Healthy New York-style Meatloaf

This meatloaf was delicious and loved by everyone in the family when we tried it.



New York-style Meatloaf



Serves 4

Ingredients

500g/1lb 2oz extra lean minced beef
250g/9oz extra lean minced pork
1 red pepper, deseeded and very finely diced
8 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
4 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp English mustard
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
110g/4oz fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper (I used Nature's Seasons.)
400g can cherry tomatoes, drained

To Serve:

chopped basil (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Place all the ingredients, except the cherry tomatoes in a large mixing bowl, seasoning well. Knead the mixture with your hands until well combined.

2. Line a medium-sized loaf tin with non-stick baking parchment and transfer the mixture to the tin. Bake in the oven for 1 ½ hours or until cooked through. The meat should shrink away the sides of the tin when cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes, then turn out on to a baking sheet. Place the cherry tomatoes on top and return to the oven for 12-15 minutes. Garnish with the basil, if using. Carve the loaf into thick slices and serve.

Syns per serving
Extra Easy: 5
Original: 5
Green: 17 1/2

Cauliflower Pepper Quiche

Cauliflower Pepper Quiche

Serves 4

Ingredients
8 medium eggs
300g Asda Good For You Red Pepper & Sweet Chilli Cottage Cheese
2 onions
2 red onions
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper (or 1/2 yellow bell pepper)
1 red chilli pepper
1 bag of frozen cauliflower (or one fresh cauliflower, chopped)
Fry Light (or other low-calorie oil spray)
seasoning
4 Laughing Cow Extra Light Cheese Triangles (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 225F.

2. Steam the cauliflower for 20 minutes.

3. While the cauliflower is steaming, chop the onions, bell peppers and chilli pepper into small chunks.

4. Mix the eggs, cottage cheese and seasoning together in a large bowl. (I use Nature's Seasoning, but you can choose your favorite seasoning, even just use salt and pepper.)

5. Mix the onions, bell peppers and chilli pepper with the egg and cottage cheese mixture. Add the cauliflower to the mixture and mix thoroughly.

6. Spray a large non-stick casserole dish with Fry Light (or other low-calorie oil spray) and pour in the egg mixture, spreading evenly over the dish's base. If using the cheese triangles, break them up into small pieces using your fingers and spread randomly across the top of the mixture in the casserole dish. Put the casserole dish into the oven.

8. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. (Here, I baked it for 30 minutes and then put it in the fridge overnight for us to eat the following day. The next day, I baked it again at 225F for 20 minutes.)

Another option is to lay thinly sliced ham across the bottom of the casserole dish before pouring in the egg mixture.

Beef Madras

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:
Fry Light (similar to the 1 calorie oil spray in the US)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves
6 green cardamom pods
2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped (I put three in)
1 tsp peeled and finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 dried red chillies (I bought a seasoning packet of them and put loads in)
1 tbsp Madras curry powder (I used "hot" madras powder.)
2 lb. (900g) lean beef fillets, all visible fat removed, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
9 fl. oz. (250ml) beef stock
salt

To Serve:
freshly chopped coriander leaves

1. Spray a saucepan liberally with Fry Light and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, cloves, and cardamom and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the fresh chilli, ginger, garlic and dried chilli and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add the curry powder and beef chunks to the saucepan and stir-fry for 6-8 minutes until the meat is sealed. Add the ground coriander, cumin and beef stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and scatter over some chopped coriander before serving.

(Personally, I like to remove the cardamom pods and the cloves when it's all finished cooking and before garnishing with the chopped coriander leaves.)

I added extra water towards the end of the cooking (in the last 5 minutes or so) to create more sauce with it. We serve ours with rice, and it's lovely with a bit of extra sauce to help mix in with the rice.

Vegetable Pizza

Vegetable Pizza

serves 6

Ingredients
Base
1 x 145g packet pizza base mix
Fry Light (or other 1-cal spray)

Topping
397g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp chopped basil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tbsp artificial sweetener
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 courgette, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Prepare the pizza dough according to the packet instructions. Form into a ball and place in a bowl lightly sprayed with Fry Light. Cover with a clean towel and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

2. Place the tomatoes, basil, garlic and sweetener in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool and season well. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment.

3. Knead the dough and roll out into a large disc (about 30cm/12 inch in diameter) and place on a baking sheet. Spread the tomato sauce over the base, leaving a border around the edges, and arrange the courgette, pepper and onion on top. Season well and bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Slimming World info: 4 1/2 syns on Green or Original

This recipe can be found in Slimming World's 100 Comfort Foods book.

Spinach, Onion & Herb Frittata

Spinach, Onion & Herb Frittata

serves 4

Ingredients
Fry Light (any 1 cal spray)
6 spring onions, sliced
255g/9oz spinach leaves, washed
3 tbsp freshly chopped basil
6 eggs, beaten
28g/1oz Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Spray a frying pan with Fry Light and cook the spring onions for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and fry for 2-3 minutes until it wilts.

2. Mix the basil with the beaten eggs and pour into the frying pan. Fry for 5-6 minutes or until the base is set.

3. Sprinkle the top with the cheese and place the pan under a hot grill for 3-5 minutes until the frittata is set. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Slimming World info: 1 1/2 syns per serving on Green

This recipe can be found in Slimming World's 100 Green Recipes book.

Pasta With Quorn Sausages

Two cups of whole wheat pasta
1 red onion (finely chopped)
2 Quorn sausages (grilled)(If you don't have the brand Quorn in your area, it is vegetarian versions of meats, so there was no actual meat in the sausages.)
2 medium eggs (boiled)
3 tbsp. extra light mayonnaise
100g low-fat cheese (grated) - optional
seasoning to taste

Boil the pasta until soft and then drain. Add three tablespoons of extra light mayonnaise (or make Slimming World's syn-free mayonnaise if you are following the plan) and mix in until all of the pasta is lightly coated. Add seasoning to taste. (I use Nature's Seasons seasoning blend, but it can only be found in the US. I get it shipped to me by friends and family.) Chop the sausages into small bits and mix in. Mix in the chopped red onion. Dice up the boiled eggs and mix into the pasta. Sprinkle the grated cheese over (while the pasta is still hot) and mix in.