IVE MOVED!

Hi guys just a quick post to let you know i have moved sites but will still continue uploading recipes and videos! up at

www.greedy-me.co.uk

Would love for you to check it out

Seasoning series: pesto

 

Good with pasta, fish, chicken or even mix through yogurt as salad dressing, this recipe is about tasting as you go. You may like more lemon or more pepper or more salt it's entirely up to you!

1 pot/large packet fresh basil

1tbsp grated Parmesan (1syn)

1tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 syns but syns vary so please check!)

1small clove garlic, 

Juice of half a lemon,

Generous pinch of salt and pepper

2tbsp water

Blend together and keep in the fridge for up to 5days, replace the fresh garlic with a pinch of garlic granules to last 10-14 days 

Seasoning series: Fajita

 

Me again, I thought I'd share one of my favourites now! Good with chicken or beef or even beef mince as it's similar to taco seasoning. I'd love to hear some feedback so please comment or message me!

Equal quantities (tsp tbsp etc)

Salt, black pepper, paprika (not smoked!), cumin, garlic granules and chilli powder.

That simple! 

Seasoning series: creole

 

So I've been off track a little I've only put on half a pound but that's too much for me! So I'm doing a mini series, seasonings! So many times I go to buy a seasoning but it's high in sugar or fat! So for you guys, here is my 1st seasoning blog of creole seasoning, spicy, aromatic brilliant for meat, fish, pasta rice you name it!

I don't use garlic or onion powder in my seasoning if I'm using actual onion or garlic in the dish but if I'm using this particular spice for fish or meat I add them! 

Easy recipe equal measure of everything,just keep in a jar!

1 tsp or tbsp each of:

Salt, FRESHLY GROUND black pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika and cayenne pepper OR if you can't quite handle the heat, mild chilli powder.

That is it! Just remember onion and garlic powder/granules if you don't use the real stuff in your dish. 

Nando's spicy rice (easier version)

 

So this is my easier version of nandos rice!

400g basmati rice (pre cooked or packet)

1 red and green pepper

1 large onion

2-3 tbsp nandos mild sauce (syns vary so check it out!)

Roughly chop the onion and peppers into small pieces.

Cook down the onion and peppers until soft.

Stir in the nandos sauce and add 100ml of water.

Cook until the water is almost evaporated and add the rice, stirring constantly until piping hot and absorbed all the flavour from the sauce. 

Chicken katsu curry

 

 Crispy chicken, a delicious curry sauce, what's not to like? 

Serves 4

4 large chicken breasts

1 large egg

Salt and pepper

Dry Cous Cous 

For the sauce: 1 onion and carrot, qtbsp of mild curry powder,salt, pepper, 1tsp each grated garlic and ginger, 300ml water, 1tbsp tomato purée.

Add some salt and pepper to the egg and mix with the chicken breasts.

Preheat the oven to 200oC, meanwhile fry off the carrot no onion, add the ginger Nf garlic and cook for 5minutes.

Add the tomato purée and water and cook for 20 minutes, meanwhile. 

Coat the eggy chicken in the Cous Cous and pan fry until golden then put in the oven till cooked through.

Blend the sauce, cut the chicken into slices and serve over rice with the sauce.

Carrot cake muffins

 

Good as a snack, with fruit or even as a lower sugar alternative for kiddies these are addictive and come out as 1 syn each if you use your healthy extra b!

35g oats

1tsp cinnamon

1tbsp golden syrup (my brand was 2syns but please double check)

1grated carrot

12g sultanas (optional but make the dish! 2syns for my brand)

1 medium egg

Preheat oven to 180oC and spray 4holes in a muffin pan with low calorie spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl mixing well.

Divide into the four holes of the muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing from the pan. 

(If not using oats as your healthy extra.. 6extra syns for the whole dish so 2.5 syns each)

Thai chicken with sticky rice

 

Serves 4-6

6 chicken thighs, bite size chunks 

4large spring onions, thinly sliced

1small head of broccoli in bite sized pieces

1onion and green pepper in bite sized pieces.

1cup/mug of jasmine rice (dry) 

3tbsp dark soy sauce

1large clove garlic grated

1tbsp sweet chilli sauce (2.5)

1tsp cornflour (0.5)

Handful of Thai or normal basil and coriander finely chopped

Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, garlic, sweet chilli, cornflour together in a sandwich bag massaging to make sure all chicken is fully coated.

Meanwhile add the 1cup of rice to a pot, rinse once then add 2cups of boiling water and cook until almost all the water is gone, cover and leave.

Heat a pan and add the chicken and broccoli cooking for 5minutes until almost cooked through. 

Add the rest of the veggies and stir fry for a further 5minutes.

Add a splash of water and herbs.

Stir until the sauce thickens and serve with a side salad and the sticky rice. 

Satay (chicken,pork, beef of lamb)

 

This is low syn, super easy and you can use it on almost any meat and even white fish or just use as a dipping sauce!

1small red onion

5cloves garlic

1tbsp each of ground coriander and cumin

1 tsp each of tumeric and Tesco Thai massaman curry paste

1tsp black pepper

100ml alp to coconut milk replacement (1syn ATM)

2tbsp soy sauce

1tsp low fat low sugar peanut butter(syns will vary depending on which brand you use so double check)

I like making my marinade with a pestle and mortar as you get more flavour! 

Alternatively chuck everything BUT the peanut butter into the food processor and whizz it up.

Then pour into a sandwich bag with your meat (will do about 700g of meat easily) leave overnight in the fridge in a bowl in case of leakages! 

If you are using fish don't marinate just cook up the sauce and cook the fish separately!

You can use a griddle, grill or BBQ or even your oven but make sure to squeeze off the excess marinade and pour it all into a saucepan with the peanut butter and cook, constantly stirring until the sauce thickens. That's it! 

Thai massaman curry

 

Rich, creamy, vegetarian option or meaty and luscious, this curry has so many options so don't feel the need to stick to the recipe! If making the curry vegetarian friendly just remove the meat and bulk the curry with fresh mushrooms, more aubergine or even quorn!

Serves 4-6 

600g of chicken, beef or lamb,

2large onions roughly chopped,

1green pepper roughly chopped,

3 tbsp Thai massaman paste (Tesco own is 0.5 syn each)

300ml original blue diamond coconut milk (1syn per 100ml)

200ml of water

1small aubergine roughly chopped

200g green beans cut into 1inch pieces

Sear your meat in a frying pan,

 

Meanwhile in a saucepan spray low calorie spray  and stir fry the curry paste for 1minute then add half the coconut milk and stir for 5minutes until most of the milk is absorbed. 

Add the rest of the liquid and the meat, meanwhile in the pan you seared the meat in, get the pan hot and char the onions and peppers then add to the curry letting it simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add the green beans and cook for another 10 minutes before serving. 

Mongolian beef

 

1 steak thinly sliced 

1/2 white onion thinly sliced

3 spring onions cut in half and in 2'' pieces

4shitake mushroom thinly sliced 

1tsp each grated ginger and garlic

3tbsp light soy sauce

1tsp sugar (or sweetener - 1 syn)

(Steamed broccoli and rice or noodles to serve) 

Heat a non stick pan for 5minutes, spray with low cal spray, add the vegetables and garlic and ginger, stir fry for 5minutes and move to a plate. 

Heat the pan for a further 2minutes, add the steak and stir fry for 2minutes.

Add the vegetables and the soy sauce and sugar, stir fry until the sauce thickens then serve with coriander and chilli sprinkled over the top.

Aromatic lamb

 

This has a nice kick but is suitable for all the family! You could serve with rice or potatoes or on its own! 

Serves 4-6

600g extra lean lamb chunks 

4large carrots, large chunks

1large courgette and onion roughly chopped.

2 tins tomatoes, 2large cloves garlic

500ml water

1tsp dry harrissa spice mix and paprika

2tsp mixed herbs

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1bay leaf 

Salt and pepper

Sear the lamb then add in the vegetables, cook until the onions start to soften.

Add the rest of the ingredients and either use the slow cooker on high for 4hours or put in the oven for 2hours at 180oC.

Creamy chicken and bacon pasta

 

Serves 2 (rather large portions!!!)

200g dry pasta

6 medium chestnut mushrooms

2rashers extra lean bacon1large leek

2 egg yolks

2splashes of milk (1syns)

5tbsp fresh grated Parmesan (5syns in total) 

Salt pepper and fresh parsley

Chop the leek and mushrooms thinly.

Chop the bacon and chicken into bite size pieces.

Get a frying pan hot and dry the bacon until crispy then add the chicken till half cooked.

Add the pasta to boiling water now as this will take the time the rest of the sauce takes to cook.

Add the leeks and mushrooms to the chicken add salt and pepper.(cook for 5-7 minutes)

Meanwhile mix the egg yolks with the milk and parsley.

Drain the pasta and add to the chicken mixture.

Stir through, turn off the heat, add the sauce mix stirring constantly until the sauce thickens and sticks to the pasta (this means the egg is cooked) 

Serve immediately! 

Paella

 

You will need: 1 red onion, 1 large red pepper, 1 large grated garlic clove, 1 lemon (zested then in wedges), 1tsp smoked paprika, 1 chicken breast (in bite size chunks), 2handfuls mixed seafood, 200g risotto or paella rice, 500ml fish stock or chicken stock, 1/2 cup of peas, 1 large tomato  in small chunks and a rough chopped handful of parsley. 

Chop the onion and pepper into small chunks while a pan is heating.

Spray the pan with low cal spray and add the chicken, cook until browned around the edges but only half cooked then add the peppers onions and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

Once softened (usually takes 10minutes) add the paprika and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the rice and stock, cover in foil and bake for 30 minutes at 180oC.

Check if you need to add more liquid, then add parsley a generous squeeze of lemon juice, top with the seafood and put in the oven uncovered for 10 more minutes.

When serving top with a handful of rocket and a lemon wedge.

Serve 2-4 people. 

Food trends: Fruit pops

So the most popular food trend at the moment seems to be either those crazy milkshakes that have everything but the kitchen sink in, or these lushious fruit pops. Normally they are made with coconut water but thats not syn free so i usually use diet lemonade and sometimes even add mint and a splash of balsamic vinegar like a pimms ice lolly.


All you have to do is choose your favourite fruits and put them into an ice lolly mold or even cheap plastic cups.
put in your stick and pour over your chosen liquid then freeze for at least 4 hours..
i can't really even call this one a recipe!
its healthy, quick, easy and even the kiddies love them!

Ice cream

Yes, i said it.. ice cream!! i bought a cheap ice cream maker on amazon a few years ago for 20 and it is still going strong, i know they have a lot of offers at the moment so don't miss it! okay so this ice cream is made with yoghurt.. and depending what you put in, it isn't always going to be syn free BUT it will save you the syns of a lifetime compared to eating normal ice cream!!

The basic mix is 1 pot of the total 0% fat greek yoghurt. You then add sweetener to taste and a few drops of vanilla EXTRACT. i cannot stress that you use EXTRACT not essence.. essence is vile and chemical tasting!

From that mix you then add a muller light yoghurt. if you want vanilla, add a vanilla yoghurt..

You could use the latte muller light to make a coffee ice cream.

You could do a mango passion fruit ice cream and add in chunks of mango or sieved passionfruit.

Add an after dinner mint with peppermint extract instead of vanilla and add some chocolate ontop (or choc shot of course)

Peanut and caramel frozen with chunks of banana in (for a chunky monkey ice cream)

Add 2 of the pineapple crush (1/2 syn each) and if you wanted a shot of coconut rum for a pina colada style ice cream with chunks of pineapple swirled through.

As long as you have imagination the possibilities are endless.

To freeze if you aren't using an ice cream machine you should pour into a freezable container and whisk up every hour for 4 hours. just take the container out of the freezer 15 minutes before serving so it is scoopable!

Using an ice cream machine follow the instructions as every machine is different then  when donw, put into a container or seperate containers and freeze!

Nando's chicken and spicy rice!

..Nandos is my guilty pleasure and if i can make it for lower syn i will!! I use the nandos lemon and herb marinate it is 1/2 a syn per tbsp and if you leave it over night on your chocken or pork it really permeates the meat!!

6 chicken thighs
6tbsp lemon and herb (or your choice) of nandos marinade sauce (just double check the syns! - will be half a syn per chicken thigh)

for the rice:
2 cups basmati rice,
4 cups of water,
1 chicken stock cube,
small white onion finely diced
1 small red pepper finely diced
1 small green pepper finely diced
1tsp cumin and paprika and 1/2 tsp garlic granules
as many jalapeños you can manage! (i usually use the ones in brine and chop them till they are a puree and can only manage 4 or 5! slices!)

Stab the chicken thighs all over with a sharp knife and put into a sandwich bag with the marinate, do up the bag, massage and put i the fridge overnight.

Get your grill going and put the chicken thighs on, remember not to waste any of the marinade!

meanwhile in a large pot, fry off the onion, peppers, herbs and spices (including the jalapenos ) until theystart to soften.

add the stock, water and rice, add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the water is almost absorbed, turn off the hob and cover the rice, leave for 10 minutes, fluff the rice up with a fork, cover again and leave for 10 minutes and fluff the rice with a fork again before leaving with the lid on for another 10 minutes.

Big mac in a bowl

The real thing will set you back 25 syns!! this will only set you back 5.5 syns.. and that is if you dont use the cheese as your HEA! If you used the cheese slices as part of you HEA it would only be 1 syn!

This serves one person :)

200g extra lean beef mince
1 medium white onion (finely diced as possible)
as many gherkins as you wish
as many tomatoes as you wish
a pile of iceberg lettuce (or if you dont like iceberg romaine)
2 slices dairylea light cheese slices (use as HEA or 2.5 syns for one or 4.5 for 2, you can omit completely though)

Fry off the mince in a pan until it starts to turn crispy.

reserving 1 tsp of the chopped onion, add the rest to the pan and cook until softened, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Put the meat warm on the bed of lettuce, lay over your cheese, sauce, remaining onions, gherkins and tomatoes.

how simple is that?!

you could even have a couple of pieces of cloud bread with it!

Cloud bread

The new phenomenon, i wish i had thought of this as this is the basic way i make a slimming world syn free cake, just adding sweetener and vanilla! you can toast this 'bread' lightly if you want to make it a little more durable but is good for burgers or even sandwiches and the best thing? ITS SP FRIENDLY!!

3 large eggs seperated
2 tbsp quark
pinch of salt
(any flavourings you wish to add e.g garlic or italian herbs)

Preheat your oven to 180oC

Add the salt to the egg whites and whisk until stiff peak.

Add the quark to the egg yolks and whisk until creamy and well incorporated.

Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites and continue until you have a light mixture.

Spoon mixtures onto a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes until lightly browned, just keep an eye on them.

I will suggest not to make a huge batch of them as they go stale quite quickly! If adding seasoning, add them to the egg yolk and quark before adding the egg white.

BBQ sides

So, people get stuck with what to have along with their grilled meat or fish, at least thats what i hear when i go to my slimming world group, so here is a few ideas.

Grilled corn on the cob

Mixed veggie skewers then push them off a skewer into a bowl or oven bake some Mediterranean style veggies.

My BBQ style baked beans (on my blog)

Boiled or baked potatoes or even slimming world chips.

Rice salad (or plain rice)

Pasta salad (or buy a passatta that has garlic and herbs in, add some salt and pepper and you have a syn free sauce)

Slimming world coleslaw recipe (also on my blog)

fruit skewers (obviously not for the BBQ but for dessert)

Salsa (roughly chop 3 large tomatoes, 1 small red onion finely chopped, pinch of salt and pepper, juice of half a lime, some roughly chopped coriander)

Boiled eggs

mexican salsa; 1 large can drained corn, 1 cn drained and washed black beans, 2 large spring onions finely chopped, 1/4 cucumber deseeded and finely chopped, handful of coriander OR parsely, finely chopped, juice of half a lime, generous pinch of cumin, salt and pepper.

Asparagus; 1 packet of aspargus trimmed coated in 1 tsp olive oil (2 syns) pinch of salt and pepper. You can either cook them in a foil packet or grill them straight on the BBQ.

Gherkins

A big bowl of fresh green lettuce or even the bagged stuff washed if you are short for time with slices of cucumber and a punnet of cherry tomatoes.

And of course, cloud bread! if you haven't heard of this phenomenon you can have it on an SP day it is literally eggs, a pinch of salt and quark! you seperate the eggs, whisk up the whites and well i am going to do another blog on that later!

I hope you liked this short blog on a few ideas to go alongside a BBQ or even just as side dishes!

Grilled steak kebabs

There is something primative about grilled meat. so what could be better than a grilled steak, potato and mushroom kebab that you can lay on a bed of crisp salad and drizzle over your favourite salad vinaigrette.

500g very lean steak ( all visible fat removed and cut into bite size pieces)
500g salad/baby potaotes (preboiled until only just fork tender)
200g baby mushrooms
salt, pepper
1tbsp freshly chopped thyme and rosemary or about tsp dry thyme.
1 tsp olive oil (2syns)

Put the steak into a sandwich bag with salt, pepper, herbs and olive oil, do the bag up and massage the seasoning into the meat and leave for at least 20 minutes. (this would be a good time to be boiling your potatoes then cooling them, this would also be a good time to soak your wooden skewers to stop them from burning)

Alternate the steak, mushrooms and potatoes on the skewers until the ingredients are used up.

Grill on the BBQ or griddle pan for about 2 minutes a side or cooked until the meat is to your liking.

Serve over salad or with coleslaw, grilled tomatoes and mushy peas like a mixed grill style dinner. yum!

BBQ SP Beans

Comforting and good for an SP day, if i'm doing extra easy day i usually do some of the SW iceland sausages like a sausage and bean bake and god is it good and makes a lot.

1 large white onion
2 large carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 red and green pepper.
4 smoked bacon medallions
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tins cannelini beans
2 tins haricot beans
1 tin of red kidney beans
2 tins of tomatoes
1 jar of passata
2 cloves of garlic
generous pinch of salt and pepper.

roughly chop the veggies then process until finely chopped.

Dice the bacon into small pieces and fry off in fry light in a big pot until turning crisp.

Add the garlic and the vegetables and cook down until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add the remaining ingredients (fill the jar of passatta halfway with water and rinse it out adding it to the pot).

Let cook for about an hour or until thick and umptuous.

Luscious leek and potato soup

Something so simple can be so so comforting when you are under the weather or the weather is getting you down. Shut the curtains, curl up on the sofa with this addictive soup, and the best thing is it is free and easy!

2 large baking potatoes (i find they break up easier, washed and roughly chopped)
1 large white onion (roughly chopped)
3 large leeks (washed and sliced roughly)
1 large clove of garlic
generous pinch of salt and pepper
(parsely or chives to top is completely optional)
2.5 litres of vegetable stock

In a large soup pot, in fry light, fry off the onion, garlic and leeks until they start to soften and colour a little.

Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

Add the potatoes and stock and cook until the potatoes start falling apart.

Turn off the heat and use your immersion blender to blend the soup to the texture of your liking.

Taste and season to your liking.

Amazing beef stroganoff

Quick, easy, delicious, mid week, weekend, dinner party.. anytime! (4-6 people)

400g Lean beef rump steak (all visible fat removed)
300g mushrooms (preferably mini mushrooms like small button or small chestnut mushrooms)
1 large red onion finely chopped
1tbsp dijon mustard (double check your syns my mustard i use is 1/2 a syn)
1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
3tbsp weight watchers west country thick cream (3 syns - 1 syn per tbsp)
handful of roughly chopped parsely.
200ml beef stock.
salt and pepper.

slice the steak as thin as possible.

Sear all the meat in a pan then move aside to rest then brown the mushrooms on a high heat till browned, add to the same plate as the steak.

Fry off the onion and add in the stock, mustard and tomato puree and stir in until dissolved.

Return the steak and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the cream and parsely.

serve with rice, potatoes or pasta or on its own with veggies. yummy!

smoked salmon linguine

simple, quick, easy, tasty.. what more could you want?

serves 4 or is good the next day for lunch

200g smoked salmon, roughly chopped into bite size pieces.
300g spaghetti or linguine.
250g cherry tomatoes halved.
2 generous handfuls of rocket.
Juice of half a lemon.
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and in bite size pieces.
2 tbsp (i used tesco its 2 syns per tbsp) reduced fat red pesto (also works with green pesto)

Start by cooking the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet says. About halfway through cooking add the asparagus (reserve about 1/4 tea cup of the water)

mix the lemon juice, pesto and water together with a generous pinch of black pepper.

drain the pasta, add back to the pot you boiled it in, pour over the pesto and add the salmon coating the pasta, add in the cherry tomatoes too.

Serve and top with the rocket.

Chicken parmigiana

good for leftovers or to freeze after cooked, you could have this with pasta or potatoes and veggies or even just have a side of salad with it.

8 chicken breasts
1 large red onion (finely diced)
3 cloves of garlic
2 tins of tomatoes
8 tbsp of parmesan (1syn per person as 1 syn per tablespoon)
1 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley.
salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 180oC

Season the chicken breasts generously on both sides.

sear both sides of the chicken breasts.

Meanwhile fry off the onion and garlic until softened.

Add in the basil and tinned tomatoes and cook down for 10-20 minutes.

lay the chicken breasts in a tray and spread the tomato mixture evenly between the chicken breasts and sprinkle each chicken breast with 1 tbsp of parmesan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Sprinkle over the parsley before serving.

hunters chicken

okay so hunters chicken isn't going to be syn free but its sure going to be delicious!

1 chicken breast per person (you could always use a turkey breast steak instead)
1tbsp BBQ sauce per person (usually around 1 syn depending what brand you use)
1 bacon medallion per person
25g low fat grated cheddar per person (4 syns or you could always use your HEA)

heat your oven to 180oC

season your chicken breast generously with salt and pepper then wrap the bacon medallion around the breast (or place on top)

bake for 15 minutes then coat the chicken breast/bacon in the tbsp of BBQ sauce

cook for a further 5 minutes.

Top with the cheese and leave till melted.

Coleslaw

This goes with everything in our house.. from grilled meats, burgers, chicken, pork to fish or as a side salad. you can top it with what you want but we usually dress it with the dressing that i will add to the bottom of the slaw recipe. its also lovely with light salad cream.

1 red onion
2 large carrots
half a small white cabbage

we use a mandolin as we have always had it in our family but you could use a food processor or if you are good with a knife do it that way.

peel then grate the carrot into a bowl.

peel and cut the onion in half and slice as thin as you can.

cut the half of cabbage in half then shred it.

combine together and that is the basic slaw.

for the dressing we use white or rice vinegar and tesco extra virgin olive oil spray we use 20 sprays (2 syns) we coat the slaw in the oil then add the vinegar.

the slaw will last 3-4 days in the fridge if you DONT add a dressing. ( you could always individually dress the slaw on the plate)

yorkshire puddings!!!

yorkshire puddings are my weakness.. i don't know why but they always have been, here is my slimming world recipe.

50g plain flour (8syns)
150ml unsweetened almond milk ( i use alpro which is hald  syn per 100ml atm so 1.25 syns may as well say 2)
2 eggs

get a muffin tin very hot in the oven

meanwhile blend the mixture or hand whisk or use an emersion blender to blend the heck out of the mix till fully combined and creamy.

spray the pan with fry light and divide the mixture into the 12 hole tray

*TOP TIP: make the mixture in a jug so you can just pour it in!*

Bake at 200 for 15-20 minutes (just keep an eye on them) depending on how many you make divide the total syn mixture by that much e.g whole mix = 10 syns so if you make 10 it would be 1 syn each

spinach and 'ricotta' lasagne

This is my take on spinach and ricotta, the most important step is trying to get moisture out of quark, if you have cheesecloth use that or when salted leave in the bowl and pour away as much excess moisture as possible!

you will need a lasagne dish (use whatever you have, a bowl or rectangular dish or anything you have)
lasagne sheets (dried)
2 pots of quark
2small red onion finely diced
1 large clove of garlic or 2 medium
salt and pepper
a bag of frozen spinach (thawed out, squeezed from excess water and roughly chopped)
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
2 egg yolks or 1 egg
4tbsp grated parmesan (4 syns)

starting with the quark, add 1.5 pots to a bowl and stir in a generous pinch of salt, if you can leave the bowl at an angle for at least an hour or even over night.

meanwhile you could either finely dice the vegetables or use a food processor.
process one onion with half the garlic to make a puree. add to a pan and cook until most of the moisture is gone, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper and add the spinach, again cooking till there is no moisture, move to the side and cool completely.

process your other onion, the other bit of garlic, celery and carrot until finely minced and fry off in a pan with fry light until they soften, add in the tomatoes (here you could add in some dried basil and some fresh parsley) cook down and season to taste.

pour off the excess moisture from the quark and stir in the spinach and onion mixture.

starting with a layer of tomato sauce layer it into your dish then a layer of lasagne sheet then the spinach mixture, layering until you have no spinach or tomato mixture left.
leave a blank layer of lasagne sheets on top of the dish.

mix together the remaining quark with the egg, 3 tblsp of water the parmesan and a pinch of black pepper and evenly layer over the top of your lasagne.

cover with foil and put in your oven at 180oC for 40 minutes, remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Healthy Greek salad

This salad may not be slimming world or weight watchers but this is a relatively healthy salad that is delicious on its own or on a bed of salad leaves.

Serves 2-4
2handfuls of your favourite olives
1/4 cucumber in small bite sized chunks
3 large tomatoes or a pack of cherry tomatoes in bite size pieces
1small red onion, halved and finely sliced
Half a pack of feta crumbled into pieces.
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive
2tablespoons lemon juice
1tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1small clove grated garlic
Generous pinch of salt and black pepper

Mix the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, lemon juice and vinegar in a salad bowl.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and toss in the dressing.
Let sit for at least 20 minutes, toss again before serving.

crab linguine

Sorry for not posting in a few days i have been off track as i've not been well.. so heres to the first proper meal back on plan. I am a pasta/carbaholic.. and i love crab so here is a simple crab linguine that is simple but easy to impress with!

serves 4

500g linguine, spaghetti.. whatever the heck you want!
i used asda frozen crab claws as you get a lot of meat but 2 tins of lump crab meat in brine will do (just drain off the water)
2 large tomatoes, deseeded and chopped into small pieces.
zest and juice of a lemon
4 tsp of olive oil
1/2 grated clove of garlic
(chilli is nice but personally i prefer this dish without chilli.. you could always add half a desseeded chilli finely chopped)
generous pinch of salt and pepper
about 200g fresh rocket to serve.

cook the pasta -2 minutes of the cooking time to make it perfectly al dente.
meanwhile save some of the pasta water and mix in the olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper.
drain the pasta and add back to the pot with the pasta water mixture and tomatoes
.
coat the pasta in the flavour then add in the crab meat, stir lightly trying to not break it up too much.
to serve just dish the pasta up then add the rocket to the top of the pasta, this is the way they do it in italian restaurants and it works really well, almost like another seasoning to the crab and pasta dish and brings out the flavour of the crab, along with the lemon!








(image courtesy of bbcgoodfood until i make this again... as i was too hungry to think about a photo sorry!)

crispy garlic chicken

This really adds something to a salad or is a good way to start a curry as the cornflour keeps the meat nice and moist!

4 large bone less skinless chicken thighs, cut into small 1 or 2 cm cubes.
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mixed white and black pepper
1 tbsp cornflour (1 syn)

mix all together in a bowl ensuring the chicken is coated all over with the cornflour garlic mixture
set for at least 20 minutes.

get a frying pan nice and hot with low calorie spray and lay the chicken in an even layer.

let cook for 1 minute then flip and cook for a further minute.

keep tossing the chicken until it is cooked through.

leave the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes as it helps the meat to relax and reabsorb its juices.

it just adds something to a plain salad, my little sister said they taste like chicken nuggets!

chicken shawarma kebab

This is an extremely tasty, tender chicken dish with a morish char on the outside, there are various ways to cook and serve this dish.

8 large, skinless, boneless chicken thighs. (i just removed all of the extra fat/sinue!)
1tbsp paprika, cumin, garlic granules (or 1 grated clove), ground coriander, dried oregano.
a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
1 tsp baking powder
juice of 1 lemon.
mix the dry ingredients with the lemon, then coat the chicken with the mixture.
Leave to rest for 20 minutes to let the baking powder work its magic.
I just grilled my chicken turning every so often but you could bake or pan fry the chicken too! I am definitely trying this on the BBQ in the summer!

For the white dressing: 200ml 0% fat greek yogurt, squeeze of lemon, finely diced fresh mint and parsley, sprinkle of garlic granules and a pinch of salt and pepper all mixed together!

You could serve as i did with rice and a pile of salad underneath the chicken or you could use your healthy extra b (depending on what wraps and pittas are available) layer some of the sauce, fresh leaves and then add in the chicken.

One pot slow cooker lamb roast

So about a week ago i posted a recipe on a beef roast done on the slow cooker so i thought, why not also do lamb? lets get started!

1kg leg of lamb (if you see any fat remove it!)
6 large potatoes, chopped into 1/4 or 1/6's
3 red onions quartered
5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped into chunks
1 small butternut squah peeled and chopped
2 tsp freshly finely chopped rosemary
1 head of garlic chopped in half
generous pinch of salt and pepper.
200ml lamb stock cube (or whatever you have to hand)

place the lamb in the bottom of the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
place the veggies and garlic over and around the lamb then sprinkle over the rosemary
pour in half the stock and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours, check to see if the stock needs topping up ever couple of hours or so.
when the lamb is done. remove it to a plate with the vegetables.
the garlic should be very soft. squeeze it into the juices and leftover stock within the slow cooker and blend it, add a little water if it needs to be thinner.

sticky 5 spice ribs

This is also nice on chicken but is extremely easy and tasty.

1kg pork ribs
3tbsp hoi sin sauce (blue dragon is 2 syns per tbsp)
2 tsp 5 spice powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

Boil the ribs for 20 minutes
meanwhile mix the remaining ingredients together.
Drain the pork ribs and rinse them under cold water and put in the slow cooker. pour over the sauce and coat the ribs then cook for 2-4 hours on high
or alternatively put the ribs in a sandwich bag with the marinate for 20 minutes then cook in the oven at 190degrees celcius for 20-30 minutes.
very very morish!

fresh asian salad/slaw

okay so this may not be 'chinese' but is a good accompaniment to the previous dishes i have posted.

2 handfuls fresh bean sprouts
1 tbsp mixed chopped coriander, mint and basil
1 large carrot shredded
4 large spring onions, thinly shredded
1/4 head of white cabbage finely shredded
1 mild chilli finely chopped

1tsp soy sauce
1tsp fresh squeezed lime juice (or white vinegar)
pinch of sweetener

the key to this dish is balance, if you like it sweeter, add more sweetener if you prefer it more sour leave out the sweetener and so on.

toss all together and you are ready to go!

chinese sticky chicken

I adapted the slimming world sticky chicken recipe a while ago and i love it this way.. if you cant get chinese vinegar use a mix of 1tbsp of balsamic and 2 tbsp white rice vinegar.

serves 4 at 2 syns per serving
you will need
700g chicken of any kind you like
3 tbsp honey
3tbsp chinese black vinegar
3tbsp soy sauce
pinch of black and white pepper
1 tsp grated garlic and ginger
1 tsp tomato puree.

mix all together in a sandwhich bag and pour into a hot frying pan cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is sticky and thick.

fragrant steamed seabass.

healthy, light and delicious with an asian style side salad and steamed rice or noodles.
this is based on Gok wans chinese. serves 4-6

1kg seabass (it can be whole or portions of seabass)
2 tbsp small diced ginger
1 large chilli thinly sliced
2 large spring onions thinly sliced
1 tbsp light soy
1tsp sesame oil (2syns)
steamer and a plate.

lay the seabass on a plate and lay the ginger, chilli and spring onion in an even layer then pour over the sesame oil and soy sauce.
Place in the steamer until the fish comes away from the bone with no effort or if you are using portions for 10-20 minutes.

My chinese cooking essentials!

So giving you a quick break from recipes im going to share with you my chinese kitchen essentials. from crockery to store cupboard staples.

Some form of steamer: you can purchase a steamer or you could you a pot with some water, them put a bowl rim down and  put the plate with whatever you are steaming on top them cover the pot.

Wok: preferably non stick. if you cant afford a wok a good NON STICK pan is ideal and easy to put into a cupboard. A good thing about the frying pan is that the heat evenly distributes.

a flat stirring instrument like something you would flip pancakes with. perfect for stir frying.

seasonings: soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, black vinegar, sesame oil, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, ginger (ginger can freeze for months when you need some just use a fine grater and place back in the freezer)

store cupboard: rice, egg noodles, tinned water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.

I know that if i have all of these in my food cupboard i can make a delicious slimming world friendly meal!

Mapo Tofu

this is my version of mapo tofu savoury, spicy, delicious and easy!

500g firm tofu (drained well and cut into cubes)
150g extra lean pork mince
2 tsp sechaun peppercorns,
1tablespoon oyster sauce
3tbsp soy sauce
300ml chicken stock
1tablespoon cornflour (1syn)
2 large cloves garlic grated
4 large spring onions sliced thinly
1 heaped tsp grated ginger.

combine the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornflour and sechaun peppercorns.
fry off the pork mince till crispy add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 -3 minutes.
Add the tofu and cook until golden then pour over the sauce and cook until it reduces and thickens.

i hope you enjoy this recipe. if you dont like sechaun peppercorns you could always replace it with some chopped chilli or chilli paste.

sichaun prawns

This dish is good as part of a chinese meal or to serve as a starter.

200g raw, peeled tiger prawns
1/2 tsp sichaun pepper
generous pinch salt
1tsp 5 spice powder

for the sauce: 4 tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp sugar (1syn), 1 spring onion, finely chopped. (all mixed together)

toss the prawns in the 5 spice powder,sichaun pepper and salt.
Get a pan on a high heat.
add the prawns and stir fry.
when they are nearly cooked through add the sauce and toss until it thickens.
Serve hot or warm.
they are nice in lettuce leaf cups.

basic chinese mixed vegetables

Just like you get from the takeaway, although there isnt much flavour to them there is always something morishly comforting about the gravy on these vegetables!
(i sometimes add straw mushroom if i can get them, they come in a can just drain the liquid go through and cut them in half, they look odd, like little balls but when you cut them in half you can see the stalk, they are used a lot in chinese vegetable dishes)

Of course you could add meat to this.

1 large clove of garlic, grated.
2 tbsp soy sauce
300ml chicken (or veggie) stock,
1 tbsp cornflour (1 syn)
1/2 tsp sesame oil (1 syn - optional but the flavour makes it just like the chinese)
handful of bean sprouts,
1 small tin of mixed bamboo shoots and water chesnuts (just drain them and slice into bitesize pieces)
1 small carrot sliced then chopped into bitesize pieces
1 small onion in bitesize chunks
1/2 small green pepper in bitesize chunks
1tsp oyster sauce.

mix the oyster sauce, stock, soy sauce and cornflour with a generous pinch of black and white pepper.
get the pan hot then add the carrot and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. add the rest of the veg (but not the beansprouts) stir fry for 2-3 minutes then add your sauce mixture and stir constantly cooking until the sauce reduces and thickens and becomes gravy like. add your beansprouts. cook through for 1 minutes and you are done!

'General Tso chicken'

General tso is a popular american dish that is slowly spreading to the uk, a pungent dish with a good kick!

serves 4
4 skinless/fatless boneless chicken thighs in bitesize chunks
1/2 tsp baking powder (1/4 syn)
1tbsp cornflour (1syn)
2tbsp soy sauce
Sauce: 1 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp sesame oil (2syns), 2 tsp each grated ginger and garlic, 1 red chilli finely diced (more or less as much as you can handle),  1tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp water, 1 tsp sweetener. - all mixed together.

mix the chicken, baking powder, cornflour and soy sauce and set aside for 20 minutes to let the baking powder tenderise the meat.
Any veg go well with this dish so you could add them to the chicken or on the side.
start by getting a pan nice and hot with a few sprays of low cal spray and spread the chicken on an even layer and let  sit for 1 minute before slipping, it should look nice and brown and crisp. leave to cook for another minute and keep turning until the chicken is crispy and you cant see any pink.
Add the sauce and toss, let the sauce reduce and keep tossing to coat the chicken thoroughly.
DONE!
if you aren't partial to chilli you could always leave it out but it doesn't give the same punch obviously!
i hope you enjoy!

Beef with ginger and spring onion

Quick, easy and delicious this stir fry is good on its own or with rice.
4-6
500g of steak thinly sliced
1 thinly sliced onion
1 thinly sliced green bell pepper
1tbsp grated ginger
4tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1tsp sesame oil (2 syns)
1tsp baking powder
generous pinch of salt and pepper
1 bunch of spring onions chopped into 1 inch pieces.

mix the steak with salt, pepper, baking powder, sesame oil, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Get a pan nice and hot and add the onion and green pepper along with the white parts of the spring onion. toss and stir fry until they char and the spring onion is a little limp.
remove to the side and add the steak along with the ginger. let sit in the scorching pan for a minute or so then toss and let rest again.
when the steak is almost cooked add back in the vegetables including the green parts of the spring onion and toss through throughly and if needs be add a little more soy sauce.

quick, easy and delicious.

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Cashews on slimming world? okay so there might not be as many as in the chinese version but if you chop of the cashews you get a little bit in every bite, which, for me is what a good dish is about, being able to get a little of everything into one bite.

this serves 4-6 people and the cashews, depending where you get them from will vary in syns so i will only give you the syns for the basic other ingredients. Just bare in mind that syn values can change!

6 bones less skinless chicken thighs (no visible fat, cut into bite size chunks)
1 large red and green peppers cut into bitesize pieces.
1 large onion cut into bite size pieces.
4tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1 large grated clove of garlic
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp sweetener
1tsp white vinegar
50g chopped up cashews (just plain or if they only have salted thats okay, i guestimate this at around 16 syns by most of the syn values maybe a little less, personally id rather over syn than under syn!)
1 tsp sesame oil (2syns)
(this dish divided between 6 is 3, between 4 is 4.5 which is still lower than the takeaway version!)

get a frying pan nice and hot add the peppers and onions and char them all over then remove from the pan.
add the chicken, leave to cook for 1 minutes before turning and letting cook for another minute.
while the chicken is cooking mix the soy, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic,sweetener and vinegar.
once the chicken is nearly cooked through, add back in the vegetables and add the sauce, stirring for 30 seconds. leave the sauce to reduce.
When almost no liquid is left add the cashews and toss together.

serve over rice with broccoli or my garlicky greens :)

Satay chicken stir fry

As chinese new year is on monday i thought i would share a few chinese style recipes in the slimming world way.
serves 4-6 people but makes great leftovers and can be frozen! (2.5 syns for 4 people, even less for 6 people)

6 bonesless skinless chicken thighs (or use breasts if thats all you can get)
1 tsp baking powder (half syn)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large onions in bitesize pieces
2 large green peppers in bitesize pieces
1 grated garlic clove and the same amount of grated ginger (would be roughly a tsp)
1 pack of green beans in bitesize pieces.
1 pack of amoy satay sauce (120g-10syns)
i usually serve this with rice! It is also very nice with some broccoli.

cut the chicken in bitesize pieces and coat in the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and baking powder. Put to one side for 20 minutes (this is a good time to prep your veg)
get your pan on a high heat spray generously with low cal spray and add your chicken in an even layer. leave for 30 seconds or until it will move freely in the pan. turn over the chicken, add in the green beans and cook for another minute., add a small splash of water and cover the pan to help steam the beans. When the water has evaporated let the pan get back up to heat and add the onions and green peppers.
Toss with the chicken and let them char a little. cook until the onions only just start to soften. (the onion flavour isnt as strong but still has a nice crunch to it)
add the stir fry sauce and a little water and toss through the chicken and veggies.

i hope you guys enjoy this recipe!

All in one beef 'pot roast' (slow cooker)

Tender juicy beef, vegetables, potatoes and a gorgeously comforting onion gravy, what could be better?

We start with 1kg of lean beef (use what you can afford! it doesn't actually have to be a joint or anything!)
3 large onions sliced thinly
(i use chesnut mushrooms in mine too, usually about 6-7 sliced thin but i saute them in a frying pan with some low cal spray before adding them to the slow cooker! just put them under the beef with the onions)
1 bay leaf
1tbsp cornflour (1syn)
4 large carrots chunked up
4 potatoes chunked up
generous pinch of dry thyme and rosemary.
200ml beef broth
1 bay leaf
generous pinch of salt and pepper.

lay the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the beef on top.
mix the beef broth with the cornflour, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and pour over the beef and onion. put the carrots and potatoes on top.
cover and cook for 6 hours on high or 8 on low.
i usually just boil some broccoli and green beans to go with it but i dont see why you couldnt also add that to the slow cooker!

I hope you like this dish i would love some feed back!

Breakfast burger copycat: pork patties

I am sure you are all aware of what 'pork patties' im talking about of course usually comes in a muffin with a fried egg and cheese. You can of course use these how you want!
Make ahead: you could double or triple the recipe and once cooked, freeze them in between small layers of greaseproof stored in a box or sandwich bag for up to 3 months. just microwave until piping hot and you are ready to go!

You will need 500g of extra lean (less than 5% fat pork mince), 1 tsp dried sage, 1/2 tsp salt and a generous pinch of black and white pepper, 1/2 tsp baking powder mixed with 3 tbsp water. (the baking powder would be negligible)

Start by mixing the water mixture into the the pork, mixing thoroughly until the water is absorbed.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper over in an even layer then as you put the sage in, rub it between your fingers, it helps produce a stronger flavour.
Mix thoroughly and rest for 20 minutes.
Shape into whatever size you prefer (i prefer thinner patties so i can have 2 and layer egg, mushrooms or whatever the heck i want in it)
you can cook them however you want i prefer frying in a non stick pan with low cal spray or you can bake them if you are doing them in bathes at about 180 degrees C, for 10 minutes, flip them over and another 10.

Let them cool completely before freezing!
They will last 3 days in the fridge... (if you can help yourself!)

Syn free rice pudding.. WHAAAT?

simple, quick, easy, this dish is for one. if you aren't a fan of cream soda just replace it with water!
serves one if youre hungry or two piled with fruit

So we start with 85g pudding rice, 250ml of cream soda (sugarfree) and a splash of vanilla extract. (if you want it creamy you can always stir through a vanilla muller light or a tbsp or 2 of fat free yoghurt at the end)

bung all the ingredients together, cook on a medium heat until almost all the liquid is absorbed.
turn off the heat, cover and leave for 15 minutes.
boom you are done :) i like topping mine with strawberries and raspberries.

Chicken Dopiaza

This curry isn't exactly for the faint heart, lots of onion, garlic and a good kick of chilli, but is soothing and soul healing at the same time. This curry is especially brilliant if you have a cold as the garlic, ginger, onion and tumeric all contribute to a better immune system and tumeric is just an amazing spice although not much flavour has a large variety of medical properties! Enough warbling lets get on!

You will need: 4 large onions (2 quartered, 2 sliced)
1 large red and green bell pepper. (bite size chunks)
8 large boneless chicken thighs (skin and excess fat removed cut into bitesize pieces)
2 tsp grated ginger
3 large cloves of garlic
1 tbsp each of coriander and cumin seeds (lightly crushed)
1tsp tumeric
1 tsp chilli powder (or more if you like)
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
1tsp garam massala
1/2 tsp salt and pinch of white pepper
4 tbsp fat free yogurt (to finish the dish, but you can leave it out if you really want)

place the quartered onions, garlic and ginger into a food processor or mini chopper and blend till you get a paste.
meanwhile on a high heat stir fry the sliced onions and peppers until they char a little and the onions become sweeter. (remove to a plate)
on a medium heat stir fry the onion paste until it starts to turn golden brown.
Add in all the spices and stir cooking for 1 minute.
Add the chicken coating in the spice mix.
Add the tomatoes, pepper and salt and a little water, stir and cover letting cook for 20 minutes.
Uncover to let thicken. (this would be a perfect time to sort out your rice)
stir in the onion and bell pepper.
remove from the heat and stir through the yogurt.

This seems long winded but alternately.. you could brown the chicken, sliced onion and bell peppers together to get some colour and put it in a slow cooker, then you could stir fry the onion paste with the spices until it turns brown, add it to the slow cooker then add the tomatoes to the slow cooker, give it a stir and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 on low then stir through the yogurt before you serve.

Sweet and sour pork(or chicken)

So okay this has syns but the syns make this dish taste amazing..
you may think i am mad putting baking powder on meat, but, trust me! Its a traditional chinese method! The baking powder tenderises the meat in about 20 minutes and gives a silky smooth texture in your mouth!
The marinade doesn't look especially delicious but hey ho it tastes lush!

So the basics of this sauce has the meat, cubed green pepper and white onion. obviously you can add as much veggies as you like and serve with anything you like but today this is just a basic sweet and sour i hope you enjoy!

serves 4-6 people
400g bite size chicken breast or pork (i used pork loin chops and removed the fat)
1 tsp baking powder (0.5 syn you cannot replace this with anything else and is essential for this dish)
6 tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp cornflour (1syn)
1 grated clove of garlic
1tsp sesame oil (2syns)
4tbsp (i used morrisons which is 0.5 a syn) ketchup
splash of white vinegar
about 1/2 tsp sweetener
generous pinch of salt and pepper.
1 large white onion and green pepper in rough chunks.

mix together 4 tbsp soy sauce, cornflour, baking powder generous pinch of salt and pepper and the meat. leave to the side while you prep the sauce.
mix the ketchup, rest of the soy, sesame oil, garlic, sweetener and white vinegar and set aside.
Once the meat has marinaded for at least 20 minutes get a (preferably non stick) pan on high heat with a generous spritz of low cal spray.
mix the meat one more time then lay out in a single layer. Leave for 30 seconds then flip the pieces. they should be a lovely golden crispy brown colour.
leave for another 30 seconds then when you can see no more pink, (doesnt have to be cooked right through) remove from the pan and add your vegetables. leaving them to char a little before tossing to char the other side. add the pork back in and stir fry for 2-3 minutes before adding your sauce.
Toss throughly to make sure everything is coated and to make sure the sauce thickens.

Ta da.. done! the prep is the longest it only took me about 5-7 minutes in total to cook the sweet and sour (but i did have a lot of other mixed veggies in my stir fry!)

i hope you guys like it!!

Speedy risotto

I will be uploading videos soon and this will be the first recipe video i upload in a long time onto youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4ururmkHVMaRmnB7aVAOcA

so i know i would be shot if in italy so i am sorry to any italians reading this!!

so we start off with a low syn microwave rice (the one i have is currently syn free)
but any ole packet will do! serving 2 people or 1 hungry person!

you will need about 100ml of stock
salt and pepper
2 tbsp parmesan (2 syns)
your packet of rice
and i am going with mushrooms in this! a good few handfuls of sliced mushrooms
your base is a finely diced onion and a grated garlic clove and obviously the rice!

So we start by softening the onion in a frying pan with low cal spray.
Add your mushrooms and cook to your liking (you could use any veggies you want or chicken, ham etc)
Add in your rice and stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Add in your stock and stir. cook for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan and a generous pinch of pepper and adjust for salt (bearing in mind that the parmesan is salty)
I like to serve mine with a big handful of spinach on top.

I hope you enjoy!

Peking duck

What? you can have this on slimming world too?!
well of course you can my friend! Just in the right way!
So i usually serve this with my 'fried rice' and garlic greens or sometimes it's just as good in a lettuce wrapper!
i don't usually have these with pancakes so i don't know the syns of those but i know blue dragon hoi sin sauce is currently at 1 syn per tbsp (i usually water it down with a little soy sauce or water and toss it with my duck.

This recipe is purely for the duck. i don't know how many syns it would be for cooking it with the skin on but we boil off the majority of the fat first!!

Where to get a duck? usually in the freezer section. I know aldi have had duck in their frozen section for the past 6 months so you must be able to find them in normal supermarkets too :)

So first off, if using a frozen duck i cannot stress the important of defrosting properly before use! DO NOT just sit it in hot water because there is more chance of you getting food poisoning! Get your duck out of the freezer 24 hours before you need it.. put it on a tray and leave it to do its thing.

Now. Get a big pot of boiling water. stab your duck all over with a fork and boil for 45 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200oC. After the duck is boiled remove it from the oily water and place directly onto a wire rack. (make sure you have a tray with foil underneath the rack!) cook in the oven for 45 minutes. turn off the oven 10 minutes before removing and have your windows open as there will be smoke!

Remove to a chopping board, remove the skin (yes i know its easy to eat crispy duck and chicken skin but think how well you are doing) grab 2 forks and start shredding!
Done!
How easy?!
I hope you give this recipe a try, it will save you a lot of money from the chinese and a lot of syns!

seafood paella (well.. sort of!)

I love seafood but im quite picky about how it is cooked. i recently found some amazing deals on asda for clams and some crab meat, but you might be able to find some clams and crab at your local fishmonger or in all honestly you could use tinned!

This serves one very hungry person or 2 people with a side salad :)

You will need: 2 crab claws (or a tin of crab), 2 good sized handfuls of cleaned clams (or a tin of clams or a handful or two of prawns, squid or mussels!)
salt and pepper (very important in ANY dish)
1 large shallot, 1 celery stick & 1 carrot (all finely diced)
1 large clove of garlic (grated)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 large tomato (roughly chopped)
1 tbsp tomato puree
zest of lemon (and a bit of the juice to serve)
a kettle of hot water (you can make up fish stock if you have it)
and most importantly some form of short grain/ paella or pudding style rice. a generous handful per person!

i used a non stick pan so i could get a nice crust like you do on a paella style dish.

fry the vegetables until they soften, add the garlic & lemon zest and stir until fragrant.
add the tomato puree and paprika with about a tablespoon of water and mix with the vegetables until you get a paste.
stir through the rice and add about 100ml of water along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

turn the heat to low and keep cooking, stirring and adding water for about 15 minutes. at this time add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, another 100-200ml of water depending on how dry your paella is looking and top with the seafood. cover with a lid and set your timer for 15 minutes.
Done :)

i hope you give this recipe ago you can really use anything you want. traditionally saffron is used but something in saffron effects my mouth! just add a pinch of saffron 20 100ml of water (the first 100ml you add) and let it steep for 5 minutes before using!

if you have picky children you could always do a chicken paella and top yours off with some grilled prawns or any other preferred seafood :)

crispy chilli beef

Okay, so it may not be JUST like the takeaway version but tastes just as damn good! low fat, low syn.. good for a chinese dinner party whats not to love?
wrapped in lettuce leaves or served with rice and steamed greens this low syn delight is too good not to try!
depending how you serve can serve 4-6 people or it will serve as a brilliant chinese buffet dish if you have a get together.

you will need: 500g beef mince (extra lean/less than 5%)
1 tbsp cornflour ( 1 syn)
2 tbsp light sweet chilli sauce ( 2 syns: if you like spice you can always add some fresh chopped chillies to this too! but i am a wimp!)
1/2 tsp sesame oil (1 syn)
1tsp grated ginger
1 very large clove grated garlic
1tbsp soy sauce
pinch of salt and pepper

Start by frying off your mince you want it to start to turn nice and crispy (you will hear it start to crack and start to turn a lovely brown colour)
meanwhile mix the sweet chilli sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce and 2 tbsp of water.
Sprinkle the cornflour over the beef evenly. Toss to coat and leave for a little then toss again so the other side gets crispy. do this a couple of times so the cornflour coating the beef turns crisp. (not only will it help it to be crisp but keeps moisture in!)
toss in the garlic and ginger tossing or stirring for a minute or 2 until the smell of garlic and ginger aromatics smacks you in the face like a cold winters day!
pour in your sauce constantly tossing to make sure all the beef is coated. keep cooking until the sauce reduces and completely coats your beef and you are ready to serve!

i hope you guys like my recipes :) i would love to know if you give them a go!

Perfect roast potatoes

something so simple can change so so much! i use this technique for chips/wedges too. (i generally leave skin on my potatoes for extra ruffage)

you will need:
whatever amount of potatoes you are cooking according to how many people you are serving
salt, pepper
fry light.

preheat your oven to 200oC
meanwhile parboil the potatoes until fork tender.
drain and shuffle the colander so it ruffles up the edges.
put the potatoes onto a foil lined baking tray and leave until the surface of the potatoes are dry(important step)
spray generously with fry light and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
put in the oven, cook for 15 minutes. or until golden then turn the potatoes spray with frylight and cook until the other side is golden.

Burrito bowls

So, i saw a recipe in the new slimming world magazine and based my recipe around that.
so we start with the base of the bowl/plate
Rice, perfectly cooked rice is a must!
i will say this recipe is for 6 people because this is how much i did for my family. there are 6 of us!

Just under 2 mugs (tea mug/cup) of basmati rice. (rinse it well to get rid of unwanted starch!)
3.5 mugs (same mugs for rice) of water.
4 large chicken breasts
2 onions
1 small red and green bell pepper. (sliced)
2 limes
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of sweetcorn
1 can of black beans (or buy dried and cook a mug as per packet instruction)
2 large tomatoes
handful of coriander
salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika
1tsp cumin
2tbsp tomato ketchup

i know it sounds like a lot but its all done in advance. we are going to start with the chicken!
grab a sandwhich bag and add 3/4 of a tsp of cumin, the juice and rind of a lime, the paprika, salt, pepper, a grated clove of garlic and 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup.
cut the chicken breast into bitesize pieces, add into the sandwhich bag mix, do up the bag, give it a rub and leave to marinate until you need it.

mix the sweetcorn, black beans (if youve cooked your own make sure to cool them allunder cold water), zest and juice of half a lime, 1/4 tsp of cumin, 1/2 grated garlic clove of garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.

next chunk up the tomatoes, finely dice 1/2 of one of the onions, add to a bowl with the zest and juice of half a lime 1/2 a grated clove of garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and the handful of chopped coriander.

To cook the rice add the water and rice to a pot, turn the heat on high, when it starts to boil turn the heat to medium and boil until little holes appear on the surface of the rice. turn off the heat and cover. (20 minutes)

once the rice is covered fry the onion and peppers then add the chicken cooking till cooked through.

i usually serve the chicken on the rice and everything else on the side next to it. i usually chop a little lettuce to have on the side aswell.
its just nice with the chicken and rice you dont need to use the black beans and salsa you could just have lettuce or steamed veggies on the side!

Fried Rice

The essential thing for fried rice? precooked rice. when i make my fried rice i use a brand called veetee as they are only 1 syn. depending on what you get.
Another crucial thing? add what YOU like. this is just my basic fried rice.
the only things you keep the same is the garlic, ginger, soy, sesame, salt and pepper and of course the rice!

you will need
1 pack of veetee precooked rice. (do not cook it in the microwave!!)
1 small shallot finely diced
1 carrot finely diced
handful of thawed (prefrozen) peas
1tbsp soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil (2syns)
1 egg
1 grated garlic clove and the same amount of grated ginger
pinch of salt and pepper.

break up the rice (no we are not cooking as per packet instructions!) so all grains are seperate, coat in the sesame oil and spray and mix through fry light. (this helps if you do not have a non stick pan!)
bring a pan to a very high heat.
add some fry light and the carrot and onion, stir fry for a couple of minutes and add the garlic and ginger.
stir fry for 1 minute or until fragrant and add the rice.
stir fry for 5 minutes,
toss through the peas, salt, pepper and soy sauce.
toss to coat evenly.
push the rice to one side, spray the pan with fry light and add the egg. let it cook till almost set.
break up the yolk and put the rice on top
break up the egg in the rice. (bigger or smaller chunks, completely your preference)
serve while hot.