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! 

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! 

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!)

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!!

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!

Indian salad/curry topping

yum yum yum
So, that indian salad with tomatoes, onions and aromatic coriander? its very very easy to make at home.
Its delicious to top off salads, or ontop of curries for another dimension, i went through a phase when i first started slimmingworld where the only salad i would eat was this indian salad wrapped in lettuce leaves!!

Another good thing you can adjust it to how you like it!! If you don't like lots of coriander reduce it or remove it completely! you only have limes and not lemons? use them!

1 large red onion, as finely diced as you can get it!
2 large tomatoes finely diced (with all its juiced)
1/4 cucumber finely diced
As much coriander as you want (for this amount i usually go for a handful finely chopped)
juice of half a lemon

Chuck it all in a bowl, toss it together and you are done!!

If you want to remove some of the onion taste soak the onion in a bowl of water with a splash of lemon juice in for 30 minutes, drain them add to your salad!

I hope you guys love this recipe as much as i do. :) (delicious with poppadom, the size you get in the shops are 2.5 each the indian takeaway are 4 each, and for 25 g of mini poppadoms are 6 syns as of 2/12/2015)

Garlic greens

This recipe is versatile as really it goes with most greens, just use whatever you have to hand.

I use frozen green beans because why not! (just defrost half a bag)
1 large onion (chopped into bitesized pieces)
1 small red and green pepper (into bit size pieces)
3 large garlic cloves finely chopped or 3 tsp of garlic paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil (2 syns)

get a pan nice and hot
add the onion and green pepper, toss regularly till slightly charred and onion is just turning translucent.
add your garlic, green beans and sesame oil.
Toss the pan or stur the garlic and beans witht he rest of the ingredients until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the soy sauce and toss. cook for a further 2 minutes.

Done :D delicious garlicky green beans, like i said use what you have to hand whether it be brocolli, spring greens or cabbage!

I would love some feedback so leave a comment below!

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)

:)

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 ;)