HELP

eilidhsmummy

Full Member
I have a lovely lady coming to dinner on Wednesday night, big problem, she used to own a 3* restaurant b4 moving over from belfast.

I need ideas for a 3 course dinner for 4 that won't break the bank, stick to plan, be as close to free as possible and blow her mind!

I love cooking and not bad at it too!

She is coming down to show me how to put rags into Eilidh's hair for ringlets x

oh, the joys of a 3yr old!

Thank you x
 
Hi
Have you got the SW mag Aug/Sep 2010?
If so try the Beef Stiffado on page 58.
I made it for my son and he say it was delicious - nearly turned me from a veggie into a meat eater it smelt so divine. Only 1 syn on EE.
Hopefully someone will come up with a starter and dessert.
Irene
 
A stew or casserole for main would be a great idea as you can make it completely in advance. I had friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago and made chicken cacciatore. It was absolutely gorgeous and really easy to make - only 1.5 to 2 syns a portion. I served it with veg roasted in HEXB olive oil (or you could syn it)

http://www.minimins.com/slimming-world-recipes/176329-chicken-cacciatore.html

For a starter you could always make a soup, or something seafood-y - maybe garlic prawns on a bed of lettuce, or some mussels or smoked salmon.

For dessert it's always going to be a bit tricky if you want to keep it SW. After I made the chicken cacciatore I served a fruit jelly in individual glasses - I used raspberries then covered in the jelly (but there are plenty of fruits you can do)
Then I served a good vanilla icecream for everyone else while I had Total 0% on mine.

Other options would be a nice fruit salad, or a meringue nest filled with Total, yoghurt, Quark or fromage frais, and again topped with fruit. There is a syn free lemon curd recipe on here which you could use too.
I wouldn't say any of the SW 'cakes' are really any good for entertaining - I tend to keep them for myself if I need something sweet as the texture is so different to normal cakes.
 
FIRSTLY: ou friend is coming to see you and will be truly happy with whatever you put in front of her

SECONDLY: I got this on-line- it was the winning menu from a 'Come slim with me' competition for SW

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Starter[/FONT]
salmon-roll.jpg
Smoked salmon pâté in spinach coats
Serves: 4
Syns per serving: Free on Original and Extra Easy, 2½ Syns on Green​
150g smoked salmon
juice of 1 lemon
115g Quark skimmed milk soft cheese
6 pink peppercorns
50g fresh spinach
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper - to garnish
Method:
  1. Place all the ingredients except the spinach in a food processor and blend until it forms a smooth pâté.
  2. Wilt the spinach in the microwave on full power for 1 minute. Reserving a little for decoration, divide the pâté into 4 equal portions and shape into domes.
  3. Carefully wrap the spinach around the outside of the pâté to leave a smooth finish. With the remaining pâté, spoon or pipe (using a piping bag), a little amount onto the top of each portion and garnish with thin slithers of red pepper.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Main Course [/FONT]
chicken-pasta.jpg
Chicken swirls - served with passata sauce and pasta

Serves: 4
Syns per serving: 1 Syn on Original*, Extra Easy and Green**
*Add 6 Syns if not using wholemeal pasta as a Healthy Extra
**Add 6 Syns if not using chicken as a Healthy Extra.
4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp tomato puree
15g basil leaves
1 garlic clove
Salt and black pepper
For the passata sauce:
1 onion finely chopped
250ml passata
1 tbsp granulated sweetener
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
340g cooked wholemeal pasta
Method:
  1. Flatten the chicken breasts by placing in between two pieces of cling film and hitting with a rolling pin. Spread each chicken breast with ½ tbsp of tomato puree, top with a few basil leaves, a little crushed garlic, and salt and pepper.
  2. Roll up each chicken breast firmly around the filling and secure with a cocktail stick. Place in an ovenproof dish and cover with tin foil. Cook in a medium oven, 200ºC/Gas Mark 6 for approx 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  3. For the passata sauce: finely chop the onion and fry on a low heat in Fry Light for 5 minutes until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until piping hot.
Serve the chicken sliced (so you can see the spiral effect) with a spoonful or two of the passata sauce and with the cooked wholemeal pasta, sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and basil leaves.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dessert [/FONT]
lemon-pot.jpg
Chilled lemon soufflé
Serves: 4
Syns per serving: 4 Syns on Original, Green and Extra Easy​
Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
75g caster sugar
4 medium eggs, separated
1 tbsp powdered gelatine
150ml fat free natural yogurt
Method:
  1. Prepare 4 ramekin dishes. Cut a strip of non-stick greaseproof paper long enough to go round the dish with a slight overlap and deep enough to reach from the bottom of the dish to about 6cm above the rim. Tie the paper around the outside of the dish with string or stick it with sticky tape so that it fits closely to the rim and will stop any mixture escaping.
  2. Put the lemon zest, juice, sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk with an electric or hand whisk until very pale and fluffy. This may take a good 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool, whisking again occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile put 3 tbsp of cold water in a bowl. Sprinkle over the gelatine. Stand the bowl over boiling water and stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Add a few tbsp of the cooling, but not cold, egg mixture to the gelatine (they should be the same temperature) and whisk together, then put the whole lot back into the egg mixture and whisk. Chill for about 30 minutes until the mixture has begun to set at the edges.
  4. Fold in the yogurt carefully to keep the mixture as full of air as possible. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture.
  5. Turn the mixture into the prepared ramekin dishes and put into the fridge to set for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. To serve, remove the paper collar and decorate with some lemon zest.
 
YUM
That menu looks delicious - I'll be pinching that me thinks!
 
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