Prawn Laksa

There are lots of different versions of prawn laksa, and this is my take on this popular spicy noodle soup from Singapore. Instead of the usual coconut milk, I used Müllerlight coconut and vanilla yogurt at only ½ syn per pot. You can easily use leftover vegetables in this soup, or any combination that you like, only limited by your imagination! Below is a list of what I used, for two people.

4 banana shallots

a knob of ginger

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp sambal oelek

1 tbsp bouillon powder

2 noodle nests

1 pkt of uncooked prawns

½ pkt bean-sprouts

5 spring onions, chopped

a handful of coriander leaves, chopped

a handful of mint leaves, chopped

½ cooked butternut squash, cubed

1 tub of Müllerlight coconut yogurt

In a large saucepan, fry up the shallots, ginger and garlic in some Fry Light, then added water, sambal oelek and bouillon powder. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then add the noodles and bean sprouts. Once they start to go soft, add the prawns, spring onions, cooked butternut squash (or whatever leftover vegetables you are using) and stir until the prawns turn pink. Switch off the heat and add the yogurt and herbs. Check the seasoning and serve.

Jerk Turkey with Coconut Mango Salad

I cut a couple of chillies from my Bulgarian Carrot plant today to create this dish. For the jerk marinade I left the seeds in and for the salad took them out. On a hotness scale of 1-10, we both agreed the dish scored a 5-6 with an afterburn of up to 8.

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 turkey steaks

For the marinade:

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 chilli, chopped

4 spring onions, chopped

a few stems of fresh thyme

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp sweetener

For the salad:
2 mangoes, chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped

small handful fresh coriander, chopped

2 tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped

handful of rocket leaves

1 tub Müllerlight coconut and vanilla yogurt

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and whizz though food processor, liquidiser or spice grinder until it resembles a smooth paste. Spread on both sides of the turkey steaks and leave in a cool place to marinade for several hours. Grill for 7-10 minutes, or until cooked through, which will depend on the thickness of the steaks.

Mix together all the ingredients for the salad. Divide the salad between two plates and top with the jerk turkey steaks. 

 

Tuna, White Bean and Asparagus Salad

I used dried cannellini beans for this recipe, but you can use tinned if you prefer.

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the olive oil as your Healthy Extra B. You can of course omit the oil completely if you like.

1 can tuna steaks in water, drained

1 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight

1 bunch asparagus spears

4-5 shallots, finely chopped

a few fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

1 tbsp capers

½ tsp olive oil

½ tsp red wine vinegar

plenty of freshly ground black pepper to serve

Cook the cannellini beans according to the packet instructions, or drain if using tinned. Allow to cool. Cut the asparagus spears in one inch lengths and boil gently for a few minutes until cooked to your liking. Mix all the salad ingredients together and toss with the oil and vinegar dressing. Serve with black pepper. 

 

Mixed Onion and Tomato Pasta

I had a little accident in the greenhouse today, one of the chilli plants became top heavy and toppled over onto the floor, breaking off a branch in the process. There were four unripe chillies on the branch, so I had to find a dish to add them to. My first dish cooked with my own, home-grown chillies! Not knowing the strength of the Goat Horn chilli, I only risked one in the dish – but wish I'd used more, as it was very mild.

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, sliced

4-5 shallots, sliced

1 tin chopped tomatoes

200ml passata

1 tsp bouillon powder

1 chilli, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

150g pasta shapes

fresh basil to serve

Sauté the onion, leeks, shallots and chilli in Fry Light until soft. Add the tomatoes, passata, herbs and bouillon powder and simmer for a few minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta until cooked to your liking. Stir the pasta in the sauce and serve sprinkled with a little fresh basil. 

 

Ham, Egg and Mustard Veggies

Inspired by the piccalilli my mother in law always used to serve with ham, I created a mustard sauce to go with the vegetables for this dish. 

 

Serves 3

2 Syns on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the milk as your healthy Extra A

3 slices lean cooked ham

4-5 potatoes

3 eggs

½ cauliflower

1 leek

4-5 shallots

1 pkt Coleman's White sauce

300ml skimmed milk

1-2 tbsp mustard powder

1 tsp bouillon powder

pinch of sweetener

½ tsp turmeric

Peel and slice the leeks. Peel the shallots and quarter. Break the cauliflower into small florets. Sauté the leeks in Fry Light until soft. Boil the shallots and cauliflower until done to your liking. I did mine separately as I wanted the shallots cooked for longer than the cauliflower, which I like to still have a bite to it.

Cut the potatoes in wedges and place on a baking sheet. Spray with Fry Light and bake at 230°C for 30-40 minutes until cooked through and nicely browned.

Make the white sauce according to the instructions on the packet. Add mustard, bouillon powder and sweetener to taste, and turmeric for some colour. Add the vegetables and heat through.

Fry the egg in Fry Light for a few minutes.

Place the ham on three plates, top with the fried egg and serve with the wedges and mustard vegetables. 

 

Mexican Rubbed Turkey Steak with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 turkey steaks

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli flakes

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

zest of ½ lemon

4 large tomatoes

6-8 shallots, peeled and halved

2 twigs rosemary

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 dried chilli

1 tsp sweetener

Mix together the cumin, chilli flakes, garlic, oregano, paprika and lemon zest. Use to rub on the turkey steaks. Leave for a couple of hours for the flavours to infuse.

Quarter the tomatoes and place in a shallow oven proof dish with the shallots. Spray with Fry Light and bake at 160°C for about an hour until the tomatoes are beginning to dry. Leave to cool, then chop the tomatoes and shallots roughly. Remove the leaves from the woody stems of the rosemary, chop and add to the tomato and shallot mixture, with the lemon juice and zest.Rehydrate the dried chilli in boiling water for ten minutes, then chop finely. Add to the salsa. Stir in the sweetener and leave in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before serving.

Fry the turkey steaks for 5-7 minutes each side until cooked through. Serve with the salsa. 

 

Thai Beef Curry

Serves 2

1½ syn on Extra Easy

250g Beef, cubed

4-5 shallots, sliced

1 red pepper. chopped

small knob ginger, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 Müllerlight coconut and vanilla yogurts

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

stock

Fry the beef, shallots, pepper and ginger in Fry Light until the beef is sealed and the onion has softened a little. Add the carrots, squash and curry paste, with enough water to just cover the vegetables. Simmer until the carrots are cooked to your liking. To thicken the sauce, mash a few of the butternut squash pieces with a fork or potato masher. Take the saucepan off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before adding the yogurt, stirring well to incorporate.

Serve with rice.