Oranges in Syrup

Adapted from a Middle Eastern recipe, this is very refreshing and fairly simple to make. The original recipe calls for pistachio nuts for sprinkling, and of course sugar to make the syrup.

Husband and I agreed that serving fruit in nice glasses, presented prettily and with a sauce and/or topping, makes such a nice finish to a meal. It wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting to sit there and peel an orange to eat. 

 

Serves 2

Syn value is negligible

2 oranges

½ cup sweetener

1 tbsp rose-water

½ pkt sugar free orange flavoured jelly crystals

fat free fromage frais to serve

handful toasted buckwheat

Using a vegetable peeler, peel one of the oranges down to but not including the pith. Cut the orange peel into fine strips and boil in water several times to remove the bitterness. Drain.

Add 300ml water to the orange peel, along with the sweetener and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the jelly crystals and stir well to dissolve. Add the rose-water and leave to cool, but don't leave it too long, as you don't want it to set to a jelly, just thicken a little.

Completely remove the pith from the oranges and cut them into thin slices. Arrange in two dessert bowls, pour over the syrup, serve with fromage frais and sprinkle some toasted buckwheat over the top. 

 

Moroccan Tuna with Fennel and Orange Salad

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 fresh tuna steaks

For the marinade:

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp chilli flakes

salt and pepper

juice of half a lemon

For the salad:

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 large orange, peeled and cut into segments

1 tbs white balsamic vinegar

handful fresh coriander, chopped

salt and pepper

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and smear over each side of the tuna steaks. Leave in the fridge for at least two hours.

Meanwhile, mix together the salad ingredients and leave for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to develop before serving the salad topped with the tuna steaks. 

 

 

St Clement's Mousse

Named after an old English nursery rhyme, St Clement's usually refers to anything with oranges and lemons.

Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.

You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.

When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.

When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.

I do not know,
Says the great bell of Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Serves 3

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* The jelly crystals have ½ syn divided by the three serving

3 oranges, segmented

2 Müllerlight mandarin flavour yogurt

1 sachet sugar free lime and lemon jelly crystals

Place the orange segments in the bottom of three glasses. Mix up the jelly crystals with 100ml of boiling water. Let is cool some before mixing in the yogurt. Pour over the oranges and leave to set in a fridge for at least two hours. 

 

Middle Eastern Duck Salad

It is very difficult to calculate the syn value for this dish, as Slimming World says that orange juice is 1½ syns for 100ml. I am not using orange juice as such in this recipe, just the juice that is left in the orange after segmenting it. I measured mine and from 3 large oranges, I got 50ml leftover juice – that is ¾ syn between three people. Not really worth worrying about. 

 

Serves 2-3

¼ syn on Extra easy (see note above)

2 duck breasts

1 tsp sumac

3 oranges

small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

150g spinach

½ red onion

100g pomegranate

400g anya potatoes

a few prigs of fresh coriander

2 tsp rose water

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

½ tbsp sweetener

2 tsp cumin seeds

Remove the skin and all visible fat from the duck breasts. Make several long slits in the flesh and sprinkle with sumac. Rub the spice in with your fingers and leave to marinate for an hour or so. Fry for around 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Thinly slice.

Dry fry the cumin seeds for a few minutes until fragrant, then coarsely grind using a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.

Remove the skin and pith from the oranges and cut into segments. Squeeze the remainder of the pithy core into a bowl to get the rest of the juices out. Mix the orange segments with the parsley.

Mix the orange juice with the rose water, vinegar, sweetener and cumin seeds.

Cut the potatoes in fairly thick slices and boil until just cooked. Drain. Sauté in Fry Light over high heat until nicely browned. Add a tablespoon or so of the dressing and mix well, leaving for a couple of minutes to infuse the flavours.

Finely chop the red onion and mix with the pomegranate seeds and coriander.

Place the spinach in the bottom of a shallow salad bowl and add the potatoes, oranges, duck slices and pomegranate seeds, in that order. Drizzle over the rest of the dressing and serve. 

 

Swordfish with Orange, Ginger and Baby Sweetcorn Salsa

I went a little mad in Sainsbury's the other week, stocking up on lots of different fish for the freezer. Fish I wouldn't necessarily normally choose, such as swordfish. This recipe is adapted from a Ready Steady Cook dish, to fit in with the Slimming World plan.

The orange and ginger went extremely well with the rich, meaty fish, and a green couscous completed the meal. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 sword fish steaks

2 cloves garlic

juice and zest of 1 lime

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

½ green chilli, finely chopped

2 oranges

small knob of ginger

125g baby sweetcorn

small handful coriander leaves, chopped

1 cup couscous

1 courgette, finely grated

1 tsp bouillon powder

Finely chop the garlic and mix with the lime juice and zest, soy sauce and chilli. Place the fish steaks in a shallow bowl and pour over the marinade. Turn to coat and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

Remove the skin, pith and membranes of the oranges and cut into segments. Cut the ginger into thin julienne strips. Halve the baby sweetcorn lengthways, then halve again crossways. Lay cut side down on a greased baking sheet, and spray with Fry Light. Grill on a high heat for a few minutes until beginning to go soft and slightly charred on the edges. Leave to cool. Mix together the orange segments, ginger, baby sweetcorn and coriander leaves.

Cook the couscous in plenty of water with the the bouillon powder according to packet instructions. Mix in the grated courgette. I find this is much easier to do before draining.

Remove the swordfish steaks from the marinade and fry over a high heat for a few minutes on each side until cooked through. Drain the couscous and place on two plates. Put the salsa on top of the couscous and finally top with the swordfish steaks. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing. 

 

Crêpes Suzette

This is the Slimming World version of this wonderful French classic recipe. You can add Grand Marnier or brandy should you wish, but don't forget to calculate the syn value if you do. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 eggs, separated

2 tbsp sweetener

2 heaped tsp quark

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 oranges

fat free mandarin yogurt to serve

First remove the skin and pith from the oranges and cut into segments. Keep in a microwavable bowl. 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, briefly heat the orange segments in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and serve with the mandarin yogurt.