Slimming World 1/2 Syn Blueberry Muffins

I have a confession. I can't stand blueberries. Horrible tart little feckers that are creepy looking on the inside. No thank you. If I'm gonna eat fruit, it had better taste and look sweet and delicious. Blueberries do not fit the bill. However, put them in a big sugary muffin and it's another story altogether. I adore blueberry muffins and I make the best ones ever with a crispy sugary lemon topping. I wanted some of that and wondered could I adapt baked oats to suit.

I played around and came up with this recipe which was both filling and delicious. It serves one, makes two muffins and counts as your Healthy Extra B for oats. I do not syn the blueberries, because I don't feel this is a tweak... tweaks generally mean fecking around with ingredients to create something they're not meant to be, resulting in you overeating. Perhaps if I'd made a massive batch of these I would have syned the blueberries, because the propensity is there to overindulge, but I made two muffins with a handful of blueberries so feck it. I won't use all my syns today anyways, so they'll fit in regardless.  Do whatever you feel is right. A handful of cooked blueberries will probably work out between 1-2 syns. I did syn the sweetener.

Ingredients

• 40g porridge oats (about a teaspoon reserved)
• 4 tablespoons 0% fat Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp sweetener*
• Zest of one lemon**
• Dash of lemon extract (optional)
• Handful of blueberries
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 200C/400F

Mix the oats-less the reserved portion, yoghurt, lemon juice, eggs, 1 tbsp sweetener, lemon zest, extract if using, and blueberries. 

Spray two muffin cups with cooking spray.  Spoon in the mixture.

Mix the reserved oats with the remaining sweetener and sprinkle on top of the muffins.

Bake 20 minutes or until risen and golden. 

* I used Sukrin available at Holland and Barrett in Clonmel

** To get perfect citrus zest without rind, every time, I use a microplane grater. I've had mine almost 20 years now. It's brilliant, wouldn't be without one.  

Healthy Hashbrowns with Sauteed Spinach, Eggs and Tomato Confit

I miss blogging and people keep asking for recipes, so here I go again!  This is a pretty simple recipe that results in a fairly gourmet breakfast and it's healthy to boot, what's not to love?

I made the hashbrowns, topped with sauteed spinach and tomato confit and then topped with poached eggs. You HAVE to try my poached egg trick. Small mug, fill halfway with water, crack egg into it and microwave for 1 minute with a saucer on top. Perfect poached egg every time! You may need to play around with the cooking time a bit, but one minute seems to be the trick for all the microwaves I've used.

So first up... hashbrowns. Who doesn't love a good ole greasy hashbrown? Well I daresay these homemade ones are not only better, but greaseless and good for you. They could easily be made with a mix of root vegetables or even sweet potatoes.  I make a kilo of potatoes worth and freeze the ones I'm not eating right away.  They can be thawed and reheated in a pan with some cooking spray later.

Syn-Free Hash Browns

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2lb) potatoes, peeled
• 1 white onion
• salt
• pepper
• cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F

Boil the peeled potatoes until partially cooked, about 8 minutes.  Set aside to cool until you can touch them.

Grate potatoes into a bowl. Grate onion on top of potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and mix.

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and spoon 4-5 inch patties of potato mixture on top. Spray patties with cooking spray.

Bake 20-30 minutes, turning 2/3 of the way until they are as brown as you like them.

Serve immediately or allow to cool and freeze separating patties with parchment paper.

Piccolo Tomato "Confit"

This is my new favourite side, it goes so well with eggs and breakfast foods but also works wonderfully with chicken or fish.  So simple yet tastes divine.  Aldi do beautiful piccolo tomatoes on the vine that are sweet and delicious.  Any cherry tomato will work, but you will always get better flavour from tomatoes still on the vine.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of piccolo or cherry tomatoes
• cooking spray
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• pinch sweetener/sugar
• salt and pepper

Halve the tomatoes.  Heat a frying pan and spray with cooking spray. Add tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, add vinegar and sweetener. Cook for a few minutes until juice slightly thickens but tomatoes are still visible and not cooked down. Season to your taste.

Sauteed Spinach

Another ridiculously easy yet delicious healthy staple.  Great with eggs, or fab with sweet potatoes or as a dinner side. Can also add onions and lemon zest for even more flavour.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package baby leaf spinach, washed
• 1 garlic clove
• Cooking spray

Heat pan, spray with cooking spray and add spinach and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper.

Let me know how you get on! <3

Vanilla Puff Pancake

This is one of the kids favourite weekend breakfasts. It's absolutely a cinch to make and such a treat.  It's got a big protein punch too.

To increase the portions just add another 1/4 cup milk and flour plus an additional egg and tablespoon of sugar per person, the recipe below serves four and a baby, although everyone usually wants seconds! :)




Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 4 tbsp butter
• Powdered suggar to serve

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Get a large casserole dish and place the butter in it. Pop into the oven while you prepare the batter.

Mix the flour and eggs (don't ask, just do, it seems to make sense that the milk would be a better option, but that makes lumps) when the eggs and flour form a thick paste whisk in the rest of the ingredients and vanilla seeds.  Whisk until well combined and no lumps remain. 

Allow to stand as long as you like but at least 5-10 minutes.

When oven is pre-heated and butter melted, take out dish and swirl the butter to coat the entire dish.  Pour in the batter and pop back into the oven.

Cook for 15-25 minutes or until it's beautifully risen and golden and the middle is cooked.

Once done remove and quickly dust with powdered sugar and serve at once.  It will fall once it's out, but it will still be delicious!

A savoury version of this recipe can be easily made omitting the sugar and vanilla and adding some mustard as in yorkshire puddings or heating sausages in the butter first to make toad in the hole.  It's extremely versatile and fruit can be added as well to great affect.  I often add apples and the sugar to the butter and let them begin to caramelise with a pinch of cinnamon before adding the batter and the result is sublime!  A real winner! :)

Chatouka: North African Breakfast Stew

I stole my Mom's copy of River Cottage Veg Every Day! recently and have been absolutely amazed with it.  It's been awhile since I've gotten really excited over a cookbook.  It seems they are all celebrity chef's (and I use the term lightly considering some of them in Ireland have no formal training) trying to pawn off their latest gimmick.  It's gotten tiresome and I find myself avoiding cookbooks for the most part.  This book is a refreshing new take on vegetables.  He says it's not necessarily for vegetarians, but it's certainly not a book of side dishes either. There are some stunning recipes and I shall be working through many of them.

This dish is a gorgeous breakfast full of smoky flavour and rich vegetables.  It's a fabulous start to the day and leaves the kitchen smelling divine.  Keep the olive oil to a minimum and it's quite low in fat as well.  I recommend adding just a pinch of sugar to temper the sharpness of the tinned tomatoes, otherwise I found it perfect as written.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red pepper, finely sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, finely sliced
• 1/2 tsp smoked hot paprika
• pinch of saffron threads
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof pan.  Add cumin seeds and fry them gently until flavour is released.  Add onions and saute until softened, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic and peppers and continue to cook over a low heat for about twenty minutes until the peppers are soft and wilted. Add paprika and crumble in the saffron, then add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Cook gently, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F and make four hollows in the surface of the stew.  Crack an egg into each hole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until white is cooked and yolk is still runny. Alternatively, you could separate the stew into four ramekins and crack the egg on top.

Serves 4

Apologies for the lousy pictures.  My camera is playing up. If anyone knows where to get a Nikon SLR tuned up, please let me know!

Link/Recipe Parties: Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursday

Cardamom Scented Hot Cross Buns

With Lent coming early this year and me craving something sweet and spicy, I decided to whip up some hot cross buns.  These are delicious right out of the oven and just as good a few hours later with a thick spread of butter.


Ingredients:

• 450ml milk
• 120g butter
• 1 orange peel
• 1 lemon peel
• 2 cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 black cardamom pod, crushd
• 1 egg, beaten
• 900g bread/strong flour, sifted
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 14g of dried yeast
• 200g mixed dried fruit/sultanas
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 egg and 2 tbsp milk for egg wash

For the cross:

• 8 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 8 tbsp water

For the sugar glaze:

• 5 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp boiling water
• 1/2 tsp orange extract

Gently heat the milk, butter, cardamom, cloves, fruit peels in a saucepan, simmer for 2 minutes and allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Cool and strain. Stir in the beaten egg.

Place the flour, yeast, spices, sugar and dried fruit in a bowl.

Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and bring together to form a ball.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth and place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap. Allow to prove in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F

Knock back the dough and divide into 15 balls and shape into buns.

Place the buns onto a baking tray lined with parchment, placing them fairly close together but not touching.

Make a cross on the top of each bun with a knife and leave to prove for a further 1 hour or until doubled in size. The buns will almost join. Brush the buns with egg wash.

Mix the flour, sugar and water to form a thick paste (place the paste into a plastic bag, cut a small corner off) and pipe a cross on each bun.

Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until risen and golden.

Combine the sugar, water and extract together until sugar dissolves and brush over the buns while still hot.

Cinnamon and Sugar Cake Doughnuts

Well with two healthy recipes in a row, I had to throw something out there that whilst delicious, is incredibly sinful!  I made these for New Years Day breakfast and they were a huge hit.  My oil was a tiny bit hot, but we were too impatient, hence the darker colours here.  This is a fabulous recipe that unlike yeast doughnuts, does not require any proving time.  You could easily ice these with a light icing sugar glaze as well.

• 3 cups white flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• oil for frying

To coat:

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup sugar

In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.

Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Allow to rest while oil heats up. 

Pour oil into  heavy duty pot to about 4 inches depth.

Heat the oil to approximately 190 C 

On a floured counter, roll the dough out to about 1/2 an inch in thickness. Use a doughnut cutter or glass (I used a bottle cap for the hole) to cut out the doughnuts.

Fry doughnuts in hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and place warm doughnuts in it, turn to coat.

Enjoy warm or cool!

Mama's Power Brekky - Curried Pea Frittata

Being eight months pregnant, I've found that I need to eat a high protein nutritious breakfast to ensure I have enough energy to get through a day of small child wrangling, school runs, cooking, cleaning, errands and managing to look somewhat sane and possibly even awake when hubby gets home after ten.  Eggs are a fabulous way to start the day and ensure your energy level remains high for quite some time. Add that to two servings of veggies and you're really off to a good start.  Peas are a great source of ALA and phytonutrients and topped off with some homemade beetroot relish I have a breakfast that any midwife would approve of. This is so easy and so delicious and is a truly fabulous start to the day!

Curried Pea Frittata for One

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• handful frozen peas
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp curry powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• beetroot, tomato, salsa or other fresh relish to serve

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until just softened.  Add the peas and cook until warmed through.

Meanwhile whisk eggs with salt, pepper and curry powder.  Pour over pea and onion mixture and allow to gently cook.  Lift sides with a spatula to allow egg to flow underneath.  Cook through, or pop under a hot grill to finish.  

Serve hot with relish or mango chutney. 

Fluffy Oatmeal Pancakes

My kids are pancake mad. They would have pancakes or waffles every day if I let them, but as it is I reserve them for weekends.  I've been trying to get more whole grains into them of late, so began experimenting with healthier pancake batter.  This final recipe is a real winner. Even though it's mostly oats and whole wheat flour, they remain fluffy and light and are divine with a little butter and maple syrup.  I mix this in a food processor so I can process the oats before adding the remaining ingredients.  Normally pancakes are terrible when done in a food processor, as they get over whisked and tough, but because of the whole ingredients in this recipe, it works just fine.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups buttermilk*
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Whizz oats in food processor until floury in texture. Add whole wheat flour and whizz again.  Add reminaing dry ingredients and pulse to combine.  

Add wet ingredients and blend until combined.

Grease a small frying pan with butter and wipe.  Ladle in about one quarter cup of the batter and swirl the pan to spread it out.  Cook over a medium-low heat until bubbles for in the centre of the pancake.  Flip and cook other side.  Repeat with remaining batter.  

To keep warm, I put a little water in a pot and keep it simmering. I top the pot with a plate and place the pancakes on top as I go, topping with a lid.  It keeps them warm but doesn't allow them to dry out.

Serve warm with butter and real maple syrup.

* You can substitute regular milk soured with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.

Almond Crunch Granola

This is a wonderfully delicious and decadent breakfast that you would easily pay a good few euro for in the supermarkets, but when home made with Aldi ingredients, it costs jut a few cents a bowl and tastes sublime! A perfect way to start the day!

 

Ingredients:

• 6 cups porridge oats
• 2 cups dessicated coconut
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Whisk oil, egg whites and extract together until frothy.  Combine with dry ingredients and spread out on a large cookie sheet and bake for fifteen minutes. 

Remove from oven, stir and top with almonds. Bake a further ten minutes and stir again.  Bake for a final five minutes until golden brown.  If desired, mix in some dried fruit of your choice. Store in an air tight container and serve with ice-cold milk or Greek yoghurt.

Roasted Pepper and Feta Frittata

This is a delicious and quick lunch or brunch recipe that is perfect for having the girls around or for a lazy Sunday morning after church.  It comes together quickly and tastes sublime.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup roasted peppers* (I like a mix of colours)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper

Preheat broiler.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over a medium heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent.  Add peppers and cook until heated through.  Mix Italian seasoning with eggs. 

Pour eggs into mixture.  Using a spatula, gently lift the sides of the omelet to let raw egg flow underneath.  Continue to do this and cook over a medium-low heat until egg has almost set.

To finish cooking the egg, place the skillet under the broiler until egg completely sets and puffs up a bit.  Sprinkle the feta on top of the frittata and pop back under the grill until cheese begins to melt.  Season wih salt and pepper and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil before serving.  

*You can use jarred roasted peppers or roast your own by putting peppers directly on  flame if you have gas or on a grill pan or under your broiler until they blacken on all sides.  Pop into a bowl and cover with cling film and let them sit for fifteen minutes, this makes the skin easy to remove.  Remove skin and deseed and you are ready to use them.

Parties: Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins

I've altered my normally decadent blueberry muffin recipe here to make a lighter alternative.  I honestly couldn't taste the difference and everyone devoured these.  I find that lemon goes beautifully with blueberries and really gives these muffins a zing. Quick and easy to make, tasty and healthy at a mere 5 pro points, what's not to love?  Compare that to a Starbuck's "skinny" blueberry muffin and that's a savings of 5 points!

• zest of a lemon
• 100g + 1tbsp caster sugar
• 200g flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 75g butter, melted
• 150ml skim milk
• 50g half-fat creme fraiche
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp lemon extract (optional)
• 250g blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.  Line a 12 muffin tray with paper cake cases.  Mix lemon zest with the tablespoon of sugar.  Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk milk, creme fraiche, butter, lemon extract and egg together.  Mix into dry ingredients until uniform. Do not over mix. Gently fold in blueberries.  

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan.  Sprinkle the lemon sugar on top of each muffin.  

Bake for 20 minutes until risen and a toothpick comes out clean.  

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Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Every Saturday or Sunday we have either waffles or pancakes.  The kids love it.  I generally make Irish style pancakes or crepes, while their American Daddy whips up fluffy American style ones.

I didn't think it fair to deny them their favourite weekend breakfast, yet I didn't want to sit their munching on celery either.  I figured I'd made enough varieties of pancakes over the years to conjure up a nice low fat but tasty version and I think I succeeded.

These are extremely filling due to the whole wheat flour.  My girls would usually put away 2-3 each, but 1-2 was more than enough of these.  You can taste the whole wheat, so if you prefer it more neutral tasting, use half and half white/whole wheat.  This will increase points a bit and decrease fibre. You can serve these with maple syrup, honey or any other topping you like.

• 1.5 cups* whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup skim milk, plus a bit extra
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 small apples, grated
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

Whisk together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.   Whisk egg whites, oil and milk in a separate bowl and slowly pour into dry ingredients.  Whisk until combined.  Fold in apple and cinnamon.

Heat a small non-stick pan to medium heat.  Use a quarter cup measure to pour the batter in the pan.  You may need to spread it with a spatula.  Cook until it sets around the edges and bubbles are popping in the middle.  Flip and cook for another minute.  Keep warm while cooking remaining pancakes.  Makes 10.

Calories: 104

Fat: 1.8g

Saturated: 0.2g

WW Points: 1.5 per pancake

* Measuring with cups is the American standard of cooking.  A cup equals eight fluid ounces and solids as well as liquids are measured in this manner.  You can pick up cup measures at most kitchen stores or use a small pyrex jug with ounces.  If you use the internet for recipes, it's something I'd definitely invest in!

Creamy Mushroom Omelet

I keep seeing recipes in the weight watchers materials for creamy mushrooms on toast.  I generally don't like to eat carbs in the morning as I feel I get hungry again quickly, whereas if I eat a protein packed breakfast I am well-satisfied for several hours.  The creamy mushrooms looked lovely so I looked for a way to make them into an omelet.  I've always been a fan of boursin in omelets, so decided to go with a lighter, but still tasty alternative.

Philadelphia light cheese is fairly decent.  the extra-light is god-awful powdery stuff and not worth it in my humble opinion, but the light is tasty enough.  I used the fine herbs and garlic variety in the omelet, which with the fresh herbs in the eggs tasted just like real boursin.  This was a delciously indulgent breakfast that came in at 3.5 points.

Creamy Mushroom Herb Omelet

(serves 1)

1 egg + 1 egg white, beaten
1/2 package mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tbsp mixed fresh herbs
2 tbsp chicken stock
60g Philadelphia Light Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese
salt and pepper
Chives, to garnish

Pre-heat oven grill.

Beat eggs with salt, pepper and herbs.

Saute mushrooms in a non-stick pan with chicken stock until they are beginning to brown and stock has evaporated.

Add egg mixture and reduce heat to low.  Cook until egg is set on bottom and pop under the grill until the egg is set on the top.  Dot with cream cheese and pop back under the grill until it begins to melt.

Fold onto a plate, garnish with chives and enjoy!

WW Points: 3.5

Migas: The perfect breakfast?

It sounds like a Spanish word for something naughty, but in this context, it's referring to the most incredible Tex-Mex breakfast I've ever encountered.  I first read about them over at Pioneer Woman and like 99.9% of her recipes I knew I had to make them... NOW!  So I made them and like any other fatty I inhaled about three portions.  They are truly sublime and must be tried by all.  When I decided to start WW I knew that wouldn't change and that I had to make a weight watchers friendly alternative.

I'm quite the foodie, so I do not go in for extra-light chemical ridden varieties of real food.  I'd rather skip out on something than use a half-assed substitute for it, so I knew this could be a challenge, however I managed to pull off migas that tasted just as good, with virtually no fat!  The nutritional information and points will vary depending on the corn tortilla's you use.  Mine had 128 calories.  This will make enough migas to satisfy even the hungriest of dieters and only cash in at three points!  I omitted the cheese entirely (and couldn't really tell), but you could easily add it back and adjust the points.

WW Migas

(serves 1)

1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 green pepper, diced
1/4 red pepper
1/2 onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 small jalapeño, diced
1 corn tortilla
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
cooking spray

Heat a medium skillet and place tortilla in the dry pan.  Heat for a few minutes until it just starts to brown.  Flip and heat the other side for a little bit longer.  Remove from heat.  It will crisp up as it cools. Once cool, slice into thin strips then slice the strips into thirds.

Spray skillet with cooking spray and add the pepper and onion, frying for a few minutes, stirring often.  Add tomatoes and jalapeno and stir for another minute.

Meanwhile, beat egg with egg whites.  Add to vegetable mixture with tortilla and turn heat down low.  Scramble slowly so as not to burn.

Once cooked to your liking, move to a serving plate and sprinkle with roughly chopped coriander.  Eat up!

WW Points: 3
Inspiration: Pioneer Woman