Pastitsio

This dish is what they call a Greek Lasagne, you usually use lamb mince, but as i couldn't find any extra lean lamb mince i used extra lean beef mince, it was just as tasty. I love the warmth you get from the cinnamon and nutmeg.

The whole dish is syn free on extra easy.

These ingredients make enough ragu for a large Pastitsio and some left over ragu which you can use for a topping for a baked spud, or just mix it into pasta with some rocket leaves, you could even make a Sloppy Joe sandwich out of it!

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

1 kg extra lean lamb or beef mince
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
500g mushrooms chopped
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tbsp dried oregano
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp all spice
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tins tomatoes
1 litre lamb stock

500g macaroni cooked as per packet instructions, and cooled

1 500ml tube fat free yogurt
1 250ml tube quark
2 eggs beaten
½ tsp nutmeg

Method

In a large pot brown the lamb or beef mince then remove.
Fry the onion until soft then add the mushrooms, fry until golden, stir in the garlic and all the herbs and spices cook for 1 minute, return the mince, stir in the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, then add the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer on a low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Mix together the yogurt, quark, eggs and nutmeg, and season.

Mix a couple of large spoonfuls of the quark mixture with the pasta.

In a large baking dish, layer the meat on the bottom, top with the pasta, then pour over the white sauce. Bake in the oven for 30/35 minutes.

Orange and Chilli Lamb Kebabs

Beautiful tender lamb with a kick from the chilli, warmth from the cinnamon and allspice and a sweet touch from the orange.
They are beautifully paired with sweet potato chips, a greek salad and mint yogurt sauce.
If you want to use some syns a pitta bread would be good too!
This dish is 2 syns on extra easy for all the kebabs. in our house it served two.

Ingredients

4 large lamb leg steaks cubed with all the fat removed

4 garlic cloves minced

2 bay leaves torn

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp all spice/chinese 5 spice

100ml orange juice 2 syns

3 red chillies sliced in half and deseeded then quartered

salt and pepper

Method

In a large plastic bag mix together all the ingredients apart from the salt, massage the marinade into the lamb and leave to marinade overnight.

Skewer the lamb and chilli sprinkle with salt and spray with frylight, then griddle for 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

Serve with side dishes of your choice.

Greek Venison Shank

This meal is great for a Sunday roast and it's totally syn free on extra easy. The meat is so lean, but so tender and juicy. The sauce has so much flavour and warmth.

Served with syn free roast potatoes and lots of vegetables it make a fantastically comforting meal.

If you can't get hold of venison shanks, then lamb shanks will be a great substitute.

Ingredients

1 large venison shank or 2 lamb shanks

1 large onion diced

1 tin tomatoes

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

200ml beef stock

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp greek seasoning

juice of ½ lemon

salt and pepper

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight brown the shanks and then put them in the slow cooker.

Fry the onions until soft add the garlic, herbs and spices fry for 1 minute, then stir in the stock, tomatoes and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the shanks and set the slow cooker to cook for 8 hours on low.

When the shanks are cooked remove from the cooker, and cover to keep warm.

Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil then simmer down until it has slightly thickened.

You can now serve the sauce with the meat, but i like to push the sauce through a sieve so it is smooth, then i reheat it and serve it as a synfree gravy.

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.

Greek Lamb Hotpot

I really felt like making a Moussaka, but didn't want to use lots of syns on the sauce that goes with it, so i made a lamb ragu and layered it with potatoes and sprinkled with feta cheese, you can use aubergine too for the layers.
The feta cheese cuts through the richness of the lamb, without all the fat and syns.
 Its a cross between a Moussaka and Hotpot.

3.5 syns per portion on extra easy as long as you use the Feta as your healthy A, if not add 6 syns.


Serves 6

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots finely diced
1 punnet cremini/chestnut mushrooms
1 kg less 16% fat minced lamb
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
500ml passata
1 tbsp tomato puree
500ml lamb or chicken stock
1 lb potatoes thinly sliced
Butter frylight
45g feta cheese per portion

Method

In a large pan sprayed with sunflower frylight brown the mince lamb then remove and set aside.
Fry the onions until they are soft and golden, add the garlic, carrots and mushrooms, fry for 3 minutes.
Return the lamb to the pan, add all the herbs and spices, stir together then add the tomatoes, passata, puree and stock, season with salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil then simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
When the ragu is cooked, layer the ragu and potatoes in an oven proof dish, with ragu on the bottom and potatoes as the top layer, spray the top layer of potatoes with the butter frylight and bake for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. If the top starts to get too brown cover with kitchen foil.
Serve up and sprinkle with the feta cheese.

Delicious served with a Greek Salad

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

If you have a lot of time and fancy doing some cooking with great results this dish is perfect, it will impress any curry lover and they won't believe it is so healthy!!

Syn free on extra easy!!


Serves 4

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

3 onions finely sliced
3 inches of fresh ginger peeled
3 garlic cloves
3 green chillies, deseeded if you like
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp cinnamon
4 cloves
3 cardamon pods
1 kg lamb neck fillet, all fat removed and sliced
5 tomatoes quartered
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
½ tsp garam masala
large handful of coriander leaves

Method

Blitz the ginger, chilli, and garlic in a blender.
Heat a large oven proof pan sprayed with frylight and fry the onions until golden, add the ginger, chilli, and garlic, and fry for 2 minutes.
Add all the spices except the garam masala, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves fry for 2 minutes, then add the lamb cook until the lamb is browned, gently stir in the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves, cover and bake for 2 hours, check that it hasn't gone too dry every 30 minutes, if it has add some water. When the lamb is tender, serve with rice and sprinkle with the coriander leaves and garam masala.

I also like to serve it with Mint Yogurt Sauce

Mint Yogurt Sauce

This is a light refreshing minty sauce that goes well with Jerk Chicken, Kebabs and as a chutney with poppadoms.

Syn free on extra easy.


Ingredients

250 ml fat free natural yogurt
2 tbsp no added sugar mint sauce
¼ tsp sweetener
Handful of mint leaves roughly chopped

Method

Mix all the ingredients together, let it infuse for an hour and serve with chosen dish.

Spicy Lamb Kebabs with Coriander and Chilli Sauce

These kebabs are great done on the bbq or indoors under the grill.
You can make them as spicy as you like by adding more chilli.
The lamb is so tender due to the marinating.
The sauce compliments the sweetness of the lamb and also makes a good dressing for an accompanying salad.


Heat the grill to medium high.

Marinade Ingredients

2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps grated fresh ginger
½ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tsps water

Marinade Method

Blend all these ingredients together.

Kebabs Ingredients

4 lamb steaks cubed with all visible fat removed
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 red onion
8 oz mushrooms halved
Frylight

Kebab Method

Rub the marinade into the lamb chunks and marinate overnight if possible.
Thread the lamb and vegetables onto skewers and spray with frylight.
Grill on a bbq or under the grill turning every 3-4 minutes till cooked.

Coriander and Chilli Sauce Ingredients

½ cup coriander leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
2 spring onions chopped
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp ground cumin
Pinch of salt
1 garlic clove
1 green chilli
Pinch of sweetener

Sauce Method

Blend all the ingredients together and serve with the kebabs and a green salad.