Apple and Cinnamon Strudel

Apple and cinnamon strudel

Suitable for vegetarians
Serves: 8
Prep. time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes
Total time: Over 60 Minutes

Syns per serving: 4½

This perfect pastry pudding is packed with fruity goodness and delivers a cool cinnamon kick that the whole family will love - delicious served hot or cold.

Ingredients

700g cooking apples
25g sultanas
½ level tsp cinnamon
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Artificial sweetener, to taste
Low calorie cooking spray
4 x small sheets filo pastry
25g low-fat spread, melted
1 level tsp icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Peel and core the cooking apples and slice them thinly. Mix in a bowl with the sultanas, cinnamon and lemon zest. Sweeten to taste with artificial sweetener.

Spray a large baking sheet with low calorie cooking spray and place a sheet of filo pastry on top.

Brush very lightly with the low-fat spread and then cover with a second sheet. Repeat with the remaining two sheets, brushing with more low-fat spread.

Spoon the apple filling onto the pastry lengthways, leaving the pastry uncovered at the edges. Now roll up from one long side into a cylinder, with the pastry join underneath. Pinch the ends of the cylinder to seal in the filling.

Brush with the remaining melted low-fat spread and then bake in a preheated oven at 190°C/170°C

Fan/Gas Mark 5 for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.

Cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into thin slices to serve.

Beef Curry with Rice SYN Free!

Beef curry and rice

Serves: 4
Cook time: Ready in 50 mins
Total time: 30-60 Minutes
Syns per serving: FREE

For a melt-in-the-mouth beef curry this recipe is hard to beat. This ‘fakeaway’ version of the Indian favourite is packed with Speed food veggies (super for speeding up your weight loss!) and is delicious with a big bowl of basmati rice.

Ingredients

1 red onion, sliced
Low calorie cooking spray
500g lean rump steak
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp madras curry powder
2 level tbsp tomato puree
1 medium butternut squash
250g mushrooms, halved
275ml beef stock
200g dried basmati rice
150g fat free natural yogurt
Freshly chopped coriander

Method

Cook the onion in low calorie cooking spray for 10 minutes. Cut the steak into strips, add to the pan with the red peppers and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and tomato puree and mix well.

Peel and chop the squash and stir into the pan with the mushrooms, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes and drain.

Serve the curry drizzled with yogurt, scattered with coriander and rice on the side.

Quick Pumpkin Curry - SYN FREE

Quick Pumpkin Curry - SYN FREE

If you have lots of leftover pumpkin flesh from all that jack-o-lantern carving - this taste-packed curry is the perfect way to use it up!

Quick pumpkin curry

Suitable for vegetarians

Serves: 4
Cook time: ready in about 25 mins
Total time: Less than 30 Minutes

Syns per serving: FREE

Ingredients

1 onion
500g pumpkin
400g can sweetcorn
Low calorie cooking spray
2 tbsp mild curry powder
400g can chopped tomatoes
A small handful of fresh coriander
8 tbsp very low fat natural yogurt

Method

Prepare the ingredients, peel, halve and thinly slice the onion, peel and cut the pumpkin into bite size chunks, rinse and drain the sweetcorn.

Cook the onion in a pan sprayed with low calorie cooking spray for 2-3 minutes, Add the pumpkin, curry powder and tomatoes and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Stir in 50ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes or until the pumpkin is just tender. Stir in the sweetcorn, remove from the heat and divide between four serving bowls.

Roughly chop the coriander and scatter over. Drizzle the yogurt and serve immediately with boiled rice.

Almond Cookies 1.5 SYNS

Almond Cookies

Get everyone to give you a hand making these festive nibbles. Kids will have great fun decorating them, and if you wrap them in pretty paper with ribbons, they'll make perfect gifts to share with friends and family.

Almond cookies

Serves: 24
Prep. time: Ready in about 30 minutes (plus chilling and cooling)
Total time: Less than 30 Minutes

Syns per serving: 1½

Ingredients:



57g self-raising flour
113g plain flour
42g low-fat baking margarine
100g vanilla Müllerlight yogurt
4 tbsp artificial sweetener
6 drops almond essence
Low calorie cooking spray
Method

Sift the flours into a bowl and rub in the margarine with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the yogurt, sweetener and almond essence and knead until the mixture forms a soft dough (add more flour if too sticky or more yogurt if too dry). Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and spray with low calorie cooking spray. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and roll out to the thickness of a pound coin. Using a small, star shaped cookie cutter (or any other shape) cut into 24 cookies. Carefully place the cookies on the baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly risen and browned.

Remove the cookies from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Let the children help to decorate the cookies with brightly coloured decorations (1 Syn per tbsp).