It can be tricky to come up with new ideas for slimming world meals, and I'm always on the look out for new and exciting low-syn or syn-free products. So when I came across Dee's vegan gluten-free range in Tesco, I got giddy! I thought first of all that everything looked so wholesome and absolutely delicious. Checking the nutritional value, I reckoned that the natural, slimming world friendly ingredients these had to be low in syns, if they had any at all.
I checked the values on the slimming world app and this confirmed that yes indeed, most of their range is either syn free or super low in syns, and Dee's were kind enough to send over some samples! So here is my review of each.
Spicy Bean Burgers
I had heard of aduki beans and that they were free on slimming world, but had never came up with any inventive way to try them! The combination that Dee's have come up with here is delightful. Combining the beans with wholegrains and a lovely blend of spices, these are truly delicious. In terms of spice level, I'd describe them as pretty mild. They are not meaty in any way, nor do they aim to be. But they are incredibly filling and loaded with protein, so could easily replace meat at lunch or dinner. I had mine for lunch with a baked potato, salad and slimming world tzatizki.
Dee's Tex-Mex Veg Pot - Sweet Potato & Bean Chilli
I'll have to start by saying these snack pots are excellent because they can easily be picked up, thrown in the handbag and microwaved for a quick lunch. A lot healthier for you than a mugshot I tells ya! I was working from home and did the very non-vegan thing of having this with chicken for lunch. The tomato-based sauce has a lovely smokey undertone which was very complimentary to the chilli and beans, really tasty with grilled chicken.
Traditional Vegan Sausages
These sausages are made with pea protein and seaweed, so they were always going to surprise the gob. And they did. The herbs were really prominent, and the texture quite mushy. On one hand, if I can go to a land where I feel like a sausage doesn't have to be some way meaty and salty I can probably learn to like these. But on the other, with many meaty and low-syn or even syn free alternatives for sausages around, I don't think these would ever become a replacement in my slimming world brekkie!
Quinoa Pot with Moroccan Spiced Vegetable
Can I first take a moment to say how embarrassed I am about how I've been pronouncing the word Quinoa. Do you ever just read a word and then give it a go. I've been saying "Quinn Noah" (sounds like a celeb baby name), well apparently its pronounced "Keen-wah". Noted. Now onto the review! Another lunch friendly pot, the moroccan flavours permeate the quinoa, giving it tons of flavour. There's also a few cheeky chickpeas in there to keep you nice and full.
Quinoa Pot with Hot Mexican Peppers
Another nod to our Mexican friends. Think of everything you would want to see in a taco, but instead of meat, you have quinoa :). With chipotle, chilli and paprika among the ingredients, this is has a great spicy kick and will curb those cravings.
In Summary
Overall, I'm a massive fan of the range. With slimming world you'll be successful if you cook with fresh, lean ingredients packed with veg. So with this range, Dee's has taken a lot of the work out of doing so.
You can find Dee's in most Tesco stores in Ireland, and selected SuperValu & Dunnes Stores.For those in the UK, Dee's is stocked in the Holland & Barrett, Booths Supermarkets and online in Ocado. Dee's also supply their range of vegan foods to the UAE and supply Spinneys, Waitrose, Choitrams and Lulu Supermarkets.