SW - Syn free onion marmalade

I love my pickles and chutneys but I resent having to spend syns on them. This recipe makes a lovely chutney that goes particularly well with cheese or sausages.

Onion marmalade

Makes 3 jars

1kg red onions
500ml vinegar (I used half red wine half balsamic but any will do)
1tsp chilli flakes
1tsp sugar
3tbsp sweetener (I used Splenda)

Chop up the onions into small pieces
Add all the ingredients to a heavy bottomed pan
Bring to a simmer and leave for an hour, stirring regularly.
If it's done most of the liquid will have dissolved and it will have a slightly sticky texture. Depending on the water content of the onions you may need to let it simmer for a while longer.
Decant into sterilised jars immediately.

SW - Chinese Noodle Soup

This is a really hearty warming soup for a cold winter's day. It's an adaptation of a couple of recipes from Chinese Food Made Easy. It isn't really an authentic recipe any more but we think it tastes nice!

Chinese Style Noodle Soup
Serves 3-4 (depending on how hungry they are)
0.5 Syns per portion

200g lean beef or chicken
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground black pepper
0.5 tsp sea salt
200g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 ltr chicken stock (from cubes will do)
100g pak choi (or any cabbage)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry (1 Syn)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
200g dry noodles cooked according to the instructions on the packet
Fry Light

1. First prepare the meat by hammering it flat (I use my rolling pin for this) and slice into wafer thin slices.
2. Add the meat to a bowl containing the cumin, chilli, pepper and salt . Make sure that the meat is completely coated in the spice mix. If you have the time leaving the meat to absorb the flavours for 20mins will help.
3. Add the stock to a pan and bring it to the boil
4. Once it is boiling add the pak choi
5. Meanwhile liberally spray a wok with fry light and stir fry the meat and the mushrooms until cooked to your liking
6. Once the soup has been boiling for 1 minute stir in the soy sauce, sherry and vinegar and then add the noodles. Bring it back to the boil.
7. Add the meat and the mushrooms to the soup. 
8. Serve immediately

SW - American style pancakes

These are great, they feel and taste real but they only have half a syn. I've had them with fruit and yogurt and bacon and maple syrup. Both of which were delicious.

American Style pancakes

Makes 4 pancakes (serves one at breakfast)
1 syn on all plans if you count the ready brek as a healthy extra B choice. Otherwise 7 syns.

1 170g tub Total 0% fat Greek yogurt
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
2 meduim eggs
30g ready brek
0.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sweetener 
0.25 tsp salt
Fry Light

1. Mix the yogurt, vanilla extract and eggs together in a bowl.
2. Add the dry ingredients and mix well
3. Put a frying pan over a medium heat and spray well with fry light
4. Put a heaped tbsp of the pancake mixture in the pan and spread it out a little with the back of the spoon 
5. After a couple of minutes when there are bubbles bursting on the top of the pancake turn it over
6. Cook the other side for a further two to three minutes
7. Repeat until there is no mixture left

The pancakes can be served with a range of toppings. American style with bacon and maple syrup (2.5 Syns per tablespoon) works well as does fruit with fat free yogurt or fromage frais (Syn free on all plans).

Slimming World - Beef in Oyster Sauce

Having lost weight while I was pregnant with Ivy I'm back on Slimming World to keep the momentum going. I'd like to get down to 10 stone (2lb lost, two and a half stone to go...). Because of this I'm looking at my existing recipes and tweaking them where necessary to be Slimming World friendly. This is the first of them:

Beef in Oyster Sauce

Makes 2 portions. 2 Syns on Extra Easy or Original

200g Steak, all visible fat removed
3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
0.5 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Dried Chili Flakes
200g Leafy Green Vegetables (I like Pak Choi or Pointed Cabbage) 
Fry Light

 Boiled jasmine rice to serve

1. Hammer the beef flat (I do this by putting it under some cling film and hammering it with my rolling pin) and then cut into ribbons.
2. Put the beef in a bowl with two tablespoons of the oyster sauce, the soy sauce, sugar and chili flakes to marinade. About 20 minutes is enough 
3. Chop the green veg into ribbons.
4. When the beef is marinaded spray a non stick wok with fry light and turn the heat right up. Add the beef and it's marinade and stir fry until it's cooked to your liking.
5. Take the beef from the wok and put to one side for a few minutes
6. Put the green vegetables into the wok with the remaining tablespoon of oyster sauce and stir fry until cooked to your liking. You may need to add another spritz of fry light before adding the green vegetables to stop them sticking.
7. Add the beef to the green vegetables and combine
8. Serve immediately with boiled rice.

This can be made in several variations. So far I've tried it with chicken or duck instead of the beef both of which work well.

Leftovers Pie

For dinner tonight I made a pie with the Christmas leftovers. And very nice it was too.

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Serves 6

1 leek (or a medium onion)
1 large carrot
1 tin sweetcorn
About 300g leftover meat (I used a mixture of goose and ham as that's what I had left over)
1 tub mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 glass wine (what ever you have open)
1 large mug stock (from a cube if you want)
1 tbsp cornflour
1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 7
2. Slice the leek and dice the carrots and the mushrooms
3. In a large heavy bottomed pan saute the leeks, carrots and sweetcorn in the olive oil over a low heat
4. Add the meat and the mushrooms and stir regularly until the mushrooms are cooked. If you have any stuffing left you could add this too.
5. Add the wine and the stock. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
6. Put the cornflour in a mug of water and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Stir this well
7. Stir the cornflour mix into the pan. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens
8. Put the pie filling into a large oven proof dish (a lasagna dish is perfect)
9. Cover the pie filling with the puff pastry sheet
10. Put the pie in the oven for 20 mins
11. Serve with mashed potatoes and veg

Johnson Beharry VC

Perhaps once in a generation there comes a man whose story is so extraordinary that people who hear it find it hard to comprehend.

I've just been rereading "Barefoot Soilder" the autobiography of Lance Corporal Johnston Beharry, the first living recipient of the Victoria Cross in over 40 years. He is just such a man.

For those of you who don't know the Victoria Cross is the highest military award in Britain and it is only awarded for extreme valour. Only 13 have been awarded since the end of the Second World War, the majority of the posthumously

What makes Beharry's story so extraordinary is the simple down to earth way in which it is told. He speaks of his actions in the theatre of war as if he did only what he had to do, only what anyone would have done. And yet there is nothing simple or ordinary about his actions. I find it hard to believe that there are many 'anyone's out there who would have acted as he did.

It is a truly amazing story. I highly recommend it.

'Barefoot Soldier' on Amazon

Beef in Oyster Sauce

This is another in the series of quick and easy recipes I've been writing down for my husband to cook when I'm away with work. The quantity below feeds the two of us and our little girl.

8oz steak
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cabbage
1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
Oil for frying

Hammer the steak flat (I find the best way to do this is to put it in a plastic bag and batter it with a rolling pin) and then cut it into bite-size strips.

Put the strips into a bowl with 3 tablespoons of the oyster sauce, the soy sauce and the sugar. Give everything a good stir so that the steak is evenly coated and leave it to marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Shred the cabbage and give it a good wash. I find that a white cabbage is best for this dish but any cabbage will do. The recipe which was the inspiration for this one used Bok Choi but most of the time that's too expensive for me to use when cabbage works so well.

Add the oil to a wok and turn the heat up as high as it will go. Because you are going to be using such high heat you need an oil with a high burning point. Groundnut oil or sunflower oil work best. Avoid olive oil or butter as they will burn.

When the oil is smoking hot add the beef. Keep it moving in the pan until it is cooked through. Remove the beef to a plate for a minute and put the wok back on the heat. Add the shredded cabbage and the chilli flakes. Toss these until the cakage starts to wilt at the edges the add the remaining oyster sauce. When the sauce is well mixed in return the beef to the pan for a couple of tosses. Make sure everything is piping hot.

Serve immediately with some rice. We like Vee Tee Jasmine rice. One pot serves us all and it only takes 2 minutes in the microwave making this a very fast meal. I can get it to the table in less than 15 minutes which is great at the end of a busy day.