You can also add chicken breast to the recipe below without adding any extra smartpoints but this changes the method of cooking the skewers. Instead of grilling them, as set out in the method below, pre heat your oven to 180c, spray with 1kal, season and cook on a baking tray for 30-35 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through).

Souvlaki Style Chorizo and Halloumi Kebabs

Serves 2 = 11sp per serving

Ingredients

50g chorizo, sliced into 8 rounds

100g light halloumi sliced into 8 chunks

2 peppers, deseeded and sliced into chunks

1 large red onion (or 2 small), peeled, top and bottom cut off and quartered

Handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)

Juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp each of paprika and oregano

1 tsp honey

Salt and pepper

250g new potatoes (should be around 6 new potatoes, 3 each)

Large lettuce (of your choice) to be used as ‘wraps’ – I’ve used romaine, iceberg and Chinese

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c.

To begin, place 4 skewers in clean sink with cold water and soak for half an hour (this will prevent the skewers burning when you cook the kebabs).

Next prepare the new potatoes. Take each potato in turn, pop onto a wooden spoon and starting at one side cut across their width at small intervals to create the ‘hassleback’ effect. The spoon will stop you cutting all the way through the potato.  Pop onto a baking tray, spray with 1kal and sprinkle over a pinch of oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Pop into the oven for 40-50 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Whilst the potatoes are cooking you can assemble the kebabs. To each skewer add a piece of pepper, chorizo, red onion, halloumi, tomato (if using) and then repeat. Finish the skewer with a final piece of pepper and red onion.  You can either pop the skewers in the oven for 10-15 minutes (to cook with the potatoes) or pop under a hot grill for 10 minutes (turning regularly) until the halloumi starts to turn a lovely golden colour.

Mix the juice of 1 lemon with ½ tsp paprika and ½ tsp oregano, along with 1 tsp honey and salt and pepper.

Add two washed large lettuce leaves to each plate. Remove the skewers from the oven and pop onto your plates on top of the lettuce leaves (you should have two skewers per person). Drizzle over the honey lemon dressing.

Finally pop the potatoes onto the plate.

Enjoy!

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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 = 4sp (previously 4pp) each

1 Large Onion, finely chopped

35 g Chorizo, roughly chopped

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 large peppers (which ever colour your fancy), finely diced

200g kidney beans, drained

200g cannellini beans, drained

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

100ml passata

200ml vegetable (or chicken) stock (made using half a veg stock cube)

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp oregano

Salt and Black Pepper

1 tbsp half fat sour cream

Method

Fry your onions in some low kal spray for 6-8 minutes until nice and soft. Add the chorizo, chilli and pepper and fry for another few minutes. Add the paprika and oregano, fry for another minute, then add the beans, tomatoes, passata and stock. Season well and simmer for 30 minutes (or until the beans are nice and soft and the soup has reduced a little and thickened. Take off the heat, stir through the sour cream and serve!

Enjoy!

The post Chorizo Bean Stew – just 4sp! first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 2sp each (Flex)

50g chorizo, roughly chopped (I used Aldi’s spicy chorizo)

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 or 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

¼ tsp cumin powder

Pinch of Ras el Hanout/Morrocan flavouring (if you have it), crushed chillies and cayenne pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

Pinch of sugar

125g dried red lentils

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

600ml chicken/vegetable stock (made from one stock cube)

Method

Pop your chorizo in a large heavy based pan, spray with 1kal and fry until the oils start to release. Add the onion, carrot and cumin powder and fry for around 10 minutes until the onions are nice and soft. Add the garlic and fry for another minute and then add the paprika, chillies, Moroccan seasoning, cayenne pepper and sugar. Simmer for a few seconds and then add the lentils, tomatoes and chicken stock. Season well with salt and pepper, give a good stir and simmer for 40 minutes. Take off the heat and blend with a stick blender adding a little water as you go to loosen the soup to the consistency you like. Serve with a drizzle of fat free natural yoghurt or light sour cream!

Enjoy!

The post Chorizo and Red Lentil Soup – 2sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 3sp (Flex) per serving

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced

1 stick of celery, finely diced

3 peppers, deseeded and diced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

1/2 tsp thyme

2 or 3 bay leaves

60g chorizo, diced

1 tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp crushed chillies

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 x tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x chicken stock cube

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas in water, drained

400g bag of spinach, washed

1 lemon

4 tbsp half fat sour cream (1 per person)

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Method

Pop your onions in a large frying pan, spray with low cal cooking spray and fry for 5 minutes until onions start to soften. Next add your carrot, celery and pepper and cook for another few minutes. Add a splash of water to stop everything sticking and season with salt and pepper. Next add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves and chorizo and fry for another minute or two.  Next add the smoked paprika, cinnamon and crushed chillies, stir in and then add the red wine vinegar. Leave to simmer for a minute and then add the chopped tomatoes and crumble in the stock cube with a tin (using the tomato tin) of boiling water. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes to let all the flavours infuse and the sauce reduce a little (if you are having potatoes, pasta etc with your stew, pop them on at this point).

After ten minutes, remove the bay leaves, add your chickpeas and warm through for a few minutes. Then add your bag of spinach, a squeeze of lemon and stir, letting the spinach wilt a little.

Serve in a nice big bowl, topped with a tsp of sour cream, a slice of lemon and a little basil leave for decoration.

Enjoy!

The post Chorizo, Chickpea and Spinach Stew – 3sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 7sp (previously 6pp) each

Pack of vine tomatoes (I do six tomatoes per person)

Drizzle of balsamic vingar

3 or 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and bashed with the flat part of a knife

1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

60g chorizo, sliced

1 x 240g tin of chickpeas, drained

120g light halloumi (I used Tesco’s)

1 x bag of salad (whichever you prefer, I used spinach, watercress and rocket)

1 lemon sliced in half and one half sliced into another four (for dressing at the end)

Red wine vinegar

Fat free natural/greek yoghurt

Method

Pop your oven on to 180c. Put your vine tomatoes in a baking dish, splash balsamic vinegar over the top, scatter garlic around and season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven, uncovered for 1 hour.

When your tomatoes have 15 minutes to go, put a good handful of salad leaves in four bowls  and pop your red pepper in a frying pan, spray with 1kal and fry for a minute or two. Then add the drained chickpeas and chorizo and fry for another five minutes. Add a little water if the pepper starts to stick. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, give a good stir and then distribute between the four bowls, topping the salad leaves.

In the same pan, fry your halloumi for a minute or two on each side until it starts to get a nice colour then add this to your salad bowls.

Dress each salad with a small capful of red wine vinegar and add a few drops of fat free yoghurt.

Take your tomatoes out of the oven, pop on top of the salad and then pour the bubbly balsamic juices over the finished dish. Serve with a little slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

The post Chorizo, Halloumi and Chickpea Salad with Roasted Vine Tomatoes – 7sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.