Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

This delicious cheesecake is dense and incredibly rich; a little goes a very long way! Despite the use of cherry chocolate, it doesn’t taste like cherries at all and I think it would be fab with the tang of fresh raspberries and served with single cream to make it lighter. Well, lighter in terms of taste that is. Certainly not in terms of calories! No doubt this dessert is a treat but surely a little of what you fancy does you good?!

Sweet Pepper and Tomato Soup

Sweet Pepper and Tomato Soup

This tasty soup packs a flavoursome punch. It is low fat (which could be reduced further by cooking the vegetables with cooking spray rather than oil), making it perfect for mealtimes in the run-up to your summer holiday (I for one am kind of struggling to get my body Beach-ready!!). I puréed half of the mixture so that I could have a smooth and a chunky soup. As I plan to be eating this for lunch for a week, I didn’t want to get bored too quickly! Personally, I preferred the chunky soup. ;)

Oh, and I'm sorry for the lack of pretty picture!

Turkey, Mushroom and Spinach Pasta Bake

This pasta dish is tasty and filling and low in fat but as the flavours are all quite subtle, it does require a decent amount of seasoning if you want it to pack any kind of punch!

Spicy Beef Enchiladas

These enchiladas are absolutely delicious. If you follow the recipe as is, they are in no way diet-friendly (although I have to say, they are definitely worth the indulgence!) but a couple of little tweaks, such as substituting Turkey mince instead of Beef and low-fat cooking spray instead of Olive Oil, would make them a little easier on the waistline. 

Butternut Squash and Vegetable Pasta

This vegetarian pasta dish is simple to make, filling and healthy. It can be spiced up with a bit of salami but is perfect the way it is.

Leek & Mushroom Gratin

This Leek and Mushroom Gratin is great because it’s just so versatile! I love it as a topping to bagels and baked potatoes but it works just as well as a light and tasty starter too.

Jumbo Bitter-Sweet Cupcakes with Chocolate Malt Buttercream

I made jumbo-sized cupcakes a while ago. They are dense and chocolaty and absolutely delicious.

Mediterranean Vegetable and Mozzarella Bake

This warming dish is packed full of goodness. And when it's cold and gloomy outside, the colourful mix of Mediterranean vegetables make it sunshine in a bowl.

Sunday Bake Club: Banana Pancakes

So, I guess pancakes don’t really count as baking but they are still a great weekend treat. These Banana Pancakes are even better as they’re full of goodness and, if you’re following Weight Watchers, they’re low in points too! This is a really simple recipe but preparing your fruit can be time-consuming so you might want to rope someone in to help. Or else be really lazy and just buy prepared fruit!

Mid-Week Meals: Salmon and Spinach Parcels

This healthy dinner is quick and easy to make. And the filo pastry makes it feel just a little bit naughty, which is all the incentive I need when planning what to eat!

Mid-Week Meals: Cajun Chicken with Spicy Wedges and Coleslaw

Not to ruin the surprise, but I will be making a version of this meal for The Girls when they come round for dinner on Saturday. I have been struggling to stick to the diet the last couple of weeks (what can I say? My body just wasn't meant to be skinny!) but figure if I cook a Slimming World menu, I can't go too wrong?! I will actually be using the Slimming World recipe for Barbeque Chicken (which I will add next week), rather than Cajun, and will add Sweet Potatoes to the mix too, all served alongside a big, green salad (and no bread!!) This recipe serves four and is only 2 Syns per serving on the Extra Easy plan.
Fingers crossed it tastes as good as it looks!

Mid-Week Meals: Chicken and Potato Curry

As I'm sure is the case with most women in the lead up to summer, I am currently in Battle With The Bulge and am trying to get myself Beach-Ready before I have to don a bikini again in three and a half weeks. This is a Slimming World recipe and is 0 syns on the Extra Easy programme.

Saturday Drinks Menu: Sparkling White Peach Sangria

With Summer finally seeming within our reach and the promise of a warm (and dry!) weekend, what better way to while away the hours than with a pitcher of ice-cool, refreshing Sangria? This one, a twist on the traditional red wine Sangria, is courtesy of The Kitchn. 

Boston Beef and Baked Bean Hotpot

I love this Weight Watchers dish; it's tasty and hearty and doesn't feel like 'Diet Food' at all. However, as I'm now doing Slimming World, I adapted the recipe slightly to make it Syn free. You can see below the recipe for a list of ingredients that I actually used.

Sunday Bake Club: Mince Pie Cheesecake

I made this Festive cheesecake last Christmas and it makes a LOT of cake!! It’s also quite rich and dense so a little goes a long way, making it perfect for entertaining fairly large numbers. I used mincemeat, rather than crumbled mince pies, in my cake, making sure I added an extra slug of Brandy to the fruit before stirring it in.

Saturday Drinks Menu: Mulled Wine

This is Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Mulled Wine, which I will definitely be trying this weekend, even though a warming drink isn’t exactly called for here in NZ!!

Sunday Bake Club: Melting Snowmen Biscuits

Sunday Bake Club: Badam Katli (Almond Fudge)

Happy Diwali!

Saturday Drinks Menu: Best Ever Hot Chocolate

Perfect for after a cold night out, watching the fireworks. And why not make an Adults Only version by adding a splash of your favourite tipple, for a shot of extra-warming purposes of course?!

Mid-Week Meals: Courgette Carbonara

I LOVE this recipe! It's relatively quick and easy and, personally, I think it's delicious; I think I've probably cooked it for most people who've come to dinner at least once? What makes me love it even more is that this recipe makes a LOT of carbonara, meaning there are always left-overs for when everyone has gone home. And it tastes just as good when it's cold!