Syn free scotch eggs

You really do not miss the bread crumbs here. Now if you want to make mini scotch eggs i would suggest mashing up the egg and mixing with the smallest amount of extra light mayo, at which point you would get a tablespoon of mince, flatten it out, put a little of your egg mixture inside then conceal it inside the meat and roll into the ball ready to bake.
Here are the large versions!

6 medium eggs (boiled to your liking, just remember they are going to bake in the oven! another tip is to add 1/2 tsp bicarb to the water, it makes the eggs easier to peel)
500g extra lean pork mince
1tsp dried sage
generous amount of salt and black pepper
3tbsp water (yes, my water trick again)

Pre heat the oven to 170oC
peel your eggs
mix the mince with the water thoroughly so it absorbs the water and becomes smooth.
mix in the sage, salt and pepper (a good half tsp of each!)
cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
 get a bowl of water to help you wet your hands to mold the scotch eggs.
seperate the meat into 6 and one at a time take 1/6 of the meat, flatten it on your hand, place the egg in the middle and wrap the meat around it, place it onto a lined baking tray and repeat with the rest of the eggs and mixture.
bake for 7 minutes then turn over to cook for another 7 minutes.
these will last for 3 days in your fridge.

Enjoy :)

Trifle

So, my slimming world consultant loves trifle and i managed to do a whole trifle at about 6 syns..
So with christmas coming up im going to share this recipe with you :D
it seems like a lengthly process but is so worth it for something that tastes like a real trifle rather than something that tastes like yoghurt with jelly dont you think?

you will need: 1packet of jelly crystals, fruit of your choice,
for the sponge 4 large eggs, 6 tsp of self raising flour (on the site it says 0.5 syns per tsp so thats 3 syns), about 1 tbsp sweetener and lemon zest or vanilla to flavour the sponge.
for the custard: 4 large eggs, 200ml unsweetened almond milk (0.5syns per 100ml) sweetener to taste and some good vanilla extract or if you have it a tsp of vanilla bean paste or a vanilla pod, sweetener to taste.

So let's start with the sponge, if you have a stand mixer or hand mixer brilliant, if not.. you have a lot of whisking sorry! preheat the oven to 180oC
Whisk the 4 large eggs until tripled in volume, thick, voluminous, and when you draw an 8 on top stays there for a few seconds! next  with a spatula or metal spoon (never use a wooden spoon to fold as the surface of the spoon breaks up all the air bubbles you managed to get in there!) fold in the sweetener and flavouring, next sieve or sprinkle over the flour and gently fold it into the mix. Next pour it into your baking trap and pop it into the oven for 25 minutes, the cake should lightly spring bake and a skewer should come out clean! Leave to cool.
meanwhile prepare your fruit and jelly.
The cake should be cool enough to remove from the pan, tear it into decent chunks (or shop if you prefer) layer it into your dish. top with the fruit (now really we want to wait a little for our jelly mix to cool so..)
Meanwhile in a bowl over simmering water whisk your 4 eggs until they are thick and creamy (you could use a hand mixer for this as you will be mixing for 5-10 minutes)
Remove from the heat. (warm your unsweetened almond milk in the microwave for 40 seconds)
whisk in the almond milk a little at a time, add back to the heat if it goes too runny!
add your flavouring and sweetener, put cling film actually on your custard to stop a film from forming on it.
now, add your jelly to the fruit/sponge and put it into the fridge to set. 3-6 hours
Once set whisk your custard up then pour over the top (sprinkle with a little cinnamon if you like, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge till you need it! it will last at least 3 days)
when you serve the trifle use the weight watchers cream (make sure its the thick cream not creme fraiche) it is 1 syn per tablespoon, so depending how many syns you want will depend on how much cream you use!

Enjoy this recipe if you have any feedback i would be greatful!

Lemon curd mousse!

I use this tangy, sweet lemony mousse with apple or berries for breakfast or sprinkle with a crumbled digestive layered ontop of chopped strawberries and raspberries like a cheesecake.

you need 2 whole eggs

2 heaped spoons of 0% fat total greek yoghurt.

zest and juice of 1 whole lemon

sweetener to taste

In a bowl over a pan of simmering water whisk the eggs with the lemon juice and zest until thick. (will take 4-5 minutes) Remove from the heat and whisk for a couple of minutes till cooled, them whisk in the yoghurt and sweetener to taste (i usually use a tablespoon)

I usually set in a jar or if im using for desserts set in the molds covered in cling film.

Crutons

Hey guys, so sometimes we do need just that little bit of cracker.. but sometimes ryvita do not cut it :O there i said it!

So, with christmas coming up where canapés loom, i have used an idea from my favourite youtubers sorted food!

So we start off with a pack of warbutons thins bagels!
6syns for a whole bagel.
from there you want to cut her in half so you get 2  'C' shapes. then you will cut out loads of discs 1-2 cm thick.
Just divide the amount of syns by the amount of bagel slices you end up with for example you can usually get at least 3 slices for only half a syn!!

Lay them on a baking tray, spray with sunflower frylight bake for 4 minutes at 200oC but keep an eye on them, flip them over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes let them cool they should be really crisp. Even better make your own ceasar salad crutons by spraying them with garlic fry light, salt and pepper before baking!

Top this off with your favourite SW pate or topping and the job is a goodun. Keep in an airtight container or ziplock bag somewhere relatively warm and dry for a couple of weeks!

parma ham and fig bites

This salty but sweet appetiser will get your taste buds tingling, but be aware that depending on where you buy your parma ham the syns will vary, if you are worried just cut off any visible fat!

1 box of fresh figs (if you use dried it is syns so be aware!)

Parma ham (sainsburys is only 1/2 syn per slice and we will be cutting that into 4!)

1 tsp honey (1syn)

pinch of finely ground black pepper

1/4 the figs removing the tough stem

slice the parma ham in half lengthways so it is long. then cut those 2 halves in half. 

wrap the parma ham around the fig, drizzle in the honey and sprinkle witht he black pepper, only a touch though! 

thats it!

Beef kofte bites

You can use these babies in the SW kofte curry which is delicious, or in a morrocan tagine or are just as amazing as a snack, in your lunch or as a party canape!
Want to know the best part? (lean in closely...) NO SYNS (insert happy dance of deliciousness)

500g Extra lean beef mince (it is amazing with lamb mince but i have NEVER found the syn free extra lean lamb mince :( )
1 small red onion (finely diced, or even easier grate it in your food processor with the garlic)
1 large garlic clove.. or 3 small (it sounds like a lot but it isnt)
3tbsp water
1tbsp ground coriander and ground cumin
1tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground oregano
(if you want to kick it up add about half a tsp of ground chilli powder)
generous pinch of salt and black pepper
dipping sauce: 1 small tub 0% fat total greek yoghurt, 1/4 grated cucumber, small handful shredded mint, pinch of salt and pepper (combine together i sometimes add a squeeze of lemon juice but that is optional)

So again my water trick, the extra lean mince needs a little extra moisture and it really absorbs the water, trust me!

So,mix the mince with the water until it has absorbed, then combine all the herbs and spices mixing thoroughly. cover and leave for the flavours to mix for at least half an hour (you could do this bit a day before!)
i wear gloves, measure out either a heaped tsp OR a level tablespoon of mix, roll into balls and but on the baking tray.
bake at 200oC for 5 minutes, turn and give them another 3-4 minutes.

Once cooked and cooled you can freeze these and they can last for 2months in the freezer (trust me i have food and safety hygiene at supervisor level) pull these babies out whenever you need them, chuck them in a curry, soup, tagine or let them defrost and blast them in the microwave in a  single layer for 4 minutes!

Duck and hoi sin party bites!

Yum yum yum, i do love this time of year, it gets my creative ideas going, so this image im about to show you is not mine but sparked an awsome idea! Who out there loves duck pancakes from the chinese takeaway?? Look no further than one bite with this delicious canape, hoisin at 1.5 syns per tablespoon goes a LONG way. so again you COULD class this dish as negligible, or you could work out how many appetisers you get from one dish.

You will need 2 duck breasts,
cucumber maybe 1/4 then if you need more you can cut it, (2cm chunks)
2-3 spring onions. (cut into about 1 cm chunks)
cocktail sticks
1 grated garlic clove
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce

Yes.. thats it :D

So remove any visible fat from the duck, cut into cubes of the same size maybe 2-3 cm
heat a pan and chuck in the duck, sear it.
mix the hoisin and garlic and add into the duck, stir until the duck is coated and the sauce thickens.
take off the heat and leave to cool.
While the duck is cooling onto each coctail stick add a chick of cucumber THEN the spring onion, then stab a duck chunk, the duck chunk will add as a foot AND as it is still warm will slightly wilt the spring onion which will reduce any strong flavour. THAT IS IT! :)

P.s or you could be greedy and do yourself a duck breast ontop of a bed of shredded spring onions with piles of sliced cucumber them dribble over the sauce.. who needs a takeaway ? not me ;)

asian tuna 'sushi' bites

Delicious, good for lunch, a snack, or for canapes here are my tuna cucumber bites :)

All you will need is 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped into an inch pieces.
1 tin of tuna
salt
pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil (1 syn if you use asda or tesco own)
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp grated garlic and ginger.
1 finely chopped spring onion

scoop a little bit of the seeds out of the  middle of the cucumber, dont scoop all of it out or you will have nothing to hold the tuna,
Mix the tuna with every thig but the spring onion and cucumber.
spoon the tuna into the cucumber cups and top with a little bit of spring onion.

(you could always serve with a small dipping bowl of soy sauce, if you want some evtra crunch and flavour finely chop a red pepper and stir through the tuna aswell, ALTERNATIVELY you could just slice the cucumber thinly and top with the tuna but i find it goes a little wet and mushy because of the seeds)

You could use different toppings like below, for example mix a little quark with salt, pepper, a little grated horseradish and stir through some finely chopped smoked salmon with a little lemon zest.

Asian 'Dim sum' appetisers

Low in syn, these tasty little balls of yummyness disappear pretty quickly, the best part? once they are cooked they can be frozen then bought out for stir fries, soups or even again for canapes!

You will need: 500g extra lean pork mince,
 6 raw prawns (can be frozen and defrosted, if you want you can go to the fish counter and just use 3 of those huge tiger prawns!)
3 spring onions,
1 large stick of celery,
2 large grated garlic cloves (or tsp of garlic paste or one of those frozen blocks),
 1 tsp grated ginger,
3 tbsp water,
2tbsp soy sauce, pinch salt, generous pinch of black pepper,
2 tsp sesame oil (i use asda or tesco own brad which is 2syns per tsp, really this dish has negligible syns as you could not eat this many in one go)
(sometimes i add some finely diced water chestnuts for some extra texture but lets stick to the basic mix today!)

So you can make this in a food processor, if you are going to do it that way, add the spring onions, gelery, ginger, garlic, soy, sesame and water with the prawns to the processor and pulse until the prawns are finely chopped. add this into the pork mince and mix really really well until it almost goes a little pappy. (cover and set in the fridge.)

if you are doing this WITHOUT the processor (my preffered method) grate the celery into the pork mince and stir in with the water and soy sauce. sprinkle over the soy, salt, pepper, ginger, garlic and sesame oil stir throuroughly. finally chop the prawns intp small pieces i usually butterfly then chop finely from there. Add into the pork and stir through. (you may think adding water to mince is very odd BUT it helps with the texture and the meat really absorbs it all, it also helps to absorb the flavours)

After resting your 'meat dough' i usually use my smallest ice cream scoop (similar to a large melon baller or about a tsp of mix) roll into a ball and place on a baking tray (my preferred way or you can boil or fry them)

I bake mine at 190oC for 6 minutes, turn them over and cook for another 4-5 minutes. i usually serve mine on a platter with some cocktail sticks  with some chilli sauce OR you can use 1tbsp of soy sauce to 1tbsp white wine vinegar (or if you have it chinese black vinegar yum yum)

Slimming world

Hey guys, so after a pretty traumatic few months after breaking my leg, surgery, still recovering mind you! I am finally back on the slimming world plan, in a new group, AND im on the social team for pay and weigh.

So my first week back i lost a lovely 3 lb, 3lb is 3lb but i was hoping for a little more as it was my first week, but hey ho!

This blog is going to be for recipes galore.
Family recipes
Fakeaway recipes
comfort food
desserts
breakfast
drinks..
need i go on!

I hope you enjoy my blog i would love some feedback so feel free to comment :)

See you soon my lovelies! x