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

Iced Green Tea

For these hot days, there is nothing like a cup of tea to cool and refresh.

So i decided to make my green tea iced, and it was even more cooling and refreshing, would definitely recommend it!!


Ingredients

3 green tea teabags, i used Twinnings Orange and Lotus Blossom Green Tea, but you can use any flavour you like.
2 tsp sweetener, more if needed
3 pints boiling water
Ice cubes

Method

Steep the tea bags in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then dissolve the sugar in the tea, let it cool and chill in the fridge, serve with ice.

Cajun Fries

Crispy on the outside fluffy in the middle with a kick from the cajun seasoning, who could ask for more from a fry!!

Syn free on extra easy.


Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

1 lb maris piper potatoes cut into large fries
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
½ tsp salt
frylight

Method

Spray a baking sheet with frylight, rinse off the fries and lay out on the baking sheet, spray with more frylight and sprinkle with the cajun seasoning and salt. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the fries over spray again with frylight and bake for another 20 minutes.

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

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.

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.

Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce

This dish can be served as a main course, starter or as a small plate Tapas dish.
The base sauce also makes a great topping for Patatas Bravas, which is why i serves the sauteed potatoes with it.

Syne free on extra easy as long as the cheese is used as your healthy A.

45 g Feta cheese is the healthy A


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

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium onions finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 red chillies finely chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
A small handful of thai basil leaves roughly chopped or basic basil leaves if you prefer, i like the slight aniseed taste you get.
2 tsp dried oregano
2 lb large raw shrimp
salt and pepper
A pinch of sweetener
180g Feta cheese ( free if using as you healthy A, 6 syns on extra easy if not)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions till soft, add the chilli and garlic and fry for 30 seconds more.
Add the tomatoes and 1 tomato tin filled with water, sprinkle in the dried oregano, stir together then simmer for 30 minutes over a low heat till the sauce has thickened.
Add the shrimp, thai basil and feta, and salt and pepper to taste then transfer to an oven dish and bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.
Serve with Sauteed Potatoes, rice or pasta.

I also served mine with a Greek Salad and little gem leaves.

For the Base sauce, follow the instructions through to the sauce thickening, this sauce can be used for so many things, like a pasta sauce, as mentioned the Patatas Bravas and Ratatouille.

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.