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

Red Pepper Soup

This soup is bright and vibrant - perfect for a summer's evening or afternoon - it looks and tastes equally beautiful and takes hardly any time to prepare at all.

The final flourish of natural yoghurt with harissa stirred through before serving, only adds to the Mediterranean allure of this dish and it made a welcome addition to my 'Seven Days of Soup' challenge whereby I followed a liquid diet of souping and juices for 7 days and shifted half a stone of baby weight pre-holiday. Delicious!

Red Pepper Soup



Here's how:

• 3 red peppers
• 1 red onion
• 1 aubergine
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tomato
• 1 tsp oregano
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Firstly pour the olive oil into a pan and place on a medium heat.

Peel and dice the onion and garlic and slice the peppers and add to the pan to soften.

Roughly chop the tomato and aubergine, which will add a slightly firmer texture, and add to the pan.

Once the contents of the pan are slightly soft, add the sea salt, black pepper, oregano and pour over the vegetable stock. Cook for 20-30 minutes.

Now cool slightly before blitzing with a hand held blender or you can do in a Nutribullet as I do then return to the pan to reheat before serving.

Whilst re-heating, combine the yoghurt and harissa and mix well and just before stirring swirl through the soup for a final, delicious addition of flavour. Enjoy!

The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup
Vegetable Soup

North African Spiced Pork

Pork chops, whilst being evocative of 1970's cuisine, are in fact a versatile, flavousome cut of meat and this spicy marinade makes for a delicious meal for two. Serve with some vegetable couscous, salad (tabbouleh works so well) and some fresh scattered mint leaves and wash down with a dry white - it's a flavour winner.

Here's how:

2 pork chops

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of half a lemon

1 1/2 preserved lemons chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, chopped finely

1 tsp harissa paste

1 tsp ground cinnamon or half a cinnamon stick crumbled

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Bunch fresh torn mint and coriander leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Simply combine all of the marinade ingredients in a food bag and throw the pork chops in. Seal and ensure the meat is completely immersed in the marinade.

If possible, leave in the fridge overnight to allow the flavours to permeate the meat, but if you are pushed for time, allow to stand for a couple of hours.

These can then be cooked over a barbecue (while the weather's glorious) or as I did here in the oven for about 40 minutes around 180 degrees. Enjoy!