Delicious meals with minimum ingredients.

[chocko1]

POTATO CAKES - Serves 4

Syn Free, if using the cheese as a HEX.

I find it quite hard to work out properly so, just to make sure I'm covered, I count my helping as a HEX, even though, when it's divided between 4, my portion wouldn't equal anywhere near a whole HEX. Hope that makes sense!

450g potatoes
1 onion, peeled and grated
1 handful fresh chives, finely chopped
125g Feta cheese, grated - 45g = 1 HEX
1 egg, lightly beaten

Boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water for 15-20 minutes, until soft. Drain, then mash.
Mix the mashed potatoes with the onion, chives, Feta cheese and egg. Season with plenty of salt and black pepper.
Spray a non-stick frying pan well with Frylight and heat over a medium heat.
Using floured hands, (you don't need to Syn this as it's only a dusting and you're not actually adding it, as such) scoop up largish balls of the potato mixture, roll and flatten slightly.
Carefully add to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until browning and heated through.

Lovely served hot with something simple like baked beans and 'fried' eggs, with maybe, sausage, if you're really hungry. Suppose you could use other cheeses too.

 

[chocko1]

CHORIZO STEW - Serves 4

4.5 Syns per serving

2 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
600g Charlotte potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 x carton Passata with Garlic & Herbs
300ml vegetable stock
250g diced Chorizo - 18 Syns

Place the peppers, onion, potatoes and passata into a large pan. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Add the Chorizo and continue cooking over a medium heat for another 10 minutes. If you like, you could add olives as a HEX, at the same time as the Chorizo. Could also add in some chilli, if you wanted a kick to it.
Serve.

This is lovely served with a HEX of crusty bread.

 

[dirtydancing]

CHORIZO STEW - Serves 4

4.5 Syns per serving

2 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
600g Charlotte potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 x carton Passata with Garlic & Herbs
300ml vegetable stock
250g diced Chorizo - 18 Syns

Place the peppers, onion, potatoes and passata into a large pan. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Add the Chorizo and continue cooking over a medium heat for another 10 minutes. If you like, you could add olives as a HEX, at the same time as the Chorizo. Could also add in some chilli, if you wanted a kick to it.
Serve.

This is lovely served with a HEX of crusty bread.

sounds yummy. will deffo make this tomorrow night.

 

[chocko1]

CHEESY BACON AND POTATO BAKE - Serves 4

6.5 Syns for the whole recipe, if using 4 HEX cheeses

3-4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 level tbsp. flour - 3.5 Syns
2 small shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced
6 rashers of bacon or ham, all visible fat removed and chopped into bite size pieces
120g extra mature Cheddar cheese, grated
125ml SS milk - 3 Syns

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Spray a baking dish with Frylight.
Arrange a layer of potato slices in the baking dish. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the slices.
Put a layer of bacon, shallots and cheese on top of the potato and flour layer and sprinkle with black pepper. Continue with the layering (don't add anymore flour) until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of potatoes, sprinkled with cheese.
Pour the milk over all the ingredients and bake for one and a half hours.

This makes a tasty accompaniment to a meal.

 

[chocko1]

SPICY MEATLOAF Serves 4

5.5 Syns per whole meatloaf, if NOT counting breadcrumbs as a HEX so, obviously, if you count them as part of a HEX it makes the whole meatloaf only 3 Syns!!

550g extra lean minced beef, pork or a mixture of both
6 tbsp. wholemeal breadcrumbs - 25g = 2.5 Syns
1 egg
1 level tbsp. of tomato ketchup - 1 Syn
1 level tbsp. brown sauce - 1 Syn
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
1 onion, funely chopped
Half tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Half tsp cayenne pepper
2 level tbsp. BGTY crème fraiche - 1 Syn

Preheat the oven to 240C/Gas 8.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, season and mix well.
Place into a 2lb loaf tin, sprayed with a little Frylight. Pat down so it's evenly distributed.
Cook for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and cook for another 30 minutes at 190C/Gas 5.

Lovely with mash, peas, carrots and some Synned onion gravy.

Even though the meat is extra lean it still creates oils whilst cooking, so this needs to be poured off before serving.

 

[hanngun]

Choko You need to make a cookbook!!

 

[chocko1]

Ha ha!

 

[sparty]

Chinese pork - slow cooker recipe
7 syns in total. Serves two

2 large pork chops
2 tablespoons brown sugar (4 syns)
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
One Mugful chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons ketchup (3 syns)

Place the pork chops in the bottom of the slow cooker. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a jug and pour over the chops. Cook on low for 6 or 7 hours. Voila!!

It's so easy and really really tasty. This amount of ingredients makes plenty of sauce (which I like). I served it with noodles and made sort of a pork and noodle broth with it but it would also be lovely with mash as a kind of gravy, SW egg fried rice or a full stir fry.

 

[julianna]

Choko You need to make a cookbook!!

I agree

 

[sookie]

I agree

And so do I x

 

[Sugarloaf85]

Chorizo tartlet Pack of fairly big sliced chorizo (big enough so that a couple line a yorkshire pudding tin so maybe 3-4 slices per person) asda 100g pack is 11.5 syns so probs about 1.5 syns for 4 slices of chorizo (guestimate) 3 eggs Salt Pepper Cherry tomatoes finely sliced 2 chopped garlic cloves 4 bacon medallions or rashers with fat trimmed finely chopped Frylight 1. Grill or fry bacon pieces. Set aside 2. Spray yorky tin with frylight and arrange 3-4 chorizo slices in each well. Try mould them to the shape 3. Beat the eggs and add salt pepper and garlic 4. Pour in the chorizo wells 5. Sprinkle cooked bacon on top and add little slices of cherry tomatos on top 6. Cook until egg is firm around 15 minutes at 190 7. Serve with salad or slimming world chips Sent from my GT-I9100 using MiniMins.com mobile app

I love the idea of this! Thanks x

Currently 16st 11.5lbs

 

[chocko1]

Chinese pork - slow cooker recipe
7 syns in total. Serves two

2 large pork chops
2 tablespoons brown sugar (4 syns)
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
One Mugful chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons ketchup (3 syns)

Place the pork chops in the bottom of the slow cooker. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a jug and pour over the chops. Cook on low for 6 or 7 hours. Voila!!

It's so easy and really really tasty. This amount of ingredients makes plenty of sauce (which I like). I served it with noodles and made sort of a pork and noodle broth with it but it would also be lovely with mash as a kind of gravy, SW egg fried rice or a full stir fry.

Going to try this, Sparty. Sounds yummy! Just looked on-line and the 2 level tbsp. of brown sugar are now 6 Syns. Still a brilliantly low Syn recipe though, between two. Thanks.

Kathy x

 

[chocko1]

SPICY PASTA - Serves 6

Syn Free

350g whole-wheat dried pasta
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
1 onion, finely diced
2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
3 drops hot pepper sauce eg. Tabasco

Cook the pasta according to pack instructions until al dente, then drain.
Meanwhile, spray a pan well with Frylight and heat over a medium heat. Saute the garlic with the basil and Italian seasoning for 3 minutes.
Stir in the onion and chillies and cook until the onion is tender (could start the onion off in the microwave to speed things up).
Stir in the tomatoes and hot sauce and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Toss together with the pasta and season with salt and black pepper.

Lovely with HEX cheese grated over. Could add chicken, etc., to it and, if you don't like the heat, just omit the chillies.

 

[chocko1]

STRAWBERRY GRANITA - Serves 6

Marginally over 1 Syn each

450g strawberries, hulled - 7.5 Syns (because they're blitzed in the food processor)
2 tbsp. granulated sweetener
Juice of half a lime

Add the strawberries to a food processor along with the sweetener and blitz until pureed.
Now add 1 pint of water to the food processor and the lime juice and pulse to combine.
Pour the mixture through a sieve into a large jug or bowl.
Transfer the sieved mixture into a shallow freezer-proof container and freeze for a couple of hours.
Remove and blitz in the food processor again before returning to the container. Put back in freezer until frozen then scoop out to serve.
This is best eaten within a week. Can be left up to a month but will lose some of its flavour.

 

[sparty]

Going to try this, Sparty. Sounds yummy! Just looked on-line and the 2 level tbsp. of brown sugar are now 6 Syns. Still a brilliantly low Syn recipe though, between two. Thanks. Kathy x

Thanks for updating the syns Kathy let me know if you like it!

 

[chocko1]

PAN-FRIED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH GRUYERE AND SPINACH - Serves 4

Syn Free, if using two and a half HEX cheeses

200g fresh spinach leaves
75g Gruyere cheese, grated
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 large skinless chicken breasts
8 cherry tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar

Put the spinach in a microwaveable bowl with a sprinkling of water, cover loosely and microwave on Medium for about 2 minutes, until wilted. Drain, and squeeze out the excess water.
Mix the spinach with the cheese and nutmeg and season well with salt and black pepper.
Slice each of the chicken breasts lengthways to form a pocket. Stuff each one with the cheese mixture and fold over slightly to seal.
Spray a large frying pan well with Frylight and heat over a medium/high heat. Carefully add the chicken, pocket side down and cook, undisturbed, for 6-8 minutes. Carefully turn over and cook for the same amount of time until golden and cooked through.
Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan towards the end of cooking. Leave them to sit, undisturbed, for 5 minutes, until they begin to split.
Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Add a splash of Balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes and stir them round to break them up a little. Serve with the warm chicken, maybe some new potatoes and lots of fresh veggies.

 

[chocko1]

Thanks for updating the syns Kathy let me know if you like it!

Definitely will!

 

[chocko1]

SPECIAL FRIED RICE WITH PRAWNS AND CHORIZO - Serves 2

6.5 For whole recipe

175-200g Basmati or long-grain rice
160g frozen peas
2 eggs, beaten
100g diced chorizo - 6.5 Syns
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 spring onions, sliced at an angle
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 good pinches of Five Spice powder
2 tsp soy sauce
100g peeled prawns

Boil the rice following pack instructions, adding the peas for the final minute. Drain.
Spray a wok or large frying pan well with Frylight. Heat over a medium heat. Pour in the egg and stir-fry until scrambled. Tip onto a plate and set aside.
Re-spray, then reheat. Toss in the chorizo, garlic, spring onions and pepper, and stir-fry until the pepper starts to soften.
Add the Five Spice, rice, peas and soy, then stir-fry for 5 minutes more.
Finally, add the egg and prawns and stir-fry to heat through.

If wanted, you could add some beansprouts in, along with the egg and prawns.

 

[chocko1]

KOFTA BURGERS - Serves 8

1.5 Syns for whole recipe

1kg extra lean lamb mince
2 onions, coarsely grated
1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves and finely chopped or grated
6 tbsp. garam masala
1 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce - 1.5 Syns per level tbsp. (could top each burger with more when serving but don't forget to Syn)
Bunch of chopped coriander (optional)
1 egg, beaten

Tip the mince into a large bowl with all the other ingredients and a good pinch of salt.
Squelch everything together with your hands. Form into 16 small burgers.
Heat the grill to its highest setting and lay the burgers in a single layer on a baking tray (you may need to do this in batches, depending on how big your tray is).
Grill on the highest rung of the grill for 5-6 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.

Lovely served with new potatoes, salad and FF yoghurt mixed with cucumber pieces and freshly chopped mint.

 

[chocko1]

SPICY TOMATO RELISH

Syn Free

2 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
500g very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

Spray a large frying pan well with Frylight, heat and add the cumin.
Cook for a minute, then throw in the bay leaf, garlic, shallots and chilli.
Cook until soft, adding a splash of water if it begins to stick.
Add the celery and tomatoes.
Sweat everything down gently for 20-30 mins until the tomatoes lose their shape.
Remove from the heat, season and leave to cool. Refrigerate.