POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 4 points or 282 cals, 10.7g fat, 11.2g carbs, 36.6g protein

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing

• 30g smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp each of light and dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp each sesame oil and rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp lime juicE

For the salad

• 1/4 iceburg lettuce, shredded
• 1/4 white cabbage and 1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 cucumber, halved, seeds scooped out and finely sliced
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 40g edamame beans (I buy them frozen and defrost in some water in the microwave)
• 400g roasted chicken (white meat only), shredded (or two large chicken breasts, roasted and shredded)

To finish

• 1 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp crispy onions (optional)

METHOD

1. Pop all the dressing ingredients in a bowl with a splash of cold water and whisk until smooth, adding small splashes of water until you get to your desired consistency.
2. Pop all the chopped salad ingredients into another large bowl and add the edamame beans and chicken. Toss everything together.
3. Split between 4 Tupperware boxes. Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and crispy onions to each.
4. Divide your dressing into 4 small pots and add to the salad before you eat.

The post Creamy Chicken Satay Salad first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 4 small cookies or two large cookies

Serves 2 – per serving = 5 points or 295 cals, 12.1g fat, 41.2g carbs, 7.4g protein

INGREDIENTS

• 70g porridge oats
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 tbsp skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp each light butter and peanut butter, melted and mixed together (in microwave or on hob)
• 1 tsp each cinnamon and baking powder
• 1 tbsp milk chocolate chips

METHOD

1. Pre heat the oven to 180c (fan).
2. Into a large mixing bowl, add the porridge oats, mashed banana, milk, melted butter and peanut butter, cinnamon, baking powder and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined.
3. Line a baking tray with some baking paper and then split the mixture into either two or four, depending on how many cookies you are making. Form into round discs (1cm thick if making two or 5mm thick if making four).
4. Pop in the oven for 14–17 minutes until firm. The cookies will still be a bit soft when they come out of the oven, so leave to cool for 10–15 minutes and they will firm up a little.

The post Breakfast Cookies first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Getting back to work on Tuesday meant getting back into new routines, meal planning and a big shop and so now I am firmly back in the land of goodness. Needing a quick and easy lunch for the next few days, I decided to put a new, speedy spin on one of my older soup recipes to come up with this ‘speedy tomato soup’. With minimal ingredients, it couldn’t be more straightforward to put together but the results are so, so good. I’ve used tinned cherry tomatoes here but you can use normal chopped tomatoes if you fancy. Try and use the best quality tomatoes you can get your hands on since the tomatoes make up most of the dish. This dish includes lots of garlic and it’s intentional. I’ve kept other herbs and spices to a minimum so the dish truly tastes of tomato and garlic and the pesto lifts the whole thing to the next level.

The home made basil pesto really is a game changer. It makes a huge batch so you can use in meals throughout the week in anything you fancy. Tossed through pasta, as an addition to garlic bread, tossed through salad as a dressing, the world’s your oyster. The pesto will last 7-14 days in the fridge in an airtight container. You can freeze the pesto too, I usually freeze it in teaspoon sized measures in an ice cube tray so I can just defrost a couple at a time (remember to pop the cubes into a food bag once frozen to minimise storage space). In the freezer the pesto should last 3-4 months.

You can make this recipe vegetarian by replacing the chicken stock cube with a vegetable stock cube and using a vegetarian alterative to parmesan.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

For the Soup – serves 4 – per serving = 4 points or 184 cals, 8.9g fat, 15.9g carbs, 9.2g protein

For the Pesto – this makes around 25 tsp sized portions 

Per serving – 2 points or 56 cals, 5.6g fat, 0.3g carbs,  1.1g protein 

INGREDIENTS

For the Soup 

• 1 white onion, diced
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp light butter
• 3 x 400g tins of cherry tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes – Mutti are the best I’ve tried)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 chicken stock cube made up with 300ml boiling water (replace with vegetable if vegetarian)
• 80ml single cream
• 50g light mature Cheddar cheese, grated

For the Pesto

• 50g pine nuts
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• ¼ tsp salt
• 60g basil leaves (two small packs)
• 100ml olive oil
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated (replace with vegetarian alternative if vegetarian
• Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Begin by making the soup. Take a large saucepan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray, and then add the onion. Fry for 4–5 minutes until the onion starts to soften (add a little water if the pan gets dry).
2. Next, add the garlic and butter and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir, and then add the chicken stock. Stir, bring to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
3. While the soup is simmering, you can make the pesto. Put all the ingredients in a food processor with 30ml cold water and blitz, adding more water to get your preferred consistency. I like mine so it’s still a little chunky but nice and wet. Pop the pesto into an airtight container and set to one side.
4. Once the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, blitz with a hand blender until smooth (or if you have a bench-top food processor, wait until the soup has cooled a little to blend).
5. Pour the soup back into the pan, add the cream and cheese, then simmer until the cream is well combined and the cheese has melted. Taste and season as required. Add a little more water to get the consistency of soup you prefer. I like it so it’s not too thick.
6. Serve in bowls and top with a teaspoon of the homemade pesto, a drizzle of cream and a twist of black pepper.

The post Speedy Tomato Soup with Home-Made Basil Pesto first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

As soon as I tasted it, I knew that I had been missing out! After this little revelation, I set out to use it in more dishes where I could, and in place of meat if possible, and that’s where this dish was born. You can serve this stew on its own or, if you want to bulk it out further, I also like to serve it with ready-made couscous, which just needs boiling water added to it. Remember to add the extra calories if you add to the dish.

Tip – If you’d like to make this recipe veggie, replace the normal feta with vegetarian feta cheese.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 4 points or 147 cals, 7.4g fat, 14.6g carbs, 6.0g protein

INGREDIENTS

2 large aubergines (around 400g), cut into large chunks

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

2 peppers, deseeded and sliced

1 courgette, diced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp each of tomato puree and red wine vinegar

2 tbsp harissa paste

½ tbsp honey

1 vegetable stock cube made up with 400ml water

60g feta, crumbled (if vegetarian, use vegetarian feta)

10g each fresh mint and fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon

Low calorie cooking spray

METHOD

1. Take a large saucepan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and fry the aubergine in batches for 2–3 minutes per batch until it is nicely browned on all sides. Remove the aubergine from the pan and pop to one side on a plate.
2. Next, add the onion, peppers, courgette and cumin to the pan and spray with the low-calorie cooking spray. Fry for 3–4 minutes until the onion is soft and then add the aubergine back into the pan.
3. In a jug, mix together the tomato purée, red wine vinegar, harissa paste, honey and vegetable stock. Stir until well combined and then pour into the pan over the veggies.
4. Add a lid and simmer over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and then simmer uncovered for a further 5 minutes (this will reduce the stock down further so the dish is not watery). The lovely flavoured stock should start absorbing nicely into the veggies.
5. Remove from the heat and add half the feta, mint and parsley. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and stir.
6. To serve, dish up and then finish with a sprinkle of the reserved feta, mint, parsley and lemon juice

The post Moroccan Aubergine Stew first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

You can bake the dish at the end if you fancy (make sure to add additional points if you use more cheese) however I’ve tested it both ways and my favourite is to stir the cheese through the pasta and let it go all stringy and melty. Divine.

I used Cape Herbs and Spices Texan Steak Seasoning in this recipe but you can use any steak seasoning you can get your hands on (Schwartz do one which is available in most supermarkets). Pickle relish is also widely available, just look near the chutneys!

If you are feeling really extra you can fry up a couple of slices of bacon near the end of cooking the pasta. Remove the fat, fry in 1kal til crispy and then chop to a fine crumb, then sprinkle across the finished dish when you are dressing it. If you use bacon this would make it one extra point per person.

 POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 6 – per serving = 9 points or 441 cals, 12.3g fat, 51.6g carbs, 29.4g protein

Ingredients

500g lean (5%) beef mince, raw

1 white onion,  finely diced

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

5 tsp steak seasoning

1 beef stock cube, crumbled

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp each onion powder and garlic powder

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

400g tin of tomatoes

1 tsp salt

360g pasta (shape of your choice), dry

2 tbsp each reduced sugar and salt ketchup, American yellow mustard and pickle relish

75g light Cheddar cheese, grated

3 spring onions, sliced into thin rounds

2 large gherkins, sliced into rounds

Low calorie cooking spray

Method

1. Take a large pan (with a lid if you have one), spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the mince. Fry on a medium/high heat for around 5 minutes until the meat starts to brown and cook through.
2. Add the onion and garlic with 2 teaspoons of the steak seasoning, fry for another few minutes, and then crumble in the stock cube and add the tomato purée.
3. Stir-fry for a minute, and then add the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Fry for a few seconds and then add the tomatoes, 1 litre of boiling water and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and add the pasta, stirring to make sure the stock covers it.
5. Bring to the boil, pop the lid on and reduce to a simmer for 10–12 minutes until the pasta is cooked through (the pasta should absorb most of the water so the dish doesn’t end up a runny consistency).
6. Remove the lid, add the remaining steak seasoning, ketchup, mustard and pickle relish, and simmer for another 5 minutes, letting the sauce thicken up.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then finally stir through the cheese, spring onions and gherkins. Simmer for another minute or so to let the cheese melt, then remove from the heat.
8. Plate up and sprinkle with bacon crumb if you are having it.

The post Cheeseburger Pasta first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

You will see that I’ve calculated the SP’s for each of the new plans below which I will do for all of my recipes moving forwards. Eventually I hope to be able to repoint all of my previous recipes too but this may take a little time so you may need to pop them back through your own recipe builder if you are on the green or purple plan now (all of the previous recipes are pointed for the old plan which is now the blue plan).

Mince Pie Baked Oats

Makes 6 Muffins = 4sp for 3 muffins or 8sp for 6 muffins (on the Blue Plan)

5sp for 3 muffins or 10sp for 6 muffins (on the Green Plan)

2sp for 3 muffins or 4sp for 6 muffins (on the Purple Plan)

Ingredients

50g porridge oats

1 medium egg

50ml skimmed milk

2 tbsp artificial sweetener

3 tsp mincemeat (I used Sainsbury’s own)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Pop all the ingredients except the mincemeat into a bowl and mix well.

Take six silicone cases and pop a tsp of the mixture into the bottom of each (use up to half of the mixture). Add half a tsp of mincemeat to each case and then top with the remaining oat mixture.

Pop in to the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serve warm with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

The post Mince Pie Baked Oats first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

The freekeh (a roasted grain a little bigger than giant cous cous) adds a lovely smoky flavour to the dish and the lemon lightens everything up nicely at the end. Freekeh is farily easy to get a hold of these days as they sell it ready prepared in most supermarkets (with the microwaveable rice and grains) but if you can’t find it, it can be replaced with another grain (brown rice, quinoa, bulgur wheat, whatever you fancy).

The pomegranate seeds in this dish are optional but add the most delicious fruity burst at the end of the dish.

The recipe below makes 6 generous servings but if you fancy a little more, the smart points for four servings (also included below) aren’t too many more.

Moroccan Roasted Butternut, Freekeh and Feta Salad

Serves 6 – 4sp per serving (Flex) or serves 4 at 6sp per serving

Ingredients

2 x large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced into ½ inch chunks

1 x tbsp Moroccan spice mix (I used Shwartz)

1 x pack of Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Freekah (if you can’t get this you can use any microwaveable grain – I got mine in Sainsbury’s)

1 x 200g pack light feta cheese (I use the Sainsbury’s Be Good to Yourself Salad Cheese), crumbled

3 x roasted peppers (from a jar in brine), sliced

Large handful cherry tomatoes, halved

3 spring onions, sliced

Small pack of pomegranate seeds (optional)

Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 lemon

Large packet of salad leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Take a large roasting tray, add the diced BNS, sprinkle with the Moroccan seasoning, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spray with 1kal and then pop in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the squash is soft and starting to get nice crispy edges. Remove from the oven and pop to one side.

Cook the freekeh in the microwave according to the packet instructions (mine took 45 seconds at 900w). Once cooked pour the freekeh in the tray with the BNS along with the feta, roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, pomegranate seeds and parsley. Toss everything together and then squeeze in the juice of one lemon.

Pop a few salad leaves in the base of each lunch box and then share the BNS mixture evenly between each. Pop in the fridge once cooled and enjoy being uber prepared for the week ahead!

The post Moroccan Roasted Butternut, Freekeh and Feta Salad – 4sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

If you don’t like things too spicy, just add the one chilli and leave out the chilli oil. If you like a nice heat, make as below and when you add the chilli oil, make sure you get some of the crushed chillies from the bottom of the jar as they add a lovely warmth. I use Chiu Chow chilli oil which you can get in most supermarkets now but you can also find it in Chinese supermarkets and on Amazon or Ebay. It tastes amazing and is great added to loads of things to make them a bit more exciting – from scrambled eggs to dumplings.

For this dish I used lean beef frying steak but you could also use lean rump steak if you prefer. The dish would also work nicely with chicken (this would reduce the points to 2sp per serving) just make sure you cook the chicken through before removing from the pan.

This is a dish packed with veg and so I just served it as below however I served my hubbies with 60g of plain boiled rice. Egg fried rice or noodles would also work well but remember to add the extra points.

Chinese Spicy Orange Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 4sp per serving (Flex)

For the stir fry sauce

2 large oranges

3 tsp Shaoxing rice wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp cornflour

For the stir fry

600g lean raw stir fry beef, cubed

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

1 white onion, peeled and sliced

2 peppers, deseeded and sliced

2 chillies, finely sliced (or 1 chilli if you don’t like things too hot)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (or 2 tsp of lazy garlic)

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced (or 2 tsp of lazy ginger)

Pack of mange tout, halved

Pack of baby corn, halved

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp chilli oil (I use Chow chilli oil which I get from the Chinese supermarket)

Method

Begin by using a potato peeler to peel the skin of one of the oranges (try to avoid the white pith closest to the flesh as this is very bitter). Slice the peel into small matchsticks and set to one side. Then slice both oranges in half and squeeze out the juice. You should end up with around 6-8 tbsp of orange juice. Take a bowl and add the orange juice to it with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Stir to ensure the cornflour is dissolved into the liquid. Pop the sauce to one side.

Next, take a large frying pan or wok, spray with 1kal and add the frying steak. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 5-6 minutes until browned (or cooked to your liking). Remove the beef from the pan and pop on a plate to one side.

To the same pan, spray again with 1kal and then add the onions, peppers and chilli. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to soften (add a little water if the pan gets a bit dry) and then add the orange peel, garlic, ginger, mange tout and baby corn.  Once all of the veg is cooked to your liking (I like my mange tout and baby corn with a bit of a bite), add the beef back to the pan with the sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and the chilli oil (if you are having). Toss everything together and simmer for a few more minutes to heat the sauce through. Taste and season further if required.

Plate up and enjoy!

The post Chinese Spicy Orange Beef Stir Fry – 4sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

My recipe keeps the middle of the eggs a little runny so if you prefer your eggs well done, cook the eggs for a minute or two longer in the boiling water.

Indian Scotch Egg 

Makes 6 – 4sp per scotch egg

Ingredients

For the eggs

7 x free range eggs (I use Clarence Court Burford Browns)

8 x lean turkey sausages, meat removed from skins (I used Sainsbury’s own)

½ tsp each cumin powder, ground coriander, curry powder, garam masala

¼ tsp each garlic granules and onion granules

50g panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1tsp paprika

2 tbsp plain flour seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper

To serve

Salad leaves

½ red onion, peeled and sliced soaked in 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

½ tsp cumin seeds

Juice of ½ lemon

6 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt mixed with ½ tsp of mint sauce

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Pop the eggs into a saucepan of cold water. Bring the water to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 4 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan and place into ice water for 10 minutes (this will keep the eggs nice and runny in the middle). Once the eggs are cool, carefully peel the eggs and discard the shells.

While the eggs are cooling prepare the meat. Pop the sausage meat in a bowl and add the cumin, coriander, curry powder, garam masala, garlic and onion granules. Season with salt and pepper and combine well. Split the sausage meat into six even portions.

Next take three bowls. In one add the seasoned flour, in the next one, one beaten egg, and in the other the paprika breadcrumbs.

Take a baking tray, spray with 1kal. Put a small sheet of cling film on a chopping board.

Repeat the below process with each egg.

1. Coat the egg in flour
2. Take a portion of the sausage meat, place on the right hand side of the cling film. Cover with the left hand side of the clingfilm and then use the heel of your hand to flatten the meat so it is thin and wide enough to wrap around the egg.
3. Peel the meat away from the cling film and wrap the egg in the sausage meat (try and make sure there are no gaps)
4. Coat in the beaten egg
5. Coat in the breadcrumbs
6. Place the egg on the baking tray, spray with 1kal and repeat with the other 5 eggs.

Once all eggs are assembled, place in the oven for 25 minutes until the eggs are crisp and golden on the outside.

Serve with salad leaves, red onion (soaked in a little white wine vinegar), a sprinkle of cumin seeds, a dash of lemon juice and some minted yoghurt (mix natural yoghurt with ½ tsp of mint sauce).

Enjoy!

The post Indian Scotch Egg – 4sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Poached Eggs with Romesco Sauce, Parma Ham, Wilted Spinach 

Serves 2 = 4sp per serving (flex)

Ingredients

1 portion of my Romesco sauce (click here for the recipe if you are making from scratch) or see below

4 large eggs

1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 large handful of fresh spinach

3 slices of parma ham, shredded

2 tsp light lurpack

Method

Warm the Romesco for around 1 minute in the microwave (add a little water if it has thickened when cooled too much).

Then add the spinach to a bowl, add a splash of water and cover with cling film. Pop in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the butter, let it melt and then toss through the spinach.

Bring a pan of water to a simmer and add the white wine vinegar. Crack one egg into a cup, swirl the water and then add one egg at a time. Poach for 3 minutes until the white is set and the yolk is still nice and runny.

To serve, pop the spinach on the plate, top with the eggs, parma ham and drizzle over the Romesco Sauce. Finish with a twist of salt and black pepper.

Enjoy!

Romesco Sauce

For the sauce (note – the sauce makes 4 portions at 3sp per portion, you only need two portions for this recipe, make the whole batch and it can be used for several days after).

300g roasted peppers (from a jar)

2 large tomatoes, cores removed and roughly chopped

1 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

20g panko breadcrumbs

20g ground almonds

1 tsp smoked paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

100-150ml cold water

1 tsp salt

Ground black pepper

Method

Pop all the ingredients for the sauce (except the water) in a blender and wizz to a smooth paste. Add the water as you are going until you get a nice thick but loose consistency. Pop into a pan and warm up and then keep on a low heat while you prepare everything else.

The post Poached Eggs with Romesco Sauce, Parma Ham, Wilted Spinach – 4sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.