As always, if you like my recipes. Don’t forget my cookbook ‘Slimming Kitchen Secrets’ is available now!

WW POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 9 points or 490cals, 21.3g fat, 50.3g carbs, 32.6g protein

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp each paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt 

1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, chilli flakes and black pepper

500g sweet potato, cubed 

1 tsp olive oil

400g lean beef mince (5%)

240g low fat cottage cheese 

2 medium avocados, halved and sliced 

Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped 

For the hot honey 

4 tbsp honey

1 tsp chilli flakes 

1 tsp white wine vinegar 

METHOD

1. Mix together the herbs, spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl. 
2. Pop the cubed sweet potato in a large bowl, add 1 tsp olive oil and half the spice mix. Toss and pop in the air fryer. Cook on 180c for 20-25 minutes (until browned and soft).
3. Five minutes before the potato is cooked, pop the mince in a large frying pan, add the other half of the spice mix and spray with 1kal. Fry for 5-7 minutes, until the mince is browned. 
4. While the mince is cooking, add the honey to a small sauce pan and warm over a medium heat. Add the chilli flakes and white wine vinegar. Keep on a very low heat to keep it runny til you are ready to serve. 
5. When ready to serve, take 4 bowls and to each add a 1/4 of the sweet potato, 1/4 of the mince, half an avocado (seasoned with salt and pepper) per bowl, 60g cottage cheese and a sprinkle of coriander.
6. Top each with a drizzle of the hot honey.

Enjoy!

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Don’t forget, my cookbook ‘Slimming Kitchen Secrets’, which is packed full of delicious low calorie/point recipes is available now!

WW POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 3 points or 365 cals, 32g carbs,  12.1g fat, 35.2g protein 

INGREDIENTS

600g white potatoes

500g lean chicken mince, raw  

2 tsp each garlic powder and paprika 

1 tsp each onion powder and smoked paprika 

100g buffalo sauce (I like Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce and the Sauce Shop Buffalo Sauce)

80g light mature cheddar, grated 

2 tbsp extra light mayo

70g fat free Greek yoghurt

2 tsp ranch seasoning powder – I love 

2 spring onions, finely sliced 

Handful of parsley, finely chopped 

METHOD

1. Wash the potatoes and then chop into fries. Pat dry, add to a bowl, spray with 1kal and add 1 tsp each of garlic powder and paprika. Season generously with salt. Pop in the air fryer and fry on 180c for 16-18 minutes, shaking throughout to make sure they brown evenly.
2. While the fries are cooking make the buffalo chicken. Spray a large non stick frying pan with 1kal, add the chicken mince and 1 tsp each of paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 
3. Add most of the buffalo sauce (reserve a little for dressing) with a splash of water and simmer for a few minutes. Add the butter, let it melt and stir through.
4. In a small bowl mix the mayo, yoghurt and ranch powder with 2 tbsp cold water. You want the consistency to be drizzleable. 
5. Pre heat the oven to 180c then get ready to assemble. 
6. Take a large baking dish and add the cooked fries to the bottom. Add the chicken mince to the top, then sprinkle over the cheese. Pop in the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
7. Remove from  the oven, split between 4 bowls and top each with a drizzle of the ranch sauce, the reserved buffalo sauce, a sprinkle of spring onions and a pinch of parsley. 

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I get my lean lamb since in Sainsbury’s but if you are struggling to find 10% mince you could use 12% or 16% for 7sp per portion of Doner meat and 20% for 8sp per portion of Doner meat.

I serve my doner kebab with Crucials garlic and herb sauce (10g is 1sp), home made chilli sauce (recipe below), lettuce, onion, pickled red cabbage, cucumber and tomato, all wrapped up inside a nice Greek flatbread. I love the Deli Kitchen Greek Style Flatbreads (6sp on all plans, I get mine in Sainsbury’s) as they are lovely and soft and big enough to hold the meat, sauce and lots of veggies. Feel free to use whichever bread you fancy though, a big pitta bread will work just as well, just be sure to adjust the points for whichever bread you choose. When I make mine up with a flat bread it comes to 13sp in total on BLUE (6sp for meat, 6sp for flatbread and 1sp for garlic sauce) – everything else is 0sp. I make the chilli sauce whilst the lamb is cooking and prepare all the vegetables and pop on a large plate on the table so everyone can make up their own kebab. If you have points to spare you could also serve with some butternut squash chips (0sp), home made fries or, as my friends love, McCain’s Crispy Fries (80g is 4sp).

Fakeaway Doner Kebab

Serves 4 = 6sp on all plans

Ingredients

500g lean lamb mince (10% fat), raw

1 tsp each ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, onion powder and salt

2 tsp oregano

½ tsp each chilli flakes and garlic powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan).

Add the mince and all of the herbs and spices to a food processor. Blitz until the lamb is more of a paste texture and the spices are well distributed throughout (I have to move my processor around a bit to get the meat moving).

Take a large piece of tin foil, spray with 1kal and then add the lamb to the centre of the foil in a large sausage shape (the meat should go from the top to bottom of the sheet). Roll into a sausage 10cm wide inside the foil and then twist both ends to seal. At this point you can pop the lamb in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. I’ve both left it overnight and cooked it straight away, both are delicious.

Take a baking dish, add 100ml of cold water and then add the lamb in the foil. Pop in the oven for 45 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer it should read 65c in the centre of the foil roll once cooked (if not don’t worry, as long as the mince is cooked through you are good).

Unwrap the doner from the foil and place onto a chopping board. Carve into either long or short thin slices. Whichever you fancy.

Serve with accompaniments of your choice. I serve mine with Crucials garlic and herb sauce, home made chilli sauce (recipe below), lettuce, onion, pickled red cabbage, cucumber and tomato, all wrapped up inside a nice Greek flatbread.

For the chilli sauce

0sp on all plans

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x tbsp tomato puree

1/2 a red chilli, roughly chopped (and deseeded if you don’t like it too hot – if you do, use a full chilli plus the seeds)

1 x small white onion, peeled and roughly chopped

½ tsp mint sauce

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Pinch of salt and sugar to taste

Method

Blend everything together and pop into a bowl. Pop in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

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Spicy Baked Harissa Meatballs 

Serves 2 = 9sp each (Flex)

Ingredients

For the meatballs

Makes 20 small meatballs , half a portion of the meatballs (10 small meatballs per person) is 5sp each (Flex)

250g lean pork mince (5%)

1/2 onion, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tbsp harissa paste

Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Pinch of crushed chillies (optional if you like it spicy)

Zest of 1/2 lemon

30g breadcrumbs (I used panko)

1 egg

Other

1 x large butternut squash

1 small aubergine, sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

2 tbsp fat free plain yoghurt

1/2 tbsp harissa

Juice of 1/2 lemon

4 x pitta bread halves (I used Warburton’s which are 2sp per half)

Handful of salad leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Take the butternut squash, peel and cut into wedges. Par boil the wedges for 5 minutes until they start to soften then drain, pop onto a warmed baking tray, spray with 1kal, season and pop in the oven for 35-45 minutes (until cooked through and starting to crisp up a little).

Meanwhile, in a large bowl add all of the meatball ingredients. Mix until well combined and then using either your hands or, if you have one, a meatball press (I got mine from eBay and it was really good value!), form the mixture into small bitesized meatballs, rolling in your palms until nicely shaped. This should make around 20 small meatballs. Pop the meatballs in a single layer on a plate and pop in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice and 1/2 tbsp harissa.

In a baking dish, scatter the aubergine and red pepper, season and spray with 1kal. Top with the chilled meatballs and then, when the wedges have 20 minutes left, add to the oven. Bake meatballs and vegetables for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Make sure you turn the meatballs, vegetables and butternut squash as its cooking.

When everything is cooked, remove from the oven and begin to build the pittas. You can either pop everything in the middle of table and help yourselves or construct and plate up as follows: toast the pitta, split and then stuff with a few salad leaves, a dollop of the lemony harrisa yoghurt, some roasted aubergine and red pepper and a 1/4 of the meatballs per pitta. Serve with the BNS wedges on the side.

Enjoy!

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This is a great dish as its really quick and easy to cook up and the end result is bursting with flavour. You can serve this with whatever you fancy. I did my other halfs on a bed of basmati rice (60g – so the whole dish was 11sp in total) and I served mine tossed through spiralised courgette and butternut squash so the whole dish was only 5sp. Both were topped with a tablespoon of half fat sour cream (1sp) and a final sprinkle of coriander.

If you are only making this for two I would make the whole lot and either have it two nights in a row, or you can have it for lunch the next day.

Pork and Mango Picadillo

Ingredients

Serve 4 = 5sp per person (Flex)

500g lean pork mince (5%), raw

1 onion, finely diced

1 pepper, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika

Pinch of crushed chillies and cayenne pepper

300g pot of salsa

1 tbsp tomato puree

250g carton of mango chunks, diced

Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped (reserve a little to dress the dish at the end)

Juice of ½ lime

Salt and Pepper

Method

Take a large frying pan, spray with 1kal and bring to a medium heat. Add the mince to the pan and fry, breaking up into small chunks as its cooking. After five minutes add the onion, pepper, garlic and spices and fry until the onions are soft and the pork mince is cooked through (around another five minutes). Next add the tomato puree and salsa, fill the jar up with water and add half the water. Stir through and reduce the heat to low. Add the mango and simmer for around 15 minutes until the flavours combine nicely. Keep adding the water bit by bit until the sauce is the sauciness you like. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and fresh coriander. Give a final stir.

Serve with the accompaniment of your choice. My other half had his with basmati rice and I had mine with spiralised butternut squash and courgette. Both were topped with a tablespoon of half fat sour cream and a final sprinkle of coriander.

If you are having yours with courgette, spiralize the courgette (you will need one per person). Then pop into the frying pan with your portion of picadillo and stir fry for a few minutes on a high heat.  If you are having it with spiralised butternut squash, spiralise, then microwave for two minutes. Then stir fry with sauce.

Plate up and enjoy!

The post Pork and Mango Picadillo – 5sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 13sp per serving (Flex)

For the koftas

400g lean lamb mince (16% fat)

2 tsp ground cumin and ground coriander

¼ tsp chilli powder and ground cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Zest of one lemon

Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

6 metal skewers (or 6 wooden skewers, soaked in water)

For the tabbouleh

75g bulgur wheat, simmered in water for 15 minutes, drained and left to stand for 10 minutes in the pan

4 spring onions, sliced (or ½ red onion, finely diced)

3 large tomatoes, roughly diced

½ cucumber, finely diced

½ bunch of fresh parsley and mint, finely chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Mint Yogurt

½ cucumber, grated and water squeezed out

2/3 bunch of mint, finely chopped

Juice of half lemon

200ml fat free natural yogurt

Serve with

4 x pitta breads

Method

Pop the bulgur wheat into a pan of boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes. Once cooked, drain and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Pre heat the grill on a high heat.

Whilst the bulgur wheat is cooking you can get on with making the koftas. Pop all the ingredients together, season well and, in either a bowl or food processor, combine well together. Split into 12 evenly sized balls and roll with your hands into sausage shapes. Thread two koftas onto each skewers. Spray a baking tray with 1kal and pop the kofta skewers on top.

Pop under the grill for around 12-15 minutes, turning regularly until nicely browned and cooked through. Slide off the skewers.

Whilst the koftas are cooking, pop all the ingredients for the tabbouleh in a large bowl and mix well.

Mix together all the ingredients for the yoghurt.

Toast the pittas and once nicely warmed through, split in half and split open. Spread a little of the mint yogurt inside the pitta, add some salad leaves and a kofta (top with a little chilli if you fancy). Serve on with the tabbouleh, mint yogurt and some extra salad leaves.

Enjoy!

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If you don’t want to fiddle on making to meatball yourself you could use shop bought meatballs and use all the mozzarella on top to bake it. If you do have the time I would highly recommend giving these ago. I made up enough meatballs for four people (20 meatballs) and left half (10) uncooked in the fridge for tea the next day.

If you prefer the sauce wet and saucy, use passata, if you like it a bit more dry, use the chopped tomatoes.

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 12sp (previously 12pp) each

For the sauce

1 onion, finely sliced

2 or 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 peppers, deseeded and sliced

¼ tsp crushed chillies (1/2 a tsp if you like it spicy)

1 tsp oregano

125ml red wine

2 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (or large box of passata)

¼ tsp sugar

1 chicken stock cube

1 bay leaf

Basil leaves (optional)

For the meatballs

1 egg

500g extra lean beef mince (5% fat)

2 sliced of bread, toasted and wizzed into breadcrumbs 

50ml red wine

1 tsp oregano and sage

½ tsp rosemary and thyme

Splash of balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp parmesan

125g half fat mozzarella ball

160g spaghetti

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Begin by making the sauce. Spray a sauce pan with 1kal and fry the onions until they start to soften. Then add the peppers, garlic, crushed chillies and oregano, stir and fry for another few minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes (or passata), stock cube, sugar and bay leaf. Season well with salt and pepper and leave to simmer on a low heat while you make the meatballs.

Pop the breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl. Add 50ml red wine, stir and leave to absorb for a few minutes. Add the herbs, balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp parmesan to the bread crumbs and give a stir. Then add the mince and get your hands in there to combine everything nicely. Add the egg and again, combine well.  Split the mixture into 20 rough meatball shapes.

Take the mozzarella ball and chop into 1cm square cubes. This will give you more than 20 squares so there will be some left over to bake on top. Then take each meatball in turn, flatten in one hand, pop a cube of mozzarella in the middle and shape the meat around it to seal the cheese. Roll between both hands so you have a nice round shape. Repeat this for all 20 meatballs.

Next take a large oven proof frying pan and, in batches if necessary, spray with 1kal and fry the meatballs until browned on the outside.  If you don’t have an oven proof frying pan, once browned pop the meatballs into a large baking dish. Pour the sauce, which should now have reduced slightly to a thicker ragu, over the meatballs.

Pop in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, top with the mozzarella and bake for another 15 minutes. Pop the spaghetti on when you put the meatballs back in the oven.

Serve the spaghetti topped with the melting meatball sauce. Top with a few basil leaves. When you cut into the meatballs they should be cooked through with cheese oozing out. Delish!

Enjoy!

The post Melting Mozzarella Meatballs – 12sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 8 points or 525 cals, 14.3g fat, 65.5g carbs, 37.1g protein

Ingredients

500g extra lean mince (5% fat)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped (can be left out if you don’t like it hot)

2 peppers, deseeded and diced

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp tomato puree

1-2 tsp hot chilli powder (I use 2, use less if you don’t like it too spicy!)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tablespoon beef gravy granules

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

400g box of passata

Dash of Tabasco

400g tin of kidney beans in water, drained

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

200g long grain rice

15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Take a large saucepan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and then fry the mince for 5 minutes until it starts to colour.
2. Add the onion and fry for another 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the mince is cooked through, then add the chilli, peppers and mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft.
3. Add the tomato purée, fry for a minute, then add the chilli powder, cumin and coriander and fry for a further 1–2 minutes. Add the beef gravy granules and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, stir in for a minute, and then add the passata, a dash of Tabasco sauce, the kidney beans, paprika, cayenne pepper and sugar. Season well with salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer.
4. At this point, pop your rice on to cook. I like the chilli to simmer for at least 20 minutes, so putting the rice on to cook now gives it the perfect window.5
5. Just before you serve the chilli, turn off the heat and stir through the coriander.
6. Once the rice is cooked, serve in nice big bowls topped with the chilli and the accompaniments of your choice.

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