Slow Cooker Beef Curry

This curry is so good! Warming and spicy but not too spicy! And so easy! Feel free to skip the frying off part at the start if you feel super lazy, as I frequently do 🙂

This would also work on the hob on a low, slow heat.
Serves 4 

Syn free. SP (without rice) 

Slow Cooker Beef Curry 

5cm/1in pieces

– 2 onions, finely chopped

– 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

– 2 chillies, finely chopped, plus extra to taste

– 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger

– 4 tsp ground cumin

– 4 tsp ground coriander

– 2 tsp ground turmeric

– 2 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes

– 2 tsp garam masala

– 200g/7oz natural yoghurt

– small handful fresh chopped coriander (optional)

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Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

I love this recipe so much, whether you are lo-carbing, paleo-ing, slimming worlding, it’s just delicious. I eat it on its own never mind as a side dish! 

Obviously for Slimming world purposes I’ve changed the coconut oil in the Original recipe for lo cal spray oil, but if you can get your hands on the coconut spray oil, use that! 

I will edit this post when I work out exactly how to syn this recipe but for now here is how I make it: 

Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

Serves 4 

1 large head of cauliflower 

8 dried apricot halves

2 tablespoons pine nuts 

1/2 onion chopped 

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground cumin 

– in a non stick pan, spray with local and sauté the onion, garlic, apricots and pine nuts over a low heat until the onions are soft.

– in small batches, blitz the cauliflower florets in a food processor 

– add the spices to the pan, adding a little more oil needed.

– stir for 30 seconds then toss in the cauliflower 

– stir well for about 5-10 mins, add a few spoons of water to help it steam cook 

– serve with some fresh chopped coriander 

Spicy Asian Chicken Salad

I recently had an amazing dinner at the Meeting House Dublin and fell so I love with the Asian fusion style food that I needed to try to recreate my favourite dish of the night – a crab salad. 

Now, the salad on the night had crab and mango, neither of which are actually in this salad but it still tastes good – I made do with what I had, which was some leftover cooked chicken. 

If you are counting Syns allow for the sesame oil and cashew nuts (which i think can be a healthy B, it’s been a while since I’ve been to classes or read the books!!) but don’t leave them out please as they make the dish! 

Serves 1 

1 cooked chicken fillet, finely chopped/shredded 

1/2 small red onion, finely sliced

1 vine tomato, finely sliced 

1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into sticks (or cubes, whatever shape you feel like) 

1oz cashew nuts, roughly chopped (toast them if you feel energetic) 

About 4 stalks fresh coriander, remove leaves and roughly chop 

Dressing: 

2 tsp fish sauce 

2 tsp sesame oil 

4 tsp white wine vinegar 

2 tsp soy sauce 

1/3 fresh chilli finely chopped or pinch dried flakes (to your heat preference) 

Directions: 

Mix everything together 
Let me know what you think of it 🙂 

Veggie Sausages

Today I decided to try the Glamorgan Sausages which are featured in the new Slimming World Book “Food Glorious Food”

Click on the link above for original recipe, I added a pepper and used butter beans as had no cannelloni.
Next time I won’t ignore the step to chill for a few hours as they were very soft when cooking and I needed to put them into the oven to firm up a bit more.

Ingredients

2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 small carrots, peeled and grated
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
Good splash of Tabasco sauce
Low calorie cooking spray

For the ketchup

250g passata
1 tsp herbs de Provence (or used mixed herbs)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sweetener
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

– For the sauce.Put the passata in a small saucepan with the balsamic vinegar, herbs and sweetener and season well. Bring to the boil then turn the heat to low, cover and simmer very gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Set aside to cool.

– Meanwhile, pop the beans into a food processor with the onion, parsley, carrots, mixed herbs and Tabasco sauce. Season to taste and pulse to combine.

-Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, cover and chill for 3-4 hours (this will help the sausages hold their shape when you cook them).
–
– Divide the bean mixture into 12 equal portions and form each one into a sausage.

-Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat.

-Cook the sausages for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp, turning occasionally. (You might need to do this in batches.)

– Serve the sausages hot with the tomato sauce, mashed potatoes (on an extra easy day) and your favourite vegetables.

Tip: This recipe is suitable for freezing

Candy topped cake

I’ve always loved seeing the images online of the cakes topped with piles of sweets (or candy) and when I was recently asked to make one with the top in sections I was delighted!

As this celebration cake was to be served for dessert I made chocolate mud cake, a rich, dense and moist chocolate cake – perfect with cream or ice cream. This was then cut in half and filled with dark chocolate ganache and then coated with ganache.

I baked this cake in a 10 inch round tin, so it took almost 4 packs of cadbury chocolate fingers to surround the sides!

As the chocolate fingers were too short to divide the top of the cake, I made some chocolate sticks using dark chocolate and drizzled with melted white chocolate.

The sections were then filled with milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chocolate coated toffees, M&Ms, mini chocolate eggs and Oreo mini mix

Along with the cake, my customer ordered cake pops and here is a picture of them all wrapped up and ready to go. Filled with chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream and biscuit then coated in dark chocolate and lots of sprinkles or drizzled with white chocolate

Layered Beef and Bacon Pie

I came across this recipe from a wonderful Paleo site called Paleomg and this recipe is from a book called “The Paleo Kitchen”

I tried this for the first time last year and the original recipe is here and it is so good it’s become a favourite.

With the release of “SP” days I decided to change up the topping and make it suitable for an SP day, while still keeping it super tasty. It is a bit of work to make this, but serves 8 portions (ahem, most of the
Time, we both had seconds tonight) but it is worth the work. This is my SW variation on the original Paleo recipe.

I may or may not have eaten this meal heated up for breakfast the next day. Every time I make it, possibly.

If you are not following an SP day – this is divine with sweet potato topping.

The entire recipe has 4 syns (always double
Check yourself!)

Layered Beef and Bacon Pie

200g smoked bacon (visible fat removed)

Ingredients: top layer

2 small carrots, 1/2 butternut squash, half swede, to total Of 650g (or use whatever combo you like)cut into small cubes
OR 650g chopped sweet potato
¼ cup (60 mL) coconut milk light
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon salt

Ingredients: Cauliflower Mash

1 head cauliflower 750g grams chopped into florets
¼ cup (60 mL) coconut milk light
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Ingredients (Beef Mixture)

2 pounds ex lean beef
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, diced
225 grams mushrooms, diced
1 stick celery finely diced
6 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
1 tin chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 190
Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Grill the bacon until Cooked through.Chop into small pieces and set aside.

Steam the top layer ingredients until soft and cooked through.
Blend until smooth then add the coconut milk, sage and salt and pepper. Remove from the blender and set aside.

steam the cauliflower. Once cauliflower is fork tender, place it in a food processor or blender and puree until cauliflower becomes soft and resembles mashed potatoes. Then add the coconut milk and salt and pepper and continue to blend until you have a smooth consistency. Remove from the blender and set aside.

place a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef.Once the meat begins to brown, add the garlic, onion, celery and button mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes.

Add the worchestershire sauce, tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 15 mins or until the sauce has reduced. Turn off the heat.

Create the layers: Use a slotted spoon to remove half of the meat mixture from the excess liquid in the pan and place in the prepared baking dish in one layer.

Then pour the cauliflower mash mixture on top of the meat and spread out.

Then, using the slotted spoon, add the other half of the meat on top of the cauliflower mash.

Lastly, pour the mixed veg/sweet potato on top and spread it out on top of the meat. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon (or do this at the end)

Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the casserole begins to bubble.

n

My Tomato Soup

Ready in 20 minutes and totally delicious to boot – with a tin of baked beans to make it a bit more filling (use butter beans or any tinned beans If you want to avoid the sugar in baked beans!)

My Tomato Soup

(Finely chop all the veg for quick cooking(
1 large onion
2 sticks of celery
2 cloves garlic
2 small carrots (grate these)
200g passatta plus 6 fresh tomatoes (skinned If you feel like it) or 300g passatta
200g baked beans
Salt and pepper
Handful fresh basil or 2tsp dried
2 chicken or veg stock cubes
2 pints water

– sauté all the veg except the tomatoes until softened
– add seasoning, basil, tomatoes, stock cubes and water and bring to the boil
– reduce heat, add the beans and simmer for 10-15 mins
– blend

Serve

Enjoy

It’s Pancake Tuesday!

I remember when I was growing up, pancakes were a rare treat (turns out my mother detests them and hates making them!!)

Now though, I make pancakes about once a week because my boys will both eat them (fussy pair, it’s one of the few things they agree on!!)

Trying to cut down on gluten and flour etc, while also mostly sticking to the Slimming World plan meant I needed to find an alternative that we could all enjoy, without them being “different” or feel too healthy!

There are a few variations on these pat pancakes out there, often called “Magic Pancakes” but this is how I make them as I don’t like the overly yogurt flavour.

I grind the oats up a bit in the food processor but this is optional, they can be soaked overnight in a larger amount of yoghurt to make them swell and soften too.

Oat Pancakes

Serves 2 adults (and 2 small people)

Note: 35g oats = healthy Extra B

80g porridge oats, blitzed slightly in processor to break down a bit, not too fine, it’s just to trick the lads in case they saw an oat an might pass out.
(The alternative is to soak these overnight in yoghurt, just increase the amount of yoghurt)
I use gluten free oats they work perfectly
4 eggs
100g fat free fromage frais or fat free natural or greek yoghurt (or use Muller lights If you like them)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons sweetener

– mix it all together really well to give a thick batter
– fry in small amounts for thicker, American style pancakes
– add 2 more eggs If you want thinner, crepe or thin pancake style
– sprinkle with canderel and lemon juice or serve with some quark whipped up with vanilla and sweetener (this is lovely, like sweet cream cheese, goes really well with fruit!)

Steak n’Chips with Onion Rings and Curry Sauce

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Himself and myself were supposed to go out for a romantic meal for valentines day, however, I wasn’t feeling 100% so we decided to stay in and cook (aka I cook!!) So I got the thinking …

Cauliflower Curry Sauce

Stay with me folks, I know it sounds weird. Curry sauce, made from cauliflower? I know, I know, sounds wrong, tastes amazing!! I’ve yet to find the original source for this idea so I cannot link to credit, but I …