Chicken, Beans and Greens with a Harissa Feta Dressing

Ingredients

Serves 2 = 2sp per serving (Flex)

Large handful of kale, raw and roughly shredded

½ pack of green beans, trimmed

200g mixed beans (I use a small tin)

250g cooked chicken breast meat, roughly shredded

1 heaped tsp harissa paste

70g light feta cheese, crumbled

3 tbsp fat free natural yogurt

¼ tsp red wine vinegar

Juice of ½ lemon

Sprinkle of crushed chillies

Method

Pop the kale and green beans into a pan of salted boiling water and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the kale is wilted and green beans have softened a little. Drain and add the green beans and kale to a large mixing bowl.

While the kale and green beans are boiling, pour the mixed beans into a saucepan and heat gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t allow the beans to boil. Drain once warmed through and add the beans to the mixing bowl.

Add the shredded chicken to the bowl, season with salt and pepper and squeeze over the juice of ½ lemon.

In a blender, blitz the harissa pasta, 40g of the feta cheese, yogurt and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper (you could also just mash up the feta and mix through the other ingredients). Toss half of the dressing through the contents of the mixing bowl.

Split the contents of the mixing bowl between two serving bowls. Finish with a final crumble of feta, drizzle of dressing and sprinkle of crushed chillies (if you like a little heat) on both.

Enjoy!

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Best of all, it’s extremely quick and easy to prepare. I serve the dish with green beans per person however if you wanted to add a flat bread or even some roasties (remember to add the extra points), you could.

If you aren’t a huge fan of lamb, this dish would work equally as well with lean rump steak.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 2 – per serving = 6 points or 322 cals, 15.5g fat, 18.6g carbs, 25.3g protein

Ingredients

200g green beans, trimmed

1/2 red onion, finely sliced

125g cooked puy lentils (I use Merchant Gourmet)

10g each fresh mint and fresh parsley

2 large handfuls of rocket

2 x 70g lean lamb steaks, fat removed

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

For the dressing

1 tbsp tahini

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

½ tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chilli sauce (I use Sriracha)

Method

1. Start by making the dressing. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil and chilli sauce to a small bowl. Mix with a splash of warm water until you have a loose ‘dressing’ consistency. Pop the dressing to one side.
2. Next, blanch the green beans in salted water for 3–4 minutes. Drain and then place into a hot frying pan with the red onion. Spray both with low-calorie cooking spray and fry for 3–4 minutes until the beans start to char and take on some colour. Put the green beans and red onion into a large bowl.
3. Warm the cooked puy lentils through in the microwave according to the packet instructions (I warmed mine for 45 seconds) and then add to the bowl with the green beans and onion.
4. Next, add the mint, parsley and rocket to the bowl.
5. Pour in the dressing, season with salt and pepper and then toss everything together so the dressing coats the contents of the bowl nicely.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice (I used the juice of half the lemon) and then pop the bowl to one side while you cook the lamb.
7. Spray a hot frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray, season the lamb steaks with salt and pepper and then add to the pan. Fry for 2–3 minutes on one side, turn and fry for another 2–3 minutes on the other side for medium rare. If you like the lamb more well done, add 1–2 minutes per side.
8. Pop the green beans/lentil mix into the centre of two plates and top each with a lamb steak. Serve with a slice of lemon.

The post Lamb Steaks with Tahini Spiced Lentils 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.

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.

This really is a simple recipe to make and can literally be ready in the time it takes to grill the burgers. I had the bowl on its own but if you are really hungry, you could always serve with some butternut squash chips.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 2 – per serving = 10 points or 470 cals, 12.7g fat, 17.4g carbs, 69.7g protein

Ingredients

For the burgers

4 x lean beef burgers

Pinch of smoked paprika

4 x smoked bacon medallions, (fat removed)

160g salad leaves

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/4 small red onion, finely sliced

2 tablespoons jalapeños

2 tablespoons sliced gherkins, plus extra for the top

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

40g light mature cheddar, thinly sliced

For the burger sauce

2 tbsp extra light mayo

1 tbsp reduced sugar and salt ketchup

1/2 tbsp American mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar (or vinegar out of the gherkin jar)

1/4 tsp each garlic granules, onion powder and smoked paprika

Pinch cayenne pepper

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Method

1. Season the burgers with a little salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.
2. Preheat the oven or grill and cook the burgers according to the packet instructions. Put the bacon on the same tray and cook with the burgers until cooked to your liking (I like mine well done and almost crispy).
3. Pop the salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, jalapeños and sliced gherkins into a large bowl. Dress with the white wine vinegar, toss everything together, and split the salad between two bowls.
4. Mix all the burger sauce ingredients together.
5. Once the burgers are cooked through, add 10g of cheese to the top of each burger and pop back into the oven until the cheese has melted a little.
6. Remove the burgers from the oven. Put one burger on top of each bowl of salad, then top with the bacon and a little burger sauce. Repeat and continue stacking with the second burger and bacon slice, and then top with a final dollop of burger sauce. Finish with a gherkin on top for maximum fakeaway effect.

The post Burger in a Bowl first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

For anyone who hasn’t tried Gochujang chilli paste , it really is worth giving a go. I get mine online (I’ve ordered from both eBay and Amazon) but you can also pick the paste up in most large supermarkets (I’ve bought it in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s before). It’s really worth making the effort to get a hold of as it has the most delicious flavour, unlike any other chilli sauce I’ve tried. I’ve already got a few other recipes on my site which use it so you may have it in already!

I’ve included the recipe for my Spicy Peanut Dip below which is a great way to finish the dish. If you haven’t got all the ingredients for the dip, feel free to leave it out and simply serve with a wedge of lime per person. The dip also works beautifully as a salad dressing!

Korean Beef Bulgogi

Serves 4 = 5sp per serving

Ingredients

600g raw rump steak, fat removed

1 large onion, peeled and roughly sliced

1 leek, woody base removed and sliced into 2 inch long strips

1 pack of round ended lettuce (such as little gem, romaine, Chinese leaf – something you can wrap the meat in), woody base removed and separated into individual leafs (you want at least 3 leaves per person)

Marinade

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tbsp light brown sugar

1tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp Gochujang chilli paste

1 small pear, peeled and coarsely grated

1/2 tsp salt

Spicy Peanut Dip 

Mix below ingredients in a bowl and use water to loosen to your preferred consistency.

Serves 4 = 1sp/24kals per serving

2 tbsp PB2 peanut butter powder

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp Gochujang chilli paste

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Method

Add all of the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and mix together. Add the steak, onion and leeks, coat everything in the marinade and then cover the bowl with cling film. Leave to marinade in the fridge for anywhere between 30 minutes and overnight.

Once you are ready to cook, take a large frying pan or griddle pan, spray with 1kal and heat to high. Remove the steaks from the onion/leeks, letting any excess marinade drip back into the bowl, and begin cooking the steaks to your liking (we like ours pink in the middle so I cook for 3-4 minutes on each side).

Once cooked to your liking, pop the steaks to one side, onto a plate to rest. While they are resting, stir fry the onions and leeks in the same pan you cooked the steak in (add a little water to keep the pan lubricated and to stop the marinade burning).

Once rested for a few minutes, slice the steaks into strips. Then turn the heat off the pan and toss the meat all together with the stir fried onion and leeks.

Serve with accompaniments of your liking. I chose to wrap the Bulgogi in lettuce cups and the hubbie had his with lettuce cups a small portion of lemon pepper rice (40g dried – add an extra 4sp). I also served both with some stir fried tender stem broccoli (0sp) which I stir fried in the pan after I removed the steak, onions and leeks.

I also finished the dish with a drizzle of my spicy peanut dip which was a lovely way to make the meal feel a little extra special.

Enjoy!

The post Korean Beef Bulgogi – 5sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFROMATION 

Serves 4 – per serving = 4 points or 288 cals, 12.7g fat, 16.7g carbs, 26.3g protein

Ingredients

For the fish 

Spice Mix – mix together 1 tsp each paprika, smoked paprika, chilli powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder and, salt

4 large basa fish fillets

Juice of 1 lime

Low-calorie cooking spray

For the mango salsa 

240g tub pre-prepared mango

Handful of fresh coriander

2 x spring onions, roughly sliced

½ red chilli, deseeded and roughly sliced

Juice of ½ lime

Salt and black pepper

For the avocado cream

1 ripe avocado (150g flesh)

3 tbsp light sour cream

Handful of fresh coriander

¼ tsp garlic powder

Juice of ½ lime

To serve

Mixed salad (ingredients of your choice, I use tomato, cucumber, red cabbage, sweetcorn, salad leaves and spring onion)

You could also serve with taco shells or mini tortillas but be careful to add the extra points.

Method

1. Put all the spices for the spice mix into a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the fish and the lime juice and coat everything well. Cover and pop in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
2. Next, make the salsa. Put all the ingredients into a blender, season with salt, and pulse until it is the consistency of your choice – I like it almost smooth with a few chunky bits. Empty the contents of the blender into a bowl and pop in the fridge.
3. Rinse out the blender and then add all the ingredients for the avocado cream. Season with salt and black pepper and then blend until smooth. Add a little water if you would like the cream a bit looser. Empty the contents into another bowl and pop in the fridge.
4. Prepare any salad ingredients you are having. Then, once everything is prepped, take a non-stick frying pan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray, and heat to medium/high. Fry the fish on one side for 2–3 minutes, then turn over and fry for 2–3 minutes on the other side until cooked to your liking.
5. Serve the fish on a bed of salad with the salsa and avocado cream drizzled across the top.

The post Fish Taco Bowl first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients
Makes 6 pancakes
Serves 2 = 1sp per person (Flex)

2 eggs, beaten
2 bananas, 1 well mashed and 1 sliced

4 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp PB2 powder

2 tsp Sweet Freedom Choc Shot

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Method
In a large bowl mix together the mashed banana and beaten eggs.

Take a large frying pan, spray with low cal spray and warm to a high heat.

Using a ladle, drop a sixth of the mixture into one corner of the pan. The pancake should be around the size of a large mug and quite thin.

Cook each on one side for 1-2 minutes and then flip quickly using a spatula (you need to be quick with this otherwise you risk the pancakes falling apart a little) and then cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from the pan, pop on a plate and repeat with the remaining 3 pancakes.

Mix the PB2 with the yoghurt and drizzle over the Pancakes. Finish with a drizzle of choc shot (1 tsp per person), a sprinkle of cinnamon and any extra fruit you fancy.

Enjoy!

The post Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Banana Pancakes – 1sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Knowing the base of this sauce is smoky peppers and paprika, I thought a nice meaty white fish would work with it a treat and boy was the result a success! The sauce itself has an amazing flavour, it will leave you wanting to literally lick your plate. The greens and the fish go so well with the dish, it feels nice and indulgent for only 5sp. If you aren’t a fan of fish you could also make this dish with chicken. Just make sure you adjust the cooking times so the chicken cooks right through.

The recipe for the Romesco sauce makes 4 portions and you only need 2 portions for the recipe below. Make the whole batch and reserve 2 portions for another meal. This can be added to lots of different dishes including a breakfast I will be posting soon (see the picture for a sneak peak – Poached eggs, wilted spinach, parma ham and Romesco sauce!!)

If you don’t want to use the rest of the Romesco in the next few days, you can also freeze it for up to 3 months. You can either freeze all as one or, freeze in an ice cube mould and once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. The cubes will defrost in around 20 minutes or the larger quantity a few hours (in the fridge or microwave).

Foil Baked Cod with Romesco Sauce and Greens

Serves 2 = 5sp per serving (flex)

Ingredients

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

For the fish

2 cod fillets

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 tbsp of fresh or dried thyme

Other

Pack of green beans, trimmed

Pack of cavolo nero (or greens)

1 lemon

10g fresh parmesan

1 tsp light lurpack

2 slices of parma ham

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200c.

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.

Take a large piece of tin foil and pop on a baking tray. Add the cod to the centre.

Add the garlic and thyme to the pestle and mortar and crush then add the lemon juice and mix. Pour this mixture over the fish, season with salt and pepper and then fold the foil over into a parcel. Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes (until the fish is cooked through).

Meanwhile, add the greens to a pan of salted boiling water. Boil for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables are tender and then drain. Add  1 tsp light butter, the juice of half a lemon and 10g parmesan to the greens and toss everything together.

Heat a frying pan to high, add the parma ham and fry for a few minutes until it goes crispy. Remove from the pan and dab away any excess oil.

To serve, add a quarter of the sauce to a plate, top with the greens, then the fish. Top with a slice of parma ham and serve with a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

The post Foil Baked Cod with Romesco Sauce and Greens – 5sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.