omit according to your own taste. I'm a chilli freak so I add 6 or 7 whole birdeye green chillies to this recipe but you can cut down or even omit these as you wish. You could also make a chicken version by stir frying some chicken just before the initial stage of cooking the paste off. 

You may notice I am not using any oil in this recipe which may come as a suprise for Thai cuisine. I have a good non-stick wok and I don't intend wasting precious calories on oil when a few spoons of the coconut milk will do the job!

3 tbsp x Red Curry Paste (This consists of red curry paste, coconut milk and herbs but of course you could buy this seperately if the kit isn't available)
1 tin (400ml) x Reduced fat coconut milk 
2 large handfuls worth of a mix of vegetables such as butternut squash, tenderstem broccoli, aubergine (cubed), baby corn, green beans/mange tout, mushrooms, pak choi. 
Birdseye green chillies
1 small handful of Thai basil (fresh is best but you could use corriander or dried thai basil)
1 chicken breast - I used a pre-cooked one from the day before which made this even quicker!

1 x Pack of microwave thai jasmine rice (I used Sainsbury's own brand but there's lot of alternative brands)

1) Start your wok on a high heat, it needs to be really hot so that the flavours of the paste are released.
2) Once the wok is at a good temperature put the paste and a couple of tablespoons of the coconut milk into the wok and cook for around 2-3 minutes. This allows the natural oils and flavours of the paste to release.
Add the rest of the coconut milk and turn the heat down so that the sauce is now at a gentle simmer.
3) If using butternut squash add that into the wok now and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the squash is tender.
4) Add the other vegetables in now. Remember that the softer veg will take slightly less time to cook through.  
5) Cook until the vegetables are to your desired texture. I prefer mine to still be 'al dente' or ' to have a bit of bite'. Cook rice as per packet instructions.
6) Serve the curry on the rice and scatter with freshly chopped thai basil or corriander.