Skinny Bread's

These Skinny breads are fab - they look great and taste so good and they are quiet possibly the furthest thing from traditional "diet food".

Ciabatta - the traditional stone baked ones are beautiful. However, they are not very nutritious and when prepared trationally with olive oil they can be rather high in calories. 

These savoury breads can be created on a mutli-grain or wholemeal french bread or a rye or spelt bread to increase the nutrition.

These breads are ideal as a lunch, a light supper, canapes or a casual starter. Fitting in with the "skinny " ethos they are so quick, easy to prepare and they look and taste very impressive . Also they are low in saturated fat and calories.

Deli's, bakeries and almost all supermarkets sell these breads. These recipes use Aldi's 4 individual ciabatta breads. These are ideal because the doughy centre can be removed and discarded and all that remains is a beautiful crisp bread and obviously this is far healthier. 

In relation to the basil pesto if I dont have time to make my own I choose Dunnes fresh pesto. It is far superior to anything in a jar and because of the intense flavour only a small amount is needed again saving calories.

Basil Pesto, Oven Roast tomato and Cheese Ciabatta

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 slices ciabatta (thinly sliced) or 1 ciabatta bread roll

3 cherry tomatoes

1 tsp deli qaulity basil pesto

2 tsps low fat grated cheddar/mozzerella

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180o C  /  Gas 7.  Wash, half the cherry tomatoes, seasoning, place on an oven tray and bake for 15mins.
2. If using the ciabatta rolls bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
3. When they are baked, cut in half and scoop out the doughy centre. Spread each half with a little pesto, top with 3 cherry tomatoes and a small sprinkling of cheese. Bake in the oven for 5/7 mins until the cheese has melted. 
4. Serve with a small green side salad.

Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese & Rocket Ciabatta

Again this tasty little bread can be divided into 8 and served as dainty canapes or it is ideal as a light lunch or starter. Smoked salmon is fine but I prefer the Hot Barbequed Smoked Salmon which won a Blas na HEireann award. Although, perhaps considered a luxury product these days I think it is so well worth the splurge for a treat. It is so important to dress the rocket leaves before serving these breads as it really does impact the flavour.

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 ciabatta roll

3/4 slices hot smoked salmon

40g extra light cream cheese

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

salt & pepper

1 tsp chopped chives

A small amount red onion

Dressing

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

salt & pepper

Small handful of rocket

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC  /  Gas 7. Bake the ciabatta roll in the oven for 10 mins.
2. While it bakes prepare the cream cheese and the dressing. For the cream cheese mix together the extra light philadelphia, mustard, chives and seasoning. Set aside. Thinly slice a little red onion.
3. For the salad dressing in the bottom of a small bowl, using a fork whisk together the olive oil and white wine vinegar. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season.
4. Remove the ciabatta from the oven, cut in half and scoop out the doughy centre.
5. Dress the rocket in the lemony dressing.
6. Spread the cream cheese on the bread, layer on two slices of hot smoked salmon.
7. Layer the rocket and red onion on top.
8. Serve and enjoy.
   

Blue Cheese, Parma Ham and Pear Salad

Salads are quick, easy and in most instances quite virtuous. This salad is seriously impressive and makes a great little starter or a light main course served with a single slice of  toasted wholemeal sour dough. Moreover, this salad a brilliant fusion of some amazing Irish blue cheese, Irish pears along with Italian Parma Ham and Balsamic.

This salad  has a great balance of sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy. I don't advocate any one source or supermarket but for this recipe Aldi has to be the place which offer premium products at the best price.

To explain how this salad fits in to the SkinnyLovesFood ethos - the big splurge here is the Blue Cheese. Although normally a very strong flavour this awarding winning Aldi specially selected mature blue cheese has a subtle flavour with just the right amount of impact. It is high in saturated fat but a little goes a long way.  Removing the visible fat from the parma ham makes it become quite a lean source of iron along with the spinach. Also,the pisatchios provide some fibre. Fresh pears would be great but I find tinned pears - although a lower nutritional value - are fine. Just ensure they are in a natural juice not syrup.
This salad has amazing taste and flavour for a low fat, healthy, filling meal.

Serves 2

Ingredients

100g mixed leaves (rocket, spinach, watercress, chard)

4 slices parma ham

25 pistachio nuts (shelled)

50g blue cheese

half red onion

1 tin pears

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp balsamic glaze (Lidl)

Method

1. Preheat oven to the highest setting  - 220oC. Open the tin of pears, drain. Place on an oven proof dish and drizzle with the maple syrup. Pop in the oven for 10 - 15mins.
2. Rinse the lettuce leaves. Peel and finely slice the onion. De-shell the pistachio nuts. Remove the visible fat from the parma ham.
3. In a salad bowl combine the leaves, parma ham, red onion. Crumble in the blue cheese.
4. Remove the pears from the oven and thinly slice. Add these and the pistachios to the salad.
5. Toss all the ingredients together with the balsamic glaze.
6. Serve and enjoy.