Chicken and Rosemary Casserole

I love the winter when all the one pot and warming comfort foods come out, just like this lovely chicken casserole, just what you need on a cold frosty night.

This is a cheats casserole though as it doesn't need hours of cooking.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts roasted with rosemary

4 rashers of bacon with all fat cut off sliced

1 onion chopped

8oz mushrooms sliced

bunch of asparagus

600ml chicken stock

1 sprig rosemary finely chopped

1 tbsp flour 3.5 syns

½ tsp celery salt

fresh ground black pepper

Method

Fry the onions until they are soft, add the bacon and mushrooms and fry until golden, stir in the flour celery salt, pepper and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes, pour in the stock and bring to a boil, return to a simmer and add the asparagus and simmer for 20 minutes, until the asparagus is cooked and the sauce has thickened, and serve.

Corned beef Hash

Another dish you thought you couldn't eat while being on Slimming World!! Comfort food at it's best!!

Unfortunately it is not syn free, but it is low in syns, as the only syns are in the corned beef.

The whole dish is 4 syns.

Preheat oven to 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

1lb potatoes peeled and diced

1 tin lean corned beef 200g

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp worcester sauce

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 fried eggs to serve.

Method

Lay the diced potatoes on a baking sheet sprayed with frylight and season and spray with more frylight, bake for 30 minutes, tossing and spraying again half way through.

In a frying pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onion until soft and golden, add the corned beef and fry till soft, add the tomato puree, worcester sauce, paprika and cayenne pepper, fry for 5 minutes, stirring often, add the potatoes to the pan and mix together, then serve with a fried egg on top.

Maple Cinnamon Quinoa Bake

I had better warn you from the start there is a bit of debate about the syns on these bakes!!

As any good consultant will tell you these are considered a tweak, which means as the main ingredient is being used for something other than a main meal, (the "supposedly" thing it is meant to be used for) you may eat more than you normally would, which can cause weight gain, so hence a tweak.

So it is totally up to you what you want to syn these at, if you find you do eat a lot and start gaining then it could well be down to these bakes, it is all about the individual.

To be honest, i don't think you could eat many of these at a time as i find them very filling and normal one is enough.

They are great with a dollop of yogurt and fruit, or as a grab and go breakfast bar, but just as nice eaten plain with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

I made 20 out of my batch, so mine worked out at 0.5 syns each, as the whole batch is 10 syns, but that is only if you don't syn the quinoa.

Preheat oven to 200c, 400f, gas mark 5.

Ingredients

2 cups of uncooked quinoa cooked as per packet instructions and cooled

4 eggs beaten

80ml skimmed milk 2 syns

60ml maple syrup 8 syns

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

Method

In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients, then pour into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and sprayed with frylight, smooth it out and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and set.

remove from the baking tray straight away so it doesn't steam. 

Cut the slab into portions and put onto a oven proof wire rack and put back in the oven for 10 minutes so the edges crisp.

You could always add nuts and raisins or cranberries to them, or maybe some chocolate chips, but these thing would have to be syned.

Greek Lamb Meatballs

On a cold winters night, like we are getting at the moment there is nothing like a lovely warming dish of pasta and meatballs!

They are so easy to make and low in syns.

8 syns for the whole dish, mine served 3, but again it depends how hungry you are.....

Pre heat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Meatball Ingredients

400g 16% or less lean lamb mince 2 syns per 100g

1 onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp Greek seasoning or dried oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce Ingredients

1 onion finely chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp Greek seasoning or dried oregano

500ml vegetable stock

500ml passata 

1 tin tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Method

To make the meatball, fry the onion in a pan sprayed with fry light until they are soft and golden add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl mix together the rest of the meatball ingredients and the cooled onions, try not to over handle the mixture as it will get tough. Roll the mixture in your hands to make balls the size of a golf ball, put in a baking tray sprayed with frylight. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes till golden, don't worry if they are not cooked through as they will cook through in the sauce.

While the meatballs are in the oven prepare the sauce.

In a large pan sprayed with frylight fry the onions until they are soft and golden, add the garlic and fry for 2 more minutes, add the tomatoes, passata, cinnamon, seasonings and stock and bring to a boil then simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes until it has thickened and darkened in colour, season to taste, add the meatballs to the sauce and cook through for 10 minutes.

I serve mine with a big bowl of spaghetti.

Five Spice Squid with Noodles

Here is another delicious fake away for you, a lot tastier and healthier than a take away from a Chinese.

7 syns for the whole dish.

Ingredients

2 tbsp hoisin sauce    4 syns
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine    1 syn
½ tsp five spice
1 tsp sesame oil     2 syns
200ml vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
1 cm fresh ginger
1 red chilli
8 oz squid cleaned and sliced into rings
8 oz oriental mushrooms sliced
1 red pepper diced
1 onion diced
½ cup edamame beans
8 asparagus spears chopped
Handful of thai basil leaves
Cooked noodles

Methods

Mix together the first 6 ingredients, set aside.
In a blender blitz the garlic, chilli and ginger, set aside.
In a wok sprayed with frylight, fry the onion for 2 minutes, add the asparagus and pepper, fry for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, add the squid and fry for 1 minute, add the garlic mix, fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce and edamame beans, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stir in the noodles, heat through and sprinkle over the basil leaves.

Mushroom Melt

Pure comfort food!! Nutty gooey cheese, sweet caramelised onions and nutty woody mushrooms in a crisp coating. Goes perfectly with a hot steaming bowl of soup!!

Syn free on extra easy if you use your healthy A & B

Ingredients

1 large onion sliced
8oz mushrooms sliced
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 tsp mixed herbs
30g gruyere cheese grated
2 slices wholemeal bread 400g loaf

Method

In a large pan sprayed with butter frylight, over a medium heat fry the onions until they are soft and caramelised golden, should take about 30 minutes, if they start to get a bit too brown before they are soft, sprinkle with water. when cooked remove from pan and keep warm.
Spray the pan with more frylight and fry the mushroom until they are soft and golden, add the garlic and herbs and cook for 2 more minutes, return the onion to the pan and mix together.
In a bowl mix the cheese into the mushrooms, pile the mixture between the slices of bread fry each slice with butter frylight and cook between a panini press or in a frying pan, till golden on both sides.

Tomato and Fennel Soup

When you're feeling under the weather and need something comforting to eat but don't have the energy to spend a long time stood in the kitchen, then this soup is perfect!!

It is quick and easy to make and warm and comforting to eat, especially if it's served with a grilled cheese sandwich........

Syn free on extra easy (just the soup)

Ingredients

1 large onion sliced
1 large fennel bulb thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 litre passata
500ml vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions and fennel till soft and golden.
Add the garlic and fry for 1 more minute, sprinkle in the herbs and pour over the passata and stock bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly. Season to taste and then blend the soup with a hand blender or in a blender, return to the heat and warm through.