Sausage, Mushroom, Potato and Feta Gratin

This is a tasty comforting dish, quick and easy to cook. I used weight watcher sausages at 0.5 syns each on extra easy.

I used the feta as my healthy A but you can syn it 3.5 syns for 25g.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

8 low fat sausages, skinned and crumbled

1 large onion chopped

8oz cremini mushrooms chopped

1 tsp chopped thyme

1lb potatoes washed and diced

100 ml chicken broth

90g feta crumbled

Method

Spray a large baking tray with frylight and spread the potatoes out, spray with more frylight and roast for 30 minutes, tossing and spraying again halfway through.

In a large frying pan brown the sausages and remove.

Fry the onions, thyme and mushrooms until golden, return the sausage and stir in the roasted potatoes, stir in the chicken broth, then tip it all into an oven dish, sprinkle with the feta, cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes and serve with a big salad.

Salmon Fishcakes

I make up a menu for evening meals each week, i had my crab cakes on the menu thinking i had some crab in the fridge, but when i came to make them i was mistaken there was no crab, so i decided to create a salmon cake recipe, and i am so glad i did. They were delicious!!!

If you're not using the bread as your healthy extra B then it is 6 syns, the horseradish is 1 syn on extra easy, i made 6 patties.

Ingredients

8 oz salmon fillet, seasoned and roasted, and cooled
1 red onion finely chopped
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 tbsp capers
1 tsp worcester sauce
1 tsp italian seasoning
½ tsp celery salt
1 slice of wholemeal bread from a 800g loaf made into crumbs 6 syns
1 egg beaten
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
salt and pepper to season


Method

In a pan sprayed with frylight fry the onions and peppers until they are soft, then add the capers fry for 1 minute, add the worcester sauce, italian seasoning and celery salt fry for 2 minutes. let it cool.

In a large bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, onion mixture, horseradish, and salmon and season, then mix in the flaked salmon.

Make into patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Fry the patties to brown on each side, then transfer to a baking tray and finish off in the oven for 10 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

I was really craving enchiladas, but didn't want to waste all my syns on the tortillas, then i thought how about trying to make them with pasta, but instead of wrapping them i decided to make it in the style of a lasagne.

To say they were delicious is an understatement, they were amazing!!!

I served them with jalapenos, coriander leaves, grated low fat cheese and a chipotle yogurt sauce.

Serves 4, plus one portion of the chicken sauce left over, each serving is 2 syns as long as the cheese is used as your healthy A.

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

Ingredients

4 roasted chicken breasts shredded

150g chorizo sausage chopped  9.75 syns

8oz mushrooms chopped

1 onion chopped

2 red peppers chopped (i used jarred)

2 tins tomatoes

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsps cajun seasoning

½ tsp celery salt

1 tsp chilli powder

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tbsp chipotle paste  ½ syn

dried lasagne sheets

80g low fat cheddar cheese

80g grated low fat cheese to serve

jalapenos to serve

coriander leaves to serve

½ tsp chipotle paste mixed with fat free natural yogurt to serve

Method

In a large pan brown the chorizo and remove. Fry the onions in the same pan for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and peppers and fry until golden. Add the cumin, oregano, cajun seasoning, celery salt, chilli powder, chipotle paste and garlic, cook for 1 minute, add the tomatoes and 200ml of water. Return the chorizo and add the chicken to the pan, simmer for 20 minutes.

Layer the sauce in a baking dish with the lasagne sheets, finishing with the sauce on top, cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 more minutes.

Serve with a green salad and the condiments.

Squid, Shrimp and Chorizo with Feta and New Potatoes

You may have started to notice that i love seafood and spicy food, well here is a recipe that combines the two and is so tasty!!

You've got the tender sweet shrimp and squid, with the spicy kick of chorizo and chilli, then a salty bite from the feta. Its a party on your taste buds!!

6.5 syns for the whole pot on extra easy, which served 2 in our house.

Ingredients

1lb new potatoes

100g cooking chorizo sliced and half mooned 6.5 syns per 100g

1 red chilli sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 red peppers jarred or fresh sliced (i used jarred)

20 peeled raw shrimp

8oz squid cleaned and cut into rings

1 tsp paprika

juice of ½ lemon

10 cherry tomatoes halved

90g feta healthy A

Method

Cut the new potatoes in half and boil until they are tender.

In a frying pan sprayed with frylight, fry the chorizo until it is golden, remove from pan, add the new potatoes to the pan and fry until crispy, remove from pan and keep warm in the oven.

Turn the heat up high and fry the squid for 1 minutes until cooked, don't overcook, remove from pan.

Add the shrimp to the pan and fry for 1 minute add the red pepper, chilli, garlic and paprika, fry for 1 minute then add the cherry tomatoes, squid, and potatoes back to the pan, sprinkle over the lemon juice, remove from the heat and crumble in the feta and serve.

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.

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.

Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato

I found a recipe for Chipotle Chicken on Pinterest, and it looked good, I was always told you eat with your eyes. I decided to adapt it for Slimming World.

You have the spiciness and smokiness of the chipotle and the sweetness of the sweet potato with a tang from the cheese.

I also had some rice left over from last nights meal so decided to mix that in too, and it works very well.

The whole dish is 1 syn on extra easy, so if serving two it's only ½ syn per person.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes baked

2 chicken breasts roasted and shredded

2 tbsp chipotle paste 1 syn

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp lime juice

2 garlic cloves grated

salt and pepper

8oz mushrooms chopped

1 red pepper chopped

1 onion chopped

1 cup cooked rice

handful coriander leaves

80g reduced fat cheese

Method

Mix together the chipotle paste, chilli powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, lime juice and grated garlic, season with salt and pepper, set aside.

In a frying pan sprayed with frylight fry the onions till golden, add the mushrooms and fry till golden, then add the red peppers, fry for 2 minutes, stir in the chicken, rice, coriander and sauce, heat through for 2 minutes.

Cut the sweet potatoes in half, scoop out most of the middle, spray the inside of the skins with frylight and put back in the oven for 10 minutes. Save the middles for another meal.

Stuff the potato with the chicken mix then bake for 10 minutes, sprinkle with the cheese and put bake in the oven till the cheese has melted.

Serve with a green salad.

Hunters Chicken

Cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce on top of a chicken breast, served with a large side of Cajun Fries, are you sure this is a meal you can eat on Slimming World???

Well don't worry because you can and it's only a couple of syns too!!!

I used the BBQ sauce recipe that is on this blog and the recipe made 5 portions.

I used 1½ portions of BBQ sauce per person with this meal, which worked out at 2¼ syns per person.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 portions of Spicy BBQ Sauce (4.5 syns)

4 rashes of back bacon all fat removed

80g reduced fat cheddar (syn free if used as you healthy extra A)

Method

Put the chicken breasts in a foil lined baking tray sprayed with frylight. Cut a split down the middle of each breast and put ½ portion of BBQ sauce in each slit, cover with the bacon slices, 2 on each. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then sprinkle over the cheese and return to the oven until the cheese has melted.

Serve with Cajun Fries, a large salad and 1 portion of Spicy BBQ Sauce.

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.

Roasted Mushroom, Balsamic Tomatoes and Goats Cheese Burgers

These burgers are perfect for a green day or if you just don't fancy meat.
They are juicy and sweet from the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar with creamy, tangy cheese.

Syn free on extra easy as long as the cheese and wholemeal rolls are your healthy extras.


Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms
4 tomatoes sliced
60g goats cheese
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 small wholemeal rolls
salt and pepper

Method

Spray a baking sheet with frylight, lay the tomato slices and mushrooms on the sheet and spray with frylight then sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, roast in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, a minute before removing from the oven lay slices of goats cheese on the mushrooms and let melt.
Layer the ingredients in the rolls and serve.

Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce

This dish can be served as a main course, starter or as a small plate Tapas dish.
The base sauce also makes a great topping for Patatas Bravas, which is why i serves the sauteed potatoes with it.

Syne free on extra easy as long as the cheese is used as your healthy A.

45 g Feta cheese is the healthy A


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

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium onions finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 red chillies finely chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
A small handful of thai basil leaves roughly chopped or basic basil leaves if you prefer, i like the slight aniseed taste you get.
2 tsp dried oregano
2 lb large raw shrimp
salt and pepper
A pinch of sweetener
180g Feta cheese ( free if using as you healthy A, 6 syns on extra easy if not)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions till soft, add the chilli and garlic and fry for 30 seconds more.
Add the tomatoes and 1 tomato tin filled with water, sprinkle in the dried oregano, stir together then simmer for 30 minutes over a low heat till the sauce has thickened.
Add the shrimp, thai basil and feta, and salt and pepper to taste then transfer to an oven dish and bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.
Serve with Sauteed Potatoes, rice or pasta.

I also served mine with a Greek Salad and little gem leaves.

For the Base sauce, follow the instructions through to the sauce thickening, this sauce can be used for so many things, like a pasta sauce, as mentioned the Patatas Bravas and Ratatouille.

Jalapeno Cheese Burger

Cheese burgers on Slimming World!! Can't be true?
Oh but it is and what's even better they are SYN FREE!!

Syn free if the cheese and bread are used as your healthy A and B.

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

500g extra lean mince beef (5% or less)

2 tsp Worcester sauce

½ tsp garlic salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 small wholemeal rolls

lettuce

onion slices

tomato slices

4 slices of low low toastie cheese

4 tsp extra light mayonnaise (optional)

sliced jalapenos

Method

Mix together the beef, worcester sauce, garlic salt and pepper, make into 4 patties and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat a frying pan with frylight and brown the rolls on the insides.

Fry the patties for 4 minutes, don't move or fiddle with the patties until they are to be turned over. Once you have turned them, cover them with a bowl to steam for 2 minutes then top the patties with the jalapenos and a slice of cheese, cover again till the cheese has melted.

Spread 1 tsp of mayonnaise on each roll (optional), top with the lettuce, onion and tomato, then place a patty on top and the top of the bun.

Serve with syn free chips and a salad.