One Pot Mexican Rice

All cooked in one pot!! Not much washing up, quick and easy, what more could you want??
Oh yea you also have a very tasty syn free on extra easy meal or side dish.
This is lovely paired up with a juicy salmon fillet or chicken.

The whole pan served 2/4 people depending how hungry you are.

Ingredients

1 onion diced
8oz cremini mushrooms sliced
1 courgette diced
1 garlic cloves chopped
1 red chilli chopped
1 red pepper diced
1 tin tomatoes chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tin black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup rice
1.5 cups water
handful chopped coriander
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms, pepper and courgette fry for 2 minutes, in blender blitz the chilli and garlic then add to the pan, fry for 1 minute, stir in all the spices and tomatoes, add the black beans, stir in the rice and water, season to taste, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice is cooked.
Stir in the coriander and lime juice.

Country Potato Salad

This potato salad is deliciously creamy and full of flavour, it is fab as a side dish, for a picnic, with a green salad, it is so versatile!!
It isn't syn free but it is so much better than any shop bought potato salad.
The amount of ingredients that i used made enough for 6 servings. The whole dish was only 4.5 syns on extra easy, so split that between 6 and it's next to nothing, and so worth it!!!!

Ingredients

2 lb new potatoes boiled until cooked and cooled
3 hard boiled eggs chopped
3 rashes of bacon with all the fat removed, fried and chopped
3 or 4 spring onions chopped
7 tbsp lighter than light mayonnaise
3 tbsp fat free natural yogurt
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
10 basil leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large bowl mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard, salt and pepper, and basil. The gentle stir in the rest of the ingredients, being careful not to break them up. let them rest in the fridge for 30 minutes for all the flavours to infuse.

Orange,Harissa and Giant Cous Cous Salad

This is a beautifully, light and refreshing salad, it compliments any meat or fish dish, or is great by its self.
It has a smoky kick from the harissa and a sweet note from the oranges with a slight tang from the lemon, the combination of flavours tingle your taste buds.

The whole dish is 5 syns on extra easy

It goes great with Griddled Chermoula Pork

Serves 6 as a side dish and 4 as a main

Ingredients

1 packet of giant cous cous, cooked as per packet instructions
4 oranges, 1 juiced, the rest segmented 2 syns
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp harissa 3 syns
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 red onion finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes quartered
half a cucumber, peeled and de seeded, then finely chopped
handful of each coriander leaves and mint leaves, chopped

Method

Mix together the orange juice, harissa, lemon juice, cumin and ground coriander.
In a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, then stir in the dressing, leave to stand for 30 minutes then serve.

Butternut Squash and Coriander Fried Rice

I made up this rice to go with my No Butter Chicken Curry, and it complimented it wonderfully.
The sweetness of the butternut squash went so well with the spicy sauce.
It is so easy to make also, and again syn free on extra easy!!
This rice dish would go well with any curry, Cajun Salmon, or any cut of meat with a spicy rub.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

½ butternut squash diced into 1cm cubes
2 cups cooked rice
handful of chopped coriander leaves
butter frylight
salt and pepper

Method

Lay the butternut squash cubes in a single layer on a baking tray sprayed with frylight, spray and season them. Bake in the oven for 15/20 minutes, then toss them and spray again, bake for another 15/20 minutes until the are golden, set aside.

In a large frying pan or wok, sprayed with butter frylight, toss in the cooked rice, butternut squash and coriander, season and gently toss until warmed through, then serve.

Sweet Potato, Tomato and Potato Bake

This is a lovely side dish that will go with anything, i served it with my Thai Crab Cakes, but it would be great with Cajun Chicken, Roast Pork, or a steamed fish fillet.

Syn free on extra easy....

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato sliced

1 lb maris piper potatoes sliced

3 large tomatoes sliced

1 large onion sliced

1 tsp mixed herbs

salt and pepper 

Method

Spray an ovenproof dish with frylight, lay the onion out on the bottom of the dish and layer the vegetables  on top like in the picture. Sprinkle over the herbs and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil spray again and bake for another 30 minutes.

Patatas Bravas / Sauteed Potatoes

I made this dish as an afterthought to go with the Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce, normally i would serve it with a huge chunk of crusty bread, but as i'm now doing Slimming World and the bread would be lots of syns, i figured syn free sauteed potatoes would be better, and the base sauce for the Shrimp dish would make a great Patatas Bravas sauce!!

Syn free on Extra Easy.


Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Serves 4 as a side dish or Tapas

Ingredients

1 lb maris piper potatoes peeled
2 tsp paprika
sprinkling of salt
1 portion of Base Tomato Sauce

Method

Chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes, lay out on a baking sheet sprayed with frylight spray them with more frylight then sprinkle with the paprika and salt, bake in the oven for 30 minutes, turning them half way through cooking and spraying with frylight again.

Serve them in a bowl with the Tomato Sauce poured over.

Spicy Crushed Roasted New Potatoes

These potatoes are great with any meal, crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle, with a spicy bite.


Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

serves 2

Ingredients

1 lb new potatoes
extra virgin olive oil frylight
2 tsp northwoods fire spice mix, or Cajun spice mix
salt and pepper to season

Method

In a large pan boil the potatoes till fork tender, drain and let dry.
Lay them out in a single layer in a oven proof dish sprayed with frylight and crush them with a fork, spray the potatoes with more frylight, then sprinkle over the spice mix and salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes till golden and crispy, you may need to spray with frylight again half way through.