One of the things I’ve done to tackle this for a good few years now, is to always take along a contribution to the buffet that you have prepared and know exactly how many points are in it! I find this way, I know I’ve got something I can eat that I’m going to enjoy, and I can track it without guesstimating.

It got me to thinking, I should probably post some of my little party canape creates so, every Friday in December leading up to Christmas, I will be sharing with you one of my buffet/canape creations.

The first is one I actually make all year round as it so quick and easy and always goes down a treat. Who doesn’t like meat, cheese and pesto!! Give it a whirl, you won’t be disappointed.

Mozzarella, Pepparoni and Pesto Boccones!

Makes 24 = 1sp each (flex)

Ingredients

24 cocktail sticks

240g half fat mozzarella ball, sliced into 12 cubes (I got mine in Tesco  if you can get a hold of the half fat ones, you could use 200g of the full fat mozzarella balls but each boccone becomes 2sp each).

24 pepparoni/salami slices

24 small fresh basil leaves

24 sun dried tomatoes, each sliced into 2

2 tsp green pesto

Juice of 1 lemon

Tablespoon of water

Method

On to each cocktail stick add half a sun dried tomato, then a cube of mozzarella, then a slice of pepperoni/salami, then a folded basil leaf, then the other half of the sun dried tomato.

In a bowl, add the green pesto, water and lemon juice and mix together.

Pop the assembled buccone onto a plate and drizzle over the lemony pesto mix.

Finish with a good twist of salt and black pepper.

Enjoy!

The post Christmas Canapes – Mozzarella, Pepparoni and Pesto Boccones first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

This particular stuffing has been on my list to try for a while now and after rediscovering a jar of sundried tomatoes in my fridge, I thought it was about time I gave it a whirl. The ingredients that make up a tepenada are all so flavoursome that you really don’t need that much of them to make your mouth water!

I served this with a lemony green salad (salad leaves, peeled courgette, a little grated parmesan and lemon) and butternut squash chips. It was delicious and definitely something I will be rustling up again soon!

Tepenade Stuffed Chicken 

Serves 2 = 5sp each (Flex)

Ingredients

2 x 165g chicken breast, raw

40g sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped

10g anchovies, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp capers, finely chopped

5 stoneless black olives, finely chopped

1 x lemon

60g light mozzarella, sliced

4 x slices of prosciutto

Accompaniments

Lemony Courgette Salad  (salad leaves, peeled courgette, a little grated parmesan and lemon)

Butternut squash chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c. If you are having butternut squash chips, pop these in the oven whilst you are preparing the chicken. That way they will be ready at the same time as the chicken.

Place one chicken breast into a food bag and using a meat mallet, flatten until the chicken is around 1/2cm thick.  Repeat with the second chicken breast and then lay both flat on a plate.

Finely chop the sun dried tomatoes, capers, anchovies, and olives, mix together and squeeze over the juice of 1/4 lemon.

Cover a baking tray with tin foil and lay out two slices of prosciutto side by side lengthways. Repeat with the other two slices leaving a gap between the other two.

Spoon half the tepenade mixture horizontally across the chicken and top with the mozzarella.

Repeat with the other breast and the rest of the tepenade Roll the chicken so the stuffing is enclosed and then roll the chicken in the prosciutto.

Spray with low calorie spray, season and then place the stuffed chicken, seal side down on the baking tray and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and serve with the BNS chips and courgette salad.

Enjoy!

The post Cheesy Tepenade Stuffed Chicken – 5sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

There are several key things which you mustn’t skip to make this perfect. Number one, don’t forget to squeeze the water out of the courgette, if you don’t do this step your base will not cook and it will turn to mush. Number 2, make sure you cook the base on a preheated totally flat baking tray sprayed with 1kal. If you have any lumps or bumps, you risk the base sticking to the tray. Thirdly, don’t be tempted to cook this on a sheet of baking paper. The base needs the heat from the baking tray itself to cook through so preheating it helps with this.

Feel free to change the toppings to any you prefer. Just remember to pop the recipe back through the recipe builder to recalculate the smart points.

Ingredients

Serves 2 = 9sp each (Flex)

350g grated courgette (I used 2 large courgettes)

3 eggs, beaten

40g plain flour

10g fresh parmesan

140g half fat grated mozzarella

¼ tsp oregano, basil, garlic salt

1 red onion, finely sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

2 tsp sun dried tomato pesto

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 smoked bacon medallions, griddled and diced

Pinch of crushed chillies (or 1/2 fresh chilli sliced)

Handful of fresh basil, shredded

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c. Pop two non stick baking trays into the oven to warm up. The baking trays need to be of the flat kind (no bobbles or rivets) so that the pizza slides of the tray at the end.

Grate the courgettes into a large bowl, sprinkle over a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes squeeze out all of the water using a clean tea towel. Return to the bowl and add the beaten eggs, flour, parmesan, 70g of the mozzarella, oregano, basil and garlic salt. Combine well.

Take the baking trays out the oven and spray with low calorie cooking spray.DO NOT use baking paper or tin foil as the base of the pizza won’t cook.

Add half the base mixture to each tray and shape into round pizza shapes (approx. 9 inch circle), around 3-4mm thick. You don’t want the base too thick or it will end up soggy. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the base turns a nice golden brown colour.

Remove the base from the oven and spread the pesto and tomato puree across the top. Evenly distribute the onion and pepper over the top and and then sprinkle over the bacon, crushed chillies, basil and remaining mozzarella.

Put the pizzas back in the oven for 5-6 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and bubble.

Remove from the oven, slice into 6 and then serve on a large wooden board with a nice rocket salad in the centre. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to finish.

Enjoy!

The post Courgette Pizza – 9sp  first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

The result was delicious. The mozzarella combines nicely with the spinach and coriander and the Cajun/Parmesan combo on top of the chicken gives it a lovely finish.

I served this with some Uncle Ben’s Spicy Mexican Rice and a side salad topped with balsamic glaze. That made the whole meal only 9sp. Treat!

Chorizo Stuffed Chicken Breast 

Ingredients

Serves 2 = 4sp each (Flex)

2 x 165g chicken breast, raw

1 tsp Cajun spice

6 slices of chorizo (the kind that comes sliced in a packet)

Small handful of spinach

1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

½ ball of half fat mozzarella (65g)

2 tsp fresh parmesan, finely grated

Serving Suggestions

1 pack of Uncle Ben’s Spicy Rice (or my spicy rice recipe found here is the same amount of smart points) – 5sp per person

Side salad (mixed leaves, tomato, red onion, cucumber, peeled courgette, a little white wine vinegar and balsamic glaze) – 0sp per person.

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c. Take the chicken breast fillets and pop between two pieces of baking paper. Take a meat hammer (or rolling pin) and begin to bash the chicken breasts until they are nice and flat (just under a cm thick).

Season the chicken breast on the side facing up with a ¼ tsp of Cajun spice, salt and pepper, then lay three slices of chorizo down the centre. Top the chorizo with the spinach and coriander and then the mozzarella. Finish with another sprinkle of Cajun spice, salt and pepper.

Fold each side of the chicken breast in onto and over the filling and pin together using two cocktail sticks.

Place a sheet of tin foil on a baking tray, pop the chicken breasts in the middle and turn in the tin foil so that if forms a nice bowl around the chicken. This will keep all of the nice juices in.

Season the top of the chicken with salt, pepper and a pinch of Cajun and sprinkle over 1 tsp of parmesan per breast. Pop into the oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.

I served this with some Uncle Ben’s Spicy Mexican Rice and a side salad (ingredients included above) topped with balsamic glaze. If you are doing so, five minutes before the chicken is ready pop the rice in the microwave until cooked and then plate up with the side salad.

Pop the chicken on the plate (remember to remove the cocktail sticks!) and share the sauce from the foil between two, pouring over the chicken and onto the rice.

Enjoy!

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