Stir fried Vegetables and Noodles

This is a noodle dish i made to go with the Asian Flank Steak. It is full of superfree tasty vegetables, you can use whatever vegetables you want, i used what i like and goes well with Asian flavours.

You could have this as a vegetable dish by itself or add chicken or pork to it.

It's syn free on extra easy.

Ingredients

1 onion chopped

1 red pepper diced

a small head of broccoli 

a bunch of asparagus chopped into 4

1 cup edamame beans

8oz oriental mushrooms

2 portions of dried medium noodles cook as per packet instructions

1 inch ginger grated

1 garlic clove grated

¼ cup light soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp chilli flakes

handful thai basil leaves

Method

In a hot wok sprayed with frylight, fry the onion for 1 minutes, add the broccoli with 1 tbsp of water, then add the asparagus, pepper, and edamame beans, stir fry for 2 minutes, add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes, mix up the ginger, garlic, soy, fish sauce and chilli flakes and pour into the vegetables, stir in and then add the cooked noodles, heat everything through, tear over the thai basil leaves and serve.

Asian Flank Steak

Another fake away, the flavours cover all the four taste sensations, sweet, sour, spicy and umami.

Unfortunately it's not syn free, but you can't moan at 4¼ syns on extra easy for 8ozs of tender steak and a tasty sauce.

This steak goes really well with Stir Fried Vegetables and Noodles

Ingredients

50ml light soy sauce
50 ml shaoxing rice wine  (3.5 syns)
1 tbsp runny honey  (3 syns)
1 tsp sesame oil  (2 syns)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 star anise
1lb flank steak


Method

Whisk the first 7 ingredients together, put into a sealable bag with the star anise and flank steak and marinate for a minimum of 6 hours, over night if possible. Save the marinade.

Bring back to room temperature and griddle for 4 minutes each side.

Simmer the remaining marinade down to half, sieve and reheat. Serve drizzled over the steak.

Thai Basil and Seafood Fried Rice

I adore Thai food and knowing i can make it virtually syn free on Slimming World is Fab!!!

This is a quick and easy recipe and so much better than a take away, not just for lack of syns but taste too!

Just 1 syn for the whole pot on extra easy, so if you really greedy, like me it will serve two, not so hungry maybe four...

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves

1 thai red chilli (more if you like it spicy)

1 lb squid cleaned and ringed

20 raw shrimp

½ red pepper thinly sliced

½ onion sliced

1 cup edamame beans

8oz oriental mushrooms

handful thai basil leaves

1 tbsp oyster sauce (1 syn)

1 tsp dark soy sauce

2 tsp light soy sauce

cooked rice for 2

Method

Blitz the garlic and chilli in a blender.

Mix together the oyster sauce and the soy sauces

In a wok sprayed with frylight, stir fry all the veggies for 1 minute, add the chilli and garlic, stir and add the shrimp and squid stir for 1 minute then add the sauce, stir in the rice and heat it all through, take off the heat and tear in the basil. 

Season with fish sauce if needed.

Slow Cooked Balsamic Chicken

For on a day when you don't have much time to cook and don't want to spend ages in the kitchen, this dish is perfect.

Ok so it's not the prettiest looking chicken, but it sure makes up for it with flavour! and it is so tender too...

Syn free on extra easy.

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, or you could use thighs with all the skin and fat removed.

1 tsp garlic salt

2 tsps dried onions

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 star anise

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp tabasco sauce (optional)

Method

Mix together the garlic salt, dried herbs, dried onion and rub into the chicken.

Lay the chicken into a frylight spray slow cooker and pour over the balsamic vinegar, add the star anise and season. 

Cook on high for 4 hours.

When cooked remove the chicken, pour the marinade into a saucepan add the tabasco if using and simmer down by half, use this as a sauce over the chicken.

I served the chicken with baked sweet potatoes and roasted thin asparagus.

The sweetness and creaminess of the potato cut through the tang of the sauce. Perfect combination!

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.

Sweet Quinoa with Fruit and Yogurt

As i have now joined the gym i figured it was about time to start eating breakfast. Yes i know i should always have breakfast but i really can't face food first thing in the morning.

One dish i do like for breakfast is granola, but as it's synful, and i've yet to find a syn free recipe, i thought i'd try something else. I didn't want to use up my healthy A & B allowance on breakfast so i figured i'd try quinoa, i've seen some recipes floating around for breakfast so decide to make up one of my own. Its very simple and surprisingly tasty!!

You can use any yogurt you like and any fruit, but this is what i used.

Syn free on extra easy

Ingredients

1 cup of quinoa

½ cup fat free greek yogurt, or any syn free yogurt you like.

Handful strawberries sliced

1 banana sliced

3 tsp sweetener

1 tbsp maple syrup (optional 2 syns)

Method

Cook the quinoa as per packet instructions using water, you can use milk but that will make it synful or use your healthy A, add the sweetener to the water before cooking. Let the quinoa go cold. This should make enough for 3/4 servings. Store in the fridge.

Then it's as simple as layering it all or just mix it up in a bowl. If you use maple syrup pour over the top and serve.

Cajun Salmon Hash

I had a piece of salmon that had to used up in the fridge and was craving comfort food, so looked to see what else i had laying around and came up with this recipe.

It is along the same lines of the Chicken Hash, but with a few different flavours.

It is syn free on extra easy.

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Ingredients

4 large potatoes peeled and diced

1 lb salmon fillet

8 oz cremini mushrooms thickly sliced

1 red pepper diced

1 cup jalapenos

1 onion diced

1 tbsp cajun seasoning, devided into 3

1 tbsp worcester sauce

salt and pepper to season

2 duck eggs

Method

Spray a baking sheet with frylight and lay out the diced potatoes spray the potatoes, sprinkle over ⅓ of the cajun seasoning and season, bake in the oven for 30 minutes, turning and spraying again half way through.

Spray an ovenproof dish with frylight, put the salmon in the dish and spray with frylight and sprinkle over ⅓ of the cajun seasoning and season, bake for 8 minutes.

Spray a large frying pan with frylight, fry the onions till they start to soften, add the mushrooms and pepper and fry till golden, sprinkle over the remaining cajun seasoning, worcester sauce and season, add the jalapenos and fry for 2 minutes, stir in the cooked potatoes and serve up, flake over the salmon and top with a fried egg.

Lasagne

We love lasagne in our house, but because of the fattening, high syned cheese sauce we have been giving it a miss, well not anymore!!

I have created a very tasty cheese sauce which is syn free on extra easy as long as you use it as your healthy extra A.

It is not a runny sauce as the eggs set it, to stop it from splitting, so make sure you make a lot.

So as long as you use the cheese as your Healthy extra A, the dish is syn free!

Preheat oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 batch of bolognese sauce

1 box dried lasagne sheets

1 tub quark

1 large tub fat free natural yogurt

2 eggs

¼ tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to season

60g parmesan cheese grated

160g low fat cheddar cheese

Method

Whisk together the quark, yogurt, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper and grated parmesan till smooth.

Layer the bolognese sauce with the lasagne sheets and cheese sauce, start with bolognese, then lasagne, then a layer of cheese sauce followed by more lasagne then more meat sauce, then more lasagne, then more meat sauce, more lasagne, then top off with the cheese sauce and sprinkle over the cheddar, bake in the oven for 50 minutes, if the top starts to get to brown cover with foil.

Spaghetti Bolognese

This is a deliciously tasty bolognese sauce, which is completely syn free on extra easy, the parmesan is optional, and you can always use your healthy extra A for it.
The sauce is great for a lasagne, topping for a jacket potato, with syn free chips or wedges or as a base for a cottage pie.

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g extra lean beef mince 5% fat or less
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1 pepper pepper diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml passata
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp worcester sauce
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp celery salt
500ml beef stock

1 packet of spaghetti cooked as packet instructions

Method

In a large pot sprayed with frylight, fry the mince until it is browned, remove from pan and set aside.
Respray the pot and fry the onions till golden, add the carrots, mushrooms and pepper and fry for 2/3 minutes, then add the garlic
. Return the meat to the pot, mix together and add all the tomato ingredients, stir in the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer on a low heat for 2-3 hours.
Serve with the spaghetti, sprinkle with parmesan.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

A fake away to be proud of! This dish is light and refreshing with a kick and a lot less syns than from a Chinese Restaurant, and taste so much better too!

The whole dish is only 5 syns on extra easy.

Ingredients

1 level tbsp potato flour (3 syns)
2 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts sliced
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine (1 syn)
1 red pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
8 oz oriental mushrooms
1 cup edamame beans
1 onion chopped
juice of 1 lemon
200ml chicken stock
1 tsp sweetener
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 garlic clove grated
1 red chilli finely chopped
1 inch ginger grated
1 tbsp chilli sauce (1 syn)


Method

Mix the sliced chicken with the potato flour and season.
To make the sauce mix together the lemon juice, chicken stock, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic, chilli, ginger and chilli sauce.
In a hot wok sprayed with frylight stir fry the chicken until it turns opaque then pour over the rice wine and stir fry until liquid has gone, add the onion, peppers and mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil then simmer until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
Serve with egg fried rice.

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.

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.