Category: Side Dishes

Pitta Breads…

Nothing beats a bit of home baking and the smell of fresh bread is just divine. I love making our own pitta breads, you can leave them plain, make them savoury and even make them sweet, there is no restrictions saying that pitta bread has to be served savoury with a curry, you can make them sweet and serve with ice cream and stewed fruit, no rules to tell you that they have to be just for one kind of meal.

Feel free to experiment with different herbs and flavourings.

There are also these pitta parcels too using the same dough recipe but made into parcels with various fillings.

Some recommended items from our kitchen to make this dish…

  • Double sided dry and liquid measuring spoons for times when you need to measure both liquid and dry ingredients.
  • Mixing bowls are always wanted in this household and these stackable ones save so much space in our cupboards.
  • Baking trays, we have separate ones for cake items and others for things like veg and meat etc so we have more than one set floating around in our house.
  • Rolling pin, we use a stainless steel one as I make a lot of pastry and it can be put in the fridge to prevent pastry from getting so warm from warm hands and being handled so much. Best purchase I ever made for pastry.

Don’t forget to take a pic of your dish and tag us over on Instagram or Facebook @hickmans_slim_kitchen we love to see the recreations.

Also please make sure you credit us when sharing our recipes on social media. You can do this by directly linking back to the blog or tagging our social media pages.

Thank you.

Please note some posts contain affiliate links, you can find out what that means here.

Pitta Breads

Makes 8 large, or 10 medium

INGREDIENTS:

  • 300g strong white bread flour
  • 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
  • 1 teaspoon cooking salt
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds (Optional)
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed (Optional)
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (black onion seeds) (Optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander (Optional)

Method:

  1. In a bowl mix the dry ingredients, plus any optional herbs and spices (if using) in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and 200ml lukewarm water and mix to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (usually around 5 – 10 minutes).
  4. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel.
  5. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 – 1½ hours until doubled in size.
  6. Turn the dough out and knock the dough back to release the air, cut into 8 or 10 even sized pieces (I weigh the whole dough and then divide by 8 or 10 to get an accurate amount).
  7. Take each piece of the dough and roll out about 3mm thick in a rough oval shape.
  8. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cover with another tea towel (a dry one will be fine) and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  9. Pre heat the oven to 230°C fan and place a baking sheet in to heat up.
  10. Place the pitta breads on the hot baking sheet, sprinkle with a little water and bake in the oven for 5 – 6 minutes until golden brown flipping halfway.

NOTES:

  • These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days, and are suitable for the freezer, simply wrap each one individually, defrost fully before eating, simply reheat in the oven or pop in the toaster to heat back up.

Hickmans Slim Kitchen

Keema Mince Pitta Parcels…

These pitta parcels are so versatile, you can literally add anything into them just by altering the fillings and the spices in the bread.

You could use a wide variety of fillings in these, however make sure your filling isn’t too “wet/saucy” otherwise you will have some burst seams and leakage, which is still fine, but just doesn’t look as pretty.

These are great for picnics, side dish, main meal or just a light lunch. Can also be enjoyed both hot or cold.

Some recommended items from our kitchen to make this dish…

  • Double sided dry and liquid measuring spoons for times when you need to measure both liquid and dry ingredients.
  • Mixing bowls are always wanted in this household and these stackable ones save so much space in our cupboards.
  • Baking trays, we have separate ones for cake items and others for things like veg and meat etc so we have more than one set floating around in our house.
  • Rolling pin, we use a stainless steel one as I make a lot of pastry and it can be put in the fridge to prevent pastry from getting so warm from warm hands and being handled so much. Best purchase I ever made for pastry.

**NOTE: just a quick note about the seasoning we use in this dish, we have used a spice kit available from SpiceNTice which have all the spices you need all included in one kit so we don’t need to rummage through the spice cupboard for lots of different ones. Their spice kits and rubs are all Slimming Club friendly (Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Calorie counting etc). For 10% off your order you can use our code HICKMAN10 at the checkout.

Don’t forget to take a pic of your dish and tag us over on Instagram or Facebook @hickmans_slim_kitchen we love to see the recreations.

Also please make sure you credit us when sharing our recipes on social media. You can do this by directly linking back to the blog or tagging our social media pages.

Thank you.

Please note some posts contain affiliate links, you can find out what that means here.

Keema Mince Pitta Parcels

Makes 8 – 10

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling (Make this ahead of time so it can cool down):-

  • 250g 5% pork mince
  • 250g 5% beef mince
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 stick celery, diced small
  • 2 carrots, diced small
  • 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and finely diced
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 beef oxo cube
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 1 SpiceNTice keema karai kit

For the pitta:-

  • 250g strong white bread flour
  • 50g strong wholemeal bread flour
  • 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
  • 1 teaspoon cooking salt
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

METHOD:

  1. In a large saucepan fry sachet 1 of keema karai spices for a few minutes to infuse the pan and get them fragrant.
  2. Remove the cassia bark and add the onion, carrots, bell pepper, celery, ginger and 2 tablespoons cold water until the veg starts to soften.
  3. Add in the mince and break it up as it cooks until browned.
  4. Stir in the keema karai sachet 2, tin tomatoes, tomato puree, peas and the oxo cube and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Cook on a low heat for 10 – 15 minutes or until the liquid has gone and veg soft. Allow to go completely cold.
  6. Make the dough by mixing the dry ingredients, garlic and coriander in a large mixing bowl.
  7. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and 200ml lukewarm water and mix to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
  8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (usually around 5 – 10 minutes).
  9. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl (a couple of sprays of frylight will be enough) and cover with a damp tea towel.
  10. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 – 1½ hours until doubled in size.
  11. Turn the dough out and knock the dough back to release the air, cut into even sized pieces (I weigh the whole dough and then divide by how many I want to make to get an accurate amount). Keep the cut dough under the damp tea towel while you make the parcels to prevent them drying out.
  12. Take one piece of the dough and roll out about 3mm thick in a rough circular shape.
  13. Spoon some of the mince mixture into the centre and bring the sides up to meet in the middle making a triangle pinching the seams tight together to seal.
  14. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  15. Repeat until you have used all the dough, making sure you leave some space between them on the baking tray, you may need more than one tray. Any left over mince can be potted up for another day.
  16. Cover the parcels with another tea towel (a dry one will be fine) and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  17. Pre heat the oven to 230°C fan.
  18. Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown. They should sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

NOTES:

  • These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days, and are freezable. Simply reheat in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes or enjoy cold. If freezing make sure you defrost fully and reheat in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes.

Hickmans Slim Kitchen

Bombay Potato Pitta Parcels…

I love being in the kitchen and experimenting conjuring up new recipes and ideas. I am one of those weirdos who dreams of cooking and wake in the morning and have to put those ideas into reality. They don’t always come to plan, but I never give up on the ideas, I just try a different way until it works. I am never one to quit, it just may take a few attempts.

So when I thought about these I was a little hesitant to whether they would work, but much to my surprise they were spot on to how I wanted them to turn out.

You could use a wide variety of fillings in these, however make sure your filling isn’t too “wet/saucy” otherwise you will have some burst seams and leakage, which is still fine, but just doesn’t look as pretty.

These are great for picnics, side dish, main meal or just a light lunch. Can also be enjoyed both hot or cold.

Some recommended items from our kitchen to make this dish…

  • Double sided dry and liquid measuring spoons for times when you need to measure both liquid and dry ingredients.
  • Mixing bowls are always wanted in this household and these stackable ones save so much space in our cupboards.
  • Baking trays, we have separate ones for cake items and others for things like veg and meat etc so we have more than one set floating around in our house.
  • Rolling pin, we use a stainless steel one as I make a lot of pastry and it can be put in the fridge to prevent pastry from getting so warm from warm hands and being handled so much. Best purchase I ever made for pastry.

**NOTE: just a quick note about the seasoning we use in this dish, we have used a spice kit available from SpiceNTice which have all the spices you need all included in one kit so we don’t need to rummage through the spice cupboard for lots of different ones. Their spice kits and rubs are all Slimming Club friendly (Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Calorie counting etc). For 10% off your order you can use our code HICKMAN10 at the checkout.

Don’t forget to take a pic of your dish and tag us over on Instagram or Facebook @hickmans_slim_kitchen we love to see the recreations.

Also please make sure you credit us when sharing our recipes on social media. You can do this by directly linking back to the blog or tagging our social media pages.

Thank you.

Please note some posts contain affiliate links, you can find out what that means here.

Bombay Potato Pitta Parcels

Makes 8 – 10

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling (Make this ahead of time so it can cool down):-

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 2 large potatoes, cubed (I don’t peel my potatoes but do what you prefer)
  • 1 SpiceNTice bombay potato kit

For the pitta:-

  • 250g strong white bread flour
  • 50g strong wholemeal bread flour
  • 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
  • 1 teaspoon cooking salt
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

METHOD:

  1. Pre heat oven to 200°C fan.
  2. Par boil the potatoes for 5 minutes, add the butternut squash and boil for a further 5 – 10 minutes until al – dente.
  3. Drain and tip back into the pan and tip in both the bombay potato spice sachets, add a lid and give a really good shake to ruff the potatoes up and make sure everything is well coated in the spices. Place on a baking tray and roast for 5 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
  4. Make the dough by mixing the dry ingredients, coriander and garlic in a large mixing bowl.
  5. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and 200ml lukewarm water and mix to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
  6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (usually around 5 – 10 minutes).
  7. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel.
  8. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 – 1½ hours until doubled in size.
  9. Turn the dough out and knock the dough back to release the air, cut into even sized pieces (I weigh the whole dough and then divide by how many I want to make to get an accurate amount). Keep the cut dough under the damp tea towel while you make the parcels to prevent them drying out.
  10. Take one piece of the dough and roll out about 3mm thick in a rough circular shape.
  11. Spoon some of the bombay potato mix into the centre and bring the sides up to meet in the middle making a triangle pinching the seams together to seal.
  12. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  13. Repeat until you have used all the dough, making sure you leave some space between them on the baking tray, you may need more than one tray. Any left over bombay potatoes can be potted up for another day.
  14. Cover the parcels with another tea towel (a dry one will be fine) and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  15. Pre heat the oven to 230°C fan.
  16. Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown. They should sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

NOTES:

  • These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days, and are freezable. Simply reheat in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes or enjoy cold. If freezing make sure you defrost fully and reheat in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes.

Hickmans Slim Kitchen

Cheesy Roast Tomato Stuffed Butternut Squash…

After our stuffed squash recipe from a few weeks ago which you can find here > Sunday Roast Stuffed Squash < I instantly knew I had to experiment and make another one but with a different stuffing mixture AND I wanted to add in cheese to see how it would work. And my goodness, we were in a food coma after this as it was so damn good.

The stuffing in this recipe makes plenty for leftovers for another day too so that is lunch sorted as well.

Some recommended items from our kitchen for this dish…

  • Double sided dry and liquid measuring spoons for times when you need to measure both liquid and dry ingredients.
  • A decent set of knives for chopping, with a knife sharpener which is always handy.
  • Large roasting tin.
  • A decent set of knives for chopping, with a knife sharpener which is always handy.
  • A big time saver for chopping veg with a veg chopper, from onions to carrots this is a god send to chop quickly.
  • Garlic crusher, we have had this one for a good while, easy to clean and can crush multiple cloves at once saving time.
  • Non stick saucepans.

**NOTE: just a quick note about the seasoning we use in this dish, we have used a spice kit available from SpiceNTice which have all the spices you need all included in one kit so we don’t need to rummage through the spice cupboard for lots of different ones. Their spice kits and rubs are all Slimming Club friendly (Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Calorie counting etc). For 10% off your order you can use our code HICKMAN10 at the checkout.

Don’t forget to take a pic of your dish and tag us over on Instagram or Facebook @hickmans_slim_kitchen we love to see the recreations.

Also please make sure you credit us when sharing our recipes on social media. You can do this by directly linking back to the blog or tagging our social media pages.

Thank you.

Please note some posts contain affiliate links, you can find out what that means here.

Cheesy Roast Tomato Stuffed Butternut Squash

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large butternut squash

For the stuffing:

  • 225g white and wild rice mix
  • 1 medium courgette, sliced and then each slice in quarters
  • 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 300g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 stick celery, finely diced
  • 300g passata
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon SpiceNTice chimichuri rub (** See note above about this rub)
  • 80g mature light cheddar, sliced thinly or grated

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
  2. Cut the butternut squash in half length-ways and scoop out the seeds.
  3. Spray a little frylight or a little oil (we prefer to use oil but do what you prefer) and place the butternut squash flesh side down onto a baking tray and roast for 60 – 75 minutes, turning the squash over half way through cooking. NOTE: Don’t over bake as we will be cooking it further in the next few steps, you want it to be soft enough to scoop out the flesh but not too soft that its mushy and collapsing.
  4. Once baked remove from the oven and leave it to cool so you can handle it.
  5. Meanwhile while the squash is cooking prepare the stuffing.
  6. Add the cherry tomatoes, pepper and courgette to a baking tray, sprinkle over a little of the chimichuri rub and roast until golden and the tomatoes start to split.
  7. In a pan saute the onion, celery and garlic until beginning to brown.
  8. Add the rice, puree, passata, rest of the chimichuri rub and stock and bring to the boil.
  9. Turn down to a simmer and cover with a lid and continue to simmer for 20 – 30 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and the stock absorbed (check your packet of rice instructions as you may need to cook for a little longer and may need a little more water).
  10. When the butternut is cool enough to handle score all the way around about half an inch away from the edge and scoop out the flesh, being careful not to cut through the skin, dice the flesh into small pieces and stir into the stuffing mixture along with the roasted courgette, pepper and cherry tomatoes. Season to taste.
  11. Now to stuff the squash. Spoon the stuffing into both sides of the squash and pack it in nice and tight, cram as much as you can in.
  12. Put the cheese on one half and place the halves together and tie some kitchen string to tie together in 3 – 4 places.
  13. Place on a roasting tray and roast for 20 – 25 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
  14. Slice and serve immediately either as a main dish or as a side.
Cheesy Roast Tomato Stuffed Butternut Squash

NOTES:

  • The leftover rice can be enjoyed for lunches the next day. Simply store in an airtight container and put in the fridge when cool enough. Enjoy heated up again or its delicious cold.

Hickmans Slim Kitchen

Sunday Roast Stuffed Butternut Squash…

We absolutely love butternut squash and this stuffed version is absolutely delicious. This dish makes a great alternative to eat as a Sunday roast, simply serve along side some extra vegetables and you got yourself the perfect meat free roast dinner. PLUS this looks great on the table when you want to impress friends and family for a dinner party.

The stuffing in this recipe makes plenty for leftovers for another day too so win win.

Some recommended items from our kitchen for this dish…

  • Double sided dry and liquid measuring spoons for times when you need to measure both liquid and dry ingredients.
  • A decent set of knives for chopping, with a knife sharpener which is always handy.
  • A big time saver for chopping veg with a veg chopper, from onions to carrots this is a god send to chop quickly.
  • Large roasting tin.
  • Garlic crusher, we have had this one for a good while, easy to clean and can crush multiple cloves at once saving time.
  • Non stick saucepans.

Don’t forget to take a pic of your dish and tag us over on Instagram or Facebook @hickmans_slim_kitchen we love to see the recreations.

Also please make sure you credit us when sharing our recipes on social media. You can do this by directly linking back to the blog or tagging our social media pages.

Thank you.

Please note some posts contain affiliate links, you can find out what that means here.

Sunday Roast Stuffed Butternut Squash

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large butternut squash

For the stuffing:

  • 225g white and wild rice mix
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 1 stick of celery, finely diced
  • A generous handful of brussel sprouts, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 50g dried cranberries
  • 2 Linda McCartney rosemary and red onion sausages, defrosted
  • 2 teaspoons dried sage
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
  2. Put the dried cranberries in boiling water to rehydrate them.
  3. Cut the butternut squash in half length-ways and scoop out the seeds.
  4. Spray a little frylight or syn a little oil (we prefer to use oil and syn it as its better but do what you prefer), season with sea salt and place the butternut squash flesh side down onto a baking tray and roast for 60 – 75 minutes, turning the squash over half way through cooking. NOTE: Don’t over bake as we will be cooking it further in the next few steps, you want it to be soft enough to scoop out the flesh but not too soft that its mushy.
  5. Once baked remove from the oven and leave it to cool so you can handle it.
  6. Meanwhile while the squash is cooking prepare the stuffing.
  7. In a pan saute the carrot, sprouts, onion, celery and garlic until beginning to brown.
  8. Add the rice and stock and bring to the boil.
  9. Turn down to a simmer and cover with a lid and continue to simmer for 20 – 30 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and the stock absorbed (check your packet of rice instructions as you may need to cook for a little longer and may need a little more water).
  10. Mash the sausages and roughly break the mixture up, gently fry the mixture in a pan until heated through, add to the rice along with the thyme and sage, drain the water from the cranberries and stir these through until everything is mixed.
  11. When the butternut is cool enough to handle score all the way around about half an inch away from the edge and scoop out the flesh, being careful not to cut through the skin, dice the flesh into small pieces and stir into the stuffing mixture. Season to taste.
  12. Now to stuff the squash. Spoon the stuffing into both sides of the squash and pack it in nice and tight, cram as much as you can in.
  13. Place the halves together and tie some kitchen string to tie together in 3 – 4 places.
  14. Place on a roasting tray and roast for 15 – 20 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
  15. Slice and serve immediately either as a main dish or as a side.

NOTES:

  • The leftover rice can be enjoyed for lunches the next day. Simply store in an airtight container and put in the fridge when cool enough. Enjoy heated up again or its delicious cold.
  • This can be made and prepped in advance and stored in the fridge covered with tin foil until ready to bake.

Hickmans Slim Kitchen

Mediterrenean Vegetables…

I love roasting vegetables, its usually the only way I cook them these days as the oven is almost always on doing our main meal so may aswell just chuck the veg in while the rest of the dinner is cooking.

Roasting vegetables I find gives them a sweetness to them plus we all prefer our vegetables with a little crunch still, give me soggy veg and its pushed to the side and not eaten, I can’t stand mushy vegetables.

You can add any veg you like into this, use up any bits and bobs in the bottom of the veg drawer and anything looking a little past their best.

These roasted vegetables also make a great base for a vegetable soup so if you don’t want them as part of a meal you can always add some vegetable stock and then blitz to make a tasty veg soup. Delicious.

Some recommended items from our kitchen for this dish…

  • Double sided dry and liquid measuring spoons for times when you need to measure both liquid and dry ingredients.
  • A decent set of knives for chopping, with a knife sharpener which is always handy.
  • Large roasting tin.

Don’t forget to take a pic of your dish and tag us over on Instagram or Facebook @hickmans_slim_kitchen we love to see the recreations.

Also please make sure you credit us when sharing our recipes on social media. You can do this by directly linking back to the blog or tagging our social media pages.

Thank you.

Please note some posts contain affiliate links, you can find out what that means here.

Mediterranean Vegetables

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 carrots, cut into matchsticks
  • 3 bell peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 2 large red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 large courgettes, thick sliced
  • Punnet of baby plum or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 packet of baby corn
  • Head of 1 broccoli, cut into florets
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
  • ½ teaspoon of each (thyme, oregano, basil, parsley & fennel seeds)

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Mix the herbs together in a little dish.
  3. Put the carrots, garlic and onion in a roasting tin along with a little of the herb mix and spray with a little oil or low calorie cooking spray and roast for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the peppers, courgette and baby corn along with some more of the herbs and roast for a further 5 minutes.
  5. Add the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the last of the herbs and roast for a further 5 – 10 minutes or until everything is cooked to your requirements. Adjust the cooking times according to how much you prefer your vegetables cooked.

Hickmans Slim Kitchen
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