Rosemary steak, roast potatoes and onion gravy

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 sirloin steaks, all visible fat removed
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A hand full of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

For the potatoes:
4 small-medium red potatoes, scrubbed
Fry light
4 bay leaves

For the gravy:
2 onions, halved and thickly sliced
100ml beef stock
1 level tsp gravy granules
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

To serve:
Superfree vegetables - I like to serve it with carrots and cabbage

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6

Place the steaks in a shallow bowl and sprinkle over garlic and rosemary. Season with pepper then cover and set aside.

For the potatoes, cut thin and even slices into each potato, leaving about 1cm uncut at the bottom.
Put the potatoes on a baking tray and spray with fry light. Tuck a bay leaf into each potato and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through.

For the gravy, spray a pan with fry light and place over a medium heat. Add the onions, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.
Add the stock, bring to the boil then add the gravy granules. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar and keep warm.

When the potatoes are nearly ready, place a frying pan over a high heat, spray with fry light and cook each steak for 2-3 minutes on each side or until done to your liking.

Serve with the potatoes, vegetables and gravy.

Syns per serving on Extra Easy - 0.5

This recipe is taken from October 2012 issue of Slimming World magazine, page 75.

Low syn Slimming World cake

Found on Netmums where it's been posted as a syn free cake but the flour/cocoa powder has to be synned so I've worked out average syns below.

Syns for the whole cake = Approx 10 syns using cocoa powder and 9 syns using self raising flour but please check the syn values for yourself just to be sure. I accept no responsibility for incorrect syn information!



6 eggs
2 ounces self raising flour or cocoa powder if you want chocolate cake
9 tablespoons granulated sweetener
2 teaspoons orange or vanilla essence (up to you)

To decorate:
1 tub quark
Strawberries (or other fruit of your choice, we used raspberries)
2 teaspoons of vanilla or orange essence
6 Tablespoons Granulated sweetener


Whisk up egg whites until stiff
In a separate bowl whisk egg yolks with either the orange or vanilla essence & sweetener, add a 1/4 of the egg white & beat until pale yellow.

Add the flour gradually & fold into the mix carefully, when done add the rest of the egg whites & fold in.

Pour onto a swiss roll tin & bake in the oven, gas mark 5 for about 10 to 12 mins, until golden & firm to the touch.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool. When cooled, cut in half.

Filling & topping:
Beat the quark with the orange or vanilla essence & sweetener, spread 3/4 on the bottom layer of the cake, slice the strawberries & put them on top of that, put the top of the cake on & use the rest of the filling to top with the rest of the strawberries.

Lamb and colcannon pie

Recipe from Slimming World

Serves 4
Original - 8.5 syns
Green - 0.5 syns*
Extra Easy - Free

* Add 6 syns if not using the lamb as a healthy extra on green


Ingredients
350g lamb, all visible fat removed
1 carrot
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
900g Desireé or Maris Piper potatoes
200g cabbage
4 spring onions
1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chicken Bovril
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs


Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas 3. Prepare the ingredients: cut the lamb into bite-sized pieces; peel and dice the carrot; chop the onion; finely slice the garlic; finely shred the cabbage and slice the spring onions.

2. Place the lamb, carrot, onion, garlic, rosemary, tomatoes and stock in a large casserole dish. Season well, bring to the boil, cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½ hours or until the meat is tender.

3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 12-15 minutes until just tender. Add the cabbage for the last 3-4 minutes. Drain, return to the pan and mash. Stir in the spring onions and eggs and season well.

4. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C/210°C Fan/Gas 7. Transfer the meat to an oven-proof dish, top with the potato and bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

Chicken Chasseur

Serves 4

Fry light
Salt and pepper
4 large skinless chicken breast fillets
2 onions
300g mushrooms
125ml dry white wine (4 syns)
400ml chicken stock
400g can cherry tomatoes
A small handful of fresh tarragon
A small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1) Spray a large frying pan with fry light. Season the chicken and cook over a medium-high heat until browned all over.
2) Add the onions, mushrooms, wine, stock and tomatoes and mix well. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
3) Garnish with tarragon and parsley and serve with steamed vegetables.

Syns per serving -

1 on Extra Easy and Original
If you want to use this recipe on a green day, you can have 70g cooked chicken as a HEB and count 1 syn for the wine.


Please note: I don't work for Slimming World, therefore, you need to double check the syn values for yourself.

Welsh rarebit

Serves 1 and uses 1 healthy extra a and b choice.

Syns - Free on Extra Easy and Green if using the bread and cheese as healthy extras.


HEB - 60g wholemeal bread
1 egg
half a teaspoon of mustard powder
half a teaspoon of paprika
HEA - 30g cheddar

Separate the egg and whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Set aside.
Lightly toast the bread then put on to a baking tray.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks, mustard powder and paprika with the cheese. Fold in the egg whites and stir until well combined.
Top the bread with the mixture and grill for 3-4 minutes or until puffed up and golden.


Please note: I don't work for Slimming World, therefore, you need to double check the syn values for yourself.

Carrot, coriander and lentil soup recipe

Serves 4

200g red lentils
450g carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and freshly ground pepper
A handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)

1) Put the lentils, carrots, onion, ground coriander and 1 litre of cold water in a large pan. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes uncovered.
Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

2) Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly then blend using a hand blender.
Season and serve piping hot, garnished with fresh coriander.

Syns per serving - Free on Extra Easy and Green

Please note: I don't work for Slimming World, therefore, you need to double check the syn values for yourself.

Curry Cake - Syn free

A few weeks ago we had a taster session at our Slimming World group and someone brought in a curry cake. I was a bit dubious because the words, curry and cake don't usually go together in my life!
I braved it though (I'm not very adventurous when it comes to trying new food!) and found it to be delicious.

A couple of weeks later I won the raffle and won the ingredients to make the curry cake and seeing as it's so delicious and oh so free of syns, I thought I'd share it with you :)
I was meant to make this ages ago when I got the ingredients but I've only just got round to it!

All you need are three ingredients:

1 packet Bachelor's curry rice (dried)
1 tin ASDA Chickpea Dahl (as far as I know, it has to be the ASDA tin because other versions are not guaranteed to be syn free)
4 eggs

Cook the rice per packet directions. Whisk the eggs then mix the rice, eggs and tin of chickpea dahl together.
Spray loaf tin with frylight then pour mixture in and bake at gas 6 for 40 minutes although there are lots of versions of this recipe on the Internet and the cooking times and oven temps vary greatly. I suggest you keep checking your loaf; stick a knife or something in the middle to see if it comes out clean.

Mushroom Pate (no syns)

1 medium onion, finely chopped
Fry Light for spraying
1 garlic clove, crushed
227g/8oz mushrooms, finely chopped
113g/4oz very low fat natural cottage cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry the onions in Fry Light or dry fry them, add the garlic and cook until soft and just beginning to brown.
Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 6-7 minutes till quite dry.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool a little.
Put the cottage cheese, the mushroom mixture and seasoning into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

I haven't tried this yet so will add a photo as soon as I do :)

Slimming World Superspeed Soup (no syns)

Ingredients
1 can mixed bean salad
1 can green lentils
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can baked beans
Handful of split lentils
2 large leeks
1 large onion
4 large carrots
2 parsnips
Green, red or yellow pepper
2 beef stock cubes
Salt & pepper
Mixed herbs

Method
Chop all the vegetables and add them, along with all the other ingredients into a large soup pot. Cover with water.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
I prefer my soup smooth so blend it but you can leave it chunky if you prefer.

Slimming World Mushy Pea Curry (no syns)

4 chicken breasts - cubed
1 onion - sliced
2 tins of mushy peas
1 tin baked beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Curry powder

Cook the chicken using fry light then add the onions and cook until soft.
Add peas, beans, tomatoes and curry powder.
Stir and heat then serve with rice or jacket potato.

I haven't made this yet but as soon as I do I'll add the picture :)

Cucumber cups with tuna salad

We had a taster session at group today and I decided to make some Cucumber cups with tuna salad.
I've been collecting low syn buffet food ideas for our Christmas Day buffet tea and I loved the idea of these cucumber cups.
Tuna and cucumber is one of my favourite sandwich fillings but I didn't want to spend syns on the bread so this is the perfect compromise for me!

You will need:

2 tins of tuna in water
2 level tbsp extra light mayo (2 syns)
2 level tbsp sweet pickle (2 syns)
2 tomatoes, diced
half an onion, diced (or to taste)
Salt and Pepper
Fresh dill to garnish (optional)


Method:

Drain the tuna and mix it with the mayo, sweet pickle, tomato, onion and salt and pepper.

Cut the cucumber into about 2cm thick slices then using a melon baller, scoop out the middle, making sure not to go right through the bottom.

Fill in the middle of the cucumber with about a teaspoon of the tuna salad.

Top with freshly ground black pepper and some fresh dill (if you have it....which I haven't today!)

Leek and potato soup

I've looked at loads of leek and potato soup recipes and I've found a lot of them to be complicated and use more ingredients than I think is needed.
I like a nice, simple soup and I'll share how I make mine.

I'm following Extra Easy on Slimming World so I only know that this is free on that plan.
I can't help you with information for the green or original plans I'm afraid.

To serve 4 you will need:

1 large leek
1 and a half pounds of potatoes
Salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
Vegetable stock


Slice the leeks lengthwise and wash, then shred them and put them in a saucepan.
Peel and dice the potatoes and add to the pan.
Put the bay leaves in the pan then pour over the stock until it covers the vegetables. Add salt and pepper then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup.