The result was delicious. The meatballs are so tasty and flavoursome and the orzo is lovely and rich and smooth. This is a great recipe to make for kids (if you omit the crushed chillies and wine) as it’s an easy one pot dish with lovely simple flavours.

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 10sp per serving (Flex)

For the Meatballs

1 pack of Heck Chicken Italia Sausages (I got mine in Tesco but you can order them on their website too!)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 slice of day old bread (or fresh bread toasted), whizzed into breadcrumbs

Pinch of crushed chillies

Salt and pepper

For the Orzo

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

200g orzo, dried

Small glass of white wine (125ml) (Optional)

½ tsp paprika

Pinch of crushed chillies

2 tbsp sundried tomato pesto

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 chicken stock cube made up with 400ml boiling water

80g frozen peas

1 tbsp parmesan

To serve

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 tbsp parmesan

Method

Squeeze the sausage meat of the skins and pop into a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, spring onions, breadcrumbs, crushed chillies and salt and pepper and give a good mix so it is well combined.

Roll the meat mixture into 16 smallish meatballs. Spray a large frying pan with 1kal, pop onto a medium heat and fry the meatballs for 5-7 minutes until nicely browned on the outside. Remove from the pan and pop onto a plate to one side.

In the same frying pan, spray again with 1kal and add the red onion, frying for 5-6 minutes until soft. Add a splash of water if the onion looks like it is drying out. Add the garlic and fry for another minute and then add the orzo, stirring in until well combined. Fry for another minutes and then add the wine. Simmer until reduced by half and then add then paprika, crushed chillies, pesto, tomatoes and 200ml of the chicken stock. Add the meatballs back to the pan. Simmer on a low heat for 12 minutes. Stir regularly and when it looks like the orzo has absorbed a lot of the water, add a little more chicken stock bit by bit. You should use all the stock after around 12 minutes. Once the orzo and meatballs are cooked through, add the peas and simmer for another 2 minutes until they warm through.

Remove from the heat and stir through 1 tbsp parmesan.

Serve in a pasta bowl and top with spring onion slices and a little more parmesan.

Enjoy!

The post Chicken Meatballs with Sundried Tomato Orzo – 10sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 2 – 9sp per serving (Flex)

For the cod

2 x 100g cod fillets, skin removed

Freshly squeezed juice and finely grated zest of ½ large lime

40g chorizo sausage, skinned chunks

1 slice of day-old bread (or lighted toasted bread if you don’t have old bread!)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

½ tbsp fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated

¼ tsp sea salt

Pinch of crushed chillies

To accompany

400g new potatoes, halved

Pack of green beans, trimmed

Half a bag of spinach

1 tsp light butter

2 large tomatoes

1 garlic clove

Splash of balsamic vinergar

Salt and pepper

Lime wedges, to serve

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Pop the fish in a bowl and squeeze the lime juice over it. Make sure it is coated in the lime juice and then cover and chill in the fridge while you make the crust.

Boil the kettle and pop a pan of boiling water on a simmer.

To make the crust, spray a frying pan with 1kal and fry the chorizo for a minute or two until the fat starts to ooze out of the chorizo. Tear the bread into pieces and add it to the pan mixing with the chorizo. Fry for a few minutes until the bread has absorbed some of the fat from the chorizo. Pop onto a plate and leave to cool for a few minutes.

Pre heat the oven to 180c.

Put the bread and chorizo into a food processor and whizz into crumbs. Then add the garlic, lime zest, Parmesan, salt and crushed chillies with a good twist of freshly ground black pepper. Whizz again to combine the ingredients.

Take a baking tray/dish, spray with 1kal and lay the fish on the tray with the marinating juices. Spoon the chorizo mixture on top of the fish and pressing it on firmly. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes until the fish is cooked and the crust is crisp.

(If you are having the balsamic roasted tomatoes, pop them in the oven at the same time in a baking dish covered with a crushed garlic clove, seasoning and a glug of balsamic vinegar).

While the fish is cooking, boil the new potatoes for 12-13 minutes (mine were small so didn’t need long). For the last 3 minutes add the green beans to the same pan and for the last minute pop a colander over the pan and steam the spinach to wilt.

Drain everything and pop the spinach and green beans to one side.

In the same frying pan you did the chorizo in, turn the heat up high, spray 1 kal and add the potatoes. Crush lightly with a potato masher to roughen the edges, season and then fry until the edges are nicely browned. Pop onto the plate.

In the same pan, add the butter and once melted add the spinach and coat. Pop on the plate. Then fry the green beans for a few minutes in the same pan to add a little colour. Top the spinach with the green beans. (If you are having the tomatoes, pop face down into the frying pan to brown and finish).

Remove the fish from the oven and sit on top of the spinach/green beans.

Serve with some extra lime wedges.

Enjoy!

The post Baked Cod in a Chorizo Lime Crust with Crushed New Potatoes and Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes – 9sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 4 =5sp (previously 5pp) per person

500g Extra Lean Mince

1 vegetable or beef stock cube

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 x pepper, deseeded and chopped

2 x carrots, peeled and chopped

2 x sticks of celery, washed and chopped

1 chilli, deseeded and chopped (optional)

1 box of mushrooms chopped

Dash of Tobasco sauce

½ tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

Half a tablespoon of oregano, basil and marjoram

2 heaped teaspoons of beef gravy granules

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

Grating of nutmeg

Sprinkle of sugar

A few bay leaves

A few fresh basil leaves

Method

Pop your mince in large pan and begin to brown. Make up your stock (I used 1 veg stock cube and 1 tomato tin of water) and put a little in with the mince to stop it sticking to the pan. When half browned, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and once they are nice and soft add the pepper, mushrooms and chilli. Then add your chopped tomatoes and most of your stock so it covers the mince. Add the rest of your ingredients and give a good stir and leave to simmer while you are cooking your spaghetti. Pop your basil leaves in two minutes before your spaghetti is cooked!

I usually do 40g of Spaghetti with this for 4sp and then have 20g of half fat cheese on top at the end (an extra 2sp). It makes it a really filling and tasty meal for only 11sp in total!

Enjoy!

The post Spaghetti Bolognese – 5sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.