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! 

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.

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!

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.