Day 1 - Chili, with garlic prawns to start

So, perhaps we'll try a bit of something different here; I'll post the recipes as well as logging some of what we eat.

Today:
Extra Easy, all food free.

Garlic prawns

Prawns - raw if you can get them
Garlic (as much as you want)

Salad - we used rocket, baby plum tomatoes, spring onions, and cucumber. All you do is gently heat the garlic in a nonstick pan with low-calorie cooking spray, add the prawns and toss them til they are cooked through. Serve over the salad.

Chili

Diced stewing beef, all fat trimmed away
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 medium courgettes
2 onions
as much garlic as you like
1 tin of tomatoes
1 carton of black beans
1 dried posilla chile
Ground cumin
Ground ancho powder
Ground chipotle powder
Mexican oregano
Cinnamon
Kallo organic beef stock cube
salt and black pepper

Brown rice, to serve
Nonfat yogurt (we like Total 0%), to serve
Chopped spring or sweet onions, to serve

I made this using our slow cooker - in which case, put two cans of tomatoes in to keep it moist. Anyway, whichever you do, everything starts like this:

Brown the meat thoroughly in a large pan using cooking oil spray, and add the sliced onion and garlic, allowing them to brown and soften thoroughly. When that's happened, add the stock cube, cinnamon and a tiny splash of water to make a paste so all the beef is covered. It's optional but I find it helps the whole dish. Your call though :)

When that's done you either go for the slow cooker - in which case, arrange all your veg (peppers, courgettes, and beans) in the bottom of the dish, pouring one can of tomatoes over them and then adding the spices and giving it all a stir. Then, spoon over the meat and onions, add the dried chile and the final can of tomatoes, and set it off to cook to your requirements in the slow cooker - I did mine yesterday over about 8 hours on medium, with Chris turning it to low for the last hour or two.

If you're not slow cooking it, add the peppers and courgettes, pop the lid on and allow them to cook down. When everything is softened add the spices, the (1) can of tomatoes and the beans and dried chile, turn it down to simmer and leave it to bubble away til you're ready.

Serve over brown rice with yogurt and chopped onions on top.

I haven't given quantities because nothing needs to be measured on the Extra Easy plan but of course, you know, exercise your judgement ;)