WEEKDAY SPICE

Chicken & Saffron Risotto (low fat)





We thought a colourful and slightly spicy weekday recipe would brighten up your week! As a plus this dish is quite simple and speedy to make. 

Ingredients

·  2 cups (500ml/16 fl oz) reduced-salt chicken stock

o   We recommend MASSEL stock powder as it is gluten free. You will have to dissolve one teaspoon into 2 cups of boiling water, however this is much more inexpensive than buying already made stock.

·      2 cups (500ml/16 oz) tomato puree

o   We recommend diced or crushed tomatoes- try Coles or Woolworths brands for savings.

·      1 cup (250ml/ 8 fl oz) white wine

·      Pinch saffron threads

o   Now saffron costs an arm and a leg and then some, so for a sneaky trick use a pinch of turmeric. The end result will be the same and your wallet will be none the lighter!

·      20g (2/3 oz) reduced-fat polyunsaturated margarine

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

·      2 cloves garlic, crushed

o   Another saver : buy a jar of crushed garlic and use 1 teaspoon. Store in your fridge after opening.

·      1 medium brown onion, finely chopped

·      500g (1 lb) skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped

·      ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

·      1 medium red & 1 medium green capsicum, cut into cubes. You can mix it up and cook with 2 red or 2 green capsicum.

·      2 cups (410g/ 14 oz) Doongara Sunrice Clever Rice

o   This rice is our preferred brand. It is available in 750g packets at Coles & Woolworths. This rice is packed with benefits- it has lower GI than almost all other rice brands and is Australian grown.

·      Cracked black pepper (optional)

·      ¼ cup (20g/ 2/3 oz) finely grated parmesan cheese

o   I am very liberal with cheese and tend to use around ½ cup. Your choice!

·      2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

o   If you are anything like us, sometimes it is a little too much extra effort to leave the house just to buy fresh herbs. That is why we keep dried herbs on hand; they seem to have an extensive shelf life and are always available. I will admit that you will not get the same freshness with dried herbs, but to each his/ her own.

·      sea salt

·

Cooking

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (310 F /Gas 2 ½). 

2. Put the stock, tomato puree, wine and saffron/turmeric into a pan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for around 10 minutes whilst preparing the rest of the recipe.

3. Put the margarine and oil in a large overproof and stove proof casserole dish. Add the garlic and onion and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until softened.


4. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until browned slightly. Add the cayenne pepper and capsicum and cook for around 3 minutes or until capsicum is soft.


5.  Stir in the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until the rice is coated in the oil. Add the simmering liquid and season with cracked black pepper, if you wish.


6.  Cook uncovered on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.


7.  Remove the risotto from the oven, stir in Parmesan and cook for 15 minutes longer or until the rice is soft. Stir through the parsley and season with salt and extra black pepper, if you wish.

ENJOY!

Per serve/ fat 12.5 gram/ protein 24.5 gram/ carbohydrate 61.5 gram/ fibre 3 gram/ cholesterol 76mg / energy 2040 kj (485 calories).

TIP: Cook the chicken etc in a large drying pan if you do not have a casserole dish and transport the liquid and chicken mixture to a deep roasting tin to place in the oven. 

• Based on a recipe from cookbook ‘Health for Life- Low Fat’ by author Jody Vassallo.

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