Banana Crêpes with Toffee

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 eggs, separated

2 tbsp sweetener

2 heaped tbsp quark

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 bananas, sliced

Müllerlight toffee yogurt to serve

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk together the egg yolks, quark, sweetener and vanilla essence in a separate bowl and fold in to the egg whites.

Heat a frying pan with Fry Light and pour half the mixture in – the batter will be much thicker than normal pancake batter so you will need to spread it out using a spatula. Cook for a couple of minutes until set – do not be too impatient as it seems to cook slower than normal pancakes – then carefully turn and cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. These pancakes are quite fragile, so it pays to be gentle when you turn them.

Fold the pancakes on to a plate, add the sliced bananas and top with the toffee yogurt. 

 

Banoffee Pie

I love it when I discover ways of making my favourite desserts syn free. This recipe is adapted from the Slimming World Love Desserts book, from 6 syns per serving to a quarter of a syn for the whole pie. 

 

Serves 8-10

¼ syn for the whole cake on Extra Easy

generous ½ cup buckwheat

1 tbsp sweetener

2 eggs

2 tbsp sweetener

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tub quark

½ tsp baking powder

3 tubs Müllerlight Smooth Toffee Yogurt

sweetener to taste

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 egg whites

2 sachets gelatine crystals

3 bananas, thinly sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm spring form cake tin by spraying it with Fry Light. Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat and dry toast the buckwheat until they start to brown, 3-5 minutes. Switch off the pan, add one tablespoon sweetener and around two tablespoons water to mix it all in. Stir until all the water has evaporated. Quickly line the bottom of the cake tin with the buckwheat and leave to cool.

Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks with a quarter of the tub of quark, the baking powder and 2 tbsp sweetener. Carefully fold in to the egg whites. Pour mixture on top of the buckwheat in the tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. Don't worry if the cake looks very high at this stage, it will settle down when it has cooled.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, mix together the toffee yogurts, sweetener if using and the rest of the quark. Dissolve the gelatine crystals in 100ml boiling water and leave to cool slightly. Gradually stir in the yogurt mix, and then gently fold into the egg whites. Pour over the cake base and leave in the fridge to set for at least two hours.

Take the pie out of the fridge at least half an hour before serving to let it reach room temperature – unless of course you really like your food ice cold. I find that the flavour of food improves as the chill comes off it. Just as you are serving, slice the bananas and place on top of the pie. Squeeze over some toffee sauce if you like, at 2.5 syns per tablespoon, and/or grated chocolate at 1.5 syns per tablespoon. 

 

Dirty Bumblebee

I called this dish 'Dirty Bumblebee' because it is black and yellow and the top layer is a 'dirty' off yellow. It was a really nice combination of flavours and textures, and very refreshing after a meal. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 bananas

1 tub Müllerlight banana and custard yogurt

1 tub Müllerlight toffee yogurt

150g blackberries

Slice the bananas and mix with the banana and custard yogurt. Place in the bottom of two tall glasses. Top with the blackberries and finally spoon over the toffee yogurt. 

 

Banana and Toffee Crème Brulée

Crème brulée is one of my all time favourite desserts, and one that I will usually order when we're in France. At 16½ syns per 100g pot on the Slimming World plan, I shan't be having that in a hurry! I have never been able to successfully make a really good version of it, as I have a hangup about making custard (I either end up taking it off the heat too early and it is too runny, or it ends up as scrambled egg).

Anyway, this recipe is a Slimming World version of the famous dessert, using yogurt instead of custard, so no need to worry about curdling.

Serves 3

3 Syns on Extra Easy

2 bananas

1 Müllerlight Banana and Custard Yogurt

2 Müllerlight Toffee Yogurt

3 tbsp demerara sugar

Thinly slice the banana and mix with the banana and custard yogurt. Place in the bottom of three ramekin dishes. Top with the toffee yogurt and chill until serving. When ready, sprinkle a tablespoon of demerara sugar over each dish and, using a cook's blowtorch, caramelise the sugar. Leave to cool and set for a few minutes before serving. 

 

French Toasts with Bacon and Banana

I love the combination of fruit with savoury dishes, and banana and bacon goes remarkably well together. Of course, this would have been even nicer made with thick white bread and drizzled with maple syrup......, but considering the difference in calories and syns, I think it is worth it.

Serves 1

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 slices wholemeal bread from 400g loaf

2 eggs

cinnamon (optional)

sweetener to taste

2 slices bacon, all visible fat removed

1 banana, sliced

Whisk the eggs with sweetener to taste and add cinnamon if using. Soak the bread in the egg mixture and fry in a little Fry Light until nicely browned on both sides. Grill the bacon until cooked to your liking. Serve with the banana. 

 

Banana Toffee Pancakes

This is really just another variation on the oat cakes with strawberries.

Serves 2

Syn Free* on Extra Easy

* Providing you use the oats as your Healthy Extra B

70g rolled oats

2 tubs Müller Light Yogurts

2-3 tbsp sweetener

4 eggs

2 bananas

Place the oats in a bowl with one of the yogurts, the sweetener and a little water. Leave for several hours to soak.

When ready to cook, add the eggs to the oats, stirring to ensure they are well mixed. Heat a little Fry Light in a pan and add the oat mixture to cook a few minutes each side like pancakes. Serve with sliced banana and the other toffee yogurt. 

Banana Coconut Crunch

I love the texture of nuts, but obviously they are not too good when you are trying to lose weight, and I object to spending my syns on them, when I can have the same texture and a great taste syn free using buckwheat.

Serves 2

½ Syn on Extra easy

2 bananas

2 tubs of fat free coconut yogurt

a small handful of dried buckwkeat

sweetener to taste (around 1 tbsp or so)

Spray a small frying pan with Fry Light, and when hot, toast the buckwheat until nicely browned. Add the sweetener and a few drops of water and stir until it is all absorbed. Spread out on greaseproof paper to cool off while you prepare the rest.

Thinly slice the banana and put in the bottom of two tall glasses. Top with the yogurt and finally the toasted buckwheat.