Tiramisu

150 ml double cream
3tbs icing sugar
100g mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbs amaretto

275 ml cold coffee
1 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbs amaretto
175g sponge fingers
cocoa

Whip cream with icing sugar & then beat in mascarpone, extract and amaretto.  Sweeten coffee with separate icing sugar and add amaretto.

Dip sponge fingers in coffee mix and line bottom of dish.  Spoon over half cream mixture and repeat. Sprinkle with cocoa powder & refridgerate.

Aubergine Parmigiana

1 medium aubergine, sliced into 1cm pieces
1 tomato, sliced into 1/2 cm pieces
1 ball low fat mozarella, sliced into 1/2 cm pieces
sprinkle grated parmesan

for the sauce

1 clove garlic
1/2 can tomatoes
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp tomato puree

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.  Grill the aubergines on a medium heat for 10 minutes until softened.

In the meantime, make the sauce by softening the garlic in fry lite before adding all other ingredients.  Season to taste.

When ready, start to layer the ingredients in an oven proof dish, starting with the aubergine, then tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 the sauce & a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat again before backing for 15 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Wraps

Recipe & Image taken from www.canyoustayfordinner.com

8 oz raw chicken breast

1 cup marinara sauce, plus more for serving 

6 egg roll wrappers (each 7 inches squared)

1 cup baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Place the chicken breast in a small pot and fill with enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil on your stovetop, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat. Mix the meat with the marinara sauce in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. Layer each with a few leaves of spinach, then chicken, followed by mozzarella and parmesan.

Lightly brush two adjacent sides of the wrapper with water and fold the upper left corner downward, covering the filling, and press to seal on the bottom right corner. Press to seal each of the sides. Repeat with remaining wraps.

Place all 6 filled wraps on a greased wire rack set over a cookie sheet, coat each in cooking spray or a light brushing of olive oil, and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn a golden brown.

Serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Large Tiramisu

Serves 8

300ml single cream

6 tbsp icing sugar

200g mascarpone

2 tsb vanilla extract

2 tbsp amaretto/dark rum

For the Sponge

550ml cold coffee

2tbsp icing sugar

4 tbsp amaretto/dark rum

2 x 175g packs of sponge fingers

Cocoa Powder

Whip the single cream with the icing sugar & then beat in the mascarpone, vanilla & amaretto.

Sweeten the coffee mix with 2 tbsp icing sugar and add the 4 tbsp of amaretto.

Dip the sponge fingers into the coffee mixture and then place a layer at the bottom of your dish. 

Top with a layer of the mascarpone mix & repeat.

Finally top with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

Slimming World Pitta Pizza

Recipe & Image taken from http://www.slimmingeats.com

1 whole wheat pita bread 

3 tablespoons of passata

1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce 

splash of Worcestershire sauce

45g of part skimmed mozzarella 

50g of cooked chicken, shredded

then you need some of the following for your topping

red onion, mushrooms, green pepper and red pepper

fresh chopped coriander

 * NOTE: Be sure to check that the pita you use is a qualifying healthy extra

Preheat oven to 200c or 400f (gas mark 6)

Place your pita bread onto a baking tray.

In a bowl mix together the passata, barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Spoon out the pieces of chicken over the pita bread and then brush the over the pita and chicken with the sauce.

Break up pieces of the mozzarella and scatter this over pita bread along with the veg.

Place in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and golden.

Lasagne Cups

Recipe & image taken from http://www.slimmingeats.com

Makes 12

Based on 3 per person -  1 HEa and 1 syn per serving

400g of extra lean beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 carrot, finely chopped

200g of diced butternut squash

4 mushrooms, finely chopped

fresh herbs (I used a mixture of rosemary, oregano and thyme)

2 cups (480ml) of passata

1 cup (240ml) of beef stock

splash of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Frylight/Pam Spray

42g of mozzarella cheese (1 HEa)

28g of parmesan cheese  (1 HEa)

12 flat lasagne sheets (I used whole wheat) *see note

salt and black pepper

for the cheese sauce:

1 tablespoon of cornstarch (3.5 syns)

250 ml of semi skimmed milk (1 HEa)

28g of parmesan cheese (1 HEa)

salt and black pepper for seasoning

Spray a frying pan with some Frylight or Pam spray and add the onions, garlic and carrot and fry for about 5 mins

Add the beef mince and cook till browned.

Add the mushrooms, butternut squash, passata, stock, chilli powder, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar and then your fresh herbs. Cover with some greaseproof paper and cook for approx 1 hour over a gentle heat on the hob.

When the meat mixture has almost finished it’s cooking time you can make  the cheese sauce, Mix the cornstarch with a little of the milk and add to the rest of the milk in a small saucepan over a low heat, constantly stirring until it comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the 28g of parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 4)

In the meantime bring a large saucepan water to a boil and add the lasagne sheets and  cooked until softened. Now comes the tricky part.

Mix your mozzarella and remaining parmesan together in a bowl.

Using a muffin tray, spray with a little frylight or Pam spray. Cut you lasagne sheets in half, so you have 24 squares. Place one half of top of another half so that you have a kind of star shape. Place this carefully in one muffin space and spoon in some of your meat mixture. Top with a little of the cheese sauce and your grated cheese. Repeat for the other 11 spaces. Your mini lasagna’s will look like this.

Roasted vegetable and bean salad

Photo from taste.com.au

1 red pepper, thickly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thickly sliced
2 courgettes, cut diagonally into 1cm slices
100g button mushrooms, halved
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g cherry tomatoes
200g green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.  Place peppers, courgette, mushroom and onion in a large baking dish.  Combine oil, vinegar & garlic in a bowl.  Drizzle over the vegetables and toss to coat.

Roast for 20 minutes.  Add tomatoes and roast for 15 further minutes until vegetables are tender and tomatoes and starting to collapse

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil, cook beans for 3 minutes or until tender.  Drain the beans and refresh in a bowl of iced water before patting fry with a paper towel.

Add beans to vegetable mixture, toss to combine and sprinkle with pine nuts.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.