Harissa Chicken Kebabs (Slimming World Friendly)

These gorgeous Harissa Chicken Kebabs are ideal for the BBQ or cooking under a grill and make for a lovely and light summer meal. 

I tend to serve with a big salad dressed in lemon juice and sumac and here I also roasted some peppers, red onion and courgette in Fry Light and served with wholemeal pitta. I'm currently doing Slimming World and the below makes x4 skewers which each work out to 1/2 syn each making this a really low-syn-meal especially if you use your Healthy Extra Option B choice for a wholemeal pitta or wrap. 

This is also great with a syn-free Tzatziki dip too; use this recipe but switch the Greek Yoghurt for Greek Fat Free Yoghurt instead. 

Here's how:

• 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp Harissa paste (you can find in most spice sections of supermarkets, I really like the M&S one)
• 2 tbsp fat free yoghurt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• Fry Light

A few hours before you wish to cook the kebabs, get a bowl and fill with the fat free yoghurt, harissa paste, cumin, garlic granules, a pinch each of salt and black pepper and the garlic cloves, roughly chopped. Halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice and then throw the lemons into the bowl too for extra flavour. 

Give the marinade a good mix. 

Now chop the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and throw into the marinade. Use a spoon to mix the chicken around in the marinade so every piece is immersed and soaking up the flavours. 

Cover with a lid or clingfilm and place into the fridge for a few hours, removing about 30 minutes before you wish to cook. 

When ready to cook; thread the chicken pieces onto skewers so they are tightly packed on. I recommend investing in some reusable metal skewers; you can pick up for under a fiver in the summer months, and they are much better than the throwaway wooden ones; plus there's no chance of them setting alight on the BBQ or under the grill.

When the chicken is all threaded on, give each one a spray with Fry Light then place the skewers under a hot grill or onto the hot BBQ and allow to cook for exactly four minutes, then carefully turn onto the over side and cook for a further four minutes, which should be ample time to cook through. Take one skewer off and check one of the biggest pieces of chicken by cutting into the centre, and ensuring it isn't pink inside. 

If satisfied these are cooked, remove from the grill and place onto a plate to rest for another four minutes, or return to the grill for a couple more minutes to finish off. Enjoy!

If like us, you love a kebab or food one a skewer here are a few other recipes you may like:

• Adana Kebab
• Chicken Tikka Kebabs
• Italian Chicken Skewers
• Beef Terriyaki Skewers
• Lamb Shish Kebab
• Beef Kofte Kebabs
• Chicken Souvlaki
• Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

Classic Salmon & Pea Fishcakes (Slimming World Friendly)

I call these Salmon & Pea Fishcakes 'classic' as they are flavoured with capers, mustard, spring onion and chives mainly, whereas I have shared a few other fishcake recipes previously which ave a bit of spice such as these Thai Fish Cakes with Quick Chilli Oil, Haddock Fishcakes, Tuna Fishcakes and Mexican Style Salmon Fishcakes  

I am following the Slimming World programme at the moment, and this was an 'on plan' meal at only 2.5 syns per portion for x2 fishcakes (this is for the small amount of flour and the wholemeal breadcrumbs - you could actually use HEB for this if you haven't already as I had yesterday). 

This recipe makes x8 fishcakes which I shared between the family, but if you're cooking just for you, these would keep in the fridge for a few days and you can also freeze them. I serve with a big salad for lots of Speed. 

I also made a quick and syn-free 'tartare sauce' by popping into a small bowl 3 tbsp fat free yoghurt, a tbsp of capers and a few cornichons chopped up with a squeeze of lemon juice, some chopped chives and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Classic Salmon & Pea Fishcakes (Slimming World Friendly)

Classic Salmon & Pea Fishcakes (2.5 syns on Slimming World)

Here's how:

• 1/2 side of salmon or roughly 470g salmon 
• 1 large spring onion
• 3 potatoes (or some leftover mash potato)
• Handful fresh chives
• 1 tbsp English mustard
• 1.5 tbsp capers
• 150g frozen peas
• Salt
• Black and white pepper
• 1 slice of wholemeal bread
• 1 egg
• Fry Light Spray (I like to use the Rapeseed spray)
• 1 tbsp plain flour

Firstly place the x3 potatoes, with their skin on, into the microwave for fifteen minutes. 

In the meantime prepare the rest of the Salmon & Pea Fishcake ingredients. 

In a large bowl place the capers, English mustard, snip in the chives and finely slice the spring onion and add to the bowl. 

Take the 1/2 side of salmon or fillets, and chop into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl. 

Cook the frozen peas for a couple of minutes in boiling water, drain and add to the salmon mixture. 

Once the potatoes have cooked for fifteen minutes, remove from the microwave, slice in half, then spoon out the potato inside and place into the bowl. 

Season generously with white pepper and salt and use a fork or spoon to mush together and mix up until all of the ingredients are combined. 

Separate into eight almost equal sized amounts, and then use your hands to shape into a fishcake, circular shape and place onto a plate, repeat until you have eight fishcakes. 

Now into one bowl place the flour and season with black pepper and a pinch of salt. 

Into the second bowl, place the breadcrumbs from the wholemeal bread (I blitz in the Nutribullet). 

Into the the third bowl, crack in the egg, and give a quick beat. 

Now you are ready to pane the fishcakes. But first place a large non stick frying pan onto a low-to-medium heat on the hob and give a spray with the Fry Light, 3-4 sprays. 

To pane, firstly, take one fishcake and roll into the seasoned flour, then place immediately into the beaten egg, and finally roll in the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside on a clean plate. Repeat until all of the fishcakes have their breadcrumbs and are ready to cook.

Place each fishcake into the pan and pop a timer on for five minutes. 

After five minutes, carefully turn each fishcake over, they should be slightly golden. I use two tablespoons to turn over carefully. 

Cook for a further five minutes and serve with a wedge of lemon, a big salad and if you like, the Fat Free Yoghurt Tartare Sauce. Enjoy!

Salt & Pepper Chicken

I cannot stress enough how delicious this Chinese fake-away dish is and what's more, I've played around with the method and ingredients so it's only 1 syn on Slimming World too. Win, win. 

This packs a real punch, so if you're a spice-wimp, tone it down a little, if you love spice, you'll love this dish.

This serves two as a main dish. 

Salt & Pepper Chicken (1 Syn)

Here's how:
For the chicken & seasoning:

• x2 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tsp sweetener
• Fry Light

For the stir fry:

• 2 spring onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 red chillies
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Fry Light

Firstly place a wok on a medium heat, dry. Now add the 1 tbsp of sea salt to the wok and allow it to dry-fry until the salt has started to take on a browny colour. Once that begins, remove from the heat. 

For the rest of the spice mix, in a small bowl place the cornflour, black pepper, Chinese Five Spice and sweetener. Add the salt once it's toasted too and mix together. 

Return the wok to the hob and spray with a few sprays of Fry Light, I prefer the rapeseed oil version here as it's pretty flavourless. 

Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and toss into the spice mixture so each side is coated and when happy pop every piece of chicken into the now-hot wok, and fry for two minutes initially. Then use tongs to turn over each piece and fry for a further 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Give the wok a little shake every so often, and check each piece is getting cooked on both sides. Once cooked, remove the chicken and place onto a plate to rest. 

For the stir fried vegetables, finely slice the spring onions and chilli and add to the wok with a couple more sprays of Fry Light. Mince in the garlic and finely chop the ginger and add to the wok too. 

Slice the peppers and peel and cut the carrot into matchsticks and add to the wok too on a high heat. Add the soy sauce too. This will cook in under two minutes, moving around all of the time. 

Return the chicken to the wok to coat a little before serving. Enjoy!

Salt & Pepper Chicken (1 syn)

If you love a Chinese fake-away on the healthier side then I have included eight other Chinese-inspired recipes with the Slimming World syns per portion included. 

• Chilli Crab Noodles  (1.5 syns)
• Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles  (1/2 syn)
• Sticky Asian Salmon (2 syns)
• Chicken Satay Noodle Salad (6 syns)
• Vegetarian Peanut Noodles (7 syns)
• Asian Tuna Fishcakes (3.5 syns)
• Chinese Style Roast Chicken (5 syns)
• Fake Away Char Sui Pork (5 syns)

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

These Naked Mexican Burgers are easy to make, taste fantastic and are completely syn-free if you follow Slimming World like myself. 

If you do have the homemade guacamole; and I recommend you do as it is fabulous with the burger, this will bring the meal to 6 syns per portion even if you load up with the Slimming World Chips and have all of the burger trimmings including the green leaves, sliced tomato, red onions, pickled gherkins and if you like a fiery kick, jalopenos. I used my HEA for 30g Cheddar too. 

The below makes two big burgers (think quarter pounder size) as well as two smaller, children's ones. 

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

Here's how:

For the burgers:

• 700g lean steak mince (I use less than 5% fat)
• 1 large red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp Ancho Chilli Paste (if you can't get this use Chipotle Paste instead)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried coriander
• 1/2 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• Handful fresh chives
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• Fry Light

To load up the burgers:

• Rocket leaves (or iceberg lettuce if you prefer)
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• Pickled gherkins
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/4 jar of jalopenos
• Cheddar or burger cheese

For the guacamole:

• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• 1 red onion
• 1 lime
• Coriander leaves
• 2 chillies
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 garlic clove

Begin my making the burger patties. In a large bowl place the steak mince and add all of the herbs and spices, Ancho Chilli Paste or Chipotle Paste and tomato puree. 

Now roughly chop the onion and add to the mix, and peel and mince the garlic and add too. I snip the chives into the patty mix personally using kitchen scissors, but you can cut with a knife otherwise.

Now using your hands, work the meat together a bit like you would a dough, ensuring that all of the ingredients get distributed throughout the meat. 

Divide the meat into four burger patties of whichever size you prefer (you may wish to do x4 equal sized ones); and place onto a board or a plate. Take one at a time and work with your hands into a round, neat burger patty or of course you could use a burger press but I always use my hands. 

Once all of the patties are made, now wash and dry your hands, then tightly seal each burger with cling wrap and place into the fridge for 30 minutes or longer. This really helps the burger to keep it's shape and prevent it from falling apart on the BBQ or under the grill. 

In the meantime, to make the guacamole; slice the ripe avocado in half, you will know it's ripe from it feeling soft to the touch through the skin. If it's rock hard, it won't work well for guacamole. A trick for this, is to place into a brown paper bag with an apple which will speed up the ripening process. 

Once halved, and the stone is removed, place the flesh into a mortar, then add the handful of coriander leaves, the pinch of sea salt (it's good to use sea salt as it is abrasive and helps to break down the flesh), mince in the garlic clove then roughly chop the tomato and red onion. Finally squeeze over the juice of one lime. Now use the pestle to grind up. I prefer a slightly chunky texture but if you prefer puree, you could of course use a blender, food processor or a Nutribullet. 

When you are ready to cook the burgers, place the grill onto a medium heat. Remove the clingfilm from each burger and place under the grill for exactly 8 minutes with just 1 spray of Fry Light per burger on each side. 

After 8 minutes, use tongs to turn the burgers over, and cook for a further 8 minutes. If you want melted cheese, add this for the last four minutes of cooking. 

It's really important to rest these burgers for 4-5 minutes when they come out of the grill; as the juices will run and return to the meat and it will be tastier and more tender to eat than if you dig in straight away. 

Naked Mexican Burgers with Guacamole (Slimming World Friendly)

While they rest, load up the plate with some guacamole, the green leaves of your choice, tomatoes, gherkins, red onions, jalopenos and anything else you fancy. Enjoy!

Healthy Fish Pie (Slimming World Friendly)

I have tweaked my usual fish pie recipe here to make it more appropriate for Slimming World and it went down so well I had to share this one. It still had the rich and creamy flavour that we love, was packed full of fish, and certainly didn't feel like 'diet food.' It has 1 syn which is for the half fat creme fraiche.

You can use any fish you want inside the pie, I like the combination of smoked and unsmoked fish for added flavour and frozen prawns are a great shout too. I have recently discovered how good frozen fish is too which also works well here.

Usually I would grate cheese over the buttered mash, but here, I just mashed with a few drops of milk (part of Healthy Option A Choice) and brushed the mash potato topping with egg to help it to brown in the oven. 

The below serves a family of four - or four portions. 

Healthy Fish Pie (Slimming World Friendly)

Here's how:

• 1 onion
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 cod fillet
• 1 smoked cod or haddock fillet
• 1 salmon fillet
• 1 pack frozen raw king prawns
• 1 fish stock cube
• x4 tbsp half fat creme fraiche 
• 1 tsp Colman's English Mustard Powder
• 200g frozen petit pois peas
• 400g white potatoes (any that mash well but I like Maris Pipers) 
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Fry Light Sunflower Oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and fill a large saucepan with water and a pinch of salt. 

Peel the potatoes and chop into small pieces and add to the water, bring to the boil on a medium heat, then turn down and simmer for twenty minutes or until the potatoes are cooked right through. Drain and then return the potatoes to the pan and place back on the heat for a few seconds, shaking, which will help to remove any leftover water in the potatoes so they don't turn to mush. 

Remove from the heat, mash with a little milk and season with salt and pepper to taste then set aside. 

For the fish pie sauce, add some Fry Light, just a couple of sprays, to a frying pan on a medium heat. Dice the onion and finely slice the celery and add to the pan to gently soften. Make up the fish stock cube in 150ml boiled water and add to the pan, keeping on a medium heat. Add the creme fraiche, the mustard powder and some black pepper and mix well until combined. Cook for a good ten minutes or until the sauce is quite thick and glossy. 

To prepare the fish, simply chop the cod, salmon and if you are using, haddock, into bite sized pieces. Remove the fish pie sauce from the heat, and add the chopped fish and whole prawns into the sauce alongside the frozen peas and stir well. 

Healthy Fish Pie (Slimming World Friendly)

Now place all of the contents of the pan into an oven proof dish and try to evenly distribute the fish all around. 

Spoon over the mash potato all over the dish, and use the back of the spoon, to spread it a little smoothly, you want the odd peak here and there. I like to season the potato again here with some white pepper. 

Now beat the egg in a small bowl, and use a pastry brush to rub all over the mash potato, which will help it to brown. 

Place into the hot oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the mash has browned a little. Serve with your choice of vegetables. Enjoy!

Healthy Fish Pie (Slimming World friendly)

If you are after other Slimming World friendly family recipes I've included a few below.

• Chicken and Chorizo Penne
• Mini Turkey Koftes
• Simple Fish Stew
• Chilli Crab Noodles
• Adana Kebabs
• Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles
• Cajun Salmon Tortilla Bowls

Cajun Salmon Tortilla Bowls (Slimming World Friendly)

This is a really fun and delicious dish for all the family; if you're not keen on Cajun Seasoning, you could use a mix of herbs and spices that you do enjoy too or a fajita spice mix if you prefer.

I make these with some gently spiced black beans, some stir fried vegetables and a tomato salsa with a little kick from green chillies. 

The below serves four (2 adults, 2 kids in our case) and if you're following Slimming World like myself, use the mini tortilla wraps from Weight Watchers Wholemeal Wraps so one counts as your Healthy Extra B Choice and the other can be synned at 6 syns which is well worth it for this meal.

Cajun Salmon Tortilla Bowls

Here's how:
For the Tortilla bowls:

• x6 Weight Watchers Wholemeal Wraps
• Fry Light

For the salmon:

• 1/2 side of salmon or four fillets
• 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning

For the veggies:

• 2-3 sprays of Fry Light
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning

For the black beans:

• Fry Light
• 1 tin of black beans in water 
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp chipotle paste

For the tomato salsa:

• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 2 green chillies
• 1 lime
• Some coriander leaves and stalks (to taste)
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper

Begin by popping the oven on at 180 degrees and placing a piece of foil onto a baking tray.

Now take a cupcake or muffin tin, and spray x6 of the holes with a one spray of Fry Light. Now gently push a tortilla wrap into each hole, and then spray again. Once all are in, place into the oven for about 8-12 minutes, until the 'bowls' have taken shape and the wraps are beginning to brown a little. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Now place the salmon on top of the baking sheet, and spoon over the Cajun Seasoning; then use the back of the spoon to press into the salmon flesh. Place into the oven and cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.

While the salmon is cooking, chop the three red onions or you could use two large ones. One third needs to be popped into a frying pan or wok with a little Fry Light, and one third into a saucepan with a few sprays of Fry Light. 

Mince the garlic and add to the saucepan with the red onion. Then open and drain the tin of black beans and add to the saucepan with the cumin, chipotle, coriander and cinnamon and leave to cook down for ten minutes, stirring every few minutes. 

For the vegetables, just slice the peppers up and throw into the frying pan or wok and add the Cajun seasoning. Give a shake or stir up every few minutes. 

Finally make the salsa by simply chopping the tomatoes and placing into a bowl. Slice the chillies and add the remaining diced red onion and then season with salt and pepper. Add the coriander (or you could use basil or mint if you prefer) and squeeze over the juice of the lime. 

When everything is ready, place 1 tortilla bowl onto the children's plates, and two onto the adults. 

Begin by spooning in the black beans. Next layer up the stir fried spicy vegetables, and then flake on some large chunks of the Cajun spiced salmon. 

Garnish with the tomato salsa on the side and if you have some jalopeno peppers these add a nice kick. If the kids find it spicy, fat free yoghurt or sour cream would work to cool this down a little too. Enjoy!

Here are some of my other Slimming World friendly recipes I've shared since joining a month ago.

Mini Turkey Koftes
Simple Fish Stew
Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles
Chilli Crab Noodles
Chicken and Chorizo Penne

Slimming World Friendly Chicken & Chorizo Penne

Anything with a chicken and chorizo combo is a winner in my eyes, and this tasty pasta dish is a family favourite. 

It's quick and easy to prepare and what's more, for those on Slimming World like myself, it's only 3 syns for the meal which is due to the chorizo. 

I served this with a big mozzarella salad (Healthy Extra A choice) on Sunday so lots of salad goodness for speed, and it went down well with the whole family. 

I've made this before for the family before joining Slimming World and used cream, which is also lovely but using a tomato base makes this super low on syns for a really delicious and moreish meal.

The below serves 4 with enough leftover for 1-2 lunchbox portions for the next day.

Slimming World Friendly Chicken & Chorizo Penne

Slimming World Friendly Chicken and Chorizo Penne

Here's how:

• 130g cooking chorizo
• 3 chicken thighs
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 6-7 large, ripe tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• Salt & black pepper
• 500g pack penne
• Handful fresh parsley 

Place a large, non-stick pan on a medium heat and fill and boil the kettle.

Slice the chorizo into thin coin-shaped pieces and add to the pan; no need for any oil. 

While that cooks, finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan. 

Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside in a bowl for now. 

Roughly chop the parsley and also set aside for the end.

Now chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and then season well with salt and black pepper. Add to the pan to cook. 

At this point place the penne on to cook with the water boiled from the kettle and a pinch of salt. Cook according to pack instructions - approximately 10 minutes for dried. 

Once the chicken is seared all over, add the tomatoes and turn up the heat a little. Add the tomato puree, the oregano and again add a touch of salt and pepper. Now allow to cook down a little.

Once the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat and spoon in a spoonful of the pasta cooking water. 

If the chicken is cooked through (it should only take minutes if it has been cut into bite sized pieces but check by cutting into one of the biggest pieces and ensuring it isn't pink inside) then now add the pasta; I use a slotted spoon to pop the penne in as a little more pasta water will help to loosen the sauce, which will just coat everything and won't be swimming in a thick sauce. Once all of the pasta is in the pan, use a wooden spoon or spatula to move everything around and ensure it gets a good coating of the flavours and sauce.

Now spoon into a big serving bowl or onto individual plates if you prefer and add the chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Creamy Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

This is an absolutely gorgeous strawberry flavoured frozen yoghurt with a really creamy texture, thanks to the condensed milk. It only needs 4 ingredients and takes only five minutes to prepare and what's more, you don't need an ice cream maker or any other fancy equipment to prepare - just a bowl, a container, a tin opener and a spoon!

If you follow Slimming World like myself, I syn this at 6.5 syns for a small bowl (as pictured) as this amount makes up around 10 portions. You could reduce the syns by using light condensed milk too; but I love the creamy flavour and for an occasional treat it is well worth the syns! 

Creamy Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

Here's how:

• 220g strawberries
• 400g fat free yoghurt 
• 1 tin condensed milk
• 1 heaped tbsp runny honey

In a large bowl place the yoghurt, condensed milk and honey.

Now wash the strawberries and gently dry with a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper. Cut off the stalks and place most of the strawberries into a blender or Nutribullet and blitz. Save 4-5 strawberries and roughly chop into small pieces and throw into the yoghurt mixture. 

Pour the pureed strawberries into the yoghurt mix and give a good stir.

Now pour into an old ice cream tub or into any plastic container or cake tin, then cover well with a lid or some tightly wrapped cling film and place into the freezer for at least 8 hours before serving. I like to serve with some fresh chopped strawberries too. Enjoy!