Mini Turkey Koftes

These tasty Turkey Koftes are super easy to make and can be cooked under the grill or over a barbecue in less than 15 minutes, with five minutes to prepare. 

I'm following Slimming World at the moment, and this meal was completely syn free. So to go alongside the Mini Turkey Koftes, I made up a big Greek Salad and cut the feta into 45g wedges (Healthy Extra A choice), instead of olive oil which I would normally drizzle all over the salad, I sprayed with Fry Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray, and had a toasted wholemeal pitta bread (Healthy Extra B choice). I made syn free Tzatziki and syn free Spicy Tomato Salsa too, which I've included the instructions to below and which we've been having tons to add flavour to any barbecued meat

Syn Free Tzatziki

Combine 3 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt, 3-4cm long chunk of cucumber grated into the yoghurt, 1 garlic clove either grated into the yoghurt, or minced in, a pinch of salt and some roughly chopped fresh mint leaves or 1/2 tsp dried mint; mix it all together and that is it.

Syn Free Spicy Tomato Salsa 

You need fresh, ripe tomatoes, a red onion, a couple of green chillies, salt, pepper, garlic, coriander and the juice of a lime. You can either pop all of that into a mortar and grind with a pestle (if doing so I advise coarse sea salt as the abrasive texture helps to break down everything else, or throw it all into a food processor or Nutribullet and blitz if you prefer. This lasts for a week in the fridge if sealed. 

Mini Turkey Koftes

The below serves four. 

Here's how:

• 500g lean turkey thigh mince
• 1 red onion
• 2 green chillies
• Handful fresh coriander
• Handful fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp dried cumin
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1-2 drops of ice cold water
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• 1 lemon or lime

Put the turkey mince into a large bowl and season generously with salt and black pepper.

Now peel and finely dice the red onion, mince the garlic cloves and slice the green chillies and add to the bowl with the mince.

Roughly chop the parsley and coriander and add to the bowl too. 

Now add the spices; cumin, sumac, cayenne pepper, garlic granules and cinnamon.

Finally add to the bowl the tomato puree (or you could use harissa paste) and the drop of cold water. Now use your hands to mix together. You want to work the meat a little bit; like you would with a dough for a few minutes, which will help to tenderize the meat and help to bring it together. 

Break into 8-10 small patties, and then work each one into a little sausage shape. Place under the grill or onto the barbecue and allow to cook for 7 minutes, then turn over and cook for a further seven minutes or until the meat is cooked through and the outside has a little char. 

Add to a platter or plate with the pitta bread and dips, and before serving just squeeze over some juice from the lemon or lime. Enjoy!

Here are a few other Slimming World friendly recipes I've shared recently since starting the programme a few weeks back.

Chilli Crab Noodles
Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles 
Simple Fish Stew
Adana Kebabs

Reduced Calorie Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is always a crowd-pleaser at our house and as I’m trying to get a few pounds off before the summer holiday season begins, I have tweaked the more traditional version to reduce the calories and this is pretty good even if I say so myself.

Using turkey thigh mince instead of the usual steak or beef mince immediately shaves off approximately 60 calories, and by taking out the red wine and adding instead a touch of balsamic vinegar, again takes out around 160 calories overall. I would usually use a generous amount of olive oil when making a bolognese sauce, but have reduced this too just three sprays of Fry Light Olive Oil at only 3 calories.

I serve with 150g cooked wholemeal spaghetti too - which is easier to digest and has half the amount of sugar to white spaghetti. The below gives x4 portions and one with the 150g pasta and a tiny 6g Grana Padana grated over too comes in at 515 calories.

I add cinnamon to the mince as it cooks, which gives a great flavour and is more of a nod towards the Greek flavours of a meaty ragu, rather than Italian, but trust me it works beautifully.

Reduced Calorie Bolognese

Here’s how:

• 250g turkey thigh mince
• 1 large white onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 large carrot
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Water
• 3x sprays of Fry Light Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Firstly spray the pan with the Fry Light and place on a low heat.

Peel and finely dice the onion and add to the pan.

Peel and mince the garlic and also add to the pan.

Now peel the carrot and finely dice, and cut the celery into small slithers too. Add both to the pan.

Once the vegetables are softened, add the turkey mince and season well.

Use a wooden spatula or spoon to gently break up the meat to avoid it all clumping together.

Once it has begun to brown, mix it around and allow it to cook all over. At this point add the dried cinnamon and stir.

Once the meat has all coloured, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, oregano, sugar and rosemary and mix well. Now fill the empty tomato can up with water straight from the tap and pour over the meat.

Now simply allow to cook for at least thirty minutes until the sauce has reduced down and thickened up a little. The longer you cook the sauce for, the more intense the flavour will be so if you're not in a rush leave it to cook down for as long as you can.

Serve over spaghetti with a small smattering of Grana Padana and enjoy!