Teriyaki Stir Fry sauce

This is a great versatile little sauce....it's really a stir fry sauce but it can be used in other ways too...Last night I had it as a stir fry with some prawns but the night before I had to use up a cooked salmon fillet so I put some of the sauce in a small frying pan and heated it through...I let it simmer for a little while to thicken it up, then I let it cool and added it to the flaked salmon...put it with a salad ...Teriyaki salmon salad...my grand-daughter also adds it to a salmon fillet then wraps it in foil and bakes it ...she swears by it!!!  It isn't much of a recipe as such just a bunch if ingredients that you chuck together. The original recipe asked for 1/2 teaspoon Chilli flakes but I found this a bit much so only use 1/4 teaspoon...obviously it depends on your own taste. Also the original recipe required sugar but I use Canderel Sugarly ....it's just like sugar and has no points in it (always a winner!!)

Ingredients

125ml Water
80ml Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Rice Wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Root Ginger
1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes
1 Tbsp Cornflour (mixed with a little water to make a slurry)

45g Canderel Sugarly

Method couldn't be easier...mix everything together!!

This makes enough for 4 servings (about 300ml) so I tend to keep the remainder in a small bottle in the fridge...the cornflour settles out so it needs a good shake before you use it again.

     Prawn Stir Fry           Teriyaki Salmon Salad

Lemon Curd

 

 

 

 

Hi guys....I can't believe I haven't written this up on here before now!!! We were chatting about it on the  FB page run by my WW coach and when I went to look for the recipe it wasn't here!!...so I'll have to remedy that today....

I can't claim credit for this...it came from the lovely Janey at Slice of Slim (Original recipe Here)....the recipe calls for the juice of 1/2 lemon but to be honest I like my lemon curd zingy so I add the juice of a whole lemon....I'm also considering trying it with the zest as well....when I do I'll update this and let you know how it turned out...Janey recommends making it with lime, tangerine or grapefruit

 

 

Ingredients

 

2 Medium Eggs - yolks only

1/2 Lemon - juice only

1 tbsp Canderel Calorie Free Sweetener

3 tbsp Water

 

Method

 

Simply place all the ingredients into a bowl.

 

 

 

Place the bowl on top of a pan of simmering water on the hob. Make sure that the bowl is heat proof and is big enough to sit on top of the pan so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the hot water below.

 

 

 

 

 

Whisk gently with a hand whisk, constantly until it thickens. This takes 5-10 minutes. It's really important to cook it by this slow method as you don't want to end up with scrambled eggs!

 

 

 

 

 

You will end up with a beautifully smooth, glossy mixture with a consistency similar to mayonnaise. At this point you might want to taste as you may wish to add a little more lemon juice or sweetener according to your personal taste.

 

 

At this stage you can sieve the lemon curd. In the past when I have made this I haven't seived but because I was doing this post today I decided to seive and see what the results were like. I can tell you that it isn't essential but I liked the texture so will be doing it every time I make it in future.

 

 

 

Decant it carefully into a suitable container. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge.

 

 

 

So that's it....

Enjoy!!!

Lets stay strong guys
Sue

 

Spicy Tomato Sardines

Wow!!! This was a revelation.....we were supposed to have Chilli Con Carne for supper tonight but for reasons I won't bore you with we had to change direction. Didn't know what to pull out of the fridge/freezer but while I was wondering about things I noticed a tin of sardines on the shelf. I remembered that I had been reviewing recipes in my recipe builder and came upon this one so I took the opportunity to do it....and it was fab. I know the photo looks a bit browned out but it really was delicious. A note to consider...the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice but I like lemon so I put the juice of a whole lemon into it.....it was really nice.

Ingredients

Spray Oil

1 medium Shallot finely diced

60g Passata

1 teaspoon Capers, in Brine

Zest of a Lemon

2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Pinch Chilli flakes

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

Pinch of salt

1 (120g) Can of John West Boneless Sardines in Tomato Sauce

Method

Spray a frying pan with the spray oil. Soften the shallot for a few minutes.
Add the passata, chilli flakes, capers, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire Sauce and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes to combine flavours. Season well
Add the sardines and break them up into the sauce. Cook for a few minutes to warm through. Serve on pasta (adding the appropriate sp) or vegetable ribbons.

"Butter Chicken" Sauce

Hi guys....!!

Since I've been on my WW journey hubby and I don't often eat the same meals so when I find something that suits us both I'm all over it. At the beginning of lockdown I was rooting around in the freezer and came across a portion of Butter Chicken that I had made using a a ready made sauce...it was great so I decided to find a Butter Chicken recipe that I could make at home....found this one (can't remember where it came from...normally I'm red hot on this but I've not been blogging regularly for a while so didn't think to record where it came from apologies if this is yours...no malice intended)

This recipe serves 6 so I make it up and then divide it into 3 portions for us two and freeze it. Just a note.....the first time I used this sauce from the freezer I forgot to add the Canderel and the creme fraiche.....so now I write myself a note on the label....LOL!!!
 
I served mine with Cauliflower rice and a couple of Low Fat Poppadoms (2sp) and I made up a quick and easy version of Mint chutney (Its 1 large chopped onion with the juice of 1 lemon and some dried mint...make as far ahead as you can remember for your meal and leave to marinate)

I put this in the WW recipe builder and it comes out at 1sp per portion (thats for the half fat creme fraiche)

The recipe can be used in a meat free recipe ...the chicken breast is in the photo because I was making Butter Chicken for our supper.... :)


Lets stay Strong guys
Sue
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Ingredients

10 sprays Tesco Pure Rapeseed Oil Spray

1 large Onion sliced

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Root Ginger, minced or finely grated

1 ¹⁄₂ level teaspoons Ground Cumin

1 ¹⁄₂ level teaspoons Garam Masala

1 level teaspoon Dried Coriander,

1 large can Chopped Tomatoes

¹⁄₂ level teaspoons Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

2 level tablespoon Half Fat Crème Frâiche

15g Canderel Sugarly

Method

Spray a large skillet or pot and place over medium-high heat.

Fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.

Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant,

....then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.

Add chopped tomatoes, chilli powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.

                                                               

                                                            Before and after simmering

Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your blender.

At this point it can be frozen in batches. When ready to use stir the creme fraiche and Canderel through the sauce before serving.

Saffron Salmon Caulisotto

So ....a Hairy Bikers recipe for Saffron Seafood with Fregola pitched up on my Facebook newsfeed....looked good but I didn't have the seafood in and I don't eat pasta anymore so at first I thought "Well I won't be making that"....it was the saffron that attracted me to the recipe...I've got some in and don't use it much so as I was intending to have salmon caulisotto for dinner I just incorporated the herbs and saffron into that....loved it and will be making it again

I only made a single portion and it came out at 1point please remember to recalculate if you add or substitute any ingredients or (to be on the cautious side) if you increase the number of portions.

Ingredients

1 salmon fillet either raw or pre-cooked
1 portion of cauliflower florets (riced)
1 medium shallot finely diced
1/2 teaspoon of Canderel Sugarly
A small pinch of saffron
Spray Oil (not shown in pic)
100ml veg stock (not shown in pic)
45g Philadelphia lightest
1/8 teaspoon chilli flakes (to your own taste if you like it more spicy)
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon oregano
Salt
Black pepper

Method

The first thing to do is cook the salmon fillet (unless you are using a ready cooked one). I preheat the oven to 170 fan. Then I place my salmon in a piece of foil and wrap it up then I bake it in the oven for 12-13 minutes. Take it out and flake it into bite sized pieces.

At this point its a good idea to prepare the saffron, I put it in an egg cup and add a tablespoon of boiling water and allow it to sit and infuse while I do everything alse.



Normally, when I make a caulisotto, I just add the shallot to the pan and soften it but I wanted the flavour of caramelised shallot which is of course much sweeter. To do this I put the shallot in a small frying pan along with a few squirts of spray oil and let it come up to the heat. I then turned the heat down and sprinkled the Canderel over, I then let it gently continue to cook until the shallot was lovely and brown and sweet and sticky

  I know it looks burnt but I promise you it isn't... :)

While this was happening I placed the cauliflower rice in a lidded casserole dish with a couple of tablespoons of water and zapped it in the microwave for 2 minutes

When the shallot was ready I added it to a small saucepan and added the microwaved cauli rice. Now at this point the shallot and the rice are already cooked so its pretty much an assembly job. The thing about risotto is the consistency and its that which takes the time at this point. I've tried adding the Philadelphia cheese at this point but its almost impossible to get the right consistency so I normally add a little stock at this point didn't have any to hand so I added some hot water (just enough to cover the mixture) and the stock cube. I added the saffron, the herbs and and some seasoning. I kept the caulisotto on a medium high heat and waited for the liquid to evaporate (takes about 10-15minutes depending on how high the heat is). When the consistency was right I added the flaked salmon and mixed it gently in so as not to break up the salmon. Served it on a warm plate with a wedge of lemon.

Hope you try it and enjoy

I'd love comments if you would like.

Stay strong guys
Sue
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Stuffed Peppers 4sp

 Hello all.....I've been absent for a while (had a LOT going on)....but I'm back and raring to go

This dish was inspired by the fact that, like most people, I'm using up stuff in the fridge instead of going out...

I often have one of these peppers as a vegetable side (which you may find elsewhere on this blog) I had some peppers in the fridge and I wanted to use them up instead of throwing them out....that would be criminal at this time...I also had some bacon medallions which I wanted to use so I bulked it up and served two with cauliflower rice as a main....it was really delicious so I thought I would share it with you all.

As always the ingredients are for one portion so if you make it for more than 1 PLEASE recalculate the sp

Lets stay strong guys
Sue
x


Ingredients

1 pepper cut in half and deseeded
2 bacon medallions cut up into slices or little squares
1 medium shallot, sliced thinly
8 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp Philadelphia lightest
1 tbsp of Half fat creme fraiche
Spray oil
Parmesan Cheese





Method

Start by skinning your tomatoes. Put a score in the bottom of each tomato then place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon and place immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. When the tomatoes are cooled drain them then remove the skin (it will just slip off)....although it seems a little tricky I always do this as I feel that they become tough when they have been cooked. Cut into quarters and set aside.








Spray a small frying pan with the spray oil and bring to a medium heat, throw in the shallots and cook until browned and softened (you could add a tiny sprinkle of Canderel Sugarly...which I decided to do at the last minute hence the Sugarly isn't in the picture...... this helps the caramelisation of the shallots and deepens the flavour....its 0sp as well). Remove the shallots and set aside.

Spray the pan again and add the bacon bits, cook until they are to your personal liking. When cooked remove and set aside.

In a small bowl add the Phildelphia cheese and the creme fraiche, stir to combine then add the shallots and stir to combine, add the bacon and, again, stir to combine, lastly add the tomatoes (reserving a few to sit on the top) and stir.

Place your halved peppers in the microwave and zap for three minutes (a lot of recipes will tell you to stuff the peppers then put them into the oven and cook them in there.....I don't like this method as the peppers are often undercooked, I feel much more in control when I do it this way) then, very carefully so you don't burn yourself, stuff the peppers with the mixture.

To ensure that the peppers don't fall over and spill their contents I use a piece of tin foil and scrunch it up to allow the peppers to sit neatly upright. Nestle the peppers in the foil and then place in the oven for 15-20 minutes ( remember everything is cooked its just about ensuring that its all piping hot after the construction phase.





I added 10g of Parmesan cheese at the end (only thought about it last minute so its not in the pic....but it IS counted in the sp) and served it with cauliflower rice.

Delicious
x

Chicken with Aubergine and Tomato

Great dish tonight guys....

Chicken with Aubergine and Tomato....1sp

I made Aubergine rolls last night which only needs half an aubergine  so I wanted to use the rest up. This recipe is meant to be cooked on the stove top but I changed it slightly. I made up the aubergine and tomato base last night and popped it in the fridge overnight, then I put it into an ovenproof dish topped it with the sealed chicken and cooked it in the oven.

Great dish but next time I think I might add a bit of Worcestershire sauce to the base as well.

This recipe serves 4 at 1sp each (if you change or add any other ingredients please remember to recalculate the sp)

Hope you try it and enjoy

Lets stay strong guys

Sue
x


Ingredients 


1 medium red pepper, cut into chunks
1 medium aubergine, cut into chunks

1 large onion 
1 can tomatoes, chopped
100g mushrooms, sliced
1 tblsp tomato puree
1 chicken stock cube made up to 100ml with hot water
50ml Dry white wine
4 medium chicken breasts
spray oil
4 bacon medallions

Method

Preheat the oven to 200deg C/180deg C / 390deg F fan/ Gas 6

Put the aubergine, pepper, onion and mushroom in a roasting tray and mix well. Spray with the spray oil and bake in the oven until the vegetables are softened (about 20 minutes). Add the tomatoes, puree, stock and wine. Bake for a further 10 - 15 minutes allowing the mixture to reduce slightly.

Meanwhile wrap each chicken breast in 1 slice of bacon . Spray a fry pan with the spray oil heat over a medium heat. Fry each chicken breast until browned turning to ensure each side is coloured.

Remove the vegetable mixture from the oven and add the chicken breast to the pan. Cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

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Baked Lemon Chicken from WW Chickenlicious Cookbook

So I posted that I was going to review some chicken recipes from the WW Chickenlicious Cookbook...well I did this tonight and it was delicious! It looks a bit anaemic but I promise you it was more tasty than it necessarily looks. The cookbook recipe requires potatoes (Making it 5sp per portion) but I substittuted Butternut Squash which made it a 0sp dish. The following recipe serves 4 people but I scaled it down just for me. Will definitely be doing it again.

Lets stay strong guys

Sue
x


Ingrdients 

800g Potatoes, Raw, cut into wedges ( used butternut squash in large cubes)3 medium Tomato, cut into wedges (I sued 6 Cherry tomatoes with the skin removed)4 Bay leaves, dry 
1 stick Cinnamon 
4 medium Chicken breast, skinless, raw, slashed
1 medium Lemon, quartered 
1 Chicken stock, made up to 150ml with hot water
1 level teaspoons, Oregano, Dried 
1  clove Garlic, sliced thin (I onitted this because I was only doing a portion for me)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pinch Black pepper


Method

Preheat the oven to Gas 6/ 200/ fan 180 fan.
Line a large roasting tin with two long sheets of foil (at least twice as long as the roasting tin), forming a cross with the ends hanging over the sides.
Place the potatoes and the tomatoes in the foil-lined tin and tuck in the bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
Nestle the chicken on top.
Season to taste.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon quarters into a jug, then tuck the lemon quarters in among the chicken and vegetables.
Mix the lemon juice with the stock, oregano and garlic and pour this over the chicken and vegetables.

Bring up the edges of the foil and scrunch to seal them well, forming a loose parcel that still allows air to circulate inside.
Cook in the oven for 40 mins.
Turn the oven up to Gas 7/ 220/200 fan.
Open up the foil and fold back the edges to expose the chicken and vegetables. return to the oven for 10 minutes to allow the chicken and vegetables to brown a little. Discard the cinnamon, lemon skins and bay leaves and serve.

I looked at that juice and thought "Too much and too watery" ...but...I was soooo wrong. Loved it.

Chicken and Red Pepper Frittata - from WW Chickenlicious Cookbook

Well I've been absent for a while....mojo desterted me and as a consequence I have gained a few pounds... :( ....however...my mojo showed up a couple of weeks ago and I've had a bit of success on the scales....lost 4 1/2 lbs last week YAY!!! So...mojo well and truly embedded again and me back on track...delighted.

I've been planning to review the Weight Watchers Chickenlicious Cookbook for a while now given that chicken is now a 0sp food (in fact I posted that I was doing this a while ago and then my mojo went on holiday!!). So at the weekend I made a list of all the recipes I want to recreate and reproduce for you here.

So my first foray into the review is this...Chicken and Red Pepper Frittata. I've altered the recipe slightly...I have substituted the potato required in the recipe for butternut squash which has made this 0sp for the whole dish, so you can cut it into 4 or 6 wedges....depending how hungry you are!!! If you wanted the potato it would be 2sp of you divided it into 4 and 1sp if you divided it into 6.

I think next time I make it I will be adding some fresh herbs...probably sage...maybe some thyme...feel free to experiment...I would love to know if anyone has and what the results are.

Lets stay strong guys

Sue
x

Ingredients

300g Butternut Squash

250g Chicken breast, skinless, raw

Bunch Spring Onions

100g Peas, fresh or frozen

6 large Eggs, whole, raw 

10 sprays Frylight 1 Cal Cooking Spray Rapeseed Oil 

PinchSalt

PinchBlack pepper

Method

Cook the butternut squash in boiling water until tender

Spray a non stick frying pan with the frylight.

Stir fry the chicken and pepper for 4-5 mins over a medium high heat until cooked through.

Add the spring onions and peas and cook for a further 2 minutes stirring.

Beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water and season well. 

Drain the butternut squash and tip into the egg mix. 

Stir gently to combine.

Preheat the grill, use kitchen paper to wipe out the frying pan then spray with frylight again. 

Add the frittata mixture to the pan and cook over a low to medium heat for 10 minutes or until nearly set, gently loosening the edge of the frittata from the pan.

Pop the frying pan under the grill (protecting the pan handle from the heat if necessary) and cook for 3-4 minutes until brown.

Serve cut into wedges.

I had mine for lunch with a tomato and red onion salad with WW Balsamic Glaze and sprinkled some fresh Sage and Thyme over too....delicious.

Don't forget to add points for whatever you serve it with

Enjoy
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Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

This is a GREAT recipe ...I've done it before and sadly forgot about it (I've been off my regime for a while but slowly getting back to it...) found it again this week so made it again....its really tasty and filling. I served mine with cauliflower rice but its so low in sp you could have real rice, chips or a jacket potato with it (don't forget to include the sp for these)

If you wanted a vegetarian version you could use all mushrooms and a vegetable stock cube the sp would stay the same as it comes from the Crème Fraiche.

Hope you enjoy it

Lets stay strong guys
Sue
x

Ingredients

Frylight Stir-Fry Spray Oil

1 large Onion, sliced

500g Chicken breast, skinless, raw, cut into thin strips

240g Mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoons Paprika

1 Chicken stock cube, made up to 300ml with hot water

200ml Healthy Living Crème Fraîche

1 pinch Salt

1 pinch Black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon Parsley, fresh, chopped

Method

Spray a large frying pan with the frylight and heat over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add the chicken to the pan stir fry for 5 minutes until it is sealed on all sides.

Add the mushrooms, paprika and Worcestershire sauce and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Add the stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes stirring from time to time.

Add the crème fraiche, seasoning and parsley. Stir well and heat through gently for 2 minutes - don't allow it to bubble and boil as the sauce may split.

Lemony Baked Basa

So with the new WW Flex this comes out at 1sp.......and that is for the balsamic glaze I put on the roasted veg!!!!

Since the new plan came in I have been concentrating on chicken, fish and seafood (of course!!)....I saw a pack of basa fillets in my local Tesco so bought them (along with a pack of 4 salmon fillets, a pack of 4 chicken breast and a pack of prawns, all, apart from the prawns, currently residing in my freezer!!)

I found this recipe while googling basa recipes and it was really nice......for the roasted veg I used some red, yellow and orange peppers, a small piece of courgette (which was left over from some spiralizing I did a couple of days ago) butternut squash, onion and a few cherry tomatoes.....chunked up, sprinkled with Balsamic Glaze (the photo was taken before the glaze was added) and roasted for 30 mins.

LOVE the new Flex plan

Lets stay strong guys

Sue
x



Ingredients

Spray Oil
1 Basa fillet
1/2 lemon, juice only
2 Butterbuds
Pinch of Paprika
2 spring Onions

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C.
Spray a baking dish with the spray oil and lay the fillet on it.
Mix the butterbuds with the lemon juice and coat the top of the Basa fillet.
Sprinkle the paprika on top of the fillet and top with the spring onions.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the fillet is cooked through.


Original recipe Here

Baked Prawns with Tomato and Feta

 This is a cracker!!!!

I've had this in my recipe builder for some time and with the changes to the plan making the prawns zero points this recipe now comes out at 1sp (for the feta)....its so easy and mega tasty

Hope you enjoy it

Lets stay strong guys

Sue
x

Ingredients

10 sprays Frylight Stir-Fry Spray Oil 
¹⁄₂ small Onion, sliced
¹⁄₂ can, large Tinned Tomatoes, chopped 
1 sprig, fresh Parsley, fresh, chopped 
1 tablespoons  Dill, Fresh
 85g Prawns, Raw 
1 pinch Salt 
1 pinch Black pepper
25g Light Feta Cheese crumbled

Method 

Preheat the oven to 180 deg c/ 350 deg f/ gas 4 and place an ovenproof dish in the oven to warm.

Spray a medium fying pan with the spray oil and place over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and pepper.

Tip into the heated dish that you put into the oven before you started.

Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and cheese looks nice and charred on the edges (the original recipe says the cheese will melt but I don't expect feta to melt), about 12 minutes.

I served mine with Courgetini laced with a couple of butterbuds and a grind of black pepper.

The original  recipe is here

I'm BACK!!!

Hi guys

I'm sorry I've been absent for a while....I've had a family situation to deal with and its been quite traumatic....

You all know how difficult this lifestyle is ...and how fragile the commitment can be. The motivation starts in your head and if thats full of other stuff then its an immense struggle to stay focused.

So....I've been distracted, I haven't tracked....I've tried to stay within points (in my head....but we all know that never works!!) but I've drowned my sorrows in a bottle on more occasions than I would like to admit and subsequently have snacked on rubbish....hence I've gained some weight!! I'm horrified to see what my scales say this morning and have resolved to get myself in gear and get motivated again.

So I'll be here a bit more and I'll be posting on my fb group page too (its here)

Lets stay strong guys

Sue
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