Delicious meals with minimum ingredients.

[chocko1]

OVEN-BAKED SPICY MACARONI - Serves 6

Approx. 2 Syns per serving

250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
300g wholewheat macaroni or other small pasta
450g left-over roast chicken, skin removed
200g chorizo, diced - 13 Syns
1 tbsp. dried rosemary
1 litre hot chicken stock
100g king prawns (optional)


Pre-heat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.
Put the tomatoes, onion and garlic into a baking dish. Spray really well with Frylight and cook for about 40 minutes, until softened, re-spraying from time to time, if necessary.
Add the macaroni, chopped up left-over chicken, chorizo, rosemary and hot stock. Season with a small pinch of salt and some black pepper. Mix well.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the macaroni is tender.
Stir in the prawns, if using and bake for a further 10 minutes, until piping hot.

Haven't made this one yet but thought it would be nice to sprinkle some HEX mature Cheddar over the top for the last ten minutes, to really finish it off!

 

[chocko1]

TAMARIND AND COCONUT PRAWN CURRY - Serves 4

Approx. 4 Syns per serving

250g basmati rice
2 onions, finely sliced
1 tsp. red chilli flakes (optional)
1 tsp. paprika
Half teaspoon turmeric
400ml can Blue Dragon Light Coconut Milk
1 tbsp. tamarind paste OR the juice of 1 lime
500g raw king prawns, peeled

Cook the rice, according to pack instructions. Once drained and rinsed, cover the pan with a clean tea-towel and then place the lid back on. This'll help to keep it hot and makes it extra fluffy.
Meanwhile, spray a large pan well with Frylight and sauté the onions until cooked through.
Add the chilli flakes, if using, the paprika and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the coconut milk and add the tamarind paste.
Simmer for 5-6 minutes, until the sauce takes on a rich, red colour.
Add the prawns, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, until cooked through and hot.
Season to taste and serve, along with the basmati rice.

Love this one! It's easy but very tasty too.

 

[dirtydancing]

OVEN-BAKED SPICY MACARONI - Serves 6

Approx. 2 Syns per serving

250g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
300g wholewheat macaroni or other small pasta
450g left-over roast chicken, skin removed
200g chorizo, diced - 13 Syns
1 tbsp. dried rosemary
1 litre hot chicken stock
100g king prawns (optional)


Pre-heat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.
Put the tomatoes, onion and garlic into a baking dish. Spray really well with Frylight and cook for about 40 minutes, until softened, re-spraying from time to time, if necessary.
Add the macaroni, chopped up left-over chicken, chorizo, rosemary and hot stock. Season with a small pinch of salt and some black pepper. Mix well.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the macaroni is tender.
Stir in the prawns, if using and bake for a further 10 minutes, until piping hot.

Haven't made this one yet but thought it would be nice to sprinkle some HEX mature Cheddar over the top for the last ten minutes, to really finish it off!

made this last night as had ingredients to use up. Thank you it was bloody lovely. Made a lovely change.Didnt use the prawns. will deffo make it again.

 

[chocko1]

Oh, great! It's always good to know. Did you sprinkle it with cheese or not?

Kathy x

 

[chocko1]

CHINESE DUCK - Serves 10

8.5 Syns for the whole recipe

This is a take on Crispy Duck but, unfortunately, without the skin!

2 tbsp. dry sherry - 2 Syns (guessing at this slightly because 50ml dry sherry is 3 Syns)
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. freshly grated root ginger
2 star anise - 0.5 Syns (again, a guess as fresh or cooked star anise is 1.5 Syns per 100g)
2.3 kg whole duck
2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
6 level tsp. runny honey - 6 Syns
Half a cucumber, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
8 spring onions, trimmed and shredded

Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil in a large, deep pan and add the sherry, rice vinegar, ginger and star anise.
Lower the duck into the pan, ensuring it is all submerged. Remove from the heat and leave to stand, in the water, for 15 minutes.
Remove the duck from the pan and drain.
Remove the star anise from the pan and place inside the duck.
Put the duck on a large plate and pat with kitchen roll until completely dry.
Gently pinch the skin all over to loosen, then prick with a skewer and rub in 2 tsp. of salt.
Place the duck, uncovered, at the bottom of the fridge, away from any other food (cross-contamination), for 2 hours or overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 190C/Gas 5.
Combine the five-spice powder and honey.
With a pair of scissors, snip a few slashes into the skin of the duck, to allow some of the marinade to seep through because, unfortunately, we won't be eating any skin.
Brush the honey mixture over all the duck, concentrating on putting a thicker layer over the slashes.
Place the duck on a rack (maybe use the grill pan rack) set over a deep roasting tin.
Roast for 1 hour 30 mins to 2 hours, turning over halfway through. Check it is thoroughly cooked through by piercing the thickest part of a leg with a skewer and making sure the juices run clear.
Remove the duck from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Remove all the skin and carve or shred the meat, using two forks.
Place the duck on a warmed serving plate, garnished with the cucumber and spring onions.


If cooking for two, prepare one duck leg, following the method above but using half the ingredients and roast for an hour at 180C/Gas 4.

Lovely served with plum sauce - 1.5 Syns per level tbsp.

 

[dirtydancing]

Oh, great! It's always good to know. Did you sprinkle it with cheese or not?

Kathy x

yes I did. makes the dish.

 

[chocko1]

BBQ CHICKEN IN THE SLOW COOKER - Serves 4

Less than 1 Syn per serving

450g skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp. tomato puree
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
120ml hot chicken stock
Half tsp. ground cumin
Half tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. brown sugar - 3 Syns
3 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for or 6 hours on Low.
Check the chicken is thoroughly cooked through.
Shred the chicken breasts using two forks, then mix them back into the sauce at the base of the slow cooker.
If the sauce needs to be thickened, cook for a further 45 minutes on High with the lid off.
Serve with salad and maybe a little rice or roasted baby potatoes, SW style.

Haven't made this yet but thought it looked good and it's remarkably easy.

* Have since tried this and it was lovely. Because there was quite a bit of liquid left at the end of cooking, I removed the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and put them in a lidded casserole dish, scooping out the yummy residue (not the liquid) from the bottom of the slow cooker and spooning it over the chicken. I then put the chicken, with the lid on, in the oven 180C/Gas 4 for 20 minutes and it was gorgeous! We had ours with jacket potatoes, stuffed with HEX cheese and some peas. Will definitely be making again.

 

[chocko1]

CHICKEN STRIPS WITH SWEET CHILLI AND BASIL SAUCE - Serves 2

10.5 Syns for the whole recipe (a good one to have when you've planned your whole days Syns out and know you have some to spare)

200g skinless chicken fillets, sliced lengthways into strips
10g fresh basil
1 tbsp. olive oil - 6 Syns
1 tsp. fennel seeds
3 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce - 4.5 Syns
Juice of 1 lime

Spray a large frying pan well with Frylight. Heat it up, then cook the chicken strips for 5-6 minutes, until seared and cooked through.
Meanwhile, put the basil and olive oil in a blender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add the fennel seeds, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice.
Mix well and serve alongside the chicken pieces.

Lovely for a light lunch, with salad, baked potato, a little rice, SW chips or a HEX portion of crusty bread.

 

[RosieBear]

Hi, as i am doing red days is the syn value the same as on extra easy please ?

 

[chocko1]

Hi Rosie. With most of the recipes, I would think so but I haven't done just Red for at least three years now so would imagine you still have to be careful where recipes include rice, peas, sweetcorn, etc, unless the Red plan has change a lot since I did it. If I'm incorrect maybe somebody else could offer further info. I'd still check carefully with all your SW literature before trying each recipe.

Let me know how you get on, Rosie.

Kathy x

 

[chocko1]

CHICKEN CHORIZO PAELLA - Serves 6

Slightly over 2 Syns per serving

200g diced chorizo - 13 Syns
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
450g paella rice
1 litre hot chicken stock
700g cooked chicken, chopped
200g peas, defrosted if frozen
Pinch of saffron strands (optional)

Spray a large frying pan with Frylight and cook the chorizo, pepper and onion, until the veg has softened.
Stir in the garlic, cayenne pepper and saffron, if using. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds, then season with salt and black pepper.
Add the rice and mix in well.
Add a ladle of hot stock and simmer, until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with all the stock. This will take about 20 minutes.
Stir the chicken and peas into the rice. Cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is piping hot.
Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

This is the traditional way of making this paella but I usually can't be bothered adding the stock so slowly so I normally add the stock along with the rice all in one go then, when the liquid is practically all absorbed, I add the chicken and peas and carry on cooking, whilst stirring, until the chicken is really hot. Maybe I'm just lazy!!

 

[chocko1]

HONEYED PLAICE - Serves 2

4 Syns per serving

1 tbsp. sesame oil - 6 Syns
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 level tsp. runny honey - 2 Syns
100g shitake mushrooms, sliced
100ml hot fish stock
2 fillets of plaice

In a deep frying pan, heat the sesame oil and add the garlic and ginger.
Stir in the lemon juice, soy sauce and honey and simmer for 30 seconds.
Add the mushrooms and cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
Pour in the fish stock, season with pepper and bring to the boil.
Lay the plaice fillets across the mixture in the pan and simmer, covered, for 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets, until cooked through.
Lay the fish on two warmed plates, top with the mushrooms and the sauce.
Serve immediately.

 

[chocko1]

CHICKEN AND BACON CASSEROLE FOR THE SLOW COOKER - Serves 2

Syn Free

2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 rashers of smoked bacon, all visible fat removed
1 chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 large carrot, diced
1 stick of celery, cut into 5mm slices
50ml hot chicken stock
1 tbsp. tomato puree
Half to one tsp. smoked paprika

Grill or fry the bacon until cooked through (bacon and chorizo are the only things I ever brown/cook before adding to a slow cooker but, obviously, it's down to personal choice).
Transfer to the slow cooker.
Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cook on Low for 7-8 hours.
Add seasoning to taste at the end and, if it needs thickening, either transfer to a pan and simmer quickly on the hob until the desired consistency is reached or, stir in some blended cornflour (Synned) gradually, stirring all the time.

Obviously, you can add in or omit any ingredients. I sometimes include mushrooms and peppers. This recipe is also easy to double up and you don't need to change the cooking time.

 

[RosieBear]

CHICKEN AND BACON CASSEROLE FOR THE SLOW COOKER - Serves 2

Syn Free

2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 rashers of smoked bacon, all visible fat removed
1 chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 large carrot, diced
1 stick of celery, cut into 5mm slices
50ml hot chicken stock
1 tbsp. tomato puree
Half to one tsp. smoked paprika

Grill or fry the bacon until cooked through (bacon and chorizo are the only things I ever brown/cook before adding to a slow cooker but, obviously, it's down to personal choice).
Transfer to the slow cooker.
Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cook on Low for 7-8 hours.
Add seasoning to taste at the end and, if it needs thickening, either transfer to a pan and simmer quickly on the hob until the desired consistency is reached or, stir in some blended cornflour (Synned) gradually, stirring all the time.

Obviously, you can add in or omit any ingredients. I sometimes include mushrooms and peppers. This recipe is also easy to double up and you don't need to change the cooking time.

sounds lovely

 

[chocko1]

BEEF IN GUINNESS FOR THE SLOW COOKER - Serves 4

Approx. 2 Syns per serving

4 medium potatoes, cut into fifths
3 large carrots, cut into chunks
12 shallots, peeled and kept whole
330ml bottled Guinness - 5 Syns
2 onions, sliced into half rings
1 fat clove of garlic, crushed
4 rashers of bacon, all visible fat removed and sliced into strips
150g button mushrooms, washed and kept whole
500g stewing steak, all visible fat removed and diced
1 level tbsp. cornflour - 3.5 Syns

Put the potatoes over the base and up the sides of the slow cooker.
Put the carrots over the top of the potatoes.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon, either under the grill (before cutting into strips) or in a small frying pan.
Add the bacon to the slow cooker, along with all the other ingredients.
Cook on Low for 8 hours.
During the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the cornflour, after having blended it with a tiny amount of water, stirring whilst adding.
If this doesn't thicken the stew to your desired consistency, rather than adding anymore cornflour, transfer the stew to a large pan and simmer rapidly on the hob until more of the liquid has evaporated.

 

[chocko1]

COCONUT FRUIT SALAD - Serves 4

3.5 Syns for the recipe

2 blood oranges, pith removed and separated into segments (ordinary oranges will do)
1 pineapple, diced
1 pomegranate
Juice of 1 lime
1 level tbsp. of runny honey - 2.5 Syns
4 tbsp. reduced-fat coconut milk - 1 Syn

Put the prepared orange segments, pineapple and little fruits from the pomegranate in a large bowl.
Add the lime juice, honey and coconut milk.
Stir well, gently, then put into the fridge to chill.

This is also nice if you serve it sprinkled with chopped, fresh coriander.

 

[dirtydancing]

loving the recipes. How u feeling now Kathy?

 

[chocko1]

Much better, thanks dirtydancing. Still waiting for an operation date (hoping it'll be after Christmas now) but, with all the Morphine, I'm not in much pain atm. Looks like an alcohol free Christmas though! Thanks for asking though and, if we don't correspond beforehand, have a lovely Christmas.

Kathy xx

 

[dirtydancing]

Hope you have a lovely Christmas too Kathy.

 

[chocko1]

SWEET AND SOUR PORK for the SLOW COOKER - Serves 6

Not quite 3 Syns per serving

900g extra lean cubed pork
400g tin of pineapple chunks in juice (reserve the juice) - 10 Syns
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 carrots, cut into batons
1 tbsp. brown sugar - 3 Syns
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tbsp. cornflour - 3.5 Syns

If you like, brown the pork in a frying pan with a little Frylight. I never bother with the browning and it doesn't seem to make any difference. Personal opinion!!
Put everything into the slow cooker, including the pineapple juice but, not the pineapple chunks.
Season with about half a teaspoon of salt and add 50ml of boiling water.
Cook on Low for 6 hours.
Check the pork is tender and, if not, cook for a further hour, adding the pineapple chunks for the final 30 minutes of cooking.
If the mixture is too liquidy, blend the cornflour into a thick paste with a small amount of cold water and pour into the slow cooker, stirring continuously. Leave to cook for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with boiled rice.

I haven't tried this but I have it on good authority that it tastes delicious. Let me know what you think and, if it's horrible, I will severely punish the person who recommended it to me!