Pesto Linguine with Shrimp and Rocket

I didn't know what to have for my lunch the other day, i didn't want to use my healthy A & B in a sandwich, but i was craving carbs and was starving, so i decided to cook up some pasta. Then i had to decide what to put on it??

I found a jar of reduced fat pesto in the cupboard, so i looked up the syns and it was only 1.5 syns for 1 tbsp on extra easy, so i decided to see if it was any good.

As jarred pesto goes and bearing in mind it is low fat, it was very tasty and i'd say worth the syns. If i'm perfectly honest i don't think you could make a proper pesto for that many syns. Just add some fresh basil and grated parmesan to freshen up the pesto.

It was quick and easy to make and delicious!!

3 syns per serving on extra easy if you use part of your healthy A for the cheese.

Serves 2

Ingredients

½ packet dried linguine, cooked as packet instructions

8oz cooked shrimp

4 tbsp reduced fat basil pesto (6 syns)

1 red chilli finely chopped

handful basil leaves

½ packet rocket

½ cup pasta water

salt and pepper

30g parmesan optional

Method

Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl with the pesto, chilli, shrimp and pasta water, tear in the basil leaves and season, toss up and serve, Sprinkle over the rocket leaves and grate over the parmesan.

Lasagne

We love lasagne in our house, but because of the fattening, high syned cheese sauce we have been giving it a miss, well not anymore!!

I have created a very tasty cheese sauce which is syn free on extra easy as long as you use it as your healthy extra A.

It is not a runny sauce as the eggs set it, to stop it from splitting, so make sure you make a lot.

So as long as you use the cheese as your Healthy extra A, the dish is syn free!

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 batch of bolognese sauce

1 box dried lasagne sheets

1 tub quark

1 large tub fat free natural yogurt

2 eggs

¼ tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to season

60g parmesan cheese grated

160g low fat cheddar cheese

Method

Whisk together the quark, yogurt, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper and grated parmesan till smooth.

Layer the bolognese sauce with the lasagne sheets and cheese sauce, start with bolognese, then lasagne, then a layer of cheese sauce followed by more lasagne then more meat sauce, then more lasagne, then more meat sauce, more lasagne, then top off with the cheese sauce and sprinkle over the cheddar, bake in the oven for 50 minutes, if the top starts to get to brown cover with foil.

Spaghetti Bolognese

This is a deliciously tasty bolognese sauce, which is completely syn free on extra easy, the parmesan is optional, and you can always use your healthy extra A for it.
The sauce is great for a lasagne, topping for a jacket potato, with syn free chips or wedges or as a base for a cottage pie.

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g extra lean beef mince 5% fat or less
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1 pepper pepper diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml passata
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp worcester sauce
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp celery salt
500ml beef stock

1 packet of spaghetti cooked as packet instructions

Method

In a large pot sprayed with frylight, fry the mince until it is browned, remove from pan and set aside.
Respray the pot and fry the onions till golden, add the carrots, mushrooms and pepper and fry for 2/3 minutes, then add the garlic
. Return the meat to the pot, mix together and add all the tomato ingredients, stir in the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer on a low heat for 2-3 hours.
Serve with the spaghetti, sprinkle with parmesan.

Ceasar Salad

Who'd have thought you could have a creamy dressing on your salad! It's tangy, creamy and very tasty, in fact i would say it tastes better than a full fat dressing!!

2.5 syns per 35g serving on extra easy.


Dressing Ingredients

⅓ cup of lighter than light mayonnaise - 2.5 syns
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil - 6 syns
1 tsp dijon mustard - 0.5 syns
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp worcester sauce
1 tin sainsburys anchovies in oil drained
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 garlic clove
30g parmesan cheese - 6 syns

Method

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz into a smooth creamy dressing.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Salad Ingredients

1 large romaine lettuce chopped
2 slices wholemeal bread from an 800g loaf
30g parmesan cheese grated

Method

Chop the bread up into 1cm cubes and lay on a baking tray, spray with frylight and bake for 5 minutes to crisp and golden.
Mix the lettuce with the dressing and sprinkle with the croutons and parmesan.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Shrimp

Bet you never thought you could eat this while doing Slimming World!!
To make it even better it is syn free on extra easy if you use the cheese as you healthy A.


Serves 2

Ingredients

200g dried spaghetti cooked as per packet instructions.
4 rashers of bacon bacon all fat removed and chopped up.
3 eggs
3 tbsp quark
60g grated Parmesan
20 shrimp pre cooked
salt and pepper

Method

Beat the eggs with the quark, add half the Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Fry the bacon with some frylight till cooked through then add the spaghetti and the egg mixture to the pan, stirring gently over a low heat till the egg starts to set.
 Add the shrimp warm through then serve, sprinkling with the remaining Parmesan.