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. 

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! 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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!

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!

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.

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.