Prawns Wrapped in Parma Ham

Although I have synned the ham as per guide lines, I also removed all the fat, so I expect most of the syns have been removed.

Serve with soy sauce (syn free) and sweet chilli sauce (1 syn per tbsp) for dipping.

The syn value of this dish depends on the number of slices of Parma ham you use, which again depends on the size and number of prawns.

* ½ syn per slice

250g uncooked king or tiger prawns

5-8 slices Parma ham*

Remove the fat from the ham and cut each slice into four pieces. Wrap around the prawns and place on a greased baking sheets. Repeat with the remainder of the prawns.

Bake for a few minutes until the prawns have turned opaque. Serve with the dipping sauces. This dish would make a nice starter for a dinner party, or as part of a finger buffet as I did. 

 

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon

This would be easily as nice for breakfast as it would be for a starter. I served it as part of a finger buffet. 

 

Makes 12-14

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 medium sized potatoes, peeled

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp celery salt

salt and pepper to taste

2 small tub fromage frais

125g smoked salmon

Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Squeeze out some of the liquid using your hands before mixing it with the cumin seeds, celery, salt and pepper.

Heat a little Fry Light in a frying pan until hot, then drop the potato mix in the pan using two spoons, a spoonful at a time. Smooth out and push down, making each patty as circular as possible, about two inches in diameter. Cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and nicely browned. 

 

Place the pancakes on a plate and top each with a sliver of smoked salmon, a teaspoon of fromage frais and a twig of dill. 

 

 

Turkey Laap

Also spelt lapr ot larb, the national dish of Laos has as many variations of the recipe as there are of stews in the UK. Every chef has their favourite, and this is mine. I really like the combination of sweet, sour, hot and salty, and love the fresh taste of the crunchy lettuce. You can of course use lettuce of your choice, but a crunchy one is best. Laap can be made with turkey, beef, pork chicken or even fish, but for this one I have chosen to use turkey. Be careful when you chose turkey mince though, as it isn't always easy to spot the difference between breast and leg mince, the latter being much higher in fat content. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

400g lean turkey mince

2 onions

2 romaine lettuce hearts

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp sweetener

1 red chilli, chopped

chopped coriander

Shred the lettuce hearts and place on two plates

Spray a frying pan with Fry Light.

Finely dice the onions.

Sauté the onions with the turkey mince, breaking the meat up as you go along. 

 

Fry for a few minutes until the meat is slightly browned and the onion soft.

Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener and chilli. Stir well to combine.

Add the chopped coriander and serve on top of the lettuce.

Enjoy! 

Scotch eggs

Makes 4

Syn free on Extra Easy*

* providing you use the bread as your healthy extra B

1 pkt Joe's sausagemeat

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp orgeano

1 tsp sage

1 tsp sweetener

4 eggs

1-2 small slices wholemeal bread

Boil the eggs for ten minutes, run under cold water and remove the shell. Mix the sausage meat with the cumin, ginger, salt, oregano, sage and sweetener. Mix well. Blitz the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs, then dry fry in a pan over medium heat until dried out but not browned. 

 

Coat the eggs with the sausagemeat. I find the easiest way of doing this is by first diving the meat in four, then making a slightly oval patty with each of them. Holding the patty in your hand, place the egg on top and cup your hand around it. Then gently draw and stretch the sausagemeat until it complete covers the egg. 

 

Roll in the dried breadcrumbs and bake at 220°C for 15-20 minutes until the sausagemeat is cooked through. 

 

Serve as part of a finger food buffet (as I am doing on Sunday for the football), or with a salad. Great for taking on picnics or in the lunch box too. 

 

Roasted Garlic and caramelised Onion Dip

This low fat, syn free dip is delicious with carrot batons and celery sticks; or you could use it as a filling for jacket potatoes. By adding some water or lemon juice to it, you could turn it into a salad dressing; or it would be nice tossed with some hot pasta or vegetables – but don't let it boil as it will curdle.

Syn free on Extra Easy

3 onions, finely chopped

1 whole bulb of garlic

1 tub of quark

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp of salt or to taste

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp sweetener or to taste

Sauté the onions in a little Fry Light over a low heat until caramelised, probably about 20 minutes or so. Don't let them become too brown.

Cut the papery top off the garlic bulb to reveal the cloves and spray with Fry Light. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 220°C, until the garlic cloves are nice and soft. Scoop the soft centres out by squeezing with your fingers, using a knife or small spoon to remove any stubborn bits.

Place the soft garlic mass and half the onions in a liquidiser with a little water (ca 1 tbsp) and blitz until smooth. Mix into the quark with the spices and the rest of the onion. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

 

Spicy Chick Pea Snacks

If you fancy something to nibble of an evening but don't want to use your syns, this is a very good alternative. You can vary the spices according to what takes your fancy.

Syn free on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the olive oil as your Healthy Extra B

1 tin chick peas

½ tbsp olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

½ tsp salt

Drain and rinse the chick peas. Mix well with the olive oil in a bowl and add the salt and spices. Stir to ensure the peas are well coated. Bake in a single layer on a baking sheet at 200°C for 30-40 minutes until crisp. You need to stir them and rearrange them on the baking sheet several times during cooking, as the outside ones will brown quicker then those in the middle. It is really a bit of a trial and error thing on the timing, keep testing them until they are crisp, and keep an eye on them so they don't burn. I think they're worth it though.

Bacon and Onion Frittata

This is very rich and bacony (is there such a word?), and is great as part of a buffet as a little goes a long way.

Makes 18 small squares for a buffet or 4 generous portions for a lunch or light dinner

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

*Providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

12 slices bacon, all visible fat removed

5 large onions

5 eggs

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp celery salt

salt and pepper to taste

60g finely grated Parmesan cheese

Spray a 8”x12” shallow oven tin with a little Fry Light and pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Chop the onions roughly and fry in a little Fry Light until soft. Chop the bacon and fry until done to your liking. I prefer my bacon very well done, as I feel it brings out the flavour better, but that really is personal preference. Mix together the bacon, onion, sage, celery, salt and pepper and spread out in the baking dish.

Whisk the eggs together until frothy and pour evenly over the onions. Top with the grated cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes until the egg is set and the cheese lightly browned. Refrigerate until ready to eat – this makes the frittata less crumbly and easier to pick up using hands if it is part of a finger buffet.