Five Spice Squid with Noodles

Here is another delicious fake away for you, a lot tastier and healthier than a take away from a Chinese.

7 syns for the whole dish.

Ingredients

2 tbsp hoisin sauce    4 syns
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine    1 syn
½ tsp five spice
1 tsp sesame oil     2 syns
200ml vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
1 cm fresh ginger
1 red chilli
8 oz squid cleaned and sliced into rings
8 oz oriental mushrooms sliced
1 red pepper diced
1 onion diced
½ cup edamame beans
8 asparagus spears chopped
Handful of thai basil leaves
Cooked noodles

Methods

Mix together the first 6 ingredients, set aside.
In a blender blitz the garlic, chilli and ginger, set aside.
In a wok sprayed with frylight, fry the onion for 2 minutes, add the asparagus and pepper, fry for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, add the squid and fry for 1 minute, add the garlic mix, fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce and edamame beans, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stir in the noodles, heat through and sprinkle over the basil leaves.

Gumbo

When we lived in the States, i always enjoyed the Southern Food, so when i came across a recipe for Gumbo i decided to adapt it and make it Slimming World friendly.

I love the smoky heat from the chorizo, that is what makes this dish, so there was no way i was going to leave it out, so again this isn't a syn free dish but so worth the syns it has as it is so tasty!!

The whole pot is 6.5 syns on extra easy, i made 3 portions out of it so it was roughly 2 syns, do bear in mind i'm greedy so you could probably make more portions!

Ingredients

100g chorizo sausage the raw kind (6.5 syns)

2 chicken breasts chopped

8 oz cremini mushrooms chopped

2 sticks of celery, or 1 tsp celery salt

1 large onion finely chopped

1 large red pepper diced

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp cajun seasoning

½ tsp cayenne pepper

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tin chopped tomatoes

500ml hot chicken stock

20 raw shrimp

handful of coriander leaves

Method

In a hot pan sprayed with frylight fry the chorizo till golden then remove from pan, add the chicken and brown, then remove from the pan.

Fry the onions in the fat from the chorizo till soft and golden, add the mushrooms, pepper and celery or celery salt and fry till mushrooms are golden, add the bay leaves, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree and tin of tomatoes and cook for 1 minute then add the stock and chicken and chorizo back to the pan, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the pan with the coriander leaves for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

I served mine with rice.

Potato, Mushroom and Aubergine Curry

I found this recipe on the Good Food website and as it looked so tasty decided to adapt it for Slimming World.

You don't have to use the vegetables i've used, you can add about anything. I think next time i make it i will add cauliflower, butternut squash and mangetout.

It was very tasty and spicy, but you can adjust the spice by the amount of paste you put in. I used 4 tbps, and i would say it was about as spicy as a madras from a take away.

It made a huge pot about 6 serving, depending how hungry you are. The whole pot was only 1.5 syns on extra easy, but you could make it syn free by using different yogurts.

Curry Paste Ingredients

3 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp salt

1 inch ginger 

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp tomato puree

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method

Dry fry the whole spices till they are fragrant for about 2-3 minutes.

Blitz the whole spices in a coffee or spice grinder, then put everything into a blender and blend until its smooth. This makes more than you need for this recipe, so divide the mixture into tbsp spoon portions and put into an ice cube tray and freeze what you don't use for another time.

Curry Ingredients

2 onions roughly chopped

1 large potato cubed

1 aubergine cubed

1 red or yellow pepper diced

800g button mushrooms

2-4 tbsps curry paste

300 ml vegetable stock

3 tubs muller light greek style coconut yogurt, 0.5 syns each

handful coriander leaves roughly chopped 

Method

Fry the onions and potatoes in a large pot sprayed with frylight for 2 minutes, then cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, keep checking that they aren't sticking to the pot.

Add the mushrooms, pepper and aubergine and fry uncovered until golden. Stir in the curry paste and cook out for 5 minutes, season and add the stock, bring to a boil them simmer till potatoes are cooked.

Take the pot of the heat and stir in the yogurts and coriander, if needed, gentle heat the curry through, careful not to let it split.

Serve with rice.

Chicken Donburi Yakitori

This is a Japanese dish that was inspired from a trip to a wonderful Japanese restaurant we visit in Bristol called Yume Kitchen.
Even if i say so myself, it's not far off the restaurants dish!!

This dish is 4½ syns for the whole thing, so depending how many it serves, depends on the syns per portion.


Serves 4

Ingredients

3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts sliced
12 large shrimp
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 packet of medium egg noodles
2 carrots cut into matchsticks
1 red pepper thinly sliced
6 asparagus spears sliced
1 punnet of oriental mushrooms
a large handful of edamame bean (soy beans)
3 tbsp tariyaki sauce (1½ syns per tbsp)
200ml chicken stock
4 Nori seaweed strips

Method

Cook the noodles as per pack instructions.
Put the sliced chicken in a bowl and stir in the dark soy sauce.
Heat a wok sprayed with sunflower frylight and stir fry the chicken until its nearly cooked through, reserve the soy sauce, add the vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Pour in the Tariyaki sauce and stock bring to a boil add the noodles and shrimp,and if needed some of the reserved dark soy, stir fry until the shrimp are cooked and serve with thin strips of Nori seaweed snipped on top.

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.

Chicken Hash

This is pure comfort food!!

Who would have thought you could eat food like this on Slimming World!
Well you can and to top it off this meal is syn free on extra easy!
The cheese is your healthy extra A.


Serves 2

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts  roasted with fry light for 20 minutes at 200c, 400f, gas mark 5.
1 lb maris piper potatoes, peeled and cubed, then roast for 30 minutes with fry light, turning and spraying again half way through.
1 onion chopped
8 oz mushrooms chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 cup jalapenos
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp worcester sauce
2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
2 eggs fried in fry light or poached
70g full fat cheddar or 90g half fat cheddar grated

Method

While chicken and potatoes are roasting fry the onion with fry light till soft, add the mushrooms and onions and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the jalapenos, tomato paste, worcester sauce, paprika and salt and pepper, cook out for 5 minutes.
Chop the chicken into cubes and add to the onion mixture, then stir in the potatoes, sprinkle over the cheese and melt in oven for 3 minutes.
Top with an egg and serve.