Sunday 28 November 2010

Sweet and Sour chicken

Serves 4 syn free on Red and EE

6 chicken breast fillets, skinned
6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp artificial sweetener
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar (balsamic works just as well if you cannot find raspberry)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder
100ml/3 1/2 fl oz passata

Method:-
1. Slice the chicken very thinly and place in a shallow dish.

2. Sprinkle over the spring onions and garlic, season well and pour over the light soy sauce. Toss to mix well, cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.

3. Spray a large, non stick frying pan with fry light and, when hot, add the chicken mixture and cook over a high heat.

4. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes and then add the dark soy sauce, sweetener, vinegar, paprika, chinese five spice and passata.

5. mix well and bring the mixture to the boil.

Reduce the heat and cook gently for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. check seasoning and serve immediately.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Spaghetti Bologonese

Serves 4, free on green and EE

Enough spaghetti for 4 people
2 courgettes, chopped
2 onions, fineley diced
1 pack of mushrooms. chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatos
1 pack of quorn mince
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp mixed herbs
salt & pepper


In a large pan mix all the ingredients, minus the spaghetti

Boil for 45 mins to 1 hour until vegetables are soft

Add to the cooked pasta and serve

Alternatively you can make the sauce in a slow cooker on low heat for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Any extra vegetables can also be added

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Chilli loaded skins

Serves 4, 2 syns on EE and red , 6 syns per serving if not using cheese as Hea

4 large jacket potatoes
454g/ extra lean minced beef
1 onion, chopped
2 red chillies, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
142ml beef stock, made with Bovril
113g mushrooms, sliced
1 level tbsp tomato purée
400g tin chopped tomatoes
113g red kidney beans
168g reduced fat cheddar

For the skins:
1. Wrap the potatoes in foil and place in a moderate oven until soft in the middle.
2. When the potatoes are ready, take them out of the foil and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Slice in half and scoop out a good amount of the potato, leaving roughly a ½in/1cm thick layer.
4. Place the potatoes back in the oven for 15-20 minutes to crisp up the skins.

For the chilli:
1. Dry fry the mince in a non-stick pan then drain to remove any excess fat and set aside.
2. Place the onions in the pan along with the chilli, garlic and stock and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the mince, mushrooms, tomato puree and chopped tomatoes.
4.Simmer on a low heat for 45 minutes, add the kidney beans and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Fill the halved potatoes equally with the chilli mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Pop under a hot grill until the cheese is melted.

Moussaka

Serves 4, Free on all plans (add 6 syns if not using cheese as hea)

2 large aubergines
Fry Light
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
300g Quorn mince (lamb or beef mince can be used for Red and EE)
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
2 tsp chilli (or to taste)

For the white sauce
250g fat free natural yogurt or quark
2 large eggs
168g reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Slice the aubergines into 1cm thick discs and pat dry with kitchen roll. Gently fry them in a pan sprayed with Fry Light until brown and the skin begins to crisp, and set aside.
2. Wipe the pan, spray with Fry Light again and cook the onions and garlic gently to soften, then add the Quorn mince, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon and chilli and bring to the boil. After 5 minutes reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Whilst the Quorn mixture is simmering, mix all the ingredients for the white sauce in a bowl until combined and smooth.  (If using quark, add tepid water to soften the mixture, but to avoid cooking the egg).
4. Once cooked, layer an oven dish with half the aubergines, top with the mince mixture, add another layer of aubergines, and top with the white sauce. Place in a pre-heated oven (200°C/Gas 6) for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Broccoli & Leek bake

Serves 6, 3 syns on all plans

3 chopped leeks
3 heads of broccoli (chopped into florets)
2 chopped red peppers
568ml skimmed milk
28g cornflour
2tbsp of chopped chives
28g low-fat cheese, grated
Seasoning to taste

1.Blanch the leeks, broccoli and peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes (to retain their fresh colours). 
2. Heat most of the milk and add the remainder to the cornflour, stirring well. 
3.To the warmed milk, add the cornflour, mix and heat to thicken. 
4. Add the chives, cheese, seasoning and blanched red peppers.
5. Place the broccoli and leeks in an oven-proof dish, pour the sauce over the top and bake at 180ºC for 40 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Fish & chips

2.5 on Red & EE

4 x 142g cod fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
908g/2lb Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
Fry Light
57g breadcrumbs
4 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Place the cod fillets in a bowl, sprinkle over the lemon juice and season well. Leave to marinate for an hour.
2. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into thick chips. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the chips for 5 minutes. Drain and dry on kitchen paper. Return to the dry pan and shake to ‘rough up’ the edges. Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet, spray with Fry Light and season well.
3. Mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley and seasoning to taste. Lightly beat the eggs and place in a bowl. Dip each cod fillet into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs mixture to coat evenly and place on a baking sheet sprayed with Fry Light.
4. Place the chips in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Add the fish and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. Divide between four plates and serve with tomato ketchup (1 Syn per level tbsp).

Spicy salmon fishcakes

Serves 4, free on EE and Red

]
1 butternut squash, chopped
5 carrots (optional), chopped
Large tin of red or pink salmon, drained with skin and bones removed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
½ tsp Thai 7 Spice or Chinese 5 Spice
Pinch of dried mustard powder
1 egg, beaten
Fry Light

1. Boil the carrots and butternut squash until tender, then drain in a colander to remove all the excess water, return to the pan and mash.
2. Add the salmon, chilli and spring onions and combine. Add the spice and mustard powder, season to taste and mix together with the beaten egg.
3. Divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape each one into a ball. Flatten each ball with your hands to form a ‘cake’, and store in the fridge until required.
4. Spray a frying pan with Fry Light and fry for approximately 5 minutes on each side. Serve with a huge fresh green salad.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Serves 4, 1 syn on EE

4 rashers bacon, all visible fat removed
3 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp very low fat natural fromage frais
2 level tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Small bunch of chives
397g cooked spaghetti

4 rashers bacon, all visible fat removed
3 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp very low fat natural fromage frais
2 level tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Small bunch of chives
397g/14oz cooked spaghetti

Mustard chicken wrapped in parma ham

Serves 2, 2 syns

2 tsp of wholegrain mustard (1 syn)
2 chicken breasts
2 slices of Parma ham (3 syns)
Dash of lemon juice
Fry Light

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Spread 1 teaspoon of mustard over the top of each chicken breast and then wrap a Parma ham slice around the chicken.
2. Spray some baking foil with Fry Light and place the wrapped chicken breasts on the foil, drizzle with the lemon juice and wrap up the foil to cover the chicken.
3. Peel and cut the vegetables into chunky chip shapes, place on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes on high to soften. Then spray with Fry Light and place on baking tray.
4. Put the chicken on the middle shelf in the oven and the vegetables on the top shelf and leave to cook for 20 minutes. Open up the foil containing the chicken and cook for a further 10 minutes until lightly golden.
5. Serve the chicken with chunky vegetable chips.

Cheese & Spinach stuffed chicken

Free on Red & EE

4 skinless chicken breasts
28gspinach
1 garlic clove
100g quark
2 tbsp freshly chopped tarragon
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry Light

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Blanch the spinach in a little boiling water until wilted. Drain, squeeze out any excess water and place in a bowl with the quark, tarragon and lemon zest. Season well and stir to combine.
3. Cut a pocket in the side of each chicken breast.
4.Stuff each chicken breast with the quark mixture.
5.Sear on a hot griddle pan for a few minutes on each side, then transfer to a non-stick baking sheet lined with parchment.
6.Spray lightly with Fry Light and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately with steamed vegetables or salad

Mushy pea curry

Serves 2 - Free on EE

1 tin Mushy Peas
1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 tin of baked beans in tomato sauce
1 Onion
1 tbsp of Curry Powder to taste
Any other meats and vegetables you want to add (I recommend beef and mushrooms)

1. In a saucepan mix the mushy peas, chopped tomatoes and baked beans with curry powder and seasoning.

2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the beans are cooked, at this point I blend to make a more authetic curry sauce but some people prefer to leave chunky.

3. In a frying pan fry the onion and any other vegetables you like until soft. Add any meat and fry until cooked through.

4. Stir in your sauce and serve immediately with rice or chips.



Monday 1 November 2010

Banger lasagne

Serves 2, 1.5 syns each

Pack of weightwatchers sausages
1 peppers, 1 red onion, 1 white onion, 1 courgette all diced
Jar of passatta
84g of reduced fat cheddar (health extra a)
6 Lasagne sheets
Balsamic
Worcester sauce
Rocket
2 tbsp very low fat fromage frais

 
  • Roast the sausages and vegetables in frylight for 20 minutes on a baking tray
  • Slice the cooked sausages into discs and mix with the vegetables, passatta, Worcestershire and balsamic
  • Boil lasagne sheets as per pack instructions
  • Layer a dish with the sausage mix, top with the lasagne, and repeat
  • Mix cheese with fromage frais and top the lasagne with it. Bake for 10 minutes
  • Serve with rocket salad

Diet coke chicken

Serves 2, syn free

4 chicken breasts diced
1 can of diet coke/coke zero
6 tbsp of passata
1 tsp of worcestor sauce
1 diced onion
fry light

1. Fry the chicken and onion in fry light until the chicken is cooked
2. Add the coke, passata and worcestor sauce
3. cook for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has turned thick and sticky, the sauce will greatly reduce
4. Serve with wedges/rice and salad