Oreo Cheesecake

This is just about the best invention ever. This is based on my regular cheesecake recipe and inspired by a colleague in work who suggested oreo cheesecake. I love any kind of cheesecake, but the oreos really make this for me =) Get ready for umpteen compliments from your friends who are bound to love this really easy recipe! 

Ingredients (for a 21 inch cheesecake):

Base:
16 oreos
100g butter

Cheesecake:

600g cream cheese
100g icing sugar
280ml double cream
6 oreos

Instructions:

1. Crush the oreos for the base into fine breadcrumbs. This may be easier if you have a food processor, or alternatively, place in a bag and bash with a rolling pin until you get the right consistency for the base.

 

2. Place the biscuit crumbs in a mixing bowl and melt the butter over a low heat. Pour the melted butter over the biscuit and mix well ensuring that all crumbs are covered.

 

3.  Line the base of a 21” cake tin with baking parchment. (A springform tin is best for this recipe if available). Add the biscuit to the base of the tin, and distribute evenly, pressing down with your fingertips. Place the base in the fridge for at least an hour.

 

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk together the cheese and icing sugar. Add the cream and and whisk again until just combined. Do not over whisk the mixture as it can become runny due to the heat generated.

5. Cut the remaining oreos into small pieces. Gently fold the pieces through the cream cheese mixture, ensuring even distribution of the pieces. (You can use a whisk on a slow speed for this, which may also help to break down the pieces into even smaller pieces).

6. Pour the cheese mixture into the tin, and spread using a spatula. Leave as it is, or decorate with other oreos

7. Remove from the fridge about half an hour before serving; just be careful removing from the tin.

BBQ Pulled Pork

This is another Slimming World recipe, which is syn free. So easy to do as it all just goes in a slow cooker (or on a low temperature in the oven) for several hours meaning you can cook it whilst in work or getting on with something else. On top of that, it was absolutely delicious - just a shame Rhys couldn't taste it due to his cold. Still, good reason to have it again sooner rather than later :-) 

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 kg pork shoulder

500g passata

5 tbsp Worcester sauce 

3 tbsp sweetener

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp mustard powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Remove the skin and any visible fat from the pork. This is the time consuming bit, and can be quite a tough job so get a good sharp knife!

2. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sauce thickens.

3. Spray a frying pan with FryLight and seal the meat on all sides.

4. Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with some sauce, place the meat in, and cover with the remaining sauce.

5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is so tender it can be shredded with two forks. Mix the shredded meat through the sauce to cover well and serve.

Toad-In-The-Hole

Everyone loves a good old British classic, and me probably more than anyone else. Pie and mash, sausage and mash, roast beef, Eton mess... They all top my favourites list.

Rhys had the Masterchef Complete Cookery course cookbook for his birthday, and this Toad in the Hole recipe instantly appealed to me. I'll be honest and tell you that I had never actually cooked it before - and Rhys had apparently never even tried it (deprived childhood obviously!) - but I will definitely be making it again.

Try and buy the best sausages you can afford; more pork = more flavour! My mum's tip is that you should also buy the best quality roasting tin you can afford, and to have the oil really hot before you add the batter which will help them to rise.

Ingredients (serves 4):

125g plain flour

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

300ml milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

8 sausages 

Instructions:

1. Put the flour in a bowl with the salt, make a well in the centre and add the eggs with a little milk.

2. Whisk together the mixture, gradually incorporating the flour. Add the remaining milk and whisk until smooth. Put the batter in the fridge and leave for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 220C. Pour the oil into a roasting dish, and heat. Add the sausages and cook for about 5 - 10 minutes until they are starting to brown. 

4. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200C.

5. Carefully pour the batter around the sausages and return the tin to the oven. Cook for approximately 30 minutes until the batter is risen, golden and crisp. Serve hot with gravy and vegetables.

Hummingbird Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are the signature red velvet cupcakes sold by the Hummingbird Bakery.  The recipe features in both 'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook', and 'Cake Days' - both of which are easily my favourite books for baking.

You will need a good deep muffin for baking 12 cupcakes, or 2 tins if you're going to make smaller fairy cakes. I would also recommend buying a good quality red gel food colouring from your local craft store - the liquid food colouring that they sell in the supermarkets isn't really the best at giving the desired effect for red velvet. However, if you do choose liquid food colouring, go for the best quality option - natural food colouring will make these go orangey/brown.

Ingredients (makes 12-16):

Sponge:

120g softened unsalted butter

300g caster sugar

2 large eggs

20g cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

300g plain flour

1 tsp salt

240ml buttermilk

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Red food colouring (until colour resembles red velvet!)

Frosting:

100g softened unsalted butter

600g icing sugar

250g full-fat cream cheese

Decorations

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C and line a muffin tin with cases

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy (use an electric whisk if available). Add the eggs one at a time, and beat thoroughly to mix in.

3. In a separate small bowl, stir together cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla essence to form a paste. (Note: if you use gel rather than liquid food colouring, you may need to add a small amount of water to make the paste). Add to the mixture and mix thoroughly until the paste is incorporated.

4. Sift together the flour and salt in another bowl. Add to the batter in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix thoroughly after each addition.

5. In another bowl, mix the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda by hand. Add to the batter and mix in until fully incorporated.

6. Spoon the batter into the cases until 2/3 full. Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes (note: the sponge should bounce back when lightly pressed). 

7. Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

8. Whilst the cakes are cooling, mix the butter and icing sugar together on a low speed until the resemble a sandy texture. Add the cream cheese and continue to mix slowly until incorporated. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy but take care not to over mix as this will cause the frosting to warm up and it will become runny!

9. Pipe the icing on to the cool cakes and add your decorations. 

Fanta Chicken

This is a recipe that does the rounds in Slimming World. I must admit when hearing about this and the diet coke chicken I was pretty skeptical, but this is delicious.

This creates a sweet and sour type meal, which I think rivals anything you'd get in a jar in the supermarket minus the calories and syns you'd find in those. I'm already looking forward to having it again.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 chicken breasts

Your choice of vegetables (I used pepper, onion, mushrooms and baby sweetcorn)

330ml diet Fanta (or any substitute fizzy orange drink)

250g passata 

1 tbsp Worcester sauce

1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1) Fry the onion and chicken in some fry light until the chicken turns white. Don't overlook as it will cook in the sauce

2) Add your vegetables and fry for a few minutes

3) Mix the Fanta, passata, 5 spice and Worcester sauce in a jug, and add to the saucepan bringing to the boil.

4) Season before turning the saucepan down to simmer. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened (about 30 minutes).

5) Add some fresh pineapple and stir through (don't cook or this will add syns), then serve with the accompaniment of your choice.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

I'm so bad at keeping this up to date; I always take pictures of the food we cook ready to put them up and then get otherwise distracted. It doesn't help that the Blogger app on iPhone isn't the best when you want to edit your posts so I need to wait until I have a spare 5 minutes on the computer. I've since been told off so here's a new post.
I don't eat seafood, so the thought of a paella never appealed to me. However, this recipe I came across in my Desperate Housewives cookbook and, without the prawns and mussels, instantly tickled my tastebuds. This is another recipe that is loved by everyone I've made it for: to the point that my Mum used my DH cookbook so much she had to buy me a new one as she ruined the page for this recipe.
Conversion of cups isn't the easiest, so would be useful if you had measuring cups too!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 cup (about 120 ml) dry white wine
1 tsp saffron
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 chorizo ring, sliced (or 6 links if you buy them uncooked)
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups (about 280g) rice (paella rice or long grain white)
3 cups (about 700 ml) chicken stock
1 cup (about 150g) frozen peas

Instructions:
1. Pour the wine over the saffron in a small bowl. Let stand while preparing the paella.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the chicken and chorizo. Cook, turning as necessary, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides. With a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken and chorizo into a bowl and cover.

3. Add the onion, red pepper and cayenne if using to the pan. (Note: cayenne pepper is really spicy - so miss this out, or reduce the quantities if you don't want it too spicy). Cook until the vegetables are wilted, stirring regularly.

4. Add the rice and cook for a minute. Then add the white wine mixture, and cook until the liquid has all evaporated.

5. Add the chicken and chorizo back to the pan and stir.

6. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil, until the level of liquid reaches the rice. Season to taste and cover.

7. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the rice is tender and the stock is absorbed; this will take about 15 minutes.

8. Scatter the peas over the paella and stir through. Serve straight away.

Chinese Chicken

This is actually called Sweet and Sour Chicken, and is from one of my SW cookbooks but I think of this more as Chinese chicken. Don't be under any illusions that it tastes like your local Chinese takeaway - it doesn't - but it is EASILY my favourite SW recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4):

100ml passata

4 chicken breast fillet

6 spring onions

2 garlic cloves

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp sweetener

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Instructions:

1. Dice and place chicken in a bowl. Add chopped spring onions, garlic, seasoning and light soy sauce. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Spray a pan with fry light and cook chicken mixture for 5 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir well. Bring to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve with rice or noodles, and garnish with sliced spring onions.

Note: I also like to add vegetables - stir fry before adding the sauce mixture. 

Cheesecake - Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

This is a recipe which was first discovered by my best friend on BBC Good Food, and then by me on the box of my new cake tins. Obviously meant to be! I don't know anyone who doesn't love this cheesecake - even people who don't like cheesecake have eaten, and loved, this - and now it's a staple at every social gathering we have.

Ingredients:
250g digestive biscuits
100g butter
600g full fat soft cheese
100g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
284ml double cream

Instructions:
1. Place the digestives in a sandwich bag and beat with a rolling pin until crushed. Place the biscuit crumbs in a mixing bowl and melt the butter over a low heat. Pour the melted butter over the biscuit and mix well ensuring that all crumbs are covered.

2. Line the base of a cake tin (between 22 and 24" in size) with baking parchment. (A springform tin is best for this recipe if available). Add the biscuit to the base of the tin, and distribute evenly, pressing down with your fingertips. Place the base in the fridge for at least an hour.

3. Using an electric whisk, whisk together the cheese and icing sugar. Add the cream and vanilla and whisk again until just combined. Do not over whisk the mixture as it can become runny due to the heat generated.

4. Pour the cheese mixture into the tin, and spread using a spatula. Top with a chocolate or fruit of your choice and refrigerate overnight.

5. Remove from the fridge about half an hour before serving, and be careful removing from the tin.

Note: Don't be tempted to use elmlea in replacement of the double cream - it doesn't work! Trust me on that one ;-)

Pasta in Bacon, Tomato and Red Wine Sauce

I love carbs. I could go without meat but I could not do without pasta or potatoes. Part of this is the reason I love Slimming World - I don't have to sacrifice my carbohydrates in order to lose weight. After a binge at Christmas, or rather just in the last 6 months or so, I'm back at group weighing in weekly to help me lose the extra pounds, so this is a dish I cooked up on Sunday as part of my plan. The red wine is 1/2 syn per serving and I used the Parmesan as my healthy extra (though you can have 30g in one serving and I certainly didn't use that!). I made up two portions so I could heat it up for lunch the next day, which worked well, and I'm sure you could freeze it too! My apologies for the messy photo - I'd started eating before I even thought about a picture.

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 onion
1 clove garlic
4 rashers of bacon
8 mushrooms
50ml red wine
1 can tinned tomatoes
1 tsp chilli powder
200g pasta

Instructions:
1. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry the onion in Fry Light for 5 minutes till soft, then add the garlic and fry for another minute

2. Slice the bacon removing all visible fat and add to the onion, frying until cooked through

3. Add the mushrooms and red wine, and cook until the wine is just about evaporated. Then add the tinned tomatoes and chilli powder, season to taste, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or so

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain well and stir in to the tomato sauce. Add some more chilli powder if you like a bit more spice!

5. Serve, covering with a sprinkle of Parmesan