Barbacoa Beef Wraps

This dish is so easy to make, you just throw it all in the slow cooker and wait!! I have used romaine lettuce leaves instead of wraps, which makes it less synful and you get a lot more super free. You can top the meat with anything you like, i only used coriander, chilli and yogurt, but you could use peppers, refined beans, cheese, salsa, avocado, but remember to syn the things that aren't free!!
The whole dish is 2 syns, but it served 4/6.

Ingredients

3lb braising steak cut into 2 inch chunks
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
2 tbsp chipotle paste 2 syns
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves
200ml beef stock

Method

In a blender blitz the onion and garlic until smooth with a tbsp of water.
Mix all the ingredients together then put into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
When the meat is cook shred it in the slow cooker and let it cook for 10 more minutes so it absorbs the juices. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon so it is not too wet in the wrap.

Mushroom and Green Bean Bhaji

This a lovely side dish that goes with any curry, especially my Chittinad Chicken Curry or grilled chicken or fish, even a nice steak.
Perfect for vegetarians as a main dish too. Syn free on extra easy and full of super free, Great for an SP day too.

Ingredients

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

salt to taste

1 tbsp tomato puree

8oz mushrooms quartered

8oz green beans chopped into 3

Method

Blitz the onion and garlic until smooth, mix together all the spices.

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onion mixture for 2 minutes over a low heat so as not to burn, then mix in the spices, salt and tomato puree. Have a cup of water ready. Add a tbsp of water to the mixture and keep stirring so the spices don't stick to the pan, keep doing this for about 5 minutes, you should end up with a sauce. Add the mushrooms and green beans, simmer until they are cooked through about 10 minutes, keep adding water if needed and stirring occasionally.

Chettinad Chicken Curry

I love this curry!! It has fast become my favourite one to make and of course eat....
You can make it as spicy as you like, by adding more chillies. It has desiccated coconut in it, but that is optional if you don't want the syns.

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves peeled
2 inches ginger peeled
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs with all fat removed quartered
1 tsp turmeric
1 onion chopped
2 red chillies sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp desiccated coconut toasted optional 9 syns
2 cinnamon sticks
400ml vegetable stock

Spice Mix

fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds 2 tsp of each.
1 long dried chilli
1 star anise

Method

Blitz the garlic and ginger with a tsp water until smooth, then mix with the turmeric and massage into the chicken, leave to marinade for at least an hour, if possible over night.
Toast all the whole spices in a pan until aromatic, then grind.
In a pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onion and red chilli seasoned with salt until soft, add the chicken, tomato purée, cinnamon sticks, coconut if using and spices, fry for 2 minutes, pour in the stock and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

I served it with rice and Mushroom and Green Bean Bhaji.

Thai Style Chicken with Lettuce Wraps

What a lovely meal, as you can see from the picture it is full of super free!! It would be great to serve at a party as people just help themselves. Instead of using synful wraps you use healthy and crisp lettuce leaves. The sauce finishes the wrap perfectly with a zing of sour, a touch of sweet and a slight kick of spicy!! and at 2.5 syns for the whole dish of sauce/marinade, you can practically say it's syn free as you only need about a tsp on each wrap.

So quick and easy to make apart from the marinading.

Sauce/Marinade Ingredients

3 tbsp rice vinegar
¼ tsp sweetener
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chilli sauce   ½ syn per tbsp
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 tsps of freshly grated ginger
1 tsp sesame oil   2 syns

Rest of Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, pounded till ½inch thick
About 8 romaine or iceburg lettuce leaves

You can use any vegetables you like, i used.

peppers
spring onions
radishes
coriander leaves
bean-sprouts
Chinese lettuce
red chilli

Method

Mix together all the marinade ingredients, set aside half the sauce and marinade the chicken with the other half for at least an hour, over night if possible.

Heat a griddle pan until it is smoking, then add the chicken to the pan cooking for about 3 minutes on each side, let it rest for 10 minutes then slice into thin slices.

Prepare all your vegetables and serve.

Salmon with Fennel and New Potatoes

I have never really been a big fennel fan, i love the anise taste but never liked the texture, but having it roasted with the soft and oily salmon is a match made in heaven. The roasted new potatoes are an extra touch of deliciousness!!

This dish is syn free and very filling. I like it served with roasted green beans and broccoli.

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

Ingredients

1 onion cut into wedges
2 fennel bulbs cut into wedges keep the green feathery foliage
12 new potatoes halved
handful mint leaves torn
salt and pepper
zest of ½ lemon

Method

In a large pan of boiling water, parboil the potatoes and fennel for 6 minutes, then drain and let steam dry.
Transfer to a tray sprayed with frylight, spray with more frylight sprinkle with salt and pepper and the mint leaves, bake for 30 minutes, tossing half way through, after 30 minutes add the salmon to the tray and sprinkle over the lemon zest and green foliage, bake for 10 minutes, then serve.

Tuna and Vegetable Baked Eggs

This dish was inspired by a trip we took to Tunisia, the dish there is called a Shukshuka, this is my take on it.
I basically used up the veggies i had in the fridge and decided to add a tin of tuna to it to bulk it out a bit, so really it is not like the Tunisian dish, but I'm thankful for it's inspiration!! It was still really good and syn free!!!

This dish is great for an SP day.

I would like to say this pan served two but it didn't i ate it all myself!!

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
8oz mushrooms sliced
2 jarred red peppers sliced
1 courgette sliced and mooned
1 tin of tomatoes
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp capers
1 tin tuna in brine
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions until soft, add the mushrooms and fry until golden, then add the peppers and courgette and fry until soft, add the rest of the ingredients apart from the eggs let it simmer for 10 minutes, Make 2 wells in the mixture and crack in the eggs, put under a high grill until the eggs are to your liking, then enjoy!!!

You could use your healthy A and B with this meal, a nice wholemeal roll to mop up the juices and sprinkle some feta over the top.

Fisherman's Soup

If you love fish and seafood you with love this soup, light and refreshing, but warming on a cold winters night! Synfree on extra easy, and very filling, full of protein from the fish and there's superfree in there too.
You will notice in my method that i cook the squid for a long time, with squid it either has to be quickly seared or simmered for at least 30 minutes for it be tender.

This recipe makes 2 large bowls or 4 for starters.

Ingredients

1 onion finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 red pepper finely diced
1 large carrot finely diced
½ tsp chilli flakes or more if you like it hotter
1 tin tomatoes
750ml fish stock
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp celery salt
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
2 tbsp capers
1 packet frozen prepared squid, i get mine from Asda, cut into rings, use the tenticules too.
2 tilapia fillets
20 large shrimp
Basil to serve


Method

In a large pot sprayed with frylight fry the onions until soft, add the carrot, pepper, garlic and chilli flakes, fry for 4 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and stock then add the herbs and spices.
Add the capers and squid, bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and tilapia and simmer until they are cooked through then serve.

Spicy Beef and Red Pepper Soup with Giant Cous Cous

Soup!!! Think i may have to start a page for soups, there is nothing like a hot steaming bowl in this weather and when it's got a little kick it makes it all the better!!
To bulk this dish out i added some giant cous cous and it was fab! It didn't make it heavy but made it slightly more filling.
You could add rice or orzo to it also.
This dish is synfree on extra easy, so even better, you could use some of your syns for a nice chunk of bread to mop the bowl out!!

I managed to make 6 portions out of these ingredients.

Ingredients

1 kg minced beef 5% fat or less
1 onion finely diced
2 red peppers finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
1 tin tomatoes
500ml passata
500ml beef stock
500ml vegetable stock
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
one large handful of giant cous cous

Method

In a large pot sprayed with frylight brown the minced beef then remove. Add the onions to the pot and fry until soft, then add the peppers, chilli and garlic fry for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the cous cous, bring to a boil, return the mince to the pot, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the cous cous and cook for about 15 minutes until it is cooked.

I like to serve mine with some avocado and goats cheese, but remember to syn them if you do.

Slow Cooked Italian Pot Roast

I love a great roast on a sunday, but most of the time haven't got the time to do it, so cooking my beef in the slow cooker really helped and the meat was so moist and tender too.
This dish is syn free on extra easy and there is loads of leftovers which could go great with pasta, rice or a jacket potato.

You need to make up a onion mix for the dish, it is very simple and makes the dish taste great. Don't worry about the amount of onion in it as you can't taste it in the end.

Ingredients

1 large onion sliced
8oz cremini mushrooms sliced
2 carrots roughly chopped
2lb braising steak all fat removed
300 ml beef stock
500 ml passata
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp italian seasoning

Onion Mix

8 tsp dried onion flakes
1.5 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp sweetener
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Mix them all together.

Method

In a slow cooker, layer the onion, carrot and mushrooms on the bottom, lay the beef on top, sprinkle over the onion mix and pour over the passata and beef stock, mix in the tomato puree and Italian seasoning. Set to cook on low for 8 hrs. Break up the beef and serve covered with the sauce.

One Pot Pizza Pasta

What can i say about this dish, apart from, forget Pizza this is so much better!!!
You can make this syn free or add as many syns as you like, this one has chorizo in it so the whole dish is 6.5 syns on extra easy but it served 3 very big portions.
You basically add any topping you would normally have a pizza. I used chorizo as i didn't have any pepperoni, and I'm so glad i did as it added so much flavour....

Ingredients

100g chorizo sausage casing removed and crumbled  6.5 syns
1 pepper diced
8oz mushrooms chopped
1 red onion diced
1 tin tomatoes chopped
500ml passata
1 garlic clove grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
8oz dried pasta
handful of basil leaves
90g light mozzarella per serving Healthy A please check make as they vary


Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the chorizo until golden, remove from pan, add onions to the pan and fry for 2 minutes, add the pepper and mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and passata, garlic and seasoning's, add 400 ml water and the pasta, stir together, return the chorizo to the pan then cover and cook until the pasta is cooked, stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn't stick to the pan. Serve up your portions, then dice the mozzarella and tear the basil leaves and stir into your individual dishes.

One Pot Pasta

I found this dish when i was looking for something quick and easy to make as i wasn't feeling well.
I was a bit sceptical about just throwing everything in one pot and cooking it, but it worked and it was delicious!!!
I adapted it so it is syn free on extra easy and as the oil has been left out the starch from the pasta does make it a bit stodgy, but it still tastes great!!
You can put anything you like in this dish, i made mine on an Italian theme.
This dish is syn free on extra easy and serves about 4 people.

Ingredients

500g of any pasta you like.
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes halved
1 small onion sliced
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsps capers
2 cloves of garlic sliced
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp chilli flakes
4.5 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
big handful basil leaves.

Method

As the title says, put everything in a large pan, apart from a few leaves which you save for garnish.
Bring the water to a boil, then boil for about 8 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the water has been absorbed. Stir the dish from time to time to stop it sticking on the bottom.
Serve straight away, garnished with the rest of the basil leaves.

Thai Seafood Basil

I love all Thai food, so when i found this recipe and adapted it for SW i was over the moon!!
You can make it as spicy as you like, by adjusting the amount of chillies and chilli sauce you put in. Add whatever vegetables you want too. It is also great with chicken. The whole dish is only 1.5 syns on extra easy and that's for the chilli sauce, so you can alter that to your taste. 1 tbsp is 0.5 syns on extra easy.
This dish serves 2/4 people.

Ingredients

1lb of raw squid and prawns
3 birds eye chillies sliced
3 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp light soy sauce
big handful Thai basil
1 onion chopped
8oz oriental mushrooms
8oz tenderstem broccoli

Method

In a hot wok, sprayed with frylight, stir fry the onions for 1 minute, then add the broccoli and chillies, stir fry for 1 minute, add oriental mushrooms and stir fry for another minute, add the chilli sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and soy sauce, add the seafood and stir fry until the seafood is cooked, throw in the Thai leaves and serve.
It is great with rice or noodles.

Country Potato Salad

This potato salad is deliciously creamy and full of flavour, it is fab as a side dish, for a picnic, with a green salad, it is so versatile!!
It isn't syn free but it is so much better than any shop bought potato salad.
The amount of ingredients that i used made enough for 6 servings. The whole dish was only 4.5 syns on extra easy, so split that between 6 and it's next to nothing, and so worth it!!!!

Ingredients

2 lb new potatoes boiled until cooked and cooled
3 hard boiled eggs chopped
3 rashes of bacon with all the fat removed, fried and chopped
3 or 4 spring onions chopped
7 tbsp lighter than light mayonnaise
3 tbsp fat free natural yogurt
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
10 basil leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large bowl mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard, salt and pepper, and basil. The gentle stir in the rest of the ingredients, being careful not to break them up. let them rest in the fridge for 30 minutes for all the flavours to infuse.

One Pan Brunch

If you don't want a lot of cleaning up and fancy a fry up this dish is just for you!!
I used 2 syns in this dish on the sausages. I used weight watcher sausages at ½ syn each.
But if you want it syn free just leave out the sausages. You can put whatever you want into it.

Ingredients

4 low fat sausages halved
6 rashers bacon with all the fat cut off
8oz mushrooms sliced
12 cherry tomatoes halved
2 eggs

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight cook the sausages, remove and set aside, fry the bacon remove cut in half and set aside, Fry the mushrooms until golden, add the tomatoes and return the sausages and bacon. fry for 1 minute then crack in the eggs, fry until they turn white then pop under a grill to cook the top to your liking.

Mexican Salmon Stack

I normally make this dish with chicken, but i had run out so replaced it with salmon and it was just as good.
As you have probably noticed by now from all my recipes, i am very much into comfort food and this recipes fits that category very well.
With all the ingredients i have used this recipe isn't syn free, but the cheese and avocado are optional, although i will say they make the dish. You can use your healthy extra for the cheese. Avocado is 9.5 syns for 100g, which does seem a lot, but i think it is worth it as avocado is very good for you, full of vitamins and minerals, it also boosts your metabolism which is good for weight loss.

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

Ingredients

16oz salmon fillet
1lb maris piper potatoes diced
2 eggs
200g avocado sliced 19 syns
70g halloumi sliced  use your Healthy A or 25g is 4 syns
4 tbsp salsa click for recipe

Method

Spray a baking tray with frylight, lay out the diced potatoes in a single layer, spray with more frylight and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes until golden tossing and spraying again half way through.
Roast the salmon fillet for 10 minutes seasoned with salt and pepper on a pan sprayed with frylight.
In a frying pan sprayed with frylight, fry the sliced halloumi until golden on both sides.
Fry the eggs in a frying pan sprayed with frylight.
Now layer the dish, lay the potatoes on the bottom, top with half the salmon fillet, lay the halloumi on top spoon on the salsa, add the avocado and top with a egg.

Pico de Gallo (Salsa)

This is a fantastic salsa!! it is so versatile it goes with anything and is just as great by itself with some chips to dip for a treat!!
It is so easy to make and best of all syn free on extra easy.
I first made this dish to go with the Mexican Salmon Stack.

Ingredients

6 tomatoes deseeded

1 garlic clove chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 onion chopped

1 red and 1 green chilli deseeded and chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp salt

handful coriander finely chopped

Method

Couldn't be simpler, put everything but the coriander in a blender and blitz until it is all combined and coarsely chopped. Pour into a bowl and stir in the chopped coriander. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to mingle.