Monday 21 January 2013

Spicy Mexican Stew.

 
Another yummy low-fat meal to help me on my way to shedding the pounds for my summer bikini body although, I must admit that yesterday I more than put those calories straight back on by enjoying a lovely fry up for tea. I then also had a quorn carbonara earlier in the day for dinner, not to mention the box of chocolates I kept helping myself to throughout the day :/. Okay, so it's safe to say the health kick hasn't really kicked in just yet.
 
Tonight I am also having a baked potato which, could be seen as relatively healthy but, I am more than likely going to slather it with a big dollop of coleslaw and an excessive amount of grated cheese and then eat a rather hefty piece of cheese and caramelised onion quiche alongside it. Yes, pastry probably isn't the best food choice on a diet but, it sure tastes good.
 
On Saturday night I did manage to be a bit healthier though by whipping up this lovely Mexican Stew. It was very different to the meals I usually make which, was actually really nice and I really enjoyed it. Pretty much every meal I usually make seems to include a lot of cheese I find, cheese is incredible though. Anyway, the chipotle chilli paste does make this dish very spicy but, not too overpoweringly so and I am a major wuss when it comes to spice aswell so that is really saying something. Even a Tikka gets my eyes watering and I almost died eating a Green Thai Curry out once, it took 4 glasses of cold Pineapple Juice to get me through only half of the plate. This dish also doesn't really have a huge list of ingredients to it but, it still has alot of flavour and it made my quorn have a lovely tender texture to it too which, was really yummy and my family said it did the same to the chicken I popped in theirs too. 
 
I served it alongside some natural yoghurt which, was really refreshing and helped to soften the spice too, some rice as I could not find the quinoa the recipe called for anywhere (come on Cornwall branch out a bit, we can't just live on scones, clotted cream and pasties although boy would I like too) and a naan bread which, went great with the stew and was really lovely to dip in to the spicy tomato sauce.
 
I would deffinately reccommend trying this dish if like me your idea of healthy eating involves eating endless bowls of dull salad. It's nice to find some other more exciting healthy options and this lovely Mexican flavoured dish is deffinately one of them.
 
 
Recipe
 
1 tbsp. olive oil                                                                        
1 onion , sliced                                           
2 red peppers , deseeded and chopped into largish chunks                                
3 tsps. chipotle paste                                                                                                
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes                                                                                             
4 skinless chicken breasts (or a large bag of quorn)   
1 tbsp. sugar                                                                                                                                  natural yogurt and a naan bread, to serve                                  
If serving with quinoa -140g quinoa                                                                       
2 vegetable stock cubes                                                                                                
1 x 400g can pinto beans , drained
small bunch coriander, most chopped, a few leaves left whole                                           
the juice of 1 lime

Method
  
  1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onions and peppers for a few mins until softened. Stir in the chipotle paste for a minute, followed by the tomatoes. Add up to a tomato can-full of water to cover the chicken and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken breasts and gently simmer, turning the chicken occasionally, for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
  2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with the stock cubes. Add the quinoa and cook for 15 mins until tender, adding the beans for the final min. Drain well and stir in the coriander and lime juice, then check for seasoning before covering to keep warm.
  3. Lift the chicken out onto a board and shred each breast using two forks. Stir back into the tomato sauce with the sugar and season. Serve with the quinoa (or chips or rice), scattering the stew with some coriander leaves just before dishing up and eating with a piece of naan bread and a dollop of yogurt on the side.                                                                              


 
(How did I miss that stray grain of rice.)
Thankyou for reading!
Love Courts x

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