WITH Halloween tomorrow, Slimming World has served up a ghoulishly good three-course meal that won’t give you a
fright on the scales!
All recipes are taken from Slimming World’s collection.
Starter: Spooky butternut squash soup
(Serves 4) Ready in 45 minutes
YOU NEED:
- Low-calorie cooking spray
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into wedges
- 1 small potato, peeled and quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 900ml hot vegetable stock
- Fat-free natural fromage frais, to serve
- Red and green chilli slices, to serve
METHOD: Spray a large non-stick pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a low heat.
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Add the onion and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat to medium, add the butternut squash and potato and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and season lightly.
Pour in the stock and simmer for 25 minutes, or until everything is tender and cooked through.
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Using a hand blender or food processor, blend the mixture until smooth.
Transfer the soup to a hollowed-out pumpkin (or a large serving bowl) and top with a swirl of fromage frais and the sliced
chillies.
Main: Fiery Halloween chilli
(Serves 4) Ready in 1 hour 5 minutes
YOU NEED:
- Low-calorie cooking spray
- 500g lean beef mince (5 per cent fat or less)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper or paprika
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 red and 1 yellow pepper,
- deseeded and cut into small bitesize pieces
- 400g can red kidney beans in chilli sauce
- 400g can mixed beans in water, drained
- Slimming World potato wedges,
- Chunky cucumber, red onion, tomato and lettuce salad, to serve.
METHOD: Spray a large nonstick frying pan with low-calorie
cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
Fry the beef mince until browned all over, then drain off any liquid and transfer to a bowl.
Wipe the pan with kitchen paper and spray with more low calorie cooking spray.
Add the onion and garlic, stir-fry for 5 minutes, then add the cayenne
pepper or paprika, cinnamon and cumin and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Return the beef mince to the pan, add the chopped tomatoes and peppers, stir and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low.
Season lightly, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the two cans of beans (including the chilli sauce) and stir well, then cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove the chilli from the heat and transfer to a cauldron (or any large serving dish will do).
Serve with the potato wedges and chunky salad.
For the wedges, you need lowcalorie cooking spray and 1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into wedges.
Heat your oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and spray a nonstick baking tray with low-calorie cooking spray.
Cook the wedges in a saucepan of boiling water for 5
minutes.
Drain well, return to the pan and cover.
Allow to cool slightly, then shake the pan to roughen the chips’ edges a little.
Spread out the chips on the baking tray, season with salt and pepper and spray with a little more low-calorie cooking spray.
Cook at the top of the oven for 25 minutes, or until the wedges
are golden, turning occasionally.
Dessert: Devilishly delicious doughnuts
(Makes 10) Ready in 45 minutes, plus cooling
YOU NEED:
- 150g self-raising flour
- ¼ level tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 level tbsp caster sugar
- 125g fat-free natural Greek yoghurt
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Low-calorie cooking spray
- 6 level tbsp royal icing sugar
- Green food colouring
- 20 edible eyes
- 10 level tsp black food colouring gel
- 5 chocolate mint sticks/batons
- 1 level tbsp smooth strawberry or raspberry jam
METHOD: Preheat your oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and caster sugar in a large bowl.
Mix the yoghurt, egg and vanilla extract in a jug and stir it into the
flour mixture.
Try not to overwork the mixture – just bring it together to a
smooth, soft, slightly sticky dough (the bicarbonate of soda will soon begin to work its magic and puff up the mixture).
Put a large disposable piping bag in a jug or large glass and open it up over the lip of the jug or glass (this will help to keep the piping bag open).
Spray the inside with low-calorie cooking spray.
Spoon the dough into the piping bag and twist the end to close it, then lift the bag out of the jug or glass and snip off a 3cm hole at the pointy end.
Spray a doughnut tin with low calorie cooking spray and pipe 10 neat circles of dough into the holes.
Lightly spray the tops with more low-calorie cooking spray, then bake for 8-10 minutes – you don’t need to turn them.
Leave the doughnuts to cool slightly, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
When the doughnuts are cool, mix the icing sugar with cold water to make a smooth icing (try about 1½-2 tsp water to start with and add more if needed).
Pour half into another bowl and add some green food colouring until it’s the shade of green you want.
For the Frankenstein doughnuts, evenly spread the green icing over them and decorate with the edible eyes, black food colouring and chocolate sticks/batons using our image as a guide.
For the vampire doughnuts, evenly spread the white icing over them and decorate with the edible eyes, black food colouring and chocolate sticks/batons.
Dilute the jam with a little water and use it to create the effect of blood around your vampires’ mouths, like in the picture.
TIP: We also made a few jammy doughnuts!
You’ll need to use rounded moulds or a muffin tin rather than a doughnut tin, and the dough will make 8 doughnuts rather than 10.
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They’ll need 8-10 minutes in the oven.
Once cool, make a hole in the side of each doughnut and, using a piping bag, squirty bottle or pipette, inject 1 level tsp jam into each of the 8 doughnuts.
Join your local Slimming World group or sign up online for even more recipes, guidance and support.
To find your nearest group, visit or call 0344 897 8000.