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Spicy Rice

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I have adapted this recipe I saw online and it turned out delicious! It is supposed to be a ‘fakeaway’ to Nando’s spicy rice, although it doesn’t taste exactly like the Nando’s version, it tastes amazing anyway. We had it with chicken tikka (made using Laziza spice mix, mixed with ginger/garlic paste and lemon juice).

Serves: 6

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 30-40 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Spicy Rice and Chicken

Spicy Rice and Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
  • 1 vegetable stock pot
  • Handful of frozen peas
  • 2 cups of rice

 

Method

Spray a pan with low calorie oil spray and fry all the veg together in medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the rice to the spices and mix thoroughly so all the rice is coated in the spices and veg.

Add 4 cups of boiling water, the vegetable stock pot and the chicken stock cube to it.

Lower the heat and cover the lid on the pan and cook the rice gently for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes into the cooking, add a handful of frozen peas and gently stir them into the rice and replace the lid again to cook for a further 5 minutes.

 

BBQ Pulled Chicken

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This is such a delicious meal, we have it normally with wraps but they taste great with potato wedges and a salad. It is perfect if you haven’t much time to cook as it is done in the slow cooker so you can be out all day whilst this is cooking! This is a Slimming World recipe that has been adapted slightly.

Serves: 4

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 6-8 hours

Difficulty: Easy

BBQ Pulled Chicken Wrap

BBQ Pulled Chicken Wrap

  • Ingredients
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 500g passata
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp sweetener
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

In a small bowl, mix passata, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweetener, chilli flakes and seasoning. Transfer to a small pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Put the chicken in the slow cooker and coat with the sauce and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Allow the chicken to cool for approximately 15 minutes, then shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks.

Remove the sauce from the pan and set aside to drizzle on the chicken later if needed.

BBQ Pulled Chicken w/ Sweet Potato Chips

BBQ Pulled Chicken w/ Sweet Potato Chips

 

Laziza Biryani Mix

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I’ve had a few people asking me for the biryani recipe I posted on my Instagram a few days ago, so I thought I’d write a post about it so people can refer to it when needed!

Laziza Biryani Mix

Laziza Biryani Mix

 

I use Laziza Biryani Mix spice which is syn free. You can keep the whole dish syn free by replacing the oil with a syn free spray oil or count the syns accordingly if using regular cooking oil. Remember 1 tbsp of oil (regardless of what type – sunflower, vegetable, olive etc) is 6 syns. I know a lot of my members use only water to fry the onions which is possible but may be a little time consuming.

I also use a fat free natural yogurt instead and sometimes I even leave the yogurt step out if I don’t have any and it tastes just as good too!

I cook for a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 children) and use half of one of the spice packets as that is spicy enough for my family, I don’t use the whole packet. I like my food super spicy so I usually cut up green chillies to add to my food separately.

I follow the recipe on the back of the spice box and once I’ve layered the rice with the chicken/meat, I add a few drops of yellow food colouring to the top of the rice to add some colour to the rice. And that is it! It really is a very easy and simple recipe to follow.

 

I absolutely love the Laziza brand spices as most are syn free and they are very easy to follow, even if you are not a very confident cook. Hope this helps those that were wondering how to make biryani Slimming World friendly 🙂

If you do anything differently please do share how you make yours.

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani

Lasagne – Béchamel Sauce

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Lasagne is one of my children’s favourite meal, they have it quite often but it is never a Slimming World friendly version for them! They love it with homemade béchamel sauce which can be very high in syns for us slimmers, so I make my own for myself so I can still enjoy the meal guilt free! I use this recipe here for the mince.

Serves: 1

Syns: FREE if using cheese as healthy extra A choice

Time Taken: less than 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Lasagne

Lasagne

Ingredients

  • 1 tub of cottage cheese (plain or flavoured, check if syns! I use Aldi’s cottage cheese with chives and onion, FREE)
  • 2 eggs
  • A pinch of mustard powder
  • 40g light cheddar cheese
  • Seasoning to taste

Method

Blend the cottage cheese with the eggs, mustard and seasoning with a hand held blender till smooth and no longer lumpy.

Add half of the cheese allowance into the cottage cheese mix.

Layer lasagne with mince, lasagne sheets and cottage cheese mix in an individual dish.

Top the lasagne with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes till the pasta is cooked. Cook the first 30 minutes with foil over the dish so the cheese doesn’t burn quickly.

 

 

Egg Fried Rice

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This recipe took me less than 10 minutes to prepare using leftover rice! It is a delicious way of using up leftover rice. You can serve it with any meat or fish or have it on its own too. We had it with grilled salmon. You can add any veg to this as it is such a versatile dish, I was pressed for time when I made this so kept it really simple. But veg like peas, sweetcorn, grated carrots, peppers, mushrooms etc work really well with this.

Serves: 2

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Egg Fried Rice with Salmon

Egg Fried Rice with Salmon

Ingredients

  • 3 spring onions, chopped
  • 1 green chilli, chopped (remove seeds if prefer less spicy)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
  • 3 tbsp dark soya sauce
  • 3 eggs
  • 1.5-2 cups cooked rice

Method

In a hot wok fry the spring onions with the chilli for a couple of minutes with spray oil. Add the garlic powder.

Add the cooked rice to the wok and stir to mix everything together. Add the Chinese 5 spice powder (available in most large supermarkets) and soya sauce. Stir again.

Move the rice to one side of the wok and spray more spray oil to the wok and crack the eggs to it. Stir the eggs till cooked and mix with the rice.

Bassar Mix!

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I realise that not everyone knows what bassar is, I didn’t either till after I got married. I am from an Indian background and growing up my mum used a mixture of different spices for curries. Cooking Indian food looked really difficult and it never interested me. Being the youngest child I guess I got away from going in the kitchen too!

When I got married that is when I came across bassar, it was widely used by the in-laws. It makes life so much easier using this ready made spice mix! My mother in law makes her own, I have bought many different brands over the years and my favourite is the one pictured.

I have recently bought some bassar mix from a lovely lady who makes it herself and that’s what I have been using lately and it is the best! I have no idea what exact spices goes in it but it tastes amazing!

So in my recipes where I state curry powder, that’s what I use – bassar. You can get this from most of your local Asian supermarkets. If you are in Birmingham you can definitely pick this up from shops in Stratford Road, Ladypool Road, Alum Rock Road etc.

If you use bassar in your cooking, comment below which one you use. Do you use a homemade mix or buy ready made? Have you come across a good ready made brand?

Pakistani Bassar

Chana Daal

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Another really simple and very easy to make recipe. All my recipes that state curry powder, I use a Bassar mixture. You can get it ready made from most Asian supermarkets or make your own! I don’t know how to make my own so I buy ready made. The one I buy is quite spicy hence why I only use a bit. You can adjust the level of spiciness to your taste.

Serves: 4

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: less than 1 hour plus soaking overnight

Difficulty: Easy

Channa Daal with Boiled Rice

Channa Daal with Boiled Rice

Ingredients

  • 250g channa daal, soaked in cold water overnight
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
  • 1.5 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree

Method

Fry the onion till golden with the cumin seeds. Add the chopped tomato, ginger/garlic paste, tomato puree and curry powder. Fry for around 5 minutes. Add hot water if the spices start to stick to the pan, season to taste.

Drain the water off the daal and add it to the spice mix. Add enough cold water plus a little extra to cover the daal and cook for 30-45 minutes on a low heat. If the daal is too dry, add water accordingly.

Carrot & Lentil Soup

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I’ve had this recipe saved in my scrapbook for a very long time, I can’t remember where I got it from but it was online. I love the fact that it is super easy to make and it is perfect if you are following Extra Easy SP.

Serves: 4

Syns: FREE if using milk as part of your healthy extra A choice

Time Taken: less than 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Carrot and Lentil Soup

Carrot and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

  • 600g carrots, coarsely grated
  • 140g red lentils
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1lt vegetable stock
  • 125ml milk

    Method

    Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Add the carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils have swollen and softened.

    Whizz the soup with a blender or in a food processor until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer). Season to taste.

    Pasta Arrabiata

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    A really simple and delicious pasta dish.

    Serves: 2

    Syns: FREE if using cheese as Healthy Extra A choice

    Time Taken: 40-60 minutes

    Difficulty: Easy

    Pasta Arrabiata

    Pasta Arrabiata

     

    Ingredients

    • 2 red onions, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 1 tsp Chilli flakes
    • Carton of passata
    • 1 red pepper, chopped
    • Chopped frozen spinach
    • a handful of fresh chopped basil or 1 tsp dried basil
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2 cubes of Maggie Seasoning, crumbled (optional)
    • 300g Pasta
    • 80g light cheddar cheese

    Method

    Fry the onion, garlic and chilli flakes in fry light till golden. Add the chopped pepper, passata, spinach and herbs. Season, cook for about 20 minutes.

    Cook the pasta separately according to the packet instructions. Drain and mix with the sauce. Put the pasta into a dish, sprinkle the cheese and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.

    Chickpea & Red Kidney Bean Curry

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    This curry is super easy to make, I always have these ingredients in my cupboard! You can use all chickpeas or use any other type of tinned pulses you enjoy. Using tinned pulses saves a lot of time in cooking.

    Serves: 4

    Syns: FREE

    Time Taken: 20-30 minutes

    Difficulty: Easy

    Curry Ingredients

    Curry Ingredients

    Ingredients

    • 2 medium onions, chopped
    • 1 tbsp. ginger/garlic paste
    • 1 tbsp. curry powder
    • 1 tsp black onion seeds (optional)
    • 1/2 carton passata
    • 2 Maggie seasoning cubes
    • 1 tin each of red kidney beans and chickpeas
    Chickpea & Red Kidney Bean Curry

    Chickpea & Red Kidney Bean Curry

     

    Method

    Spray a pan with fry light and cook the onions till they are golden brown (around 10 minutes). Add a little bit of hot water to the pan if needed if the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

    Add the ginger/garlic paste and cook for another couple of minutes before adding the passata, the curry powder, crumbled seasoning cubes and black onion seeds if using.

    Let it cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat. Then add the chickpeas and the red kidney beans and cook for 10 minutes. You can serve this with boiled rice and a speedy side salad.