Tuna and Vegetable Baked Eggs

This dish was inspired by a trip we took to Tunisia, the dish there is called a Shukshuka, this is my take on it.
I basically used up the veggies i had in the fridge and decided to add a tin of tuna to it to bulk it out a bit, so really it is not like the Tunisian dish, but I'm thankful for it's inspiration!! It was still really good and syn free!!!

This dish is great for an SP day.

I would like to say this pan served two but it didn't i ate it all myself!!

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
8oz mushrooms sliced
2 jarred red peppers sliced
1 courgette sliced and mooned
1 tin of tomatoes
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp capers
1 tin tuna in brine
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions until soft, add the mushrooms and fry until golden, then add the peppers and courgette and fry until soft, add the rest of the ingredients apart from the eggs let it simmer for 10 minutes, Make 2 wells in the mixture and crack in the eggs, put under a high grill until the eggs are to your liking, then enjoy!!!

You could use your healthy A and B with this meal, a nice wholemeal roll to mop up the juices and sprinkle some feta over the top.

Pico de Gallo (Salsa)

This is a fantastic salsa!! it is so versatile it goes with anything and is just as great by itself with some chips to dip for a treat!!
It is so easy to make and best of all syn free on extra easy.
I first made this dish to go with the Mexican Salmon Stack.

Ingredients

6 tomatoes deseeded

1 garlic clove chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 onion chopped

1 red and 1 green chilli deseeded and chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp salt

handful coriander finely chopped

Method

Couldn't be simpler, put everything but the coriander in a blender and blitz until it is all combined and coarsely chopped. Pour into a bowl and stir in the chopped coriander. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to mingle.

Spanish Hash

I love this dish, it is so versatile and goes with anything or just great by itself. Yet again another comforting dish!!
The cheese is optional, i used my healthy A or you can syn it. You can add anything you want to this, maybe some peppers, mushrooms or onions, as i said so versatile.
Best of all, all this flavour is syn free on extra easy!!

I also discovered that the tomato sauce, is great cold as a ketchup, my son loves ketchup, but this he couldn't get in his mouth quick enough, and the plus side is it's home-made so you know exactly what's in it and it's better for you.
Just keep it in the fridge.

Pre heat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

This dish served 2 but were greedy.

Ingredients

1lb potatoes peeled if desired then cubed

4 eggs

60g goats cheese (optional)

Sauce Ingredients

1 onion chopped

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 red chilli chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tin tomatoes

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Method

Spray a baking tray with frylight then lay out the potatoes and season and spray again. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until golden, tossing and spraying half way through.

While the potatoes cook make the sauce.

In a blender blitz the onion, garlic and chilli. Fry in a pan sprayed with frylight for 2 minutes, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened to you liking. Then put it all back into the blender and blitz until smooth.

Pour into a seal-able container, you won't need all of it for this dish.

In a large oven proof pan, pour in the cooked potatoes, pour over as much sauce as you require, make 4 holes and crack in the eggs, add the cheese if using, then bake in the oven until the eggs are cooked to your liking, and serve. I served mine with Grilled chicken and a green salad.

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

Seafood Salad

I didn't want to use my HE A&B on my lunch as i like to save them for using in my main meal or, as a nighttime snack of cheese and biscuits.

I found a baking potato in the potato bag so decided to have a baked spud. But what to put on it????

I fancied tuna, but i want to take it up a notch, so i defrosted some prawns and chopped up some veggies. 

It was delicious and only 1 syn on extra easy for the mayonnaise.

Preheat the oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

1 baking potato, baked in the oven for about an hour until the skin is golden and crispy.

1 tin of tuna in brine or spring water

A dozen cooked prawns

2 inches cucumber diced

half a red pepper diced

2 spring onions sliced

1 tbsp capers

1 tomato, deseeded and chopped

2 tbsp light than light mayonnaise 1syn

a good shaking of tabasco sauce

Method

It couldn't be simpler, just mix everything but the potato together, then put on top of the potato.

The Seafood salad is also very nice with a bowl of mixed lettuce leaves, or you could make wraps out of it using romaine leaves. You can also mix it with cold pasta to make a delicious pasta salad. You can use any seafood you like and any vegetables.

Sausage Casserole

An easy dish that you just throw together and let cook, it tastes terrific and is pure comfort food, you can have it by itself or with pasta, potatoes, rice.
The sausages are synful but everything else is free and it is full of super free.
I used Sainsburys Cumberland low fat sausages which are 0.5 syns each.

Ingredients

1 package of sausages
1 onion chopped
8 oz mushrooms chopped
1 red pepper diced
1 tin tomatoes
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp italian seasoning
2 carrots sliced
1 tin baked beans
200ml beef stock
salt and pepper


Methods

In a pan sprayed with frylight brown the sausages. put into the slow cooker. Fry the mushrooms until they are golden and add to the slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients stir together and cook on low for 8 hours.

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.

Seafood All'arrabbiata

I had been to the gym and came home ravenous and craving carbs, so instead of using loads of syns on bread i decided to take the time and cook some pasta. I decided on seafood which seems to be the norm with me and pasta, i wanted a kick so i add some chilli, then decided i would make my version of an all'arrabbiata. I will say for a dish that i just made up and knocked together it was really very good!!!

Syn free on extra easy.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Pasta of your choice

1 tin tomatoes

2-3 large mushrooms chopped

1 tbsp capers

1 red pepper chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1- 2 red chillies finely chopped

1 tin of tuna in brine or spring water drained

8oz cooked shrimp

large handful rocket leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the mushrooms until golden. Add the red pepper, chilli, and garlic, fry for 1 minute, add the tomatoes, capers and tuna, bring to a boil then simmer gently for 10 minutes, season to taste, add the shrimp, simmer for 2 minutes, take of the heat and stir in the rocket and 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.

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.

Spicy BBQ Sauce

I got the inspiration for this recipe from one of my favourite American Chefs Ina Garten. I have adapted it to be as Slimming World friendly as possible.

As she put it it is a fusion of world wide BBQ sauces, a bit of Indian, Chinese and American, with a touch of Britain in it too!!

The whole pan is 7 syns on extra easy, so it's up to you how much you eat.......

Ingredients

3 shallots sliced 

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tub passata

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tbsp hoisin sauce (4 syns)

1 tbsp honey (3 syns)

3 tbsp worcester sauce

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tsp english mustard powder

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp hot chilli powder (more if you want more spice)

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the shallots till golden and soft, then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, put into a blender with all the other ingredients and blitz till smooth.

Return the sauce to the pan and bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes until it has darkened and thickened. Season to taste.

Then serve with whatever you like....

Goes great on Hunters Chicken, as a dip for chips, with a juicy steak or even pulled pork..

Slow Cooked Squid and Shrimp with Fennel

I love seafood and i love pasta, so put together this is a match made in heaven!!

I have to say this is one of the best recipes i have done so far. really tasty, with a touch of anise flavour and a kick from the chilli. Cooking the squid for a long time makes it so tender. 

You can have it syn free on extra easy by leaving out the olives but for 1 syn for 8 olives, it's worth throwing them in!!

I served mine with linguine, but you could have this with anything you like, even a large chunk of bread would be good, but don't forget to syn it!!!

Ingredients

1 lb squid cleaned and cut into rings

20 shrimp raw

1 fennel bulb thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

16 olives stoned (2 syns)

2 tins tomatoes

1 tbsp capers

1 tsp chilli flakes

handful fresh tarragon and basil

300 ml fish stock

pinch of sweetener

salt and pepper

Method

Spray a large pan with frylight and fry the fennel till golden and soft, add the garlic and fry for another minute, add the stock and bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and stir in the tomatoes, capers, chilli flakes, sweetener and olives, then add the squid, season to taste, and simmer for at least an hour, keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't dry out, if it starts to get a bit to thick add some water.

When the squid is tender add the shrimp and cook for 5 more minutes then tear in the herbs and serve with side of choice.

Garlic Tuna, Salsa and Roasted Spiced Butternut Squash

This recipe is in the October 2013 Slimming World Magazine. I have adapted it to my tastes. It is delicious! You have the meatiness of the tuna, the soft and warm sweetness of the butternut squash and the zing and kick from the light refreshing salsa, topped off with a crunchy salad.

The whole meal is syn free on extra easy.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Salsa Ingredients

1 red onion finely diced

4 red chillies deseeded and deveined and finely chopped

1 red and 1 yellow pepper finely diced

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 tsp dried oregano

juice of 3 limes

1 tsp sweetener

handful of chopped coriander leaves

salt and pepper to season

Salsa Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and let it stand for at least 20 minutes.

Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to season

Method

Spray a baking sheet with frylight, cover in a single layer with the squash and spray the squash with more frylight. Sprinkle over the cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, then season, toss the squash to cover and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, turning and spraying half way through cooking.

Tuna Ingredients

2 8oz tuna steaks

½ tsp garlic salt

fresh ground black pepper

Method

Spray the tuna steaks with frylight, heat a griddle pan till smoking, sprinkle the garlic salt and pepper over the tuna and griddle the tuna for 2 minutes each side or till done to your liking.

Chilli and Garlic Grilled Chicken with Quinoa Greek Salad

This is a very healthy and syn free meal on extra easy. If you can't find quinoa you can always use rice, or a combination of basmati and wild rice, you could even try spelt.

Syn free if you use the feta as your healthy A, if not the feta is 3 syns for 25g

Chicken serves 2 Quinoa Greek Salad serves 8, so plenty of leftovers for future lunches or picnics.


Chilli and Garlic Grilled Chicken Ingredients

2 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts, sliced into quarters
1 red chilli finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil fry light

Method

Spray the chicken pieces with frylight and sprinkle over the chopped chilli and garlic, season and leave to marinade for at least 1 hour.

Heat a griddle pan till smoking then fry the chicken till cooked through, turning half way.


Quinoa Greek Salad Ingredients

2 cups of quinoa cooked as per packets instructions.
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes quartered
8 black olives chopped
1 red onion finely chopped
½ cucumber seeds removed and sliced
100g feta, or your daily allowance
small bunch of mint leaves roughly chopped
juice and zest of a lemon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp sweetener
1 tbsp mint sauce unsweetened
1 tsp greek seasoning
1 tbsp water

Method

Put all the vegetables in a large bowl, stir in the quinoa. Whisk together the lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, sweetener, mint sauce, greek seasoning and water. Pour over the dressing, mix in and sprinkle over the feta and chopped mint, serve with the chicken.

Sausage, Mushroom and Red Pepper Mini Quiches

We were going on a picnic and i didn't want the boring old sandwiches, so i decided to make some mini quiches.
You can use any filling you like, but i chose Sausage, Mushroom and Red Pepper, topped with tomato.

Really easy to make, they can be syn free on extra easy and very tasty!!!

These are 2 syns for all 8 quiches.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Makes 8 quiches

Ingredients

4 low fat sausages cooked and chopped
8oz cremini mushrooms diced
1 jarred red pepper diced
4 large eggs
25 ml skimmed milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 cherry tomatoes sliced

Method

Fry the mushrooms in a pan sprayed with frylight till golden, add the diced red pepper and chopped sausages.
Spray a muffin tin with frylight, pile in the sausage mixture.
Beat together the eggs and milk and season, pour over the sausage mixture, top with the sliced tomatoes and bake in the oven for 15 minutes till set and golden.

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

Salsa Chicken with the Works

Craving nachos, Tex Mex or something spicy then this is the dish for you!
This dish takes a long time to cook but is so easy to prepare. Just stick it in your slow cooker in the morning and your meal is ready when you get home from work or play!

Depending on what salsa you use in this dish, makes a difference on the syns per portion.


Serves 6

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 oz mushrooms sliced
2 red peppers diced
1 cup of salsa, shop bought or homemade
1 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp fajita seasoning
8 spring onions chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 cup basmati rice

Method

Lay the chicken breasts on the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle with the fajita seasoning, layer the rest of the ingredients on top of the chicken, pour over ½ cup water, stir it all together and set the slow cooker to 8 hours, an hour before the cooking ends stir in the rice.

I served the Salsa Chicken with coriander leaves, 30g grated cheddar cheese, sliced jalapenos, and instead of sour cream i made a coriander and lime fat free creme fraiche. Instead of having nachos i used crisp little gem leaves.

Roasted Mushroom, Balsamic Tomatoes and Goats Cheese Burgers

These burgers are perfect for a green day or if you just don't fancy meat.
They are juicy and sweet from the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar with creamy, tangy cheese.

Syn free on extra easy as long as the cheese and wholemeal rolls are your healthy extras.


Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms
4 tomatoes sliced
60g goats cheese
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 small wholemeal rolls
salt and pepper

Method

Spray a baking sheet with frylight, lay the tomato slices and mushrooms on the sheet and spray with frylight then sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, roast in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, a minute before removing from the oven lay slices of goats cheese on the mushrooms and let melt.
Layer the ingredients in the rolls and serve.

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