Chilli Con Carne (Simple Version!) - Slimming World Recipe

Chili Con Carne made easy! Perfect for those cold winter evenings with plenty of white rice or a chunky baked potato! 

Serves: 4
Prep: 15 mins
Cook time: 3-4 hours (slow cooker - high setting)
Syns per serving: 0 (on Extra Easy)

This is my version of Slimming World's chili con carne, so it's been adapted to suit my tastes and make it very simples! This can be further adapted to suit anyone's taste, and if you don't like chili just minus the chili powder!

Ingredients

Fry Light, for spraying
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsps chili powder (add to taste)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 x Cans Chopped tomatoes
284ml/½ pint stock
salt and ground black pepper
454g/1lb extra lean beef mince (or Quorn mince)
1 x Can red kidney beans, drained
chopped fresh coriander leaves, to garnish (if you have it handy)
1 level tablespoon of tomato puree

Method (using slow cooker)

Spray a large wok or pan with fry light, set to a medium / high temperature and then add in your extra lean mince or quorn mince.

Switch on your slow cooker so it can be heating up. I usually set it to high until I am happy it's cooked and then, if I need to keep it warm, I simply lower the heat intensity.

Once the mince has browned take out of the pan and lay on a plate covered in kitchen paper, this will allow the juices and any fat to be absorbed into the paper and away from the meat.

Meanwhile set the pan up to a high setting assuring that you have re-spayed the pan with a little more fry-light. Now add in the diced onions and sliced peppers until they have soften considerably. Chuck in the garlic and fry for a couple more minutes.

Now for the easy part...

Once the slow cooker has heated up a little simply add in all remaining ingredients.

Usually I will put the mince in first, along with the fried onions, peppers and garlic, then add the kidney beans and liquids, i.e. stock, chopped tomatoes. Give it a quick stir around and then add in your herbs and spices.

Give it a taste test and add more chili, salt etc as necessary. If you want a really rich chili then add a little passata (which is syn free on EE), but make sure to add less stock as you don't want the consistency to appear too runny!

I leave the slow cooker on a high setting for around 3-4 hours, but this can easily be left for much longer depending on how hungry you are! So this would be a perfect dish to do overnight or whilst at work, simmering away until you get home! Yummy:)

Enjoy x

Orange Fanta Chicken - Slimming World Recipe

Serves: 3-4  Prep: 10 mins
Cook time:30-40 mins
Syns per serving: 0 (on Extra Easy)

This recipe was derived from the Diet Coke Chicken Recipe that I was told about in one of my sw group sessions. Being a big fan of sweet and sour chicken I wanted to adapt the recipe using only a few different ingredient's and of course Orange Fanta. So here goes...

Ingredient's:-

Diced Chicken Breast (enough to feed 3-4 people)
2 Carton's of Passata
Diced Onions (red onions taste best with this)
Pineapple Chucks(as many as your like)
3 Sliced Bell Peppers (I used red, orange and yellow to add lots of colour)
1 Tsp Soy Sauce
Fry Light
Can of Fanta Zero (Orange) *Remember to use Zero to keep it syn free!*

Method:-

First, spray a large pan or wok with fry light and set to a medium to high heat.

Add the chicken to the pan until the chicken is just cooked (make sure not to overdo the chicken at this stage).

Add a little more fry light to the pan if needed and add the diced onions and sliced peppers. Keep these in the pan until the peppers have softened and the onions have browned slightly.

Add the passata and soy sauce into the mix, heating this a little before adding in the Fanta Zero.

At this point the mixture will look like a gloopy mess but rest assured it will thicken in time!!

Turn the heat down to a low simmer and leave (covered) for about 30 minutes. Keep checking it as when it does eventually thicken it happens fast!

As soon as the liquid thickens turn off the heat and add the pineapple chucks. Best served immediately with a side of boiled white rice or alternatively you can freeze the dish once cooled to keep as a stock aid in your freezer! 

This dish is super simple, cheaply made and tastes delicious! It has a hint of sweet and sour about it and is very filling. Whats more it is completely syn free so if, like me, you like your meals big, then you can have however much of it you like!! 

NB. Make sure to add the pineapple right at the end of the cooking process so as not to actually cook the pineapple as this will add syns. If freezing the mixture do not add the pineapple, instead add the pineapple once this has been reheated again. Or alternatively subtract the pineapple altogether, or you can always syn it if you can't go without or don't want the fuss!  

Enjoy!