Turkey Burger

This was quite nice.  I wanted to have a burger, but the last time I made them they were quite bland.  So looked online for some recipes and found a fajita seasoned burger.  They had a bit of a kick in them, but still not 100% there on the flavour - so next time I will just add more.

The seasoning recipe was for 500g turkey mince.  Basically add to the mince, mix, pound and then make into patties - then pan fry them - 3/4 minutes either side.

To make the seasoning:

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

salt and pepper (to season the top and bottom of burger before grilling)

Tuna Melt & Potato Wedges

Yummy! Could have ate it twice over!  Wedges made in actifry and tuna melt was warburtons sandwich thin (5 syns), tuna mayo (1 syn) - with tablespoon of fat free fromage frais added, red onion and grated cheese (Hex A).  Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Blackened Salmon

Think this is my new fav way to eat salmon. So tasty and has a kick!

Serves 4

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Mix all the herbs and spices together.  Spray 4 salmon fillets with frylight and sprinkle the spice mixture over (both sides - or just one side if your salmon has skin on one side).

Cook in tin foil in an oven for 20-25 minutes 

I served mine with some honey roasted veg - delicious :)

Slow Cooker Chicken

I make this at least once a week. The chicken just falls off the bone and there is very little left over and what is left over usually goes in a curry the next night.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for at least 5-6 hours.

Place 4 small balls of kitchen foil on the bottom of your slow cooker to stop the chicken sticking.  I rubbed a seasoning on my chicken ( 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp each of oregano, thyme, basil). Then placed chicken upside down in slow cooker and sprinkled remaining seasoning on top.

Sometimes I cook it with garlic butter and some herbs too.

Salmon Stirfry

I had some leftover salmon, so flaked it and stir fried it with garlic powder, ground ginger, medium curry powder, soy sauce and noodles....oh it was delish and had a right punch in it! Oh and it was syn free! :)

Chicken Curry (syn free)

Quick chicken curry made with last night's left over chicken!

Fried off some onion, garlic, chilli and added a carton of Asda chopped tomatoes with chilli and pepper, 150ml chicken stock, tablespoon of curry powder (I used mild and found that hot enough as the chopped tomatoes have kick in them, but depends on your taste).  Simmered away and then mixed though a couple of tablespoons of fat free fromage frais at the end - was really tasty!

Prawn Fried Rice

Just as per the CHICKEN FRIED RICE recipe...but add tiger prawns! I also added some chilli flakes for an extra kick. Delicious!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Nice and quick...and easy! This serves 4 and works out at 4.5 syns per portion but would be free if using parmesan as HExA.

12 oz spaghetti (3oz per person)

3/4 cup of grated parmesan ( 12 tablespoons)

2 large eggs

4 rashers of bacon diced

1 clove crushed garlic

Frylight

Cook your spaghetti.  While it is cooking, dice up the bacon and fry until it is crispy.  Add a clove of crushed garlic. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add the parmesan and set aside.  Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and then mix through the bacon and egg mixture.  Season with salt/pepper and sprinkle some grated parmeson on top.

Prawn & Red Pepper Curry

My picture doesn't really do this much justice but this was really tasty. 

Serves 4 (1 syn per portion)

Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch (3.5 syns)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

400ml chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon sweetener

2 tablespoons medium curry powder

2cm piece of ginger grated

1 large onion sliced

2 red peppers sliced

Prawns or meat of choice

Stir fry the peppers and onion in some frylight until soft.  Add the sauce and mix through for a few minutes.  Then add prawns and cook for about 5-10 minutes until warmed and cooked through.

Serve on rice - enjoy :)

Spaghetti &Turkey Meatballs

Another totes delish recipe which is becoming a firm favourite!  The meatballs are so soft because they are cooked in the sauce, but you could brown them first if you preferred. This recipe serves 4 and makes 8 large meatballs and works out at 2.5 syns per portion ( or 2 syns if you don't sprinkle some parmesan on top at the end)

To make the sauce
2 x 400g cartons of chopped tomatoes
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of sweetener
Freshly grounded pepper
Frylight
Fresh chopped basil (optional)


To make the meatballs
About 3/4 cup of fresh breadcrumbs (about 2 slices of bread) (6 syns)
1/3 cup (50ml) skimmed milk (1 syn)
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese (1.5 syns)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove crushed garlic
freshly grounded pepper
350g lean turkey mince or lean beef mince


First make the sauce, I used cartons of chopped tomatoes with garlic and red pepper from Asda. Then I blitzed them as my two don't like lumps!  Grown lads and wont eat lumpy veg things!  Brown the crushed garlic in some frylight then add the chopped tomatoes.  Add the Italian seasoning, salt, sweetener and grounded pepper.

To make the meatballs:
Make fresh breadcrumbs made with 2 slices of bread - I blitzed my bread in the food processor to make my breadcrumbs.  In a large bowl add your breadcrumbs, then add milk (you might not need all the milk, you don't want the bread to be too wet), Mix that through the bread and leave to soak for a few minutes till it's all absorbed. Then add egg, fresh parsley, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, crushed garlic, grounded black pepper.  Mix all the ingredients together first before you add the meat. Then add mince and mix through till all the ingredients are combined.  Split the mixture into 4 - each quarter is going to make 2 large meatballs.  Divide each quarter mixture into 2 and roll into a ball.  Mixture should make 8 meatballs.

Gently add to sauce and leave to cook for about 20 minutes.  Once cooked you can add some chopped basil if you like before you serve it.

Add to a bed of cooked spaghetti and sprinkle some parmesan on top.

Enjoy

Sticky Honey & Garlic Glazed Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs are not my favourite thing in the world but oh my goodness - such yumminess in a meatball!!

These are quite high in syns - the recipe makes 12 meatballs (but they are biggish meatballs about 1-1.5 inch in size) and by my working out, they work out about 1.5 syns each.  I had 4 and was stuffed!  You could reduce the syns by making slimming world tomato ketchup (I don't have a recipe for that, but I know there is one out there somewhere!).  Also if you were to use the milk and breadcrumbs from your healthy extra allowances this would also reduce the syn value.

For the meatballs....

500g lean ground turkey mince

1 x 25g slice of wholemeal bread made into breadcrumbs (2.5 syns)

1 egg

100 ml skimmed milk (2 syns)

1/2 onion finely grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

frylight

For the sauce

Frylight butter spray

4 cloves garlic crushed

8 tablespoons tomato ketchup (8 syns)

4 tablespoons clear honey (4 syns)

2 tablespoons light soya sauce

2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I couldn't find a syn value - so free?)

dash of tabasco sauce

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C.

To make the meatballs, add your milk and egg in a bowl and mix.  Add the onions, salt and breadcrumbs and mix.  Add the turkey and mix with your fingers until all mixed through.

Line a baking tray with foil and spray it with frylight.  Spoon the meatballs onto the tray.  I used an icecream scoop then rounded them.  Mixture should make 12 big meatballs.

Pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until browned and cooked through.  

To make the sauce:

Spray a pan with frylight butter spray and fry the chopped garlic for a few mins then add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 5 or so minutes to let it reduce.

Once the meatballs are cooked, spoon them into the mixture and roll them about to coat.  I coated half the meatballs at a time.  

Ready - yummy, yummy, yummy :) 

Chilli chicken

Think I've just had one of my favourite SW meals ever....everything together was just so yummy and my kind of food!

Chilli chicken - easy peasy!

I used chicken breast fillets enough for 4 people

Marinade the chicken for a few hours or overnight in 6 tablespoons light soya sauce and 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce and some garlic and I also added some chilli flakes for a bit of a kick - then grill.

1syn per serving

Prawn Curry

Super quick and super easy!  Totally syn free!  My kinda meal!

Serves 4

can of chopped tomatoes

4 cloves crushed garlic

2cm piece of ginger peeled and grated

2 tablespoons of curry powder (I used mild)

1/2 teaspoon of sweetener

500g prawns

Add all the ingredients except the prawns to pan and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the prawns and warm through for 5 minutes.

Voila!

Garlic & Ginger Prawns

Yumsters!  I've made this with chicken too and it works just as nice, although I leave the chicken to marinade for longer.  It's so simple to make and most of the work is just in the preparation.  It works out at only 1 syn per serving.

Serves 4

600g Prawns

large onion sliced

200g broccoli florets thinly cut

1 carrot thinly sliced

8 spring onions sliced

2cm piece of ginger grated

handful of bamboo shoots

100ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

Marinade

6 tablespoons of light soy sauce

4 garlic gloves crushed

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon of cornflour

First marinade the prawns for 15 minutes.

Add frylight and stir fry the onions, then add the vegetables and ginger and stir fry for another couple of minutes.  Add the stock and cook for a few minutes - add the prawns and oyster sauce and cook for 5 minutes.  

Chicken Fajitas (Syn Free)

Chicken Fajitas is one of my husband's faves and I used to groan whenever he wanted it as it was never one of mine and I used to just buy a jar or fajita sauce or the fajita seasoning and I could take it or leave it to be honest as a lot of them tasted quite 'smoky' or bbq-ish which I'm not that keen on.

So I had a bash at making my own seasoning and I am now a convert!  This works out totally syn free as I had mine with some rice cooked with a chicken oxo cube for flavour.  If you want to use a wrap then you will have to syn it but seeing as I'm trying to banish all bread type things from my diet I went for the rice and it was every bit as nice.  I topped it with fat free natural fromage frais with 2 nacho crisps/doritos but I didn't syn the crisps - as there were only 2!

This recipe serves 3-4

3 chicken breasts thinly sliced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1.5 teaspoon salt

1.5 teaspoon cumin

1.5 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder/granules

0.5 teaspoon chilli powder (I used mild)

0.5 teaspoon paprika

0.5 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 half red pepper cut into thin slices

1 half green pepper cut into thin slices

1 half red onion cut into thin slices
fat free natural fromage frais (optional)

Mix the lemon juice and spices in a large bowl and add the chicken (I also sprayed the chicken with some frylight) and mix through until coated and leave to marinade.  I only left mine to marinade for 10 mins as I was super rushed and it still tasted really flavoursome after only just 10 mins.

Spray a frying pan with frylight and stir fry the chicken for 5-10 mins until browned and cooked through.  Set aside.  Add some more frylight to the pan and stir fry the onions and peppers for about 5 mins then add the chicken again and cook for a few mins.

I served mine with rice and a dollop of fat free natural fromage frais (oh and 2 doritos lol)

So delicious :)

Chicken Chow Mein

This was a hot favourite at our taster day and I think it is every bit as nice as the real thing and what's even better is that it's all fresh ingredients and probably about 100% healthier than a takeaway version.

Serves 4

1/2 syn on Extra Easy

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp hot chilli sauce

2 tsp chinese rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

4 crushed garlic cloves

2cm piece ginger grated

1tsp chinese five-spice powder

3 chicken breasts diced/sliced

200g dried egg noodles 

frylight

bag of stir fry veg

spring onions

1 level tbsp sweet chilli sauce

4 tbsp dark soy sauce

chilli flakes

Mix together light soy sauce, hot chilli sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and five-spice powder.  Add the chicken and marinate for 10 minutes.

Cook the noodles as per the packet instructions and drain.

Spray a large wok or frying pan with frylight and add the chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned.  Add all the vegetables and stir fry for 5 minutes.

Add the noodles, sweet chilli sauce and dark soy sauce and cook for 5 minutes.  

Smash Pizza

Pizza!  Made with instant mash base!  Now I didn't think I was going to like this as anything with the words 'instant mash' just makes me shudder - but give this a go as I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

120g bag of Asda Instant Mash

250ml hot water

Garlic granules/powder

Dried mixed herbs

3 tablespoons passata

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 tsp salt

black pepper

Frylight

Topping of your choice

25g grated cheese (5 syns or HeA - although it you are using your HeA allowance you are actually allowed 30g)

Add the instant mash to a large bowl and add in about a 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder and dried herbs.  Add water and mix till becomes dough mixture.  Kneed a few times to mix it all in.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and spray paper with frylight.  Add the dough mixture and begin to flatten it out with your fingers then with a rolling pin until it's about dinner plate size.  It won't stay round by the way and will be very uneven around the edges!

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes (at around 200 deg C), then turn over and cook the other side. (Turning over was a bit of a scutter but I placed another sheet of baking paper (sprayed with frylight) on top and then flipped it over and then peeled the paper off it rather than trying to peel the pizza base off the paper).

Whilst the other side is cooking, make your pizza sauce.

In a bowl mix the passata, tomato puree, salt, pepper, garlic powder and mixed herbs.

Once the other side of your pizza is cooked, add the sauce and toppings of your choice and cook for roughly 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

It turned out quite tasty and I will def make this again!  I don't think I will add as much cheese next time as I'm not really a 'cheesy' person and to be honest it didn't really need it, the base itself has enough flavour in it. I made it for myself but the whole thing was far too big for me to eat on my own - half the size would have been more than enough!  Maybe my stomach is shrinking!! haha (I wish!!)

Syns?  I don't really know.  Some say if you are having it as your main meal then it's fine (obviously allowing for the cheese) but if not it's classed as a 'tweak' and the instant mash has to be synned.

Macaroni Salad

This is delicious - I'm not a fan of mustard so didn't think I would like it but how wrong was I??!!  The recipe is from 'Eat Yourself Skinny' and I have adapted it only very slightly and really only slightly in that I only substituted the chopped peppers and celery for some cucumber and tomatoes. 

I really had to try and figure out the syn value per serving - but roughly speaking the entire weight of everything combined was just over 900g - so for a 100g serving it worked out at about 2.5syns if using light mayonnaise and 1.5syns if using extra light mayonnaise and that was me over estimating.

250g dried macaroni

10 tablespoons of light mayonnaise 20 syns or extra light mayonnaise (10 syns)
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (1 syn)
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
2 tablespoons of artificial sweetener
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper
1 red onion chopped
1/2 large cucumber chopped
3 tomatoes chopped

Cook the macaroni, add the mayo, vinegar, dijon mustard and mix.  Add the sweetener, salt and pepper and stir through - add chopped ingredients and mix.

Refrigerate for about 4 hours before serving - or overnight.

Sticky Chicken

I've seen this on quite a lot of different Slimming World forums.  It's very quick and easy - which I love!

Serves 4 (2 syns per person)

3-4 chicken breasts diced

3 level tablespoons honey (7.5 syns)

3 level tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

3 level tablespoons light soy sauce

Stir fry the chicken with frylight until browned.

Mix the sauces together in a bowl and add to the chicken and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.

Tasty enough but I think next time I might add some chopped garlic and some dried chilli flakes to give it a bit of a kick.

Done!!

Chilli con Carne

Love this.  I make a batch of it and then divide it up and freeze for using during the week.

This is a Slimming World recipe but I altered mine slightly - I added a carton of chopped tomatoes instead of actually chopping up tomatoes, added a tablespoon of tomato puree and instead of kidney beans I added a can of Asda Chilli beans (syn free) which gives it a bit more of a kick - oh and I didn't bother to add the peppers.

• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 500g lean beef mince (5% fat or less)
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 green pepper and 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
• 300ml beef stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 400g tin of red kidney beans

Spray a pan with frylight and fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft.

Add mince and cook until browned.

Add chillies and spices and fry for a few minutes

Add peppers, tomatoes and stock, stirring well and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes then add the kidney beans and cook for 5 mins.

Serve with rice.