Lemon Pepper Roasted Vegetables

There is nothing like a plate of roasted vegetables for a comfort food, full of super free and very filling. This meal is all cooked on one tray so very little washing up too!
You can use any vegetables you like.

Syn free on extra easy.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

3 large potatoes
1 large sweet potato
½ butternut squash
2 portobello mushrooms
10 asparagus
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
salt
garlic frylight
2 8oz salmon fillets (optional)

Method

Chop the potatoes, butternut squash and sweet potato all the same size, thickly slice the mushrooms and cut the asparagus in half.
Spray a large baking tray with the frylight, lay the potatoes, sweet potato and butternut squash on the tray spray with frylight, sprinkle over the lemon pepper seasoning and season with salt. bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then toss them and spray again, bake for another 10 minutes, then toss in the asparagus and mushrooms, spray again and bake for 15 minutes.

I added 2 8oz fillets of salmon on top of the vegetables and baked for an extra 8 minutes, to make it a meal.

Butternut Squash and Coriander Fried Rice

I made up this rice to go with my No Butter Chicken Curry, and it complimented it wonderfully.
The sweetness of the butternut squash went so well with the spicy sauce.
It is so easy to make also, and again syn free on extra easy!!
This rice dish would go well with any curry, Cajun Salmon, or any cut of meat with a spicy rub.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

½ butternut squash diced into 1cm cubes
2 cups cooked rice
handful of chopped coriander leaves
butter frylight
salt and pepper

Method

Lay the butternut squash cubes in a single layer on a baking tray sprayed with frylight, spray and season them. Bake in the oven for 15/20 minutes, then toss them and spray again, bake for another 15/20 minutes until the are golden, set aside.

In a large frying pan or wok, sprayed with butter frylight, toss in the cooked rice, butternut squash and coriander, season and gently toss until warmed through, then serve.

No Butter Chicken Curry

Butter Chicken on Slimming World, who'd have thought, ok so technically there isn't any butter in it, but it melted like butter and was so flavoursome!!

This has got to be one of the most tastiest currys i have had. You can make it as spicy as you want, by adjusting the chilli flakes. Get this it is SYN FREE!! yes i said syn free on extra easy.......

The batch i made served 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breast diced

2 red onions chopped

2 inches of grated ginger 

1 tsp sweetener

2 tsps cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp tomato puree

500 ml chicken stock

salt and pepper

handful chopped coriander leaves

½ cup fat free yogurt optional, i didn't use it.

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions until soft and golden, to stop them burning before they are soft, every 5 minutes, i put a dash of water in with them and cover the pot for 2 minutes, this helps them become soft like butter, you will need to fry them for about 30 minutes.

Add the ginger and the next 7 ingredients stir into a paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the chicken, stir to coat the chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stir in the stock and season, bring to a boil then simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.

If using the yogurt, remove from the heat and stir it in then serve. I served mine with Butternut Squash and Coriander Fried Rice, and sprinkled it with the coriander leaves.

Butternut Squash, Mushroom and Gorgonzola Pilaf

This is a warming, earthy dish, full of herby woodland flavours. You have the woodiness of the mushrooms, sweetness from the squash and a creamy sharp bite from the cheese. It is all brought together by the wild and basmati rice.

The cheese is optional, if you do use it, it is 4.5 syns for 25g on extra easy, unfortunately you can't use it as your healthy extra A.

preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

½ a butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 large onion chopped

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 punnet of button mushrooms halved

1 cup basmati and wild rice rinsed

2 cups vegetable stock

15g dried wild mushrooms rehydrated and finely chopped

1 tsp finely chopped sage

1 tsp italian seasoning or mixed herbs

handful of chopped coriander leaves

50g gorgonzola optional

salt and pepper

Method

Lay the squash out of a tray sprayed with frylight, spray the squash and season, roast in the oven for 25/30 minutes.

In a large pan with a lid, fry the onions in frylight until soft, add the garlic fry for 1 minute then add the mushrooms and fry until golden, stir in the rice and toast for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and add the herbs, season and cover, simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and all the stock has dissolved.

Remove from the heat, stir in the coriander, squash and cheese, then serve.

Brownies

I made these brownies with high hopes that they would curb my craving for chocolate, and if i'm honest they do as they are very chocolatey!

I will say though if you're not a fan of the aftertaste you get from sweetener, then maybe you should give these a miss.

These are not gooey like a regular brownie but they are moist.

I personally won't be making them very often as i would prefer to use my syns on savoury foods, but for someone with a sweet tooth they are great!!

They would make a great dessert, served with fat free creme fraiche and berries.

The whole batch comes to 47.5 syns on extra easy, i managed to make 25 out of mine so they worked out at just under 2 syns each.

Preheat oven 180c, 360f, gas mark 4.

Spray a 20cm x 20cm tin with frylight and line with parchment paper.

Ingredients

400g butternut squash peeled and diced

100g 70% dark chocolate, chopped (26 syns)

4 medium free range eggs

70g sweetener (I used stevia as it is meant to have less of an after taste and doesn't make you crave more sugar, like the unnatural ones do)

75g cocoa powder (13.5 syns)

2 tbsp plain flour (7 syns)

2 tsp baking powder (1 syn)

Method

Put the butternut squash into a large microwave proof dish, splash with some water, cover with clingfilm and microwave for 10 minutes on high until the squash cuts like butter. Drain off any excess water. Add the chocolate to the dish, it should melt from the heat of the squash, with a hand mixer, whisk until its a puree.

In another large bowl whisk up the eggs and sweetener until it is light and fluffy, then fold in the cocoa, flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Fold in the chocolate mix and pour into the tin, bake for 20 minutes, let it cool before removing from the tin.

Garlic Tuna, Salsa and Roasted Spiced Butternut Squash

This recipe is in the October 2013 Slimming World Magazine. I have adapted it to my tastes. It is delicious! You have the meatiness of the tuna, the soft and warm sweetness of the butternut squash and the zing and kick from the light refreshing salsa, topped off with a crunchy salad.

The whole meal is syn free on extra easy.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Salsa Ingredients

1 red onion finely diced

4 red chillies deseeded and deveined and finely chopped

1 red and 1 yellow pepper finely diced

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 tsp dried oregano

juice of 3 limes

1 tsp sweetener

handful of chopped coriander leaves

salt and pepper to season

Salsa Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and let it stand for at least 20 minutes.

Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to season

Method

Spray a baking sheet with frylight, cover in a single layer with the squash and spray the squash with more frylight. Sprinkle over the cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, then season, toss the squash to cover and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, turning and spraying half way through cooking.

Tuna Ingredients

2 8oz tuna steaks

½ tsp garlic salt

fresh ground black pepper

Method

Spray the tuna steaks with frylight, heat a griddle pan till smoking, sprinkle the garlic salt and pepper over the tuna and griddle the tuna for 2 minutes each side or till done to your liking.