Slimming World Friendly Sweet Sticky Onion Relish

This is sooo good, it doesn't last long in my house because I keep eating it! Easier than you think and should keep for three or four days in the fridge, plus its Syn free on Slimming World

Ingredients
500g of thinly sliced red onions
100ml balsamic vinegar
150ml apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of sweetner
2 cloves of crushed garlic
2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Put all the ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed pan. Bring it up to the boil and then simmer, covered for an hour. Give it an occasional stir to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes or so, to thicken up the lovely sticky sweet syrup. Once cooled, season to taste.

I've had this with burgers, lovely and tangy in a salad, goes well with chicken and beef on the side of your plate, or stirred through plain rice or couscous to liven it up.

Go on give it a go! 

Slow Cooker Beef Tomato and Red Pepper Casserole

This is a delicious, melt in the mouth and incredibly easy to make recipe to boot. Was inspired by the Coleman's Slow Cooker sachet, but objected to the Syns. So created my own version.

You literally chuck all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for eight hours. Creates its own sauce or gravy from the juices, serves 4 and is Syn free on extra easy

Ingredients
400g of casserole beef with all visible fat removed and cut into cubes
2 large red onions, cut into wedges
3 red peppers, cut into slices
Tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
2 cloves of garlic
2 beef Oxo cubes (or equivalent)
2 tablespoons of mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to season

As I said, chuck it all in, stir and leave for as long as you. I had this with steamed greens and new potatoes, but it's very versatile. Try it with spicy couscous. Or baked or mashed potato with plenty of superfree veggies. 

Sunshine Roasted Root Vegetables

Oh my goodness, this was divine. I've been wanting to try it for a while after I saw this recipe for roasted beetroot and sweet potato. It looked so delicious.

Finally managed to track down some beetroot from Tesco and, me being me, decided to not follow the recipe but go my own way. So here it is!

The beetroot stains the other veggies, which is where I got the name from. It's so tasty, filling and Syn free.

Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes
5 beetroots
3 parsnips
3 small potatoes
4 carrots
1 onion
2 tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Fry light

Method

All the vegetables were peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces before putting into a large roasting dish. I know beetroot is very red, but was surprised by how much it actually stained my chopping board and hands, so be careful! I don't know why, but didn't think they were THAT red when raw. I had lobster in mind, which changes colour once cooked. But I was wrong, beetroot is very very red. 

I sprinkled the herbs and garlic over the vegetables, with a good amount of salt and pepper. Added some hot water, enough to just cover the bottom of the pan, before spritzing with fry light and covering tightly with tin foil. I put it in a hot oven for about 50 minutes. You're aiming to almost steam the vegetables. If you chop them smaller, they'll cook quicker and visa versa. Check your veggies are cooked through though with a knife; Your oven may take longer than mine.

Take the tin foil off about ten minutes before the end to help them crisp up.

The natural sugars in the beetroot, make the dish lovely and gooey, as well as a beautiful pink colour. It's comfort food of the highest order and delicious.

I had it by itself, but it would also be beautiful with grilled chicken or your weekly roast, or even some shredded cabbage.

Enjoy! 

Slimming World Friendly Mixed Bean Stew

This mixed bean stew is versatile and free on the extra easy plan. It's another meal where I use whatever I have to hand. So don't worry if you have to improvise, that's my type of cooking! Just to warn you, it makes a lot so use a large pan with a lid.

Ingredients
1 large chopped onion
2 leeks shredded
3 chopped peppers
2 chopped carrots
1 chopped courgette
Tin of chopped tomatoes
500g passatta
3 tbsp of tomato puree
3 tins of beans - I used chick peas, black eyed peas and adzuki, but you can have any combination
3 tbsp of mixed herbs
3 crushed garlic cloves
3 tbsp of Worcester sauce
2 beef stock cubes (or you can use vegetable stock)
Couple good glugs of balsamic vinegar

Method

• Put the onions in the pan with enough water to cover the bottom and cook until softened, takes about 5 minutes
• Add all the chopped up vegetables, balsamic vinegar and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Chuck in all the other ingredients, plus about 200ml of water (I usually half fill the empty tin from the tomatoes and use that) Stir and simmer with the lid on the pan for about 30 minutes. 
• The stew should be thick and glossy, if it isn't thick enough for you, continue simmering for another 10 minutes with the lid off.
• Season to taste and serve! 

I like it in a huge bowl with a big spoon! MrC enjoys it with a chunk of bread to wipe up the gravy. You can try it stuffed in a wholemeal pitta, or on a baked potato, or with rice or over pasta (with a little cheese ??! ) or maybe all of them if you're good with leftovers! It makes a lot! I've got my eye on some which I'm planning to use to stuff red peppers and then bake.

Oh, and if you like it spicy, try adding some chilli, beautiful! 

Beef Casserole Recipe - Slimming World Syn Free!

This is a delicious, warming and easy recipe for beef casserole. I'm not very good at following recipes myself, I tend to not weigh anything unless I have to or forget to buy an ingredient here or there. Whoops! So this one, although my own, is to be used as a guide. Go with what you fancy (or have in the fridge!)

It's Syn Free on Slimming World's Extra Easy plan. Pack it full of vegetables if you want to and/or serve with extra vegetables and get food optimising.

Ingredients
500g of stewing beef
1 large chopped onion
4 carrots, sliced
4 or 5 large handfuls of fresh washed spinach
Beef stock made with 2 stock cubes (about a litre I think)
1 minced clove of garlic (or 1 large tbsp of garlic granules/powder) If you haven't got a mincer, bash it around a bit with the back of the knife and chuck it in.

Method

1. Dry fry the beef in a hot pan until all browned. 
2. Set the meat aside, drain out any fat from the pan, but leave the brown bits.  Add the chopped onions to the pan and add a little water (just enough to cover them) Soften the onions, making sure all the lovely brown bits from the beef are dislodged from the bottom of the pan. These will give your casserole a lovely flavour.
3. Once softened, add the beef you'd set aside earlier, sliced carrots and minced garlic (or granules/powder) and add enough stock to cover the ingredients in the pan.
4. Bring everything up to boil, turn the pan down, add the lid and simmer for about 60 minutes. Stir occasionally and if needed add more water.
5. Five minutes before serving, check and see if it needs any salt or pepper. I tend to season at the end, especially when using stock cubes as they can be very salty.
6. Once seasoned, add the spinach leaves and stir through.
7. Voila! 

The casserole can also be cooked in the slow cooker or oven. 

Slow Cooker
Brown the meat and cook the onions as directed, add all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Add a little less stock and only check it once about half way through. Did you know every time you lift the lid on your slow cooker, you should add 20 minutes to the cooking time? Stir the spinach in 25 minutes before serving.

Oven
For the oven, follow points 1 to 3, then transfer into a casserole dish. Put in the oven with a lid for 60 to 90 minutes at 190 degrees. Stir the spinach leaves in 5 minutes before serving.

Can be frozen, just leave the spinach leaves out and add when its reheated.

Served with rice or potatoes and a portion or three of vegetables, whatever takes your fancy. Would also be great over a baked potato.

Enjoy! 

Variations
Try adding some extra herbs or chilli to spice it up
At the end, you an always add a dollop (technical term) of fromage frais to make a lovely creamy gravy. (this will add a couple of Syns though)
Worcester sauce or mustard powder can also be added to give the casserole added depth of flavour and taste. 

Experiment, find what you like. That's what makes cooking fun! 

Slimming World Friendly Bean Stew

I've been reading A Girl Called Jack blog, which is primarily about eating on a (strict) budget and have been inspired to give dried beans a go. I've always been a bit scared before and used tinned, it's the thought of maybe poisoning myself which has put me off in the past. But they are easier than you think, cheap and flavoursome  You just need to be a bit organised, as most need soaking for 8-12 hours, then cooking from 1 to 2 hours, but its worth it!

This started as a Barbecue style bean stew, using diet coke, but didn't work out for me; ended up as a tasty bean stew instead! Sorry if you don't do 'a bit of this' or a 'handful of that' type of cooking, but I didn't weigh of measure anything.

Ingredients

A selection of beans, already soaked, and cooked as per the packet instructions
I used a couple of good handfuls of the following
Cannellini beans
Butter beans
Kidney beans
Pinto beans
Chick peas
Large roughly chopped onion
Couple of peppers - I had green and yellow
Stock, about 400ml or a can of diet coke
Half carton of passata
Couple cloves of chopped garlic
Balsamic vinegar - couple of good glugs
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper

Method

• Gently soften the onion for a couple of minutes, using either fry light or water
• Add the roughly chopped peppers and stir for another couple of minutes.
• Add in all the other ingredients, stir, bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 hours to reduce down to a thick sauce. Stir every 20 minutes or so to stop sticking
• Check the seasoning and serve! 

I had it the first day in a big bowl with lots of black pepper. Leftovers went a bit further when I added the rest of the passata, reheated and served with brown rice (and more pepper, chemo has dampened my taste buds a fair bit!)

I think for Extra Easy the ingredients make it Syn Free. You can spice it up and make a chilli or curry and imagine it would be nice with some lemon running through it too. How about stuffing it in beef tomato's or peppers? Lovely!

Let me know if you give it a go, I'd be interested in knowing what you think.

Slimming World Tomato Soup - my style

This is my take on Slimming World friendly tomato soup. I scanned a tweet last week with the recipe on it but couldn't find it again when I wanted to make it. I put this together from what I remembered and it worked out really well


Ingredients
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Carton of passatta
1 onion, finely chopped
3cm sized chunk of ginger, finely chopped
Clove of garlic, finely chopped
Glug of balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper


In a large pan soften the onion and carrot. I used water rather than oil. Once softened, add the tinned tomatoes, passatta, garlic and ginger. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool then blitz with a handheld liquidiser. Season to taste. I added the vinegar here too, to give a bit of zing. When ready to eat, warm through. I needed to add a cup of water here to thin the soup a bit, but its upto you.


This is syn free and because I added LOADS of ginger its very warm and spicy. You can adjust to suit your taste. 


I had it for lunch with a wholemeal roll as my B healthy extra and it was delicious


Enjoy!


If you are interested in the proper recipe, click here

Carrot and Ginger Soup

 

This soup is delicious and from the Slimming World little book of soups and one I would recommend! Ideal to link up with Keith of Reluctant Housedad recipe shed infamy!


Serves 4
Ready in about 35 minutes

Syn Free
Ingredients
Low calorie spray
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloved, peeled and chopped
1.5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 litre of vegetable stock
600g carrots, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
fat free natural yogurt and chopped parsley to serve


Spray a pan with low calorie spray and cook the onions, celery, garlic and ginger for 2-3 minutes


Add the stock and carrots and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Season well


Leave it to cool for a while before blending until smooth.


Serve with a swirl of yogurt (in my case a blob!) and a sprinkle of parsley (missing from mine!)

I was delicious, warm and filling, just what you need on a cold evening. I love ginger and actually put a little bit more in than the recipe called for, so maybe experiment!!

Spicy Beef and Red Pepper Stew

This recipe is so easy and tasty and one I will definitely make again. I found it in Jan/Feb 2012 edition of the Slimming World Magazine.


Serves 4
Ready in about 2 hours 30 minutes


Ingredients
800g of stewing steak with all visible fat removed and cut into cubes
3 crushed garlic cloves
2cm piece of fresh root ginger peeled and grated (I used powered)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp of medium curry powder
4 large red peppers deseeded and cut into large bite sized pieces
2 large onions cut into wedges
400g of passata
800ml of beef stock
1 cinnamon sticks (am sure powdered would work as well)
2 cloves (I didn't have any, so didn't use them)
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (I had these, yay!)
Salt and pepper to season
Finely chopped fresh coriander


The easy version is to put all the ingredients into a large heavy based saucepan. Season well and bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours or until the beef is tender.


Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves (if you used them), stir in the coriander and serve! 


Syn Value - free on extra easy


I told you it was easy. I served mine with couscous to soak up the lovely rich gravy. Am sure this can be easily adapted for a slow cooker, by removing a lot of the stock.


Enjoy and let me know how you get on with it! 

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Risotto

I love a risotto, they are quick and easy to make, creamy and tasty. The texture as the food moves over the taste-buds is delightful! Another recipe I saw in a diabetic cook book, which I've adapted. The squashes make a beautiful creamy nutty flavour which compliments the rice beautifully


Serves 4


Ingredients
1 cal spray
1 lb 2oz of cubed pumpkin or butternut squash or mix of the two
1 chopped onion
1 cloves of garlic
8 oz of risotto rice
1/4 pint of dry white wine
1.4 pints of vegetable stock
salt and pepper
4 tsp of Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, chopped


Spray saucepan with 1 cal and saute the pumpkin and/or butternut squash for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes
Stir in the rice and white wine
Simmer gently until the wine is absorbed
In the meantime, make up your vegetable stock and keep it warm in another saucepan
Add the stock a ladle at a time until all the stock is used and the rice is tender.
Check the taste and season if needed. Stir in the parsley and Parmesan and  serve on warmed plates.


Syn Value - about 3 per serving


The Syns come from the white wine and Parmesan cheese, it can be made without both ingredients and become Syn free. I think the added Syns are worth it for the taste though!


Enjoy! 

Butter Bean & Cumin Soup

I saw this recipe in a diabetic cook book, as my mum has recently been diagnosed and adapted it slightly to reduce the Syns. It's wonderfully warming, tasty and was great with a big green salad and wholemeal roll

Serves 4

Ingredients

8oz of dried butter beans

1 cal spray 

1 large chopped onion

2 large chopped carrots

2 pints of vegetable stock

1 tsp of ground cumin

fat free natural yogurt

salt and pepper

Syn Value - big fat zero 0 for the soup. 

Rinse the beans and put in a large bowl. Cover with water and leave to soak for at least 12 hours. I did mine overnight. I am sure tinned butter beans would work too and no need to soak but I was watching the pennies! 

In a large saucepan, spray the 1 cal and gentle 'fry' the onions and carrots for 5 minutes until the are soft.

Add the beans, stock and cumin. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat, simmer for an hour until the beans are tender

Once cooked and cooled slightly whizz in the food processor (or in my case a handheld whizzer!) Season and then return to the pan to warm through.

Once spooned into the bowls, put a swirl of yogurt in the soup and serve.

The soup is thick and has a velvety texture on the tongue. Next time I do this, I am going to experiment and replace the cumin with chillie. 

Recipe Shed - One pot wonders

I love one pot wonders. Less hassle, normally easy to prepare and importantly, less washing up!

I've decided to go with an old classic which must be one of the original one pot wonders, a beef stew. This is the way my mum taught me to cook it. May not be the right way, but it tastes good in our house and brings back memories!

Beef Stew

Serves 4 - 6 (depending on dumpling, bowl and appetite size)

Ingredients (all approximate)

500g of beef stewing steak, cut into cubes (amount of meat depends on my purse strings)

couple of onions, roughly chopped

couple of carrots, thickly sliced

2 or 3 parsnips, cut into chunks

small parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks

3 or 4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into big chunks

3 oxo cubes

couple of bay leaves

salt and pepper

In a big pan (I use the pressure cooker pan** as its the biggest one I own) I put a couple tablespoons of water with the cubed beef steak and brown. I then add the onions to soak up the flavour from the beef and to soften slightly.

The rest of the vegetables and bay leaves get added with the oxo cubes and enough water to cover completely. Lid is added to the pot and its brought to the boil and then simmered for at least 4 hours. The longer you can leave it the better. If you can cook it the day before, or give it chance to cool then reheat, you're onto a winner!

Remember to check on it regularly to stir and top up with water.

To help thicken I'll sometimes chop a potato very finely so it disintegrates and thickens in the stew as it cooks. Season to taste as you go and sorted!

We usually serve this with dumplings, which are very easy too.

4 big spoons of self raising flour (I have a special, to me, spoon I inherited from my Gran)

2 same sized spoons of suet

salt and pepper

(sometimes I add a handful of herbs or chopped garlic)

Mix until firm but still sticky with a little water and drop tablespoon sized 'pieces' into the stew, spaced regularly in the pan as they will expand (a lot) Put the lid back on and continue to cook for another 20 - 25 minutes.

Serve in a big bowl, with a crust of bread to wipe it clean!

** Maybe a thought for future recipe shed could be pressure cooking recipe, is it a dieing art?

Recipe Shed - Slow cooker or casseroles

My slow cooker was dusted down and brought out from the back of the cupboard when I started Slimming World and I really have no idea why it was put there in the first place. I think its ideal for busy people who want to eat well, but without the fuss of preparing a meal at the end of the day. Okay, you've got to be organised and disciplined to plan that far ahead when the average cooking time is 8 hours, but the results are worth it.

Maybe its because we don't know what to cook? I know I just used to chuck a few ingredients in and see what happened, sometimes it worked, mostly it didn't. But I invested £5 on slow cooker recipe book and it gave me the confidence to try all sorts of different things, sweet and savoury, although I stay away from the sweet stuff now! 

Anyway, here is one of my favourites from 200 Slow Cooker Recipes from Hamlyn and it's works out at about 3 Syns a portion

Rancheros Pie

Takes about 20 minutes to prepare and 8 - 10 hours to cook

Serves 4

Ingredients

Low cal spray

500g of lean minced beef

1 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon if cumin seeds, crushed

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed dried chillies

1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice

2 stems of oregano roughly chopped (I used a teaspoon of dried)

3 tablespoons of sultana's

tin of chopped tomatoes

2 beef stock cubes

8 fl oz of water

500 g of thinly sliced sweet potato

Spray a large frying pan with low cal spray and add the beef to brown, pour away any of the fat. Add the onions and continue to cook for a minute or two. Add all the other ingredients apart from the sweet potato and bring it to the boil stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon it into the slow cooker and cover with overlapping slices of sweet potato. Spray with the low cal spray, salt and pepper and sprinkle with some dried chillies.

Put the lid on and cook for 8 - 10 hours, until the potato is soft. It's the potato which takes the time! It can be browned under the grill if you want to.

I serve this with broccoli, carrots and cabbage and it's delicious! 

Slimming World Singapore Vermicelli

I saw this recipe in Slimming World magazine July 2011 (page 69) it looked delicious, and it was! A one pot meal, which I love, but I did find it a little bit fiddly, with heating this, then set it aside type instructions. But saying that, it was worth it! 


Ingredients
7oz/198g dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 cal spray
5oz/142g pork steaks, all fat removed and cut into thin strips
5oz/142g raw,peeled prawns
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1in/2.5 cm fresh root ginger, finely grated
1 onion, thinly sliced
6 spring onions cut into 1in/2.5cm pieces
300g pack of stir fry vegetables
1 tbsp curry powder
6 tbsp dark soy sauce
salt and pepper
4 beaten eggs
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 limes, quatered


Syn free!


Cook the noodles, following the packet instructions. Spray a large frying pan with 1 cal spray and fry the pork on a high heat for 4-5 minutes until cooked. Transfer to a plate and keep warm


Add the prawns to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to the plate with the pork. Rinse out the pan and dry.


Spray again with the 1 cal spray and over a medium heat, fry the garlic and ginger for about a minute, then stir in the onion, spring onion and stir fry vegetables and cook until softened. Add the curry powder and carry on cooking for another minute then add 2 tbsp of water and the noodles and mix together. Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper and stir fry for another minute.


Push, the vegetables to one side and pour the eggs in to scramble, then mix with the vegetables and noodles. Add the pork and prawns and mix again. Garnish with the chillies and serve with the limes to be squeezed over. The limes really lift the flavour

Apologies for the picture, took it from the magazine. We'd eaten ours before I remembered!

It was a very quick and tasty meal and once I have fully mastered it, I think it would make a brilliant dinner party meal! 


Go on, give it a go! 

Recipe Shed - Five ingredients or less

I think I can manage this one! A recipe with five ingredients or less? Got to be an easy one to link up with @relunctanthousedad Recipe Shed. I really wanted to do a savoury dish, but all that kept running through my mind were the delicious Slimming World puddings! So have gone with that!

Orange Mousse - 1 Syn per serving

Ingredients

2 Oranges

Sugar free orange jelly sachet

3 egg whites

300g of fat free fromage frais or greek yogurt

Serves 4 (or just me, so then it's 4 syns per serving! lol) ....I'm greedy!

Grate the zest from the oranges, then peel and chop them up. Make up the jelly but only use about 200ml of hot water. Once dissolved add in half the orange zest and leave it to cool for a bit, but not set.

When cooled put the jelly in a food processor with 200g fromage frais or greek yogurt and the orange pieces and blend until the orange is in small pieces.  Transfer to a bowl and chill for about 15 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken up.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold into the mix and chill for about an hour (longer if you have it)  Serve decorated with the remaining fromage frais and orange zest.

I have made this in the past with lemon's and limes, just as delicious. (just change the jelly flavour to suit) So easy and really does help with any sweet cravings. I did however add a little bit of sweetner to the lime one, as it was bit too tart for my taste

Don't forget to get over and check out some more super easy recipes at the Recipe Shed

Update
As I was publishing this, I suddenly thought I could have done the Slimming World Scotch eggs!  Darn!!!! I am sure I can shoehorn that in another week!

Recipe Shed - Vegetarian

I missed @reluctanthousedad Recipe Shed theme last week because I was actually *gasp* away on holiday! (Doesn't happen very often in our house, staycations are our bag!) Am pleased to be able to join in with the theme of Vegetarian.


I've got a brilliant Slimming World recipe, which although meat free (I live with two males who feel they have not been fed unless their protein comes in a big juicy slab!) goes down well in our house. You can view the original post here but I'm pleased to share.......


Chickpea and Roasted Red Pepper Pilaf


This is a one pot dish, which takes about 20 minutes to complete plus 15 minutes standing time. It's filling, cheap and flavoursome! 

Serves 4
Each serving is
2.5 Syns on Extra Easy or Green
16 Syns on Original

Ingredients
Low calorie cooking spray
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic glove, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
175g dried fine bulgar wheat
350ml vegetable stock
200g bottled roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped (I actually cooked my own up instead)
400g can chickpeas, drained
25g pack of dill, finely chopped
28g pack of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped mint (this for me is what made the meal)
110g reduced fat feta cheese, roughly chopped or crumbled
salt and black pepper

Instructions
Spray a heavy-based saucepan with low calorie cooking spray and add the onion, garlic, ground cumin, ground cinnamon and bulgar wheat. Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes to lightly toast the grains.

Pour the stock into the saucepan, stir well, then bring to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat and cook on a gentle simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Remove from the heat and add the red peppers and chickpeas, without stirring them in (don't know why, I just do as I'm told!) cover and allow to stand for 15 minutes

Just before serving remove the lid and fluff up the grains with a fork, mixing in the red peppers and chickpeas. Carefully fold in the herbs (fresh ones are best for this recipe) and scatter over the feta cheese.

Season to taste and serve hot, warm or cold (I found it was surprisingly hot at this stage, enough for me to not have to zap it)

You can swap the bulgar wheat for couscous or replace the chickpeas with canned mixed beans.


Its brilliant! Very easy and cheap! Now get your bum over to Chronicles of a Reluctant Housedad for other recipe's (but also check out his blog! Its brilliant!)

Recipe Shed - Hand Me Down

Recipe Shed time again from Keith at the Chronicles of the Reluctant Housedad! Love the theme this week which is 'Hand-Me-Down'


My hand-me-down comes with a story and a recipe book, The Dairy Book of Home Cookery. Does anyone recognise it?

This copy was printed in 1977 and I stole borrowed it from parents and never took it back. It's full of postcards my Dad sent home when he was in the Navy and hand written notes from my Mum on how to cook dinner when she was working late. It's full of memories, I used it for my 'O' level cookery exam (which I failed!) and is my go to book for basic recipes for cakes, biscuits or pastry.


It's also a great example of 70's cuisine, recipes for hor d'oeurves, fondue and a section called 'Food from Europe' where lasagne is an exotic dish! 


One piece at the front made me smile.


Care of Milk

Ask the milkman to leave it in a shady place away from the direct sunlight and avoid leaving it on the doorstep for too long. If you find birds are helping themselves invest in some discs which fit over the bottle tops

When was the last time you saw milk on the doorstep? No, me neither!


So onto the recipe (not a slimming world one, I'm afraid) which I know as Toledo Pancakes, however when I ummm...... inherited this recipe book, I discovered it was actually called Toreador Pancakes! Will always be Toledo to me!


Ingredients
A batch of pancakes or a pack of shop bought
Tin of corned beef, chopped into pieces
Large onion, chopped
Tin of condensed tomato soup
Packet of ready salted crisps, crushed up


Fry the onion until golden
Add the corned beef and fry for two minutes
Layer in a casserole dish the corned beef mix and pancakes (like you would for lasagne)
Pour the soup over the top and sprinkle the crisp over the soup
Re-heat in the centre of the oven, around 200 c until warmed through


I serve it with broccoli or peas and it is delicious. It may sound terrible, but it does work.


So I will leave you with the image of where my Dad got the original recipe from!

Recipe Shed - Theme is Mince!

Time to link up and share a recipe thanks to Keith at Chronicles of a Reluctant Housedad. I love food, I love cooking and I love this week's theme which is 'mince'

My Dad loathes mince, no idea why, must be a childhood thing. Recently managed to work out why he hates mashed potato though. When  young, his Dad was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer. At the time drug therapy was limited. It was generally treated by resting the bowel, which meant lots of easily digested and bland food. So he had mashed potato and poached fish in milk for about 2 years! I think he's been scarred for life!

But anyway, I digress! Onto my recipe this week, which is as usual a Slimming World favourite of mine, minced beef hash. It's tasty, comforting, easy to cook and cheap! Plus its a one pot wonder, all fabulous plus points! It's taken from Extra Easy Meals in Minutes book from Slimming World.

Mince Beef Hash

Serves 4

Extra Easy is Free, Original is 3 Syns, Green is 7.5 Syns

1 cal cooking spray
2 onions, peeled and finely diced
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 green chilli, deseed and finely chopped
450g extra lean minced beef
1 carrot, peeled and diced
300g of potato, peeled and diced
400g can of tomatos
100ml beef stock
1 tsp dried oregano
4 tsp of chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Spray a large frying pan with 1 cal and stir-fry the onions for a couple of minutes. They sometimes stick for me, so I add a little bit of water.

Add the garlic, cummin and green chilli, giving it a stir to release the flavours

Add the mince and cook on high, stirring all the time to break up the lumps until its sealed and browned.

Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, stock and oregano and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 15 to 20 minutes (I find it sometimes take a little bit longer, but I promise its worth it!)

Once done, remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and season

We all love this dish! I have also added parsnip or swede which adds to the earthy flavours. I prefer it a little spicier, so sprinkle chilli flakes over mine once served.

Hope you give it and try, let me know what you think! I don't forget to check out other mince recipes over at the Recipe Shed

Slimming World Syn Free Spinach and Mushroom Cannelloni

As promised its another Slimming World recipe and another first for me again. However I have now made it four times, I loved it that much!

This recipe is from the Slimming World magazine, July 2010 edition, page 74 - 75

Ingredients
9oz/255g chopped frozen spinach, defrosted
Fry light
8oz/227 fat -free natural cottage cheese
2 egg yokes
2 crushed garlic cloves
4oz/113 g button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
6oz/170g reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated
small bunch of basil leaves, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
pinch of nutmeg (makes a big difference to the flavour)
salt & pepper
250g pack of dried cannelloni
1lb 8oz.567g passata (ideally with onion & garlic, but I used plain)

Green salad to serve

Syns
Extra Easy Free*
Green Free

*Add 5.5 Syns if you are not using the reduced fat Cheddar Cheese and a Healthy Extra

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200c/400F/gas mark 6. Squeeze out the excess water from the spinach and spray a medium sized baking dish with Fry Light

Put the spinach, cottage cheese, egg yokes, garlic, mushrooms, onion, pepper, half the cheese and half the basil in a bowl. Add the nutmeg, season well and mix together. (use a very big bowl!)

The recipe says use a piping bag (or teaspoon) carefully fill the cannelloni tubes with the mixture.  I didn't have a piping bag, the teaspoon was too fiddly, so I used my hands. Very messy, but satisfying once done. I promise you, its worth the effort! The kids might enjoy doing this bit for you!

Place the filled tubes in the baking dish in a single layer and pour over the passata making sure all the cannelloni is completely covered.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and chopped basil. Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the top is golden.

Garnish with reserved basil leaves and finish with some black pepper. Divide between four plates and serve with a green salad.

I have made this up the day before to save time & cooked it the next! It tasted even better! And an added bonus is its easier to portion up than lasagna!

Rubbish photo, promise it doesn't do it justice!

#recipeshed Slimming World Butter Chicken

Like Keith of @reluctanthousedad infamy, I love to cook. But my new found passion is 'cooking to lose weight'. I'm following the Slimming World plan and enjoy it so much! I haven't prepared a recipe especially for this linky, so have brushed an old one off, I posted a few weeks ago.

I'm pleased to present, Butter Chicken, with no butter, syn free and delicious. So over to the original post!



Pic taken from the magazine



I found the recipe in The Slimming World magazine March/April 2011 edition, but am sure it can also be found on their website. It's Syn Free on Extra Easy or Original. But even for people not following the plan, it's a truly delicious curry and worth the effort it takes. Some preparation needs to happen the night before you want to cook it as the chicken needs marinated

The butter is replaced with yogurt to give it the creamy taste without the Syns or added fat.

Serves 4

Ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes plus 12 - 24 hours marinating



Ingredients

1 tbsp fennel seeds

4 tbsp  madras curry powder (I didn't have any, so just used mild curry powder)

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1in/2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated. (I used a tbsp of ginger from a jar)

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

4fl oz/113ml passata

5oz/142g fat-free natural yogurt

2lb/908 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into large bite-sized pieces (I left it on the bone, I won't next time!)

Fry Light

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cinnamon stick (Again, I didn't have any, so used half a tsp of ground cinnamon)

4 green cardamon pods

Salt and black pepper



400g can chopped tomatoes

1/4pt / 142ml chicken stock

Fat-free natural fromage frais, chili powder and handful of chopped coriander, to serve

Instructions

Dry-fry the fennel seeds and curry powder in a non-stick frying pan for 1-2 minutes or until the fennel seeds release a warm aroma. Transfer the seeds and powder onto a clean work surface and crush with rolling pin (or use a pestle and mortar set if you have one. Something for my Christmas list!) until ground into a powder.

Put the ground spices into a food processor along with the garlic, ginger, vinegar, passata and half the yogurt. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, blend in the rest of the yogurt and add the chicken. Mix well, cover and keep refrigerated  to marinate for 12 to 24 hours.



When ready to cook, spray a large non-stick wok or pan with Fry Light and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, cinnamon and cardamom pods. Stir fry for 6 to 8 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. (I had to add a little water as they were sticking to the pan at this point) Add the chicken mixture and cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Season well.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 40 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice topped with the fromage frais, sprinkling of chili  powder and garnished with the coriander.

I was so pleased with the result, it tasted so good and I hadn't used a packet or jar! I think the sauce can be cooked without the chicken and then used in other recipes so will be experimenting and let you know the results!

I have made this loads of time since the original post, I really love the taste and texture of the sauce. Promise my next entry will be an original, and all slimming world friendly!

Don't forget to go and take a look over at ReluctantHouseDad blog, he 's an alright guy, I promise! :)