Delicious meals with minimum ingredients.

[chocko1]

SPICY INDIAN DHAL - Serves 6

Syn Free

200g red lentils
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp. minced root ginger
3 green chillies, (or to taste) seeded and minced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp. ground cumin
4 tomatoes, chopped

Cook the lentils according to pack instructions, until tender.
Spray a large frying pan well with Frylight, heat and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the onions, ginger, chillies and garlic. I always cook the onions in the microwave with a splash of water first, to speed up the softening process.
Saute the onion mixture until the onions and garlic are golden brown.
Add the ground coriander, cumin and chopped tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are tender.
Add 225ml water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the cooked lentils, stirring well.
Add salt, to taste, stirring well.
Serve hot.

 

[chocko1]

CHORIZO AND CHICKEN CASSEROLE - Serves 6

Approx. 2 Syns per serving

6 skinless chicken thighs or breasts
200g diced chorizo - 13 Syns
3 red onions, thinly sliced
4 red peppers, deseeded and cut into thin strips
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
Dessertspoon of chopped thyme leaves
400g can butter beans, drained
400g can chopped tomatoes
400ml hot chicken stock
Large bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Spray a large heat-resistant casserole dish well with Frylight. Heat on the hob and brown the chicken on both sides, leaving in the casserole until cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Fry the chorizo until the oils run and it crisps up. Set aside with the chicken.
Re-spray the casserole dish, if necessary. Add the onions and peppers and gently fry until soft (start off in the microwave, if preferred), stirring from time to time.
Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the butter beans, tomatoes, stock, chicken and chorizo to the casserole, pushing the chicken down into the vegetables.
Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally and adding a little water, if it gets too dry.
Taste for seasoning and stir through the parsley.

Great served with rice and spinach.

 

[dirtydancing]

yummy as always

 

[chocko1]

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP - Makes 3 large bowlfuls.

Syn Free

1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash - roasted, then seeded and peeled
500ml veg stock
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
Chilli flakes, to taste

Place the BNS in the microwave and cook on Full for 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool so it can be handled.
When cool enough, peel and discard the stringy bits, before chopping.
Spray a large pan well with Frylight and cook the onion, garlic, carrot, potatoes and squash for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Pour in enough of the stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 35 minutes or until all the veg is tender.
Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
Return to the pan and mix in any remaining stock to reach the desired consistency (adding more liquid - milk/water/stock, if necessary). Stir in the chilli flakes and seasoning to taste whilst reheating.

Lovely with crisp bacon pieces or chorizo (Synned) on top.

 

[sparty]

Probably a few too many ingredients here but I made it Saturday and it's the yummiest dinner I have had in ages. I didn't have any leeks so just left them out. This is from the slimming eats website.


Chicken Leek and Butternut Squash Bake
Serves 3
Original - 1 syn and 1 HEa per serving
Extra Easy - 1 syn and 1 HEa per serving


Ingredients
6 chicken thighs (all skin and visible fat removed)
3 large leeks, sliced
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
84g of parmesan (3xHEa's)
Fresh Parsley, chopped
Fresh Thyme, chopped
Black pepper
250ml of chicken stock
Frylight or Pam spray
3 teaspoons of light butter (approx 3 syns)

Method
Preheat oven to 200c or 400f
Cut all the chicken thighs in half, to make small pieces.
Add the butter to a frying over a medium heat with the garlic and a little bit of chopped parsley and thyme.
Cook until chicken until lightly golden.
Set aside
Spray the frying pan with some Frylight or Pam spray
Add the onion and butternut squash and cook until the squash starts to soften. Add a little bit of the chicken stock at time, to prevent any from sticking to the pan.
Add the chopped leeks to the pan, and continue to cook for approx 2 mins.
Transfer the chicken, leeks, onion and squash to an oven proof dish. Pour over a little of the remaining chicken stock, just to keep the dish moist.
Top with the parmesan cheese and season with some black pepper.
Bake in the oven for approx 20 mins, chicken should be cooked through and cheese melted.

I served it with some superfree veggies but you could serve with whatever you fancied - my bf thinks it would be nice with rice on the side.

Its been a while since i have tried a recipe like this from scratch but i can honestly say its full of flavour and i was eating bf's 'leftovers' before he had even finished lol!

 

[chocko1]

Sounds delicious, Sparty. I wouldn't bother counting the pepper or Frylight anyway so it just creeps in at 10! Slimming Eats is a brilliant website, isn't it?
Thanks.

Kathy x

 

[sparty]

Love that site. Between there and this thread there is no need for boring food ever!!

 

[chocko1]

CHORIZO AND BEAN ONE-POT - Serves 6

Slightly over 2 Syns per serving

200g chorizo, diced - 13 Syns
2 onions, finely chopped
4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
400g can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2x400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
500ml hot vegetable stock
1 bay leaf

Dry-fry the chorizo in a heat-proof casserole dish, until browned and the oils are running.
Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and sauté until softened, adding Frylight, if necessary.
Stir in all the beans, tomatoes, Worcestershire Sauce and stock. Season well with black pepper.
Add the bay leaf and simmer for about 25 minutes until reduced. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Lovely served with HEX grated cheese sprinkled over and grilled. Also good with a HEX chunk of crusty bread.

 

[chocko1]

BUTTER BEAN, PAPRIKA AND CHORIZO STEW - Serves 6

10.5 Syns for the entire recipe

150g diced chorizo - 10.5
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp. rosemary, finely chopped
1.5 tsp. sweet or hot smoked paprika
400g can cherry tomatoes
2x400g cans butter beans, rinsed and drained
230g roasted red peppers, sliced (can be from a jar in brine or fresh)

Fry the chorizo over a medium heat until crisp and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Fry the onion until golden.
Add the garlic, rosemary and paprika and fry for a further minute.
Pour in the tomatoes, butter beans and peppers.
Half fill the tomato tin with water and add to the pan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the stew thickens.
Add the chorizo, heat through and serve.

Lovely with rice or with a mashed potato topping with HEX cheese grated over. Sometimes add sliced mushrooms or baby spinach at the end of the cooking time.

 

[chocko1]

ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP - Serves 6

Syn Free

225g peeled carrots, cut into 5cm lengths
225g peeled celeriac, cut into 5cm pieces
225g trimmed and washed leeks, halved and cut into 5cm lengths
225g peeled swede, cut into 5cm pieces
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
Freshly snipped chives, to serve

Pre-heat the oven to 140C/Gas 1.
Place everything in a 3.5 litre lidded casserole dish, season well with black pepper, bring to a gentle boil, put the lid on, place it in the lowest part of the oven and leave it there for 3 hours.
Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup, in batches, until desired consistency is reached.
Reheat and serve, maybe with a little Greek yoghurt swirled over and the snipped chives sprinkled on top.

This is one of Delia's recipes. Love the simplicity of it and the fact that you could add whichever veg you wanted. Thought I would add in a clove or two of crushed garlic too or maybe a little curry powder.

 

[chocko1]

SMOKED BACON AND LENTIL SOUP - Serves 4-6

Syn Free

6 rashers of smoked bacon, all visible fat removed and finely chopped
175g green/brown lentils, the sort that don't need soaking, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
225g can chopped tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 pints veg stock
225g cabbage, finely sliced - I cheat and buy the JS mix of ready shredded cabbage and leek!
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Spray a large lidded pan well with Frylight. Heat and fry the bacon until cooked through.
Stir in the carrots, onion and celery, toss around to brown them at the edges, re-spraying, if necessary.
Stir in the washed lentils plus the tomatoes, followed by the garlic and stock.
Bring to the boil, put the lid on and simmer, as gently as possible for about an hour.
About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, add the cabbage and season to taste. Be careful with the salt because of the bacon.
Just before serving, stir in the parsley.

This is another take on one of Delia's recipes. As I'm not keen on celery I tend to add a finely sliced pepper instead. Makes a lovely filling soup.

 

[chocko1]

SWEETCORN SOUP WITH CHILLI SALSA - Serves 2

Syn Free

1 onion, finely sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
1 medium-sized potato, chopped
Half a green pepper, deseeded and chopped
Half a long, green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
500g corn kernels taken from the cobs (approx. 3 cobs)
750ml hot vegetables stock

Salsa

Half a green pepper, deseeded and chopped
Half a long, green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Handful of coriander leaves

Either spray a large pan well with Frylight and cook or sauté the onion, spring onion, potato, pepper and chilli in a little water, gently for about 5 minutes.
Add the corn kernels and the stock.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and blend, in batches, leaving the consistency a little chunky. Season to taste.
Combine the salsa ingredients and serve the soup hot, garnished with the salsa.
If you like, it is good to stir a couple of spoonfuls of FF Greek yoghurt through, just prior to serving.

 

[chocko1]

MASALA MINCE - Serves 4

Syn Free

450g extra lean minced beef or lamb
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 x 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
1-2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
2 handfuls of freshly chopped coriander

Heat a large, shallow, non-stick frying pan until hot and cook the mince, onion, garlic and ginger for 5-7 minutes.
Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, chillies, garam masala, half the coriander and seasoning to taste.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with plain rice and a cucumber raita. If you have enough Syns left, you could always have some poppadums or some naan bread. Really simple but very tasty.

 

[chocko1]

CHILLI PASTA BAKE - Serves 4

7 Syns for the whole recipe, if using cheese as a HEX

450g extra lean mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped or, like me, cheat and use chilli powder, to taste!
150g sliced mushrooms
200g dried whole-wheat pasta shapes
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
500ml hot beef stock
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 level tbsp. of cornflour
90g grated mature Cheddar - 3 HEX's


Heat a large non-stick frying pan until hot and cook the mince, onion and chilli for 5-7 minutes, until browned.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to pack instructions, drain and set aside.
Add the mushrooms, thyme, balsamic and some seasoning to the mince. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes.
In a small pan, over a low heat, gradually stir the cornflour into the hot beef stock, having previously mixed the cornflour to a creamy paste with a splash of cold water. Stir until thickened, then add to the mince.
Remove the mince from the heat and stir in half the grated cheese and the cooked pasta shapes.
Spoon the mixture into a 2 litre ovenproof dish.
Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven 190C/Gas5, for 20-25 minutes.

Lovely served with a side salad.
I sometimes add in some roasted garlic, peppers and tomato puree too.

 

[chocko1]

CHUNKY CHORIZO AND BEAN STEW - Serves 4

6.5 Syns for the whole recipe

100g diced chorizo
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
15g thyme leaves, picked and roughly chopped
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
400g can mixed beans in chilli sauce
400g can chopped tomatoes
200ml chicken stock

Heat a large, lidded pan and add the chorizo. Fry until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the oils behind.
Add the onion, garlic and chilli and cook gently for 3-5 minutes.
Add the chopped thyme, the cooked chorizo, chickpeas and mixed beans to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer for a further 5 minutes until it has thickened to the desired consistency.

Lovely as a jacket potato filler or with a HEX portion of crusty bread and GORGEOUS with a HEX grated cheese sprinkled over.

 

[chocko1]

CARAMELISED BALSAMIC STEAKS - Serves 2

1.5 Syns per serving

2 lean sirloin steaks
2 tbsp. good quality balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. muscovado or dark brown sugar - 3 Syns
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large sprig freshly chopped rosemary
1-2 tsp. mild chilli powder

Rare - two and a half minutes on each side
Medium - four minutes each side
Well done - 6 minutes on each side

In a large non-metallic dish, mix all the marinade ingredients together.
Place the steaks in the marinade and coat on both sides. Cover and marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours or preferably, overnight, turning once.
Remove the steaks from the marinade and cook under a preheated moderate grill.
Set aside to rest on a warm plate for a couple of minutes.

Lovely served with sauté mushrooms, onions and SW wedges.

 

[chocko1]

SLOW COOKER JOINT

Syn Free

Joint of meat to fit size of slow cooker.

If preferred, you can brown the joint on all sides in a frying pan, before adding to the slow cooker. I tend to just put my joint into the s.c. without browning.
You can also put veg into the base of the s.c. if you like or just put the joint in on its own.
Leave the joint to cook on Low for 8-10 hours, without adding any liquid. I found this a bit worrying at first but it really doesn't need any liquid and, this way, it just cooks in its own juices.
I tend to take any veg out about 40 minutes before the meal is ready, put it in a roasting tray with some rosemary and crushed garlic, give it a good spray with Frylight and let it continue to cook through.
Just let the joint 'rest', covered with foil, for about 20 minutes before serving.

29.10.13 - Cooked a small joint of brisket yesterday, absolutely on its own (not even any veg, and definitely no liquid), didn't brown before adding to the slow cooker and cooked on Low for just 6 hours, as it was only big enough for two. This time, I scrunched two balls of foil to stand the joint on in the base of the cooker and that was it. It was really tasty and tender!

 

[chocko1]

DEVILLED LAMB - Serves 2

1.5 Syns per serving

4 lean lamb cutlets or chops
2 tsp English mustard - 1 Syn
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
2 level tbsp. tomato ketchup - 2 Syns

Cook the lamb under a pre-heated grill for 12-16 minutes, turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, make up the devilled sauce; in a small bowl mix together the mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, cayenne, lemon juice and tomato ketchup.
Brush each side of the lamb with the mixture a couple of times during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Lovely served with SW roast new potatoes and roasted peppers.

 

[dirtydancing]

delicious meals as always. thanks again

 

[chocko1]

POT ROAST BRISKET - Serves 6

3.5 Syns for the entire recipe

1 x 1.3kg/3lb lean brisket or silverside joint
50g diced chorizo - 3.5 Syns
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 red onions, chopped
1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
300ml hot beef stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. freshly chopped thyme leaves

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/Gas 3.
Season the joint, place in a sprayed frying pan with the chorizo and brown all over. Transfer to a plate.
Re-spray the frying pan, if necessary, and add the remaining ingredients, cooking over a moderate heat for 3-4 minutes. Add to the casserole dish, placing the joint and chorizo on top of this mixture.
Cook for two and a half to three hours in the oven, basting the joint occasionally.

Could be cooked in a slow cooker instead, either without liquid or reduce the liquid to 100ml and cook on High for 4-6 hours or Low for 8-10 hours.