Delicious meals with minimum ingredients.

Hi Pat. Sorry for taking so long to respond. I'm afraid, since Darren left Minis, I no longer have a clickable index available and, as I'm rubbish with technology, it's a case of just scrolling through all the recipes and trying what you fancy. Hope you enjoy any you do try.

Kathy
 
SPICY CHORIZO AND TOMATO PASTA - Serves 3

5 Syns for the whole recipe

100g chorizo - Sainsbury's diced - 5 Syns
400g passata
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
200-300g dried pasta shapes

Gently fry the chorizo.
Cook the pasta, according to pack instructions.
Meanwhile, add the smoked paprika to the passata and gently simmer until the pasta is cooked.
Add the chorizo and its lovely oils, to the passata.
Once well drained, add the pasta to the passata mixture. Stir together well.
Serve on warmed plates.

I love this recipe, especially when topped with HEX grated, mature Cheddar. I also add a little more chorizo, mainly because it is so delicious but also, because I'm amazed how low in Syns it is!
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Recipe from frugalfeeding.com
 
TOMATO, CHORIZO AND BEAN SOUP - Serves 4

5 Syns for the whole recipe

1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
4 medium tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, left whole
550ml chicken stock
400g red kidney beans
100g chorizo, the sausage variety - 5 Syns
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. freshly chopped basil

Pre-heat the grill to a medium heat.
Cut the red peppers in half, lengthways. Cut the tomatoes in half and the red onion into quarters.
Slice and chop the chorizo sausage into small cubes.
Put the peppers, onion and tomatoes into a roasting pan, cut side down, along with the garlic.
Grill the veg until they are just blackening. This should take about 12 minutes.
Skin the onion, tomatoes and peppers and squeeze the garlic from its skin.
Chop half the vegetables into chunks.
Blitz the remainder of the vegetables with the stock and garlic, in a food processor or with a hand blender. Blitz until smooth.
Put all the ingredients, except the basil, into a pan, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Stir the basil through and serve in warmed bowls.

Extremely rustic, especially with a chunk of crusty HEX bread.

This recipe is from cookuk.co.uk - They recommend following the recipe exactly the first time you try it and not to substitute other beans for the kidney beans, as they tend to thicken the soup too much, especially butter beans.
Kathy
 
SLOW COOKER FISH - Serves 2

2.5 Syns per person

50g diced chorizo - Sainsbury's - 2.5 Syns
450g new potatoes, sliced
4 tbsp. dry sherry - 1.5 Syns
2 skinless fillets of white fish
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh parsley

Put the potatoes and chorizo into the slow cooker. Toss with 3 tbsp. sherry.
Cover and cook on High for 2-3 hours.
Season the fish with salt and pepper, add the tomatoes to the potatoes and stir.
Put the fish on top, splash with the last tbsp. of sherry and sprinkle with the parsley.
Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

The original recipe calls for the fish to be drizzled with olive oil prior to serving so, I suppose, if you want to use your HEX for this, you could but I've tried it without and it's fine.

Recipe from mediocremum.com
 
RED PEPPER SOUP

Syn Free

6 red peppers, halved and deseeded
12 plum tomatoes, halved
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. soy sauce
A little pared orange rind
Chopped coriander, to garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
Place the red pepper halves on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes.
Add the tomato halves to the tray, along with the cloves of garlic and roast for a further 40 minutes.
Remove the skin from the peppers and place in a food processor with the tomatoes, 284ml water, the soy sauce and seasoning to taste.
Squeeze the inside from the garlic cloves and add to the food processor.
Blitz until smooth, then place in a pan and heat through.
Serve in warmed bowls, garnished with the orange rind and the coriander.

This soup was originally from the Slimming World magazine.
Kathy
 
CREAMY MUSHROOM RISOTTO - Serves 4

1 Syn per serving

250g Arborio rice
1 finely diced onion
Lots of mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp. crushed garlic
600ml chicken stock
4 Laughing Cow Light triangles

Spray a deep frying pan with Frylight and cook the onion, mushrooms and garlic until almost cooked.
Add the rice and cook for a further minute.
Add enough stock to cover the rice and simmer slowly.
Once the stock has reduced, continue to top up with the remaining stock, whilst stirring regularly.
Once the last of the stock has reduced and the rice is cooked, add the Laughing Cow triangles and mix until fully melted.
Season to taste and enjoy!

This is even tastier with a HEX portion of cheese added. You could also add some shredded chicken and/or lean bacon pieces to it too.

Lovely served with a side of asparagus or green beans.

Recipe from slimmingrambles.blogspot.co.uk
 
LUSH LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN - Serves 4

Approx. 3.5 Syns per serving

FOR THE MARINADE
4 level tbsp. clear honey - 10 Syns
2 level tbsp. Dijon mustard - 3 Syns
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
3-4 tsp. cracked black pepper or to taste
2 lemons, zest and juice

FOR THE CHICKEN
4 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed, each breast scored 3 or 4 times, using a sharp knife
4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 lemon, thinly sliced
700g baby new potatoes
Handful of chopped, fresh parsley leaves, to serve

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
Rub some of the marinade into the scored chicken, then place the chicken breasts in a bowl and pour over the remaining marinade.
Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge for, at least, 10 minutes and up to two hours.
When the chicken has marinated, pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
Arrange the rosemary sprigs and lemon slices in the bottom of a roasting tray.
Tip the potatoes into the tray, then place the marinated chicken on top of the potatoes.
Give the chicken a final coating of the marinade and season to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until the potatoes and the chicken are cooked.
Cover the roasting tray with aluminium foil and set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes, in a warm place.
Sprinkle with the parsley just prior to serving on warmed plates.

This recipe is by Tom Kerridge.
 
POSH FISH AND CHIPS - Serves 4

Syn Free, if using the Parmesan and bread as part HEX's

4 x salmon fillets with skin removed
60g wholemeal bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs in a food processor
Zest of half a lemon
4 small sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
Sprinkle of dried chilli powder

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
Blend the bread, lemon zest, Parmesan and seasoning to taste into fine breadcrumbs and place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
Coat the salmon fillets in the breadcrumbs and place onto one of the baking trays. Spray with Frylight.
Spray the other parchment covered baking tray with Frylight, then lay the potato wedges onto this, before spraying them with the Frylight. Sprinkle with a little salt and the chilli powder, if you wish.
Place the salmon fillets on the middle shelf for approx. 20-25 minutes, with the wedges on the top shelf of the oven.

The original recipe calls for the salmon and the wedges to be added to the oven at the same time. However, I always tend to put the wedges in about 15 minutes before the fish, therefore cooking the wedges for about 40-45 minutes in total. Probably dependent on your oven though!
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Recipe taken from tastefullyvikkie.wordpress.com
 
EASY LEEK AND POTATO SOUP - Serves 4

Approx. 1 Syn per serving, if using butter

10g butter - 3.5 Syns
1 large leek, washed and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
900ml vegetable or chicken stock

Heat the butter slowly in a large pan until melted.
Add the chopped leeks and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the diced potato and cover, cooking slowly for a further 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Mash with a potato masher for a chunky soup or blend with a hand blender/food processor, if you want a creamed consistency.
Season to taste.

If you want to, you could add a spoonful of single cream (Synned) or FF fromage frais to each bowl before serving.
Also good with a little curry powder in, if you prefer a spicy soup.
You could also add in some coriander or basil and swap one of the potatoes for a parsnip, maybe.

This recipe is by a lady known as imoginv and features on the allrecipes site.
 
CHILLI PASTA BAKE - Serves 4

1.5 Syns per person, if using the cheese as a part HEX

300g dried penne pasta
Home-made bolognaise sauce, made with 5% mince
100g Philadelphia Light with Garlic & Herbs
1 egg
150g tub 0% fat Greek yoghurt
40g or more (to taste) reduced fat mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Make a basic bolognaise sauce, using 5% fat minced beef - I fry chopped onion with the mince, add in some garlic, grated carrot, chopped bacon (all visible fat removed), chopped peppers and sliced mushrooms, before squirting in some tomato puree, 400g chopped tomatoes, 1 bay leaf and 100g beef stock. I cook it for about 40 minutes, removing the pan lid and boiling rapidly towards the end, to reduce it down to a nice, thick bolognaise sauce. Then I season it with lots of black pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
Cook the pasta according to pack instructions and drain well.
Mix the drained pasta into the bolognaise sauce and stir well. Tip into an ovenproof dish.
In a bowl, whisk together the Philadelphia cheese, egg, yoghurt and half of the cheese.
Pour the Philly mixture over the pasta/mince mix and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Lovely served with a crunchy salad.

This recipe is based on one from the Philadelphia site.
 
EASY SPICED BAKED CHICKEN - Serves 4

Syn Free

4 portions of skinless chicken - breast or thighs
2 unwaxed lemons
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 dried bay leaves
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. - 1 tbsp. hot chilli powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Half tsp. nutmeg

Add the chicken to a bowl and spray well with Frylight.
Use a fine grater to grate the lemon zest of both lemons and add to the bowl, along with the juice of 1 of the lemons.
Keep the other lemon, unjuiced, in the fridge.
Add the crushed garlic, all the spices and the bay leaves to the bowl and mix well so that the chicken is evenly coated. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 220C/Gas 7. Lay the chicken in a roasting tin so that the portions are not touching or overlapping.
Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Cut through a thick piece of the chicken to check it is thoroughly cooked.

Good served with salad, SW chips, couscous or stuffed into Synned pitta breads.

This recipe has been adapted by Amy Jones but is based on one that was originally by Nigella.
 
SLOW COOKER TERIYAKI CHICKEN - Serves 4

Approx. 2 Syns per serving

4 skinless chicken legs or 4 each of thighs and drumsticks
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, remove the papery skin but leave whole
100ml reduced salt soy sauce
3 level tbsp. runny honey - 7.5 Syns

Lay the chicken pieces out in the base of the slow cooker. If you have to overlap them, try to do so evenly.
Add the veg, garlic, honey and soy sauce and cook on High for 3-5 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours. If you can, turn the meat half-way through cooking but don't worry if you can't, it'll still taste fantastic.
When the meat is cooked through, remove from the slow cooker and shred the meat from the bones, keeping it warm.
Pour all the juices into a small pan and boil until it is reduced by about half and has thickened into a delicious sticky, dark syrup.
Add the shredded chicken back into the sauce to warm through. Stir well.

Good served with rice and a green veg.

This recipe is taken from hedgecombers.com
 
SPICY TOMATO SOUP

Syn Free

1kg tomatoes, roughly chopped (no need to skin or deseed)
2 carrots, topped, tailed and diced (no need to peel)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
750 ml-1 litre of vegetable stock, depending on how thick or thin you like it
Half to one tsp. dried chilli flakes, to taste

Tip everything into a slow cooker, season and cook for 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.
Blend and re-heat before serving.

Can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours and frozen for up to one month.

Recipe from simplybeingmum.com
 
LENTIL SOUP

Syn Free

500g dried red lentils
2 medium or 1 large onion, chopped
4-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 pints of vegetable, ham or chicken stock

Rinse the lentils well in cold water. This is important! If you don't rinse them thoroughly your soup will not have the lovely velvety texture it should have.
Put everything into a large pan/pot and bring to the boil.
Simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until the carrot is cooked but firm.
Blend the soup to the consistency you prefer, re-heat and season to taste.

Recipe taken from accidentalsmallholder.net
 
BROCCOLI AND STILTON SOUP - 4 servings

Approx. 3.5 - 4 Syns per serving or 5 triangles = 1 x HEX

450g broccoli florets
10 blue cheese Light Laughing Cow triangles - 15 Syns
100g chopped onion
100g washed and sliced leek
30g chopped celery
200g diced peeled potato
2 vegetable stock cubes
2 tsp. dried thyme
Half tsp. dried chilli flakes (optional)

Spray a large pan well with Frylight and sauté the onion until soft.
Add all the veg., spices and seasoning to taste, re-spray with Frylight and put the lid on. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Add 700ml boiling water, with the stock cubes dissolved in it and simmer until everything is tender.
Blend in a food processor or with a hand held blender, return to the pan to re-heat and stir through the cheese triangles.

This is especially good with crisp bacon pieces dropped on top, just prior to serving.


This recipe is taken from tastefullyvikkie.wordpress.com
 
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CURRY - Serves 4

Approx. 3.5 Syns per serving

4 skinless chicken breasts
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tin reduced-fat Blue Dragon coconut milk - 14.5 Syns
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground ginger or a small amount of grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. paprika
Half tsp. black pepper
Half tsp. smoked paprika
Juice and zest of two limes
Any veg. you want to add

Throw it all in and cook for four hours on High or 7-8 on Low.

Good served with rice and sprinkled with some freshly chopped coriander, if you like.

As usual, if there is too much liquid left at the end of cooking, just transfer to a large pan and boil rapidly until the desired consistency is reached.

Recipe from twochubbycubs.com
 
SPICY SLOW-COOKED CARROT, GINGER AND LENTIL SOUP - Serves 4 (generously)

Syn Free

500g carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
100g dried red lentils
2 cubes frozen, crushed ginger OR 2 tsp. ground ginger OR 1-2 inches fresh ginger, grated - OR to taste
1 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 2 pints boiling water
Curry powder, to taste
Black pepper

Put the onion and carrot into a slow cooker.
Rinse the lentils, in a sieve, until the water runs clear. Add to the slow cooker.
Add the curry powder and some black pepper.
Stir ingredients together.
Pour the boiling water and stock cube into the slow cooker, ensuring the liquid is at least an inch from the top of the pot.
Add in the ginger and stir.
Stir well, put the lid on and cook on Low for 4-6 hours.
When fully cooked, blend the mixture until the desired consistency is reached.
If you want a slightly creamier soup, stir through some milk from your allowance and reheat.

This soup can be kept in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for up to a month.

This recipe is based on one from simplybeingmum.com
 
STICKY CHINESE CHICKEN - Serves 4

1 Syn per serving

4 skinless chicken breasts
One and a half tbsp. soy sauce
One and a half level tbsp. runny honey - 4 Syns
One and a half tbsp. cider vinegar
Half tsp. black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Spray a large frying pan with Frylight and heat over a medium-high heat.
Cook the chicken until cooked through, adding in any veg of your liking, if you wish, (mange tout, sliced green beans, thinly sliced baby sweet-corn, etc.) towards the end of the cooking time.
When everything is cooked, pour the sauce mixture over and bring it to a boil.
Turn the heat down slightly and let the mixture simmer and reduce.
When everything is evenly coated and sticky, remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Would be good with SW wedges, chips, salad, etc.

This recipe is based on one from the twochubbycubs.com site. In the original recipe it does say to add quarter tsp. salt but I worry this may be too salty, along with the soy sauce but, it's up to you, of course.
 
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