Raffle prize!

My prize last night is a ‘totally free’ (in the truest sense of the word) dinner which serves four.
For the two of us, and MSM decided to try a little, I used half of the peppers and froze the rest, reduced the amount of potatoes and tomatoes, and omitted the garlic cloves and chilli because she can’t digest them.

Ingredients (for 4) are
1 large red onion
1 each red, yellow, green pepper
1 large courgette
3 tblsp mixed herbs (I only used 2)
4 garlic cloves (omitted)**
1-2 dried red chilli flakes (omitted)**
3 tblsp balsamic vinegar
low calorie cooking spray (I didn’t have any, so used 1 teaspoon olive oil)
600g small new potatoes
400g baby plum or cherry tomatoes
small handful chopped basil leaves, plus a couple of whole ones to garnish.

The onion, peppers and courgette were chopped into bite size pieces and put in a large bowl together with the garlic**, chilli**  (if used) and herbs. The vinegar and oil were then added and everything mixed well (hence BIG bowl) before being transferred to a large roasting dish.
The potatoes were cooked separately until just tender and then drained.
These were added to the roasting dish and everything thoroughly mixed together.

Roast for 15-20 minutes in a hot oven (gas mark 7, 220/200 (fan oven) C), then add the chopped basil and tomatoes. Mix again and cook for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are golden and soft.
Garnish with basil and serve.

This is all veg with other free ingredients and the only SW recipe I’ve tried.
My tasting committee weren’t keen, Hubby giving it 4 and MSM 3 out of 10.
Personally, I’d rate it as 5, but I’m unlikely to make it again.
Not because of the way I cooked it or the ingredients used, but because all of us felt something was missing to suit our personal palette.
Saying that though, it has given me an idea for a side dish to serve with chicken, chops or gammon, and I would add carrots and mushrooms (both speed and free food), cooking them all in a wok rather than baking in the oven.

If you like pasta with your veggies, there are pasta bake sauces you can buy which will add calories or sins depending what you’re counting, and add flavour and texture.
One of my favourite bakes uses left over chicken or turkey pieces (you could use tuna too), a pack of frozen mixed veg, cooked pasta shells/twists/tubes and a jar of low-calorie mayonnaise. The topping is crushed plain crisps and grated cheese and you bake it in the oven for about 40 minutes or until bubbling and brown.
Of course the syns and calories are off the chart, but it is decidedly yummy.

Below are meals since my last foodie post

Left: beef and egg salad           Right: prawn and apple salad

Above: Meringue desserts

Left: Hubby’s welsh rarebit             Right: my veg jacket potato

This morning’s speedy breakfast (pear, strawberries and cereal)

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