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.

Orange and Balsamic Orzo Salad

This is a gorgeous salad, it's light, refreshing and zingy! Sweetness from the honey, a twang from the balsamic vinegar and a combination of both from the oranges which brings both flavours together. Full of lovely super free and as colourful as a rainbow.

This salad goes beautifully with Orange and Ginger Tilapia

The whole dish is 2.5 syns on extra easy and it served 3 as a main dish or 5 as a side.

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked orzo or any other small pasta
8 cherry tomatoes quartered
3 inches of cucumber peeled deseeded and sliced
4 spring onions finely sliced
segments of 1 large orange
handful of chopped coriander leaves
50ml freshly squeezed orange juice 1 syn
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard 0.5 syn
1 tsp honey 1 syn
salt and pepper to taste


Method

Mix together the first 6 ingredients.
whisk together the remaining ingredients, then pour over the pasta and mix together, let it sit for 30 minutes then serve.
I served this with Orange and Ginger Tilapia

Paprika Pork One Pot

This recipe is an adaptation of the Paprika Pork in the Slimming World Family Feast on a Budget recipe book.

I have added orzo to the recipe to make it a one pot dish. I also omitted the yogurt as i personally thought it was creamy enough without it.

Syn free on extra easy.

Ingredients

1 large onion cut into wedges

1 red pepper diced

1 pork tenderloin all fat removed and diced

8 oz cremini mushrooms

1 red chilli sliced

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tbsp paprika

500 ml chicken stock

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 cup orzo pasta

handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves

6 tbsp fat free yogurt (optional)

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight fry the onions till golden, add the pork and brown. Add the peppers and mushrooms and fry till golden, then add the chilli and garlic, fry for 1 minute. Stir in the paprika and red wine vinegar, then pour in the stock and season. 

Bring to a boil then add 1 cup of orzo pasta, stir, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

If using the yogurt, take the pan off the heat and stir it in. Sprinkle over the coriander and serve.

Seafood Casserole

This is a delicious light casserole, with lots of seafood, it has a slight aniseed taste which compliments the seafood and fish.
This dish also tastes good cold.

It is syn free on extra easy.


Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large onion roughly chopped
1 red pepper deseeded and chopped
8 oz mushrooms sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 red chilli finely chopped
2 cans tomatoes
2 star anise
¼ tsp sweetener
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp capers
400 ml fish stock
1 tsp celery salt
Freshly ground pepper
200g orzo pasta
24 large shrimp
500g baby squid prepared and ringed
500g salmon cubed
Handful basil roughly torn


Method

Heat a large casserole dish with frylight and fry the onions and star anise till soft, then add the mushrooms, peppers, garlic and chilli, fry for 3-4 minutes,
Add the celery salt, pepper and oregano, cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the stock and tomatoes and sweetener and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the pasta and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Stir in the shrimp, squid, salmon and capers, simmer till cooked through.
Sprinkle with the basil and serve.