Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup

This soup is really easy to make and tastes amazing! It is light and refreshing but very filling.
full of super free and is syn free on extra easy.
Great on a cold evening or if you are feeling ill.

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken thighs with the skin and all the fat removed cut into inch chunks.
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
8oz cremini mushrooms sliced
1 tsp celery salt
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 bay leaves
1¼ litres chicken stock
1 cup orzo
1 sprig rosemary
juice of 1 lemon

Method

In a large pot sprayed with frylight, brown the chicken and remove.
Add the onions and fry until golden, add the carrots and mushrooms and fry until tender, stir in the garlic, celery salt, thyme, chilli flakes and bay leaves, fry for 1 minute then add the stock and chicken, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the orzo and rosemary and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the orzo is cooked. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Griddled Chermoula Pork

This dish is normally done with lamb but as i couldn't get the cut of lamb i needed i decided to substitute it with pork and it turned out lovely.
It is sweet, spicy and juicy. It is great hot or cold.

3 syns for the whole tenderloin on extra easy.

Ingredients

1 large pork tenderloin all the fat removed and cut into 8 pieces.
½ red onion
1 small bunch of coriander
3 cm ginger
juice ½ lemon
1 tbsp honey 3 syns
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to season


Method

Blitz everything but the pork in a blender, rub the marinade into the pork and leave it to marinade for  at least 2 hours.
Heat a griddle pan until it smokes, then spray the pork with frylight and griddle for 3-4 minutes on each side.

I served the pork with a beautiful Orange, Harrisa and  Giant Cous Cous Salad.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

A fake away to be proud of! This dish is light and refreshing with a kick and a lot less syns than from a Chinese Restaurant, and taste so much better too!

The whole dish is only 5 syns on extra easy.

Ingredients

1 level tbsp potato flour (3 syns)
2 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts sliced
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine (1 syn)
1 red pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
8 oz oriental mushrooms
1 cup edamame beans
1 onion chopped
juice of 1 lemon
200ml chicken stock
1 tsp sweetener
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 garlic clove grated
1 red chilli finely chopped
1 inch ginger grated
1 tbsp chilli sauce (1 syn)


Method

Mix the sliced chicken with the potato flour and season.
To make the sauce mix together the lemon juice, chicken stock, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic, chilli, ginger and chilli sauce.
In a hot wok sprayed with frylight stir fry the chicken until it turns opaque then pour over the rice wine and stir fry until liquid has gone, add the onion, peppers and mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil then simmer until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
Serve with egg fried rice.

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.

Lemon and Lime Dessert

This is such an easy pudding to make and when put into fancy bowls can be served to impress!

You can do any combination of flavours you like, I love Key Lime Pie and this tastes just like it!!

½ syn per bowl on extra easy.


Ingredients

3 tubs of Muller Light Greek Style Lemon Yogurts ( ½ a syn each)
1 sachet of no sugar lemon and lime jelly crystals ( ½ syn )
½ pint of boiling water

Method

Make up the jelly as per packet instructions, let it cool slightly.
Pour in the yogurts and whisk till smooth and combined, pour into 4 serving dishes and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Chilli Crab Linguine

This is a lovely light and refreshing dish, the sweetness of the crab with the bite of the chilli and tang of the lemon juice complement each other perfectly!

Syn free on extra easy


Serves 4

Ingredients

1 packet of dried linguine
1 red chilli
1 garlic clove
finely grated zest of a lemon
2 tbsp capers
200 ml fish stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
small handful basil leaves torn
2 tins of white crab meat ( i use ½ tub which i get from Costco)

Method

Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.
Chop the chilli and garlic in a blender or finely chop.
Heat the stock, chopped chilli and garlic with the lemon zest in a large frying pan until it boils then simmer over a low heat, add the capers and lemon juice and gently stir in the crab meat and basil. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and gentle mix together.
Season to taste and serve.

Spicy Squid and Shrimp Salad

I had some squid in the fridge and wanted to make a nice salad to take on a picnic, instead of having the usual sandwiches. So decided to make a light and refreshing dressing for the squid, then remembered i had some shrimp in the freezer, so decided to add them too.

The salad turned out lovely the squid and shrimp were so tender and the dressing had a kick and a zing!

Syn free on extra easy.

Ingredients

8 oz baby squid cleaned and cut into rings
20 raw shrimp
1 yellow pepper finely diced
½ cucumber seeds removed and finely diced
1 red chilli deseeded
1 garlic clove
juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp sweetener
salt and pepper to taste
A handful mint leaves finely chopped

Method

In a blender, blitz the chilli, garlic, lemon juice, sweetener and salt and pepper. Mix in the mint, cucumber and yellow pepper.

In a very hot wok or frying pan, sprayed with olive oil frylight, fry the squid and shrimp for 2-3 minutes and the shrimp turn pink. Add to the dressing and let stand until it's room temperature.