SP Days for Vegetarians

Having tried the infamous Slimming World crustless quiche, I liked it, but found it hard to get it to be really tasty. Inspired by a photo I saw on a poster in Morrisons one day, I thought I'd try setting the quiche inside peppers and I was really chuffed with the results. If you make a batch in one go they are great for packed lunch, breakfasts or just for snacks. Hot or cold they fill you up and tick both the protein and speed boxes so easily.  I made 4 in one go here and it only took 20g of grated mozzerella (I accidentally used the ready-grated stuff not thinking that is coated in potato starch so not really gospel SP - oops!) This means each one is only a fraction of your HEA or, if using light mozzerella, 1 syn for 2 pepper halves.   You can mix up the veg in these however you wish (or that need eating up!) I've gone for the tops of asparagus spears and sliced mushrooms in these but previously I've also tried spinach (frozen chopped spinach, defrosted before ...

I am lucky enough to have been raised as a vegetarian since I was born (more on that here ) - having found anything in life difficult to give up, I have massive respect for those who chose a vegetarian diet and gave up meat. As a child in the 1980's there were few shortcuts for vegetarians and we ate a lot of home-cooked meals based on recipes by writers like Rose Elliot and veggie pioneers, Cranks . I don't know exactly where the original recipe came from, but a staple of our menu at home was something Mum and Dad called 'Lentil Bake'. It ticked all the boxes for Neil from the Young One's list of vegetarian stereotypes - it had lentils in it, it took ages to make and it was very, well, brown!  Inspired by memories of this dish, I played with the recipe handed down to me and added a few extras to make this SP Sunday Dinner delight! It is not a looker and certainly won't wow a crowd, but it really is tasty and the heavy-handed approach to herbs is a del...

I thought it may be useful to share a plan for a day of SP eating that I have followed as an example of how I've applied the SP concept to a vegetarian diet. As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I have highlighted the protein sources (P foods) in red , the speed (S) foods in green , healthy extra allowances in blue and syns, with syn values in brackets in orange .  Breakfast You could start the day with a quark-based breakfast such as the Protein-Packed Peach Melba   with a coffee and a glass of water (recent studies suggest a glass of water before you eat anything each day can increase your metabolic rate, meaning you burn fat more efficiently It is also a great start towards the desired 2 litres a day I aim for. See here for my thoughts on water consumption ). Lunch I used one of my two Healthy Extra B allowances on 1   slice of wholemeal bread from an 800g loaf  toasted topped with a small bowl of spinach , wilted in the ...

I've never really been a tofu fan. I have never really been able to get past that mealy taste and in the past I've found that no matter what I do, it always falls apart and turns to a sort of tofu scramble. Discovering Tofoo  really helped - it stays firm when you cook it, is really smooth in texture and I've successfully fried and roasted it before. This tofu and bean 'tagine' is gently spiced and aromatic, with loads of speed and protein packed in it - although it isn't cooked authentically in a tagine (as I haven't got one!) This would also suit cooking in a slow cooker. At the stage where everything is fried and you are adding the passata you could put all the ingredients in the cooker on low for 6 hours. It may need a further spot of tomato puree stirred in 30 mins before serving to give it that thick richness. I find the slow cooker most useful on mornings of busy days when I don't have time to faff about, I just want to switch it on and forge...

Another really simple breakfast dish here (can you tell I am NOT a morning person?) This is again really filling and the addition of the chia seeds on top add a element of crunch to the texture, similar to that of the blackberry pips, as well as being all-round good guys nutrition-wise. They can be counted towards one of your 2 x HEB allowances (you can have 30g as 1 HEB portion, and this is only 10g worth, so you can have some later on a salad or split it with 2/3 of another nuts or seed allowance across the day). Alternatively, you could count the seeds as 2 syns. As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I have highlighted the   protein sources (P foods) in red , the  speed (S) foods in green ,  healthy extra allowances in blue  and  syns, with syn values in brackets in orange .  Berry Breakfast Bowl Serves 1 - Syn-free if using 1 x HEB allowance (2 syns if not) 3 tbsp quark 15 fresh raspberries (or 2 tbsp of frozen raspberries)  ...

I have found that increasing my consumption of water has a direct impact on my weight loss. I was surprised by this when I started the plan, but after tracking it, I've found I usually lose at least another 1 lb a week when I manage to drink 2 litres of water every day in a week. There are a range of designs available but this one made me smile!  I've been reading up on the benefits of drinking water and the way that it helps your general health as well as your weight lo ss. The  Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism published a study in 2003 (link here if like me you are rather geeky) which found that drinking at least 2 litres of water, starting with 500 ml on an empty stomach first thing in the morning can boost metabolic rate by around 30%. Anything that helps me burn fat quicker, gets a thumbs up from me!  I bought one of these from Hydratem8 and it has been invaluable (I am not sponsored by them in any way BTW!) The time-based reminders on the s...

If, like me, you struggle to see a salad as a meal, then this might provide a good solution for a tasty and filling veg-packed summer treat. As I have, you'll find people who want to tell you this isn't a  Niçoise  as it doesn't have any fish in it, but I don't give a fig, and I suggest you don't either.  This has a sharp, lemon-based dressing so you really don't need too much of it to sparkle up these leaves. Taking the time to par-steam the french beans is vital to the success of this dish - raw and they are very rigid and a little bitter and fully cooked and they tend to lose all their bite.  This is useful as a side-dish as well as the main event, but it also makes a smashing pack-up lunch. The addition of 8 black olives really does add colour and taste to this dish, although it will cost you 1.5 syns. You could reduce the number to cut this or leave them out, but I always budget for them as they make it feel like a real treat! I'd also ...

This delicious treat is great as a breakfast, but also as a desert or even a snack. I wasn't convinced about quark to start with, but after some experimentation, I've found a way to enjoy it and it really does fill me up of a morning. It does contain a tsp of honey, which I've chosen as it is a natural source of sugary taste (albeit an equally calorific one) but the taste goes a long way and really takes the edge of the slightly sharp nature of the quark itself. It is particularly useful if you are used to eating quite a lot of yoghurt on normal 'Extra Easy' days on the SW plan.  If you are having a particularly hungry morning you could have this and a HEB portion of cereal. I was utterly delighted to find out recently that Chocolate Weetabix counts as 1 HEB portion - it is delicious with unsweetened almond milk, if perhaps not an everyday extravagance! I find I am much more likely to have one of my HEB in the morning on SP days as the 2 portion allowance ...

This is a really quick and easy dish that includes lots of protein and is really filling. It needs to be served with some further vegetables to make sure it is a really balanced meal. Here I went for a bed of silted spinach and a mixed tomato salad on the side as well as the sliced mushrooms in the dish. The baked beans also count as a protein food here, so it is packed with the good stuff. As you can see here, this also pleases my greedy side as it doesn't even all fit on the plate!  I'd recommend a really good non-stick pan for this - see my suggestions on spray oil in the Pantry Essentials post for what I use oil-wise and why. As with other recipes, you can snip the chives straight into the omelette mixture using a clean pair of kitchen scissors. I recommend making the effort to do this as the oniony, garlicy taste of the chives really adds something to the overall flavour of this dish. As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I have highlighted the   pr...

Something of a guest-post here, In the interest of full-disclosure, I have to admit that I didn't actually make this beauty myself. Proving that you can still go out and socialise whilst not going completely off-track my friend Debby (visit her amazing gift shop here ) crafted this delicious pizza for our semi-regular 'Pizza and Prosecco Night'. To make it SW and SP friendly, she cleverly used a cauliflower base. She's kindly shared the recipe with me (below) and it is very adaptable so you can add any speed veg you like to compliment the, already-speedy, cauliflower.   We could choose from a range of toppings for our pizzas and I went for slices of Debby's homegrown courgette,red pepper chunks, fresh tomato slices, fresh basil leaves, slivers of red onion, sliced mushrooms and some small dabs of ricotta (basically EVERYTHING available) as well as some delicious shredded mozzerella. In this case I've split the Healthy Extra A allowance between th...

From the start I must state that this blog isn't sponsored by anyone, so all of these recommendations are just my opinion and from my experience. This also a list in progress - I will continue to add and update as I build the blog. Store cupboard ingredients  Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder - brilliant for soups, stews and even boiling or steaming vegan, gluten-free version is also available, as well. vegetables in this is syn-free but full of flavour and often replaces any need for using salt. An essential for any vegetarian's store cupboard - a Meridian Light Tahini Paste  - great for including in houmous and to add a sharp, savoury edge to dishes. Be careful - it is 1.5 syns per tsp but you only need a small amount anyway as the taste is rather dominating. Sizzola Spray oil - I recommend using an oil available in a spray (one that is very few calories per spray). I tried FryLight and, like many people, I found this damaged many of my pans and smelled a...

I use one of the Slimming World journals to record all my food each day and really recommend them for keeping track both of your overall loss and also what you consume daily and weekly.  However, the slight shift in the nature of SP Days meant I found myself needing something to help me record things in more detail. I designed this sheet and I've found it was particularly useful as it provides me with an 'at-a-glance' view of what allowances I might have had and whether I may need to add more speed / protein to ensure I am having a balanced day.  It is also available to download as a printable pdf here . 

I had my doubts when I heard people raving about cauliflower 'steaks'. I've not always been convinced by the cauliflower madness that swept the clean-eating movement in the last few years. Previously, my attempt at cauliflower rice left me with little but a hungry tummy and an all-pervading smell that seriously out-stayed its welcome. However, I gave the 'steaks' a whirl and after some experimenting, I discovered a few tips and tricks to make this a really zingy, delicious treat. As you'll see above, I've found they benefit from letting these catch slightly to add an additional smokey edge and a crisper texture. Here, I've chosen to serve these with Crushed Chickpeas with Chives , Pistachio Romesco Sauce , roasted courgette chunks and red onion with steamed curly kale and french beans - yum! The 'steaks' don't necessarily need any additional dressing, but they do benefit from serving with a pulse or other protein in order to make thi...

When you are looking for a tasty, rich sauce to add some depth of flavour to an SP meal, this version of the Spanish dish of Romesco, works a treat! Traditionally Romesco consists of a combination of roasted peppers, almonds, garlic and tomato with one of my fave ingredients, smoked paprika.  My issue with the traditional recipe for SP days was I found was that 20g of flaked almonds, the allowance as one of the Healthy Extra B options, didn't seem to make enough of an impact on the taste and the traditional recipe usually includes a lot of olive oil. My version replaces almonds with 15 of the 35 shelled pistachio nuts you can have for HEB (this is enough to add a savoury and slightly aromatic nutty taste) It also leaves you an additional 20 pistachios for the day which you can use on salads or toppings for other meals.  The smoky taste of the sauce makes it a great friend of the Cauliflower Steaks recipe, but it also goes really well over spiralised vegetables, u...

I found that on SP days one of the things I found most challenging was how I would replace the filling carby elements of my regular meals - the pasta, rice, cous-cous, quinoa and barley. However, I've found that this way of preparing chickpeas is tasty and filling and works really well with a range of different sauces. If you've any leftover (not often in this house) it can be moulded into patties when cold and then fried in a non-stick pan with a few sprays of spray oil for a tasty breakfast - especially nice when topped with poached eggs. This recipe includes an egg yolk which is 'cooked' in the residual heat of the crushed chickpeas. For me this is as cooked as it would be if it were a poached egg or similar, but if you are someone who has been advised to avoid anything other than completely cooked through eggs, you could omit this and replace with some fat-free soft cheese from your Healthy Extra A allowance. As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I h...

I've always loved houmous but couldn't quite get the texture and taste right without using tons of extra virgin olive oil. I experimented with a range of different methods and combinations and what synned ingredients were worth it and which I could live without. I realised ultimately, that adding additional flavours was the key to making a really tasty, savoury dip. This recipe makes a filling dip that is spreadable on crackers or toast as well as being dip-able for crudities. I also make a mexican-inspired version too - my Jalapeño Houmous, which applies the same theory and also works well alongside spicier SP dishes like the Tofu Bean Tagine. I've also used a mix of half chickpea, half butter beans in this recipe as I find this gives a creamier finish to the texture but again you could use all chickpeas if you feel it suits your taste better.  This isn't a syn-free recipe (and there are ones on the SW app if you want them) but the synned ingredients have bee...