Couscous Cake - Lemon and Blueberry

 
Couscous Cake Low Syn.jpg
 

There is never a dull moment with Slimming World, and the variety of food we can eat while staying on plan always inspires me. I saw a couscous cake while browsing on Pinterest recently and thought - this is a free food on slimming world, there must be a way to make this low syn! So, I've made a fresh and tasty version adding Lemon, Blueberry and Poppy Seeds and using low syn and free ingredients. Enjoy enjoy a few with a cuppa and still have syns left over for the day.
If you are dubious, worry not - sweet couscous is not what we are used to in the UK and Ireland but it's quite normal for some cultures. You'll soon be won over by the gorgeous aromas filling your house, it smells exactly like a blueberry muffin.
In terms of texture, I was pleasantly surprised - there is no graininess to it so long as it is cooked to the instructions and mixxed well with other ingredients. Definitely something I'll do again.

Note: Since this is not the intended use of couscous, it is considered a "tweak". To account for this we add a further syn per slice, bringing the syn value to 1.5 syns per slice.

8 Servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Ready In:

Ingredients:

  • 100g couscous, cooked as per instructions
  • 3 medium eggs
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Half tbsp poppy seeds (1 syn)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp sweetener (1.5 syns)
  • 2-3 tbsp Fat Free Greek Yoghurt/Quark
  • 100g Frozen Blueberries (2 syns)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 C.
  2. Cook the couscous as per instructions. Add lemon juice and leave to cool
  3. Whisk the eggs, and add the cinnamon, yoghurt and sweetener
  4. Add the poppy seeds and cooled cous cous and mix well
  5. Line a cake tray with parchment paper or spray with a non-fat cooking spray
  6. Pour gently into the tray, and place blueberries evenly into the mixture
  7. Cook for 25-30 minutes
  8. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into 8

A couple of tips:

  • Make sure the fruit is well frozen to retain its shape. Fresh fruit will spread a lot more!

  • You can mess around with flavourings, such as vanilla essence or nutmeg if you’re not a fan of cinnamon and lemon.

  • This mix works very well for muffins too.

  • The seeds are completely optional.

Have you tried any variation of the couscous cake? What should we try next? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or on Instagram!

Crispy Syn Free Hash Browns

 
 
 

Hash Browns are a classic and you'd be hard pushed to find someone who doesn't love them. They are a great accompaniment to a slimming world fry up. They take a bit of TLC when it comes to the preparation, and it all pays off. So what is the trick to a lovely hash brown? The right type of potato. Waxy potatoes will stick to your hands as you make these, and are quite dry. Starchy potatoes are the key to the perfect hash brown, for that delicious crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside texture.

Ingredients

  • 2 large starchy potatoes (Rooster / Maris Piper / Golden Wonder or any of these varieties)
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked
  • 1/2 onion, diced very finely
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Frylight
  • Salt and Pepper

Method

  • Use a grater to finely shred the potatoes into a bowl of water.
  • Drain the potatoes and pat dry
  • Add the onion, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper and gently mix ingredients together
  • Spray a frying pan with frylight and put on a medium heat
  • When the pan is hot, spoon a dollop of the mixture onto the pan. 
  • Cook for 3 minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked through.

Tips:

When frying the hash browns on the pan, allow at least 1 inch of space between each. This ensures that steam can escape, so that they become crisp.
These can also be oven baked. Spray all over with Frylight, and scoop onto parchment paper. Bake for 25 minutes on 200 degrees C.