Low-Syn Chocolate Confetti Cupcakes (3 syns each)

Nothing says "party" like a confetti cupcake, and while these are perfect for a party there is nothing stopping you creating them for any special occasion... for example - a Tuesday night :) At just 3 syns for a decent sized cupcake, we can enjoy a few with a cuppa and still have syns left over for the day.

8 Servings

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 25 Min
Ready In: 35 Min

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 muller light yoghurt (strawberry adds a lovely sweetness)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 20g "Chocolate Jazzies" (Lidl)
• 50g plain flour
• 2 tbsp sweetener

For the icing:
• 100g Quark
• 1 teaspoon Salted Caramel Essence
• 1 tbsp granulated sweetener

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Separate eggs and leave the whites aside. Mix the egg yolks, vanilla essence, muller light and sweetener.
3. Sieve the flour and cocoa into the egg mixture and mix well
4. Whisk the egg whites until they are fluffy and form soft peaks. Fold into the mixture gradually, aiming to keep the volume
5. Pop some cupcake liners into a cupcake tray
6. Pour the mixture gently into the liners and pop in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, mix the icing ingredients together and add to a piping bag
8. Take out the cupcakes and allow them to cool
9. Decorate the cupcakes. Garnish with chocolate jazzies.

Authentic Moroccan Slimming World Curry

I love a good slimming world curry as much as the next person. And on a Sunday evening, a syn free curry is the best option for me as I've used the rest of my syns on wine.

I recently went down the wrong aisle in a local supermarket and found myself buying this Tagine. I knew it looked cool, but wasn't really sure where to start with ideas for slow cooking. Slow cooking is popular with slimming world followers - Tagines not so much. However they are cheaper at about €25/£20 - and are similar to slow cookers in that there is little fuss, you don't need to use a ton of pots and pans. you can cook your meal over a number of hours and with the lid on, the moisture is retained, the flavours are teased out and the meat is delectably tender. 

The below recipe was inspired by a jamie oliver version, I've converted it to be a syn free slimming world curry recipe. Perfect to try out on a lazy sunday :)

Ingredients

• 1lb diced lamb (beef or chicken can also be used)
• Small tin of chickpeas
• 1/2 small butternut squash, diced
• 1 onion
• Frylight Spray
• Tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• Fresh coriander

For the spice Mix:

• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon ras al hanout spice mix
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the spice mix ingredients.
2. Add the lamb to the spice mix and massage using your hands - ensure the meat is well coated.
3. Cover with cling film and pop it in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight if you have the time to spare.)
4. Spray a pan with frylight and brown the lamb on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add the onions and fresh coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes.
6. Tip in the chickpeas, chopped tomato and half the stock
7. Bring to the boil and then take off the pan. At this point, transfer from the pan to the slow cooker or tagine. If using the slow cooker, cook on low for 90 mins. If using a tagine, cook in the oven for 90 mins on 160 degrees. 
8. After 90 minutes, add the butternut squash and cook for a further 90 minutes. 

Garnish with flaked almonds if desired (25g for healthy B). This is a hearty dish, but goes well with crusty brown bread, slimming world wedges or couscous.