POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 1 – per serving = 3 points or 355 cals, 11.4g fat, 57.9g carbs, 19.0g protein (or with toppings 416 cals, 13.4g fat, 62.7g carbs, 25.1g protein)

INGREDIENTS

30g raspberries, fresh or frozen

¼ tablespoon chia seeds

50g porridge oats

1 medium egg, beaten

50ml skimmed milk

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).
2. Put the raspberries in a small pan with a dash of water. Turn the heat to high and simmer the raspberries until they start to soften and break down. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon when they get soft enough.
3. Add the chia seeds, simmer for another minute, and then remove from the heat and pop to one side to cool. The chia seeds will thicken the raspberry mush into a jam-like consistency.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the oats, egg, milk, baking powder, sweetener, vanilla extract and peanut butter powder.
5. Take a small baking dish, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add half the oat mixture. Top with half the raspberry jam, swirl through the oats, and then add the rest of the oats and the jam. Swirl again and then pop in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until cooked through.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. The texture should be set on top but still a little soft and squidgy inside (not quite as dry as a cake). Serve with a dollop of fat-free yoghurt, peanut butter and fresh raspberries

The post Peanut Butter and Jam Baked Oats first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

A few weeks ago I had a pack of lean pork mince in the freezer and so I thought, yep, lets add it to that, and this recipe was born.

It might seem a bit strange adding milk but milk is actually quite a traditional ingredient to add to a ragu (particularly Bolognese). Not only does it help make a lovely rich sauce, it also tenderises the meat and takes some of the acidity out of the tomatoes.

The key to this dish is a low, long simmer. It helps to thicken up the ragu nicely and make sure the flavours are deep and delicious.

If you don’t want to add the wine, just leave it out, you don’t need to replace it with anything. This will make the ragu 6sp per serving instead of 7. I serve this with 60g (dried) of pasta per person for a total of 13sp for the whole dish. I do add a cheeky shaving or parmesan to the top too though!

If you can’t get your hands on any of the whole nduja, you can get nduja paste in lots of supermarkets now, I got it recently in M&S. You can also get it online (I’ve had it from Amazon before and popped it into my shop if anyone would like to get it from there!!).

This is a great dish if you want left overs for the next day, or to pop in the freezer. Tossing the sauce through the pasta makes it go much further and I like it when theres a nice pasta to meat ratio (my hubbie on the other hand, would have piles of meat)!

Give this one a whirl, it’s a real treat.

SMART POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 6 = 7sp per serving (on all plans)

INGREDIENTS

500g lean pork mince, raw

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

2 sticks celery, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

50g nduja sausage (or 2 tbsp nduja paste), roughly chopped into 1cm chunks

2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted for 30 seconds in a dry pan and then ground to powder

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp crushed chillies

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp tomato puree

125ml red or white wine (optional)

1 chicken stock cube

400ml skimmed milk

400g tin tomatoes

Bay leaf

Salt and pepper

100g fresh parmesan

Small bunch fresh basil, roughly torn (reserve a little to dress)

METHOD

Pop the pork mince into a large frying pan, season with salt and pepper and fry until the mince is nicely browned.

Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and fry for another 5-6 minutes until the carrot starts to soften.

Add the nduja, ground fennel, oregano, crushed chillies, lemon zest and tomato puree. Stir, fry for another minute and then add the wine. Simmer until the wine reduces by half.

Crumble the chicken stock cube into the pan. Add the milk, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on a low heat for 2 hours (no lid), stirring regularly. The sauce should reduce nicely over time.

Pop the pasta on when the ragu has 10 minutes left to cook.

Finally, add the parmesan and basil to the ragu, stir and remove from the heat. Season to taste.

Serve the ragu with the pasta (I like to toss it through before serving) and dress with the reserved basil.

Enjoy!

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Pork, Nduja and Fennel Pasta

Serves 6 = Per serving

7sp on all plans

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 500 g lean pork mince raw
• 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
• 1 onion peeled and finely diced
• 2 sticks celery finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
• 50 g nduja sausage or 2 tbsp nduja paste, roughly chopped into 1cm chunks
• 2 tsp fennel seeds toasted for 30 seconds in a dry pan and then ground to powder
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp crushed chillies
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 125 ml red or white wine optional
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 400 ml skimmed milk
• 400 g tin tomatoes
• Bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 100 g fresh parmesan
• Small bunch fresh basil roughly torn (reserve a little to dress)

Instructions

• Pop the pork mince into a large frying pan, season with salt and pepper and fry until the mince is nicely browned.
• Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and fry for another 5-6 minutes until the carrot starts to soften.
• Add the nduja, ground fennel, oregano, crushed chillies, lemon zest and tomato puree. Stir, fry for another minute and then add the wine. Simmer until the wine reduces by half.
• Crumble the chicken stock cube into the pan. Add the milk, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on a low heat for 2 hours (no lid), stirring regularly. The sauce should reduce nicely over time.
• Pop the pasta on when the ragu has 10 minutes left to cook.
• Finally, add the parmesan and basil to the ragu, stir and remove from the heat. Season to taste.
• Serve the ragu with the pasta (I like to toss it through before serving) and dress with the reserved basil.
• Enjoy!

The post Pork, Nduja and Fennel Ragu first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Harissa Prawn Orzo

Serves 4 = 7sp per serving on BLUE and PURPLE, 8sp on GREEN

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 courgette, washed, woody ends cut off and grated

240g orzo, dry

½ tsp salt

1 vegetable stock cube, made up with 500ml boiling water

80g frozen peas

3 spring onions, finely sliced

3 tsp harissa paste

30g parmesan, finely grated

Handful of fresh mint and coriander, roughly chopped

Pinch of crushed chillies (if you like it spicy)

1 lemon, zest and juice

360g raw jumbo king prawns (I buy the frozen ones in Aldi, make sure they are defrosted before use)

Method

Spray a large frying pan (or wok) with 1kal and add the onion. Fry on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the onion starts to soften (add a little water if the pan starts to get dry). Add the garlic and courgette and fry for another minute or two.  Add the orzo, stir through and then add the vegetable stock and salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10-12 minutes until the orzo is cooked through and the water has evaporated. Add the peas and spring onions to the pan a few minutes before the orzo is cooked (reserve a few spring onions to dress the dish at the end). If the water dries up completely before the orzo is cooked, add a little more water. If the pan is still watery when the orzo is al dente, bring the heat to high to simmer off the liquid quickly (be careful to keep stirring every now and then so the orzo doesn’t stick to the pan).

Once the orzo is cooked and is no longer watery, turn off the heat and stir through the harissa, parmesan, mint and coriander (and the chillies if you are having them). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave to rest while you cook the prawns.

In a separate frying pan, spray with 1kal, add the prawns, season with salt and pepper and the lemon zest. Fry for a few minutes until pink and cooked through (this won’t take long at all). Remove from the heat.

Finally add the juice of ½ the lemon to the orzo. Stir and then portion up. Top with the prawns, reserved spring onions and serve with a small slice of lemon per person.

Enjoy!

The post Harissa Prawn Orzo first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 11 points or 513 cals, 23.6g fat, 48.7g carbs, 25.2g protein

Ingredients

For the duck

400g duck breasts fillets, skin removed, raw

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

For the stir fry

1 tsp sesame oil

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks

1 pepper, deseeded and sliced

4 spring onions, finely sliced

200g white cabbage, finely sliced

100g beansprouts

2 tsp each of Chinese 5 spice and chilli powder

3 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 chilli, finely sliced (and deseeded if you don’t like things too spicy)

400g fresh egg noodles

1 lime

Method

1. Begin by making the duck. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Take a baking dish, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the duck breasts skin-side up.
2. Season with salt and pepper and the 5-spice, spray the duck again with low-calorie cooking spray and then roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until cooked through. Remove the duck from the oven, rest for 10 minutes, and then shred with two forks.3
3. While the duck is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the stir-fry. Take a wok or large frying pan, pour in the sesame oil and bring to a medium/high heat.
4. Add the carrot, pepper, spring onion, white cabbage and beansprouts. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the carrot starts to soften. Add the 5-spiceand chilli powder, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey and rice wine vinegar. Pour in a splash of cold water and toss everything together, continuing to fry on a medium/high heat.
5. Add the shredded duck, coriander and chilli to the pan, toss everything together again, and check for seasoning. Season with salt and pepper if required.
6. Add the egg noodles to the pan with a splash of water, toss to combine, and fry on a medium heat until everything is piping hot.
7. Finally, remove the stir-fry from the heat and squeeze in the lime juice. Serve in nice big bowls.

The post Hoisin Duck Stir Fry first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

If you aren’t a fan of lamb you could use chicken instead. This make the recipe 7sp on BLUE, 8sp on GREEN and 4sp on PURPLE.

Harissa Lamb and Goat’s Cheese Potato Salad

Serves 2 = 10sp BLUE and GREEN, 7sp PURPLE

Ingredients

300g new potatoes, halved

10g pine nuts

200g extra lean diced lamb

4 tsp harissa paste

1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced width ways

1 lemon, halved

Mixed salad leaves, roughly shredded

Handful of fresh parsley and mint, roughly chopped

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

48g goat’s cheese, chopped into small pieces

1 tbsp fat free Greek yoghurt

Method

Pop the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and add 1 tsp table salt. Boil for 15-18 minutes (or until soft – check by poking with a knife).

Meanwhile take a large frying pan and add the pine nuts. Toast on a medium heat for a few minutes until you smell their nutty aroma and then remove from pan (don’t let them burn!).

In the same frying pan add the diced lamb, season with salt and pepper, add 2 tsp harissa paste and spray with 1kal.  Toss together and then fry on a medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until the lamb is cooked to your liking. Remove the lamb from the pan to rest (pop to one side in a bowl) and in the same pan add the onion and red peppers, spray with 1kal and fry for 8-12 minutes until the onions are nice and soft (add a little water to the pan if it starts to get a little dry). Add the onions and peppers to the same bowl as the lamb.

Drain the potatoes and add to the frying pan that you fried the lamb, onions and peppers in. Spray with 1kal and add 1 tsp harissa paste. Season with salt and pepper and fry the potatoes on a medium-high heat until they start to take on a little colour.

Take a large bowl, add the potatoes, lamb, onions and peppers and toss everything together. Add the juice of ½ lemon, toss and then add the salad leaves, parsley and mint. Toss everything together again, check and season with salt and pepper if required.

Pop onto a large plate or into a large bowl and then top with the goats cheese, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts.  Drizzle over the Greek yoghurt and the final tsp of harissa paste (in same dollops) and finish with a final squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve between two smaller bowls.

Enjoy!

The post Harissa Lamb and Goat’s Cheese Potato Salad first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 16 – per serving = 8sp or 148 cals, 8.5g fat, 17.0g carbs, 1.6g protein

Ingredients

100g light butter

200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

30g golden syrup

80g sugar free digestives, roughly crushed

80g mini marshmallows

20g raisins

15g sweet and salt popcorn

Low calorie cooking spray

Method

1. Start by greasing and lining an 18cm square brownie tin with low-calorie cooking spray and baking paper.
2. Pop the butter, chocolate and golden syrup into a heatproof bowl and sit over a pan of simmering water. Let the heat from the water melt the contents of the bowl, stirring as you go until there are no more lumps.
3. Pop the biscuits into a food bag and roughly smash with a rolling pin so you have lots of different-shaped chunks.
4. Remove the chocolate mix from the heat and let cool for 2–3 minutes, then add the biscuits, mini marshmallows, raisins and popcorn, stirring through the chocolate mixture until everything is nicely coated.
5. Pour into the baking tin and press down so it spreads evenly across the tin. Pop in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours so that the chocolate sets, then remove from the tin and chop into 16 even pieces.

The post Easy Rocky Road   first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

The result of this experiment was a definite success. A lovely easy, delicious dish that’s a little bit different.

If you can’t find the tikka spice mix, you can use my alternative spice mix (most of which you will probably have in your store cupboard if you make a lot of my recipes). I used the Roti’s pictured below from Morrison’s however if you can’t get a hold of these, feel free to use normal tortillas (and adjust the points depending on which you use). I tend to have one wrap with mine and then instead of having a second, I have the meat and veg mix with a handful of salad.

The calories set out below allow four people to have one big fajita each– roti on the bottom, a dollop of mint yoghurt, ½ teaspoon mango chutney, fajita mix and a sprinkling of salad leaves

Tip– If you can’t find the tikka spice mix, you can use my alternative spice mix (you will probably have most of the spices in your store cupboard if you make a lot of my recipes). Alternative spice mix: mix 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, chilli powder and paprika and ½ teaspoon each of ground turmeric, garlic powder, ground ginger and salt.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 5 points or 438 cals, 5.5g fat, 37.6g carbs, 59.0g protein

(if using 3 point chappatis – increase points/cals if using more than 3 point/130 calorie wrap)

Ingredients

800g chicken breast, raw, cubed

2 or 3 tbsp tikka spice mix (depending on how hot you would like it)

1 white onion, peeled and sliced

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

3 peppers, deseeded and sliced

Salt and black pepper

Low calorie cooking spray

For the mint yoghurt

200ml fat free Greek yoghurt

1 tsp mint sauce

1 tsp honey

Juice of ½ lemon

½ tsp turmeric

To serve

2 tsp spicy mango chutney

70g salad leaves

1 lemon

Large handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

4 wraps of your choice (I used a roti or chapatti which work out around 130 cals each)

Method

1. Spray a large frying pan or wok with low-calorie cooking spray and add the chicken with the tikka spice (or the alternative spice mix).
2. Mix and fry over a high heat for 6–7 minutes until the turkey is cooked through. Add a little water if the pan gets a bit dry.
3. Next, add the onions and peppers, season with salt and pepper, and fry for another 5 minutes until the onions and peppers have started to soften.
4. While the veggies are cooking, put all of the yoghurt ingredients into a bowl and mix. Pop on the table with the spicy mango chutney.
5. Put the salad leaves in a bowl and dress with the juice of half a lemon, seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Then add to the pan the coriander and the other half of the lemon juice, tossing to mix. Remove the chicken from the heat and pop into a large bowl or leave in the pan and place in the middle of the table on a heatproof mat (be careful not to damage your table).
7. Finally, pop four wraps in the microwave for 30–40 seconds and put on the table.
8. To serve, let everyone create their own fajita however they like. I like to add the mint yoghurt to the base, top with ½ teaspoon mango chutney and fill with the chicken, onion and pepper mix. I finish with a few salad leaves and then roll up and enjoy.

The post Indian Fajitas first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

I set out plotting what I would put in my recipe and then started testing it and I have to say, we were both blown away with the results. Whilst a tomato based sauce, it got a different flavour to any of my other pasta sauces. The capers and vodka really add something special to the dish.

If you don’t fancy meatballs with this, feel free to replace with prawns or chicken. Just make sure you dice up the chicken and cook thoroughly in the sauce. If you are having prawns, add them to the sauce five minutes before the end of cooking. If you have the chicken or prawns, the sauce is 4sp per serving, 9sp if served with the pasta/

I’ve made this a couple of times now. The first time I served it with penne. The second time I swapped my pasta for butternut squash noodles and it was just as tasty and makes the dish only 7sp per serving.

Bloody Mary Meatballs

Serves 2 = 12sp per serving (Flex) or 7sp per serving with BNS noodles

Ingredients

1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced

2 sticks of celery, ends removed and finely diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Tabasco (or less if you don’t like things too spicy!!!)

1 tsp capers

½ chicken stock cube

50ml vodka

Handful of basil, shredded

1 tbsp parmesan, finely grated

1 lemon

6 lean beef meatballs (5% fat) – I got these in Aldi in a pack of 12 which I split in two and froze half

100g dried pasta (I used penne)

Method

Spray a large sauce pan with 1kal. Add the red onion and celery and fry on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to soften (add a little water to the pan if it gets a bit dry). Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Next add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, capers, chicken stock cube and vodka to the pan. Stir and then flambé the vodka (I use a candle lighter – this burns off the alcohol however it doesn’t always flame as we aren’t using much vodka here). Add 300ml boiling water to the pan along with the raw meatballs, cover the meatballs with the sauce and simmer for 15-20 minutes (until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened nicely).

Pop the pasta on to cook after the sauce has been simmering for 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta and add to the sauce with a drop of the pasta water. Add the basil, parmesan and juice of half the lemon. Combine everything and simmer for another few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

The post Bloody Mary Meatballs – 12sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Tip: If you don’t have any leftover sweet potato, you can bake one just for the recipe. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan). Rinse a sweet potato in cold water, pierce with a fork, pop on a baking sheet and bake for 30–40minutes until the potato is soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and let it cool before you scoop out the inside to mash up.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 2 – per serving = 1 point or 195 cals, 7.7g fat, 19.6g carbs, 12.3g protein

Ingredients

150g cooked sweet potato, mashed

40g tinned sweetcorn, drained (or 40g corn, sliced from the cob)

2 spring onions, finely chopped (reserve a few for dressing)

1/4 tsp paprika

Sprinkle of chilli flakes

Handful of coriander, finely chopped

3 medium eggs – 1 beaten and 2 for poaching

1 tbsp plain flour

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Handful of salad leaves

Balsamic glaze or sriracha

Low-calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Put the mashed sweet potato, sweetcorn, spring onion, paprika, chilli flakes ,coriander and 1 beaten egg in a large bowl. Mix until the ingredients are well combined and then add the flour, season and mix a little more again until combined.
2. Take a large frying pan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and bring to a medium heat. Take a quarter of the fritter mixture, add to one corner of the pan and flatten into a rounded patty (about 1cm thick). Repeat with the rest of the mixture, so you have four fritters in the pan in total.
3. Fry for 3–4 minutes and then carefully turn over each fritter, frying for another 3–4 minutes on the other side. The fritters should take on a nice golden colour.
4. While the fritters are cooking, poach your eggs in boiling water (with a little white wine vinegar added) for 2½ minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and pop onto a little kitchen paper to soak up any excess liquid.
5. To serve, put some salad leaves onto two plates, top with two fritters, and then add the poached eggs. Finish with either a splash of balsamic glaze or Sriracha chilli sauce and the reserved spring onions, then pop the egg yolks so they ooze all over the fritters.

The post Sweet Potato and Sweetcorn Fritters with Poached Egg first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

If you would like to make this dish for packed lunches you can make a big batch of the cous cous and keep in the fridge for a few days. Similarly, you could make a few portions of the chicken, chop up and toss through the cous cous so it’s ready to go!

Harissa Chicken with Cous Cous Salad

Serves 2 = 7sp per serving (Flex)

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts

2 tsp harissa paste

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 lemon

100g Aldi Spicy Cous Cous, dried

2 tomatoes, diced

1 spring onion, finely chopped

½ green pepper, deseeded and diced

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

60g light feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

2 tbsp fat free yoghurt mixed with a little harissa paste (1/4 tsp) and lemon juice

Method

Take one chicken breast, pop between two sheets of baking paper and flatten with either a meat mallet or rolling pin until around 1cm thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast. Add the chicken to a large bowl.

To a small bowl, add the harissa paste, smoked paprika and juice of half the lemon and mix. Add to the chicken bowl and combine. Leave to marinade if you have time, I didn’t so I just got straight on with making the rest of the dish.

Pop the cous cous into a clean bowl, top with the required amount of boiling water. Leave the cous cous to stand for 5 minutes to do its thing. Once all the water is absorbed and the cous cous is soft, add the tomatoes, spring onion, green pepper, fresh coriander and feta cheese to the bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss everything together. Pop to one side.

Take a large frying pan, spray with 1kal and then fry the chicken on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn and fry for another 3-4 minutes (or until cooked through).

Add the cous cous salad to a bowl, top with the harissa chicken and finish with a dollop of the lemony harissa yoghurt.

Enjoy!

The post Harissa Chicken with Cous Cous Salad – 7sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.