Easy Lasagne

I blogged a while back about making the perfect bolognaise recipe and I have used it again here in lasagne.  I made a really simple, and I think more traditional, Italian Lasagne.  Any lasagne I've eaten in Italy has been relatively firm and thick in its texture and this is what I hoped to re-create.  I cannot stand sludgy, over sauced mess and very often lasagne in restaurants resembles this very thing. 

I serve mine with a very simple iceberg lettuce salad because, quite frankly, that's what my mum used to do.

Serves 4 or 3 greedy people

1 batch of bolognaise recipe

10 lasagne sheets

1 pint of milk

1 tbsp plain flour

1tbsp butter

cracked black pepper, lots of it

large handful of Parmesan

large handful of mozzarella

1. Heat the bolognaise sauce in a pan if it not already hot.  Spread little spoons of this underneath your first two sheets and then continue to layer up with small spoonfuls of sauce with pasta sheets in between.  Making two nice stacks side by side in a large ovenproof dish.  Ensure there is about an inch in between the two and a nice bit  space around the pasta.

2. Pour the white sauce over the top when this is done (made melting the butter over a gentle heat and adding the flour until a smooth paste and then adding the milk bit by bit, incorporate all of the cheese bar a little handful of the Parmesan- reserve this for later)

3.  Add loads of black pepper and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese.  Place in an oven at 160/gas mark 4 for thirty five minutes or until the lasgane feels soft with a knife and the top is lovely and brown.

Soup yourself slim

I've made no secret of the fact that I am currently following weight watchers.  I have enjoyed gaining control of my eating habits and I have found that you can really eat what you want, within moderation of course. 

It might seem strange that I should be on a diet whilst at the same time protest to love my food but I find that the knowledge that I am to be weighed once a week enough to maintain a healthy weight and really my goal isn't to shed the pounds but to stay where I am.

There are a variety of ways to help you to lose weight or simply gain a healthy attitude towards food and weight watchers have got it right when they talk about 'filling foods'.  A great way to fill up before a meal is to have some soup beforehand.  It can fill you up to the point where you can cope with a moderately sized portion as opposed to a gigantic portion fit for the BFG. 

I also use these soups during the week as a lunch.  Each one has a low calorie content but if you were to add cream to make them slightly creamier it will up the calorie content significantly. 

I'll start with this Mediterranean chunky vegetable soup, its unbelievably simple but then again its tasty so thats all that matters.

Serves 4 for lunch

1 small swede diced

2 shallots

1 red pepper diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 jar of passata

400ml chicken stock

a handful of green beans chopped

1/2 red chili, chopped finely

tomato puree, 1 tablespoon

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the ingredients into a large saucepan and then cover with the liquid and allow to come up to the boil.  Then reduce to a medium heat so that the liquid can simmer gently.  Cook for 25 minutes or until the swede is very soft.

2. If you wanted you could blend the soup at this point but I like the chunkiness of the soup as it is, finish with the tomato puree.