SP Days for Vegetarians

In all honesty, this is just a variation on my Pepper Quiches recipe, but this seems to have a more autumnal vibe, thanks to the earthy portabellos in this Mushroom Quiche. Like their pepper brothers, this dish uses the veg as the alternative to the pastry shell, giving you a rich, fluffy souffle-like filling and a tasty cheesy top. The mushroom base gives it a good speed base, but is great served with a pulse-rich dish to make this a filling and warming meal.  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 .  Pepper Quiches Makes 4 - 1 syn per 2 (or part of your HEA)  4 portabello mushrooms, halved with stalks carefully removed, but outer 'skin' in tact  2 spring onions very finely sliced 3 eggs, beaten  20g grated light cheddar 1 tsp...

I'm sure I'm not the only one to wake up on 1st November to find I've a huge glut of pumpkin to get through following Halloween festivities. Thank goodness for this Pumpkin Huevos Rancheros recipe to get started on it first thing! This makes a really delicious breakfast and is a good way to use up leftovers as well as setting you up for a successful SP day too. As usual with my recipes, I've deviated from a lot of the 'rules' about what constitutes a traditional 'huevos rancheros' dish - adding some extra pulses and poaching my eggs separately. I've also been inspired by the recipe for Turkish Eggs that Nigella Lawson presented in her new series, this week - intrigued by the idea of yoghurty sauce and poached eggs served together. I can confirm this quark version works really well. I prepped a lot of this the night before - roasting the pumpkin whilst I had the oven on for another dish for tea and using up some basic tomato sauce that I...

Another spicy SP treat here in the form of a delicious Tikka Tofu dish, which makes a spicy, warming, protein-packed treat any day of the week! Served with a range of other SP vegetable dishes such as Spiced Spinach with Halloumi , Chana Masala  and Double Dahl this makes for a filling meal that non-vegetarians can enjoy too!  This recipe does involve some prep time as the longer you leave the marinade on the tofu, the better the flavour. However, it is worth getting your act together in advance as the result is scrumptious! The recipe is syn-free, using quark instead of the traditional yoghurt used in tikka masala recipes keeps this SP friendly and adds another boost of protein to the tofu. It must be served with plenty of veg, though to keep up the speed element of your meal.  I've used a Patak's Tikka Spice Marinade in this dish, which I found here at Ocado recently. It doesn't appear on the SW app list as yet and according to the 20 cals per syn calculation ...

As the autumnal night draw in, this warming spicy Double Dahl, named as such as it features two different pulses, is packed with protein as well as being a filling main or side dish. It also works great as a filling to a wrap or cold it works quite well spread on HEB crackers (trust me!) Here I've served this with my Spicy Spinach with Halloumi and Chana Masala for a great SP friendly meal. I'd recommend getting hold of whole cumin seeds if you can, as they make a really tasty topping at the end of the dish and add a real aromatic finish that gives this a 'real' curry feel. 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 .  Double Dahl Makes 2 main portions - syn free 200g Mung Dahl (the yellow kind) 200g Red Lentils 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 3 crushed garlic cl...

This super-speedy, iron-rich dish of Spiced Spinach with Halloumi is easy-peasy to make and is delicious as either a side dish or the main event!  After a brief break from updating the blog I made an feast of spicy indian-inspired dishes this weekend that I want to share with you all over this week. Pictured here you can see the Spiced Spinach with a portion of the Chana Masala I posted a while ago the Double Dahl (to be posted later this week) and Tikka Tofu (again, coming soon!) This dish came about as I was hankering after my favourite order from any Indian restaurant - Palak Paneer. Aware that this dish traditionally uses a good deal of paneer cheese and an oil-base for the spices, I wanted to make a healthier version that would be equally tasty and satisfying. This dish does carry some syn value for the curry paste used, but having experimented with several alternatives, nothing beats the rich depth of spice that you find in a curry paste and it makes this a...

These delicious Red Onion and Carrot Bhajis work wonderfully as an accompaniment to a curry or as a lunchbox snack. They have the tasty tang of traditional bhajis but are free from the heavy calorie load of a deep-fried version. These aren't syn-free, but at just half a syn per bhaji, they won't take up all your allowance for the day. They are packed with veg, with the carrot ensuring that you have that lovely golden orange filling inside the bhaji. The gram flour used also contains protein (it is made from chickpeas) so this, with the eggs make these lovely and filling. Following the steps in drying out the veg here is essential to ensure the mixture doesn't become too loose to form the patties in the pan. You can always adjust the spices to your taste - these have q bit of heat behind them, but if you like them more spicy you could add some dried chilli powder too. I would strongly advise squeezing fresh lemon over them whilst warm and serve with lots of leafy gree...

This stuffed butternut squash is a bit of a show-stopper - ideal for Sunday Lunch or a dinner party. The size of this feels quite decadent and is certainly very filling! This dish combines the sweetness of roasted squash with the dry spice of the spinach curry. It is ideal dressed with refreshingly tasty fresh vegetables. Perfect for the change from summer to autumn, this dish takes a while to bake, but it gives you a great chance to put your feet up whilst the oven does the work.  This is packed with speed veg and low in calories. The Quorn in the curry also adds some protein to the dish. It is used here, in part, to replace paneer cheese in the traditional palak paneer dish I based this stuffing mixture on. However, whilst using the Quorn keeps this free of any use of healthy extras, you could, if you prefer, replace with 40g of light halloumi and count this as a Healthy Extra A choice for the day (or 50g of Savera Paneer for 4 syns).  As with all recipes and...