Sweet and Sour Chicken 7 Points
· Prep time:10 min
· Cook time:17 min
· Serves:4
· Difficulty: Easy
A delicious and healthy version of this takeaway favourite.
5spray(s) Calorie controlled cooking spray
1 medium Onion(s), peeled and sliced
160g Brown Rice, dry, long grain (15sp)
500g Chicken breast, skinless, raw (4 x 125g breasts) (5sp)
2 medium Carrots, raw, peeled and thinly sliced in sticks
225g Pineapple, can, chunks in natural juice
2 tablespoons Tomato Purèe (1 sp)
3 tablespoons Vinegar, All Types, malt
1 tablespoons Muscovado Sugar (4sp)
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce, dark (1sp)
Instructions
Spray a frying pan with the low-fat cooking spray, add the onion and cook, stirring for 5 minutes over a medium heat, until softened.
Meanwhile cook the rice according to pack instructions, drain and rinse in hot water.
Cut the chicken into bite size chunks and add to the pan.
Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until golden on all sides.
Add the carrots, pineapple and juice, tomato puree, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the chicken is tender. Serve immediately with the rice.
Chicken Jambalaya
Serves 4, 8sp per serving
250g long grain rice (26sp)
3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra to garnish
1 onion (sliced)
3 celery sticks (sliced)
1 red pepper (sliced)
175g closed cup mushrooms (sliced)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (1sp)
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning or paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
400g cooked, skinless, boneless chicken (5sp)
4 tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the rice into a saucepan and cover with plenty of boiling water from the kettle. Add the sprigs of thyme; then cover and cook over a medium heat for 12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until tender.
Heat the oil in the frying pan or wok and tip in the vegetables. Stir fry them for 4-5 minutes.
Drain the rice in the colander; then add it to the frying pan and add the cajun seasoning or paprika and chilli powder.
Chop the chicken and tomatoes and add them to the pan. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly until heated through. Check the seasoning, adding some pepper and an extra pinch of cajun seasoning or chilli powder if needed.
Spoon on to 4 warmed plates and serve at once, garnished with a few thyme sprigs.
You can use 250g cooked, peeled prawns instead of cooked chicken for a change.
Beef larb
Serves 1, 6sp, takes 20 minutes
oil spray
175g extra lean beef mince (4sp)
½ crumbled beef stock cube
1 small red chilli, de-seeded and diced
1 ½ tsp diced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, diced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (2sp)
a handful of fresh coriander leaves
4 or 5 small lettuce leaves (I used spinach and threw it in just before end to wilt a little)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin sticks
2 spring onions, sliced
4 fresh mint leaves shredded (optional)
Spray a non stick frying pan with the cooking spray and heat until hot. Add the beef and stir fry over a high heat for 5 minutes until browned and cooked through. Add the stock cube with 2 tablespoons of water, chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the hoisin sauce and half the coriander leaves.
Arrange the lettuce leaves and carrot sticks on a plate, top with the mince and garnish with the spring onions, mint and remaining coriander. Serve immediately.
Speedy Biryani
Serves 4, 9sp per serving
This delicious dish takes just 30 minutes to prepare and cook.
200g Basmati rice (20sp)
1 x 15ml tablespoon vegetable oil (4sp)
2 chicken breast fillets (about 260g) (3sp)
Small bunch fresh coriander
1 medium red onion
100g French beans
4 x 15ml tablespoons Balti curry paste (5sp)
130ml water
4 tomatoes
2 hard-boiled eggs (4sp)
Cut the chicken into 2–3cm diced pieces and place in a bowl.
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. If you haven’t already hard-boiled the eggs, pop them in a separate pan in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Then drain through a colander and leave to stand in fresh cold water to cool. When cooled peel, and quarter
Using a different chopping board and knife, peel and finely chop the red onion.
Wash the French beans, tomatoes and coriander. Finely chop the coriander. Top and tail the French beans and cut them in half. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.
Heat the vegetable oil in the large saucepan, then add the chicken, half of the chopped coriander and curry paste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. The chicken will change colour from pink to white.
Add the chopped red onion and French beans and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Add the tomato quarters, and add the water gradually – you may not need it all. Your Speedy Biryani should be moist enough for the flavours to spread through evenly, but it shouldn’t be wet. Cook for a further 3 minutes. Keep stirring.
Add the cooked rice. Mix well, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. You might want to add a little bit more water now.
Spoon the Speedy Biryani onto plates and garnish with egg quarters
Chicken patties
Serves 5, 6sp per patty on a bun
1½ lbs. chicken breast, chopped into ½-inch pieces (7sp)
1/3 cup finely diced green bell pepper
2 spring onions, thinly sliced (green part only)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
5 hamburger buns (25sp) (use brown warburton thins for No Count) (15sp)
lettuce (optional)
sliced tomato (optional)
wax paper, cut into ten 5" x 6" pieces
2 freezer bags
cooking spray
Combine the chicken, green pepper, onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Spray ten wax paper pieces with cooking spray and lay out on the counter (spray side up).
Place 1/2 cup of chicken mixture onto five pieces of wax paper.
Flatten the chicken mixture with your fingers so it is evenly flat and top each chicken patty with wax paper (sprayed side down). Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Fry them with spray light and serve on buns.
Quick beef stroganoff 4sp or No Count
Serve on a bed of tagliatelle cooked according to packet instructions (60g dried = 6sp) use wholewheat spaghetti for No Count
Low fat cooking spray
110g lean stir fry beef steak (3sp)
75g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
A pinch of paprika
75ml (3fl oz) beef stock, made using 1/4 stock cube
2 tablespoons of very low fat plain fromage frais (1sp)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Heat a non stick frying pan and lightly coat with the cooking spray. Add the beef, followed by the mushrooms and spring onions. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Sprinkle n the paprika then pour in the beef stock.
Bubble rapidly for 30-60 seconds until the liquid is reduced and syrupy.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 1 minute, then stir in the fromage frais and seasoning to taste.
For veggie version use 250g mixed mushrooms instead of beef and veg stock cube, only 1sp a portion.
Malaysian chicken (3sp)
Serve with rice and steamed broccoli
Take 10 mins to prepare, 12 minutes to cook
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely
Low fat cooking spray
1 chicken breast, diced (2sp)
1 teaspoon light brown soft sugar (1sp)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon rice vinegar or lime juice
Spray a lidded, non stick saucepan with cooking spray and fry the onions and chilli for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and stir fry for 1 minute over a high heat, then sprinkle in the sugar and cook for 1 minutes more until caramelised.
In a jug, mix the soy sauce, stock and rice vinegar or lime juice together. Pour over the chicken, cover the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid, increase the heat, and bubble for 2 minutes until slightly reduced. Tossing the chicken in the sauce to glaze.
Saag Aloo
Serves 4, 2sp per serving or 8sp as 1 main dish. Take 25 minutes
Calorie controlled cooking spray
1 small onion, diced
350g potatoes, peeled and cubed.
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
100g baby spinach leaves
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Heat a medium lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Spray with the cooking spray and cook the onion, covered, for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the potatoes, spices and 200ml water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 8 minutes until the potatoes are tender. (After doing the demo I think I'd parboil the potatoes first.)
Add the spinach in three batches, stirring between each addition, until combined. Season and cook for 2 minutes until the spinach is wilted, then serve. Nice as a side dish or served with a piece of grilled white fish or chicken breast.
Pork and plum stir-fry
Serves 4, 8sp per serving
10 minutes in total
350g lean pork loin steak, cut into thin strips (14sp)
Calorie controlled cooking spray
525g pack prepared stir fry mixed vegetables
3 tablespoons plum sauce (6sp) Sharwood's Plum Sauce is 5sp
Juice of a lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
300g straight to wok medium egg noodles (13sp)
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat a wok or large non stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the pork, spray with the cooking spray, and stir fry for 3 minutes until cooked through. Remove the pork and any juices from the wok and set to one side.
Add the stir-fry vegetables to the wok, spray again with the cooking spray, and stir fry for 3 minutes.
Return the pork to the wok with the plum sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, 1tbsp of water and the noodles. Season with black pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes, separating the noodles with a wok stirrer or spatula, until heated through. Serve immediately.
Speedy Spaghetti Carbonara
Serves 4, 15sp per serving
(4sp on No Count day for parmesan cheese)
takes 15 minutes
400 g Wholewheat Spaghetti (36sp)
Cooking oil spray
100 g Bacon Medallions, Raw (2sp) chopped into 2cm pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 large eggs, lightly beaten (7sp)
110 g Parmesan Cheese, (16sp)
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook spaghetti according to instructions on packet. Meanwhile, spray frying pan with oil and add bacon, fry for 2-3mins until lightly browned. Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds. Set aside.
Drain spaghetti and add to bacon mixture in the pan, add eggs and half parmesan cheese, season and toss together. The heat from the spaghetti will partly cook the egg, but leave it moist. Serve and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.