Pulled Pork Tortilla Pizza

Having read about pizzas made from tortillas, I was keen to try it for myself, and when I discovered that I could have the Bfree Wheat and Gluten Free Wholegrain Wraps as as a Healthy Extra B choice, the idea was sold. I had terrible trouble finding the said wraps though – they are apparently only available in Asda in this area, but the first Asda I tried was too small, so I ended up driving half way around the West Country to find them. When I finally did, I bought two packets to keep in the freezer.

I used the leftover BBQ pulled pork for my topping, but you could use anything you like, remembering to ensure that you get plenty of superfree foods. My BBQ sauce had onion, cherry tomatoes and passata in it, but even so I decided to serve it with a couple of salads to balance it all out.

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

and the tortilla as you Healthy Extra B

2 Bfree Wheat and Gluten Free Wholegrain Wraps

topping as required

60g grated Parmesan cheese

Salad or vegetables to serve

Place the wraps on a pizza cooking trays and spread the topping over the surface leaving a couple of centimetres around the edges. Scatter the grated cheese over the top and bake in the oven at 210°C for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Keep an eye on them as the edge can burn easily.

Tropical Coleslaw

As I still had some mooli left (those buggers are huge!) I made a tropical coleslaw to go with the pizzas. I tried grating the apricots too, but it just became a soggy mush, so I resorted to chopping them very finely.

finely grated mooli

finely grated carrot

2 apricots, finely chopped

1 tub zero percent plain yogurt

1-2 tsp mint sauce

Sweetener to taste

Mix together all the ingredients for the coleslaw and serve with the pizza. I also served it with a sweet bistro style salad (bought ready packaged from the store. 

 

Beef Lasagne

This was really nice and rich, and my dad loved it. He took the rest of it home with him for the freezer. 

Serves 4

2½ syns on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

500g extra lean minced beef

2 onions, chopped

200g mushrooms, chopped

300ml passata

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp sweetener

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

2-3 tsp bouillon powder

9 dried lasagne sheets

180g reduced fat Cheddar, grated

1 pkt Coleman's white sauce

300ml skimmed milk

Salad to serve

Fry the onions and meat in Fry Light until the onions are soft and the meat slightly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Add the herbs, bouillon powder, sweetener, Worcestershire sauce and passata. Stir well and simmer for a few more minutes. Make up the white sauce according to packet instructions. 

 

Place a layer of three lasagne sheets in the bottom of a dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then another three pasta sheets. Next, put the rest of the meat sauce and another three pasta sheets. Pour over the white sauce and top with the grated cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 200°C until the pasta is cooked and the cheese browned. Serve with your choice of salad. 

 

Feta Cheese Pannacotta

When I first saw a recipe for a savoury cheese pannacotta, I really wasn't sure how I felt about that concept, but as I had some feta cheese (the original recipe used goat's cheese and was way more complicated), I thought I'd give it a go. I am all for new taste experiences. I am so glad I did, as it was delicious! The saltiness of the feta went really well with the lentils and vegetables. As soon as the pannacotta hits the hot lentils it starts to melt, so make sure you serve it immediately. You could also serve the whole dish cold as a salad. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

100g feta cheese

1 tub fat free plain yogurt

1 sachet gelatine crystals

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

1 cup puy lentils

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, sliced

100g spinach

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (the finely chopped variety)

1 tbsp bouillon powder

Melt the cheese in the microwave or on the stove. Mix the gelatine with 100ml boiling water and add the hot cheese. Stir thoroughly. Gradually mix in the yogurt until really smooth and add the herbs. Pour mixture into two individual moulds and leave in the fridge to set for at least two hours.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion and leek in Fry Light for a few minutes, then add the lentils, mixed vegetables and bouillon powder with 3 cups of water. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are cooked to your liking. Add the spinach and stir until it has wilted. Serve the lentil and vegetable mix topped with the inverted pannacotta. 

 

Hunter's Chicken

I always struggle to think of what to make when my dad comes round, but this lovely dish of chicken breasts wrapped in bacon, smothered in smoky BBQ sauce and topped with cheese is a favourite of all three of us. I always add some fried onion in the bottom of the dish to increase the amount of superfree.

Serves 3

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

3 chicken breasts, skin and fat removed

6 rashers bacon, all visible fat removed

135g reduced fat cheddar, grated

2 onions, sliced

500ml passata

2 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp mustard powder

2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 tso sweetener

2 tsp apple balsamic vinegar

2 tso bouillon powder

3 tomatoes, sliced

Using the back of a knife, stretch the bacon slices to make them thinner and longer. Wrap the chicken breasts in the bacon. Bake at 220°C for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the BBQ sauce: heat the passata in a saucepan and add the paprika, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sweetener, vinegar and bouillon powder. Bring to boiling point. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Sauté the onion in Fry Light until soft. Divide between three individual oven-proof dishes, and place a chicken breasts on top, then the sliced tomatoes. Spoon over the BBQ sauce and finish with the grated cheese. Bake in the oven for ten minutes until the cheese is bubbling and brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with accompaniments of your choice. 

 

Breakfast Pizza

On the Slimming World plan, it is only Asda and Co-op pitta breads that count as your healthy Extra B because they are the only ones with sufficient fibre content. I have tried, without any success whatsoever, to locate the Co-op ones, but Asda wholemeal pitta bread is easy to find in larger stores. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra easy*

* Providing you use the bread and cheese as your healthy extras.

2 Asda wholemeal pitta breads

4 tbsp passata

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

2 Joe's Sausages (any flavour), cooked and thinly sliced

2 rashers bacon, all visible fat removed, cooked and chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced

ca 150g cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

90g reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated

Toast the pitta breads, open the pockets and split in half. Spread the passata on the breads and sprinkle with the basil. Top the pizzas with the sausage, bacon, and egg, in no particular order, then pile on the tomatoes to ensure you get your one-third superfree in. Finally sprinkle the grated cheese over and grill for a few minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbling. 

 

Apple Cake with Summer Fruits

This was a complete experiment as I had a whole bag of apples from a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Husband loves apple cakes and puddings, so I had to think of something to do with the apples that was also portable for our picnic. It makes a very moist cake, and because of the relatively short baking time, the apples retain a nice crunch. 

It is no doubt best the day it is made, as the juice from the berries stained everything blue the next day. It comes out a little messy on the plate (the slices don't retain their shape very well), but tastes absolutely yummy.

 

Serves 6-8

½ syn for the whole cake on Extra Easy*

*Providing you use the cooked apples and cream cheese as your Healthy Extras

1 tub quark

½ tsp baking powder

4 eggs, separated

vanilla essence

6 tbsp sweetener, or to taste

1 tsp cinnamon

4 apples

200g frozen mixed summer fruits, thawed

125g blackcurrants to decorate

150g reduced fat cream cheese

Peel and finely chop the apples. Mix together the egg yolks, baking powder, 1-2 tsp vanilla essence, 2 tbsp sweetener, cinnamon and half the tub of quark, using an electric whisk. In a separate clean bowl, using a clean whisk, whip the egg whites until firm. Carefully fold the yokes into the whites.

Grease two 20cm springform cake times and divide the mixture between the two. Place the apples into the cake mix in the tins. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Remove the cakes from the tins. Spread one of the cakes with the rest of the quark mixed with 2 tbsp sweetener. Top with the mixed berries and carefully place the other cake on top. Mix together the cream cheese and 2 tbsp sweetener and spread on the top of the cake. Top with the blackcurrants. 

 

Quesadillas

By making these traditional Mexican 'cheese sandwiches' with pitta bread rather than tortillas, you can enjoy this as your Healthy Extra. The pitta has to be Asda, as they are (according to Slimming World) the only ones with enough fibre to class as a Healthy Extra. Any other brand has to be synned. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

*Providing you use the pitta bread and cheese as your Healthy Extra A & B..

2 Asda pitta breads.

90g reduced fat Cheddar

a few slices onion

a sprinkling of chilli flakes

Split the pitta bread and stuff with the cheese, onion and chilli flakes. Grill until cheese is melted and bread browned. I toasted mine in my George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine, which I find ideal for toasted sandwiches. 

 

Serve with a salad of your choice and Cebollas en Escabeche.

Cebollas en Escabeche

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp allspice berries

½ tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp oregano

2 sweet onions, peeled

100ml white wine vinegar

Process the spices until coarsely ground using a spice grinder, food processor or mortar and pestle.

Cut the onions in half and thinly slice them. Mix together the onions, vinegar and spices, cover and refrigerate for at least a day before using. 

 

Spaghetti with Creamy Watercress Pesto and Crushed Tomatoes

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

*Providing you use the cheese as you healthy Extra A

150g wholemeal spaghetti

85g watercress

2 cloves garlic

80g parmesan cheese, grated

4 tbsp fat free fromage frais

125g cherry tomatoes, quartered

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, in a food processor, whizz together the watercress, garlic, cheese and fromage frais.

Drain the spaghetti and return to the pan with the pesto and tomatoes and stir over a very low heat for a few minutes until it is all well mixed and heated through, the cheese has melted and the tomatoes have crushed a little. 

 

Cheese and Bacon Muffins

 

This is my first attempt at savoury muffins, and I have to say I was very apprehensive at first. They are not really muffins in the true sense of the word of course, as there is no flour in the recipe, the consistency was more like soufflés. They were very moist and soft – maybe they would firm up if they were allowed to cool? Who knows, we scoffed them all while still warm. Use a strong cheese such as parmesan to maximise the flavour - mustard powder helps to bring out the flavour of cheese while adding no extra calories or syns.  

 

Makes

¼ Syn on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the cheese and oats as your Healthy Extra A and B, half this recipe will be ¼ syn.

35g rolled oats

170g fat free natural yogurt

60g parmesan cheese, finely grated

¼ tsp salt

2 tsps mustard powder

1 gammon steak, cooked and chopped

1 large leek

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

Soak the oats in yogurt and 1 tbsp water overnight. Thinly slice the leek and sauté in Fry Light until soft. Separate the eggs, and whisk the whites until soft peaks form. Mix the egg yolks with the oats, baking powder, salt, mustard powder, leeks, gammon bits and cheese. Fold in the whites gently, making sure it is all mixed well. Spoon into individual muffin tins and bake at 190°C for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. 

 

I did get rather carries away taking photos of the muffins. 

 

Cauliflower Cheese Topped Gammon Steaks

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra easy*

* Providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

2 gammon steaks

½ cauliflower

90g reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated

Break the cauliflower into florets and boil for 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the gammon steaks for 5-7 minutes each side. 

 

Place the gammon steaks on baking sheets to take the overflow of cheese, and top with the cauliflower florets. I found the easiest way of doing this was to cut the stems off them to give each floret a flat bottom. (Now I have lots of bits of leftover cauliflower to use up another time....) Top with the cheese and grill until the cheese bubbles and has turned nicely brown. 

 

Baked Spaghetti 

This is an excellent way of using up leftover meat and vegetables. You can of course use any kind of cooked meat – gammon goes particularly well.

Serves 4

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the cheese as you Healthy Extra A

300g wholewheat pasta

400g cooked meat

2 onions, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 leek

4 eggs

100ml fat free fromage frais

2 tsp bouillon powder

180g mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Boil the spaghetti for 10 minutes, drain, and using scissors, cut into smaller lengths by sticking the scissors in the drainer randomly.

Sauté the onions and peppers in Fry Light until soft. Add the leeks and fry for a couple of minutes more. Mix in the spaghetti and stir well.

Whisk the eggs with half the fromage frais and 1 tsp of the bouillon powder. Stir into the spaghetti mixture and place in an oven proof dish. Mix the rest of the fromage frais with the remaining bouillon powder and enough water to give it a pouring consistency. Drizzle over the spaghetti and top with the mozzarella slices.

Bake at 200°C for 35-40 minutes, until the egg is set. Serve with a salad. 

 

Spätzle Bake

Wandering around Lidl yesterday, I came across a packet of dried spätzle on special offer. Although I have heard of spätzle, I have never tasted it and was unsure of what to do with it. Internet searches suggested it is mostly used as a side dish to meat dishes, but I wanted something a little more than that and I noticed a dish of spätzle baked with vegetables and cheese. As I had lots of leftover vegetables to use up, and a tub of Low Low cheese in the fridge, that seemed ideal.

Similar in texture to regular pasta, spätzle is a German speciality food which differs in that it is normally scraped off a board or pressed through a grater to create irregular shapes. It seems to fluff up more when boiled.

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

a couple of handfuls of spätzle

leftover vegetables such as onions, shallots, Broccoli, red pepper and tomatoes

a few leaves of fresh basil

Low Low cheese

Cook the spätzle according to packet instructions – usually 15 minutes. Fry the onion and red pepper in a little Fry Light until slightly softened, then add the rest of the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes. Soften the cheese for 30 seconds in the microwave, then add to the mix with a little water from the spätzle if necessary. Place in a shallow ovenproof dish and bake on a high heat for 5-7 minutes until nicely browned. Serve with a side salad of your choice.