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

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. 

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!

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!)

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!

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!

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!)

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!

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 :)

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.

canape cases

Hey guys, so getting closer to christmas i have been experimenting with ideas for parties, i came up with my filo canape cases, you can fill them with anything from spicy indian chicken to mexican prawn salsa, and they are easy!!

25g filo pastry is 3.5 syns. (the filo i buy, one whole sheet is 25g)

I cut my filo into 4 rectangles, then those in half so you get 8.
I double these up and count them as 1 each although i know they are a little less.
i just layer them with a little egg, push them into a mini cupcake tray and spray with fry light and bake at 200oC for 5 minutes, keep an eye on them as they brown easily.
When browned, take them from the oven and leave them to cool before filling with whatever you are using!
Alternatively you could use reduced fat pastry at 4 syns per 25 g.

Over the next few days, i am going to gather up some classic party syns for you guys, just so you are aware when you go to parties how many syns are in things :)

i hope you can make use of this rcipe i will upload a few fillings today or tomorrow!

Easy family pasta/spaghetti Bolognese

So anyone that knows me, knows that i am OBSESSED with pasta, which is good because on slimming world the majority of pasta is syn free :D
Here is my family favourite of spaghetti bolognese, very filling, very easy. if you haven't got a food processor you could just grate the majority of these vegetables. If you want to make this meat free just replace the beef mince with quorn.
If you dont have much time, just fry off your mince grate your veg and bung it all in your slow cooker!

serves 6 people generously (good to take to work though)
500g pasta/spaghetti of your choice.
500g extra lean beef mince (or leftover beef or lamb from a roast)
2 large carrots
2 red onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 small aubergine
1 medium courgette
(you can always add mushrooms too!)
2 tins of tomatoes
1 large broccoli head. (cook this with your pasta, optional)
1 tsp garlic italian by schwartz
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp oregano
fry light
2 tbsp tomato puree
Get your trusty food processor out, set it up to grate.  peel and chop your onion in small dice.
It a large pan start browning your mince until it gets crispy.
while your mince is cooking grate all your veggies  (other than the onion)
Once your mince is brown add all your veggies in and cook until they start to soften, add your tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, pepper, herbs and half a tin of water.
cook for 20 minutes.
after the 20 minutes is up cook your pasta according to instructions (but cook for 2 minutes less and save some of the pasta water)
Drain, add back to the pot you were cooking it in and stir through your mince.
if you are cooking this in the slow cooker just add the pasta to the slow cooker and stir through,.
Done!
i hope you enjoy this dish. :)

Pasta primavera

I was in tesco yesterday and i saw some asparagus and it reminded me of my favourite ever pasta dish.. Pasta primavera! Full of fresh veggies and basil (or in our case low fat green pesto, i find the tesco own brand is the best!) This dish is great with fish or chicken or just on its own with a side salad! AND Low in syn coming in at 4 syns for the whole lot and it will serve 4-6 people (and its a hit with the kiddies or to freeze!!)

you will need
500g pasta of your choice
half a head of broccoli cut into small florets
1 pack of asparagus (trimmed and cut into bitesize pieces)
200g trimmed and chopped green beans
200g frozen peas
1 leek finely sliced
2 tbsp reduced fat green pesto (3 syns)
2 tbsp quark
1tbsp grated parmesan cheese (1 syn, this stuff is my pride and joy in the kitchen)
salt and pepper to taste
First, cook your pasta, look at the packet instructions and cook for 2 minutes less than it says on the pack. (this is crucial)
While the pasta is cooking add in the broccoli to the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking mix together the quark, pesto, parmesan, a pinch of salt and pepper and some of the cooking water. This is crucial for making the pasta creamy. Save some cooking water trust me!
2 minutes before the end of cooking time add the asparagus and peas to the boiling pasta.
Drain the pasta (again remember to save some cooking water!!!!)
while the pasta is draining, in the pan you boiled your pasta in, lightly fry the leeks. When they become soft and translucent add the sauce, stir, cooking for 30 seconds, add some more pasta water then the pasta, stir, thoroughly coating the pasta and the job is done!

YUM YUM YUM :') i love this dish i hope you do too!

Pad see ew (stir fried noodles thai)

So without a doubt one of my favourite thai dishes (because its so easy and tasty) is pad see ew (which is literally translated as fried noodle soy sauce!)
(makes delicious leftovers to bang into the microwave at work!)

If you cannot find these thick rice noodles (you can buy them online at asian grocery stores) just substitute for  tagliatele noodles but cook AL DENTE if the packet says cook for 7-9 minutes, cook for 6 minutes.. how long you cook your noodles for is CRUCIAL for this dish to be delicious!
(no specific serving size, serves one large or 2 small really and is easy to double)
200g thick rice noodles OR 200g of tagliatelle pasta. (cooked to packet instructions just remember to leave off about 3-4 minutes)
3 boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into thin strips (or you can use quorn substitute! maybe 2-3 handfuls?)
1 large white onion sliced into semi circles about 1-2 cm thick
Now here is where i cheat, traditionally the thai use a vegetable called kai-lan, luckily it is very similar to spring greens! use 4-5 leaves of spring greens (take the hard part out of the middle and slice the middle thinly and the leaves into chunks). alternatively you can add fresh green beans and bok choi if you can get it.
2tbsp soy sauce
1tsp oyster sauce (mix all 3 together)
2tbsp water
2 minced or crushed garlic cloves
about 1/2 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper.
Get a pan nice and hot using coconut fry light (adds a beautiful fragrance, if not any frylight of choice)
add the chicken and let it sit for 30 seconds then flip it over and add the hard parts of the greens, let it cook for 30 seconds.
Add the onion and garlic, give the pan a toss and let it sit on the heat for a minute (the key to this dish is a little charring)
Toss and add the leaves of the greens, put the noodles ontop and let it sit for another 30 seconds.
Make sure you mix the ingredients through the noodles really well then add the sauce and coat the noodles.
Let it sit in the pan for 2 minutes until you hear crackling, stir it again or flip it over and let the other side char for 2-3 minutes.
remove from the heat, serve and sprinkle with black pepper and some of my delicious garlic greens which will be my next recipe!!

i hope you give the recipe a try, if making for a whole family only put the black pepper on the adults dishes so it is then still suitable for children. (my sister likes hers with sweet chilli sauce as the sweetness helps to counteract the saltiness of the soy)

:)

Jambalaya

This recipe is brilliant for leftovers or if you just want to make a delicious dish!
serves 4-6
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (in bite sized cube or use leftover roast chicken!)
4 heck chorizo style sausages (currently 2.5 syns each so 2.5 if serving 4 but 1.5 if serving 6, skin removed)
3 sticks of celery and 2 carrots (finely diced or grated)
1 large white onion (diced finely)
1 large green pepper (slightly larger dice)
1 large red pepper (same as green pepper)
4 large tomatoes (cut in half and grate into the stock, its the easy way to remove the skin!)
3 cloves garlic
1tbsp paprika (not smoked)
450ml chicken stock
250g long grain rice (basmati works well)
1 bay leaf
1tsp dried thyme and oregano
sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)
(6 large prawns to serve ontop are optional)

okay it sounds like a lot of ingredients but its a very very easy recipe.
Fry the sausage braking it up while it cooks. when it is cooked add in the chicken. cook until the chicken is 3/4 of the way done. add all the vegetables and garlic. stir until the onion becomes translucent. add in the rest of the ingredients. stir thoroughly, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, cover, cook on low for 15 minutes, remove the lid give it a stir. cover and let cook for a further 10 minutes on low.
Done :D

enjoy.. i know it sounds like a lot but this recipe is pretty basic 4 tomatoes, 450ml of stock, garlic, paprika 250g rice.. then you can add anything else you want! any veg that is starting to go over (fry that first though to give it a head start)
and the best thing... its a one pot meal! yaaaahhh!

Enjoy!