Zoodles... you heard me!

A quick recipe for ZERO PP noodles... 

ZOODLES... 

called so because they're made from zucchini and are noodles... 

Clue's in the name eh?!

For those who are wheat intolerant, celiac

or if you just ran out of propoints these are quick, filling 

and bulk up a strip fry or pasta dish without all the carbs! 

You will need... 

A courgette / zucchini ... of course...  

Salt... any kind will do... 

If you have one, a spiralising ?! (not a real word is it?!) type gadget... 

There are a few on the market... If you think you'll get a lot of use out of it, 

there's a fancy one >>> HERE <<< 

I went for the "I-won't-be-making-them-everyday-so-this-will-do' version on amazon... 

>>> HERE <<<

Or the good old veggie peeler is just as good! 

Wash, top and tail your courgette... 

Set your colander over a bowl... 

Set your gadget to thick.. the skinny side just kinda of dissolves the courgette.. 

and off you go!

into your colander... 

add your salt... and leave it for approximately 20 mins.. 

... the excess water will have drained off... 

If you're using a potato peeler... 

lay your courgette flat and make 'ribbons' going lengthwise... 

Stop when you get to the centre and see the seeds... this is where the most moisture is 

and it's the most bitter part of the zucchini... Chop it up and add it to your main dish... 

Et Voila... 

If you don't have time, you can skip the 'salting' step and 30 secs in the microwave and they're done... or you can just add them straight to your stir fry or pasta sauce but you won't need to add any liquid and the longer they cook the more likely they are to break down and get mushy on you.. You've been warned!

Great for ZERO ProPoints! 

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Pasta Bake Pronto!

This weeks recipe... Pasta bake... this is adapted from the October issue of Weight Watchers Magazine, which uses tuna but I've used turkey mince.. I'm spring cleaning the freezer! The recipe is 14pp in total, so you'll get two 7PP dinners out of this recipe... If you've saved any ProPoints, you can add garlic bread for the full Italian feast! 

Whats in it?

60g Pasta spirals - 6PP 
Turkey Mince 140g - 5PP
3 Laughing Cow Extra Light triangles - 1PP
Crust of bread - 2PP
for some reason the crust works better for this...

ZERO HEROS
Spray Oil
Onion
Garlic
Half a red pepper
Tin of Tomatoes
Herbs


How?

Warm up the oven to gas mark 6/200C/180c Fan and put your pasta on as per the instructions on the packet... 

Dunnes were doing the ROMA range on special a couple of weeks ago, but whatever your fav pasta is just don't forget to weigh it out! 1PP per 10g! 

Spray your pan with oil and add your onions and garlic after a few minutes add your mince and season... I had half a pepper in the fridge and added it... mushrooms would work well too... if you have the time or the inclination you can roll the mince with a little egg white and seasoning to make 'meatballs'...

TIP: Be careful cooking turkey mince... it cooks much quicker that beef or lamb and with less fat it'll burn or go all 'rubbery' and not taste nice! eek!

If you don't have fresh garlic or don't want the mess there's ready made stuff available that will keep in the fridge, the work is already done for you... You can always just give a hint of garlic with the flavoured spray oils out there... 

Once your mince is cooked through... add your tin of tomatoes and simmer through for about 5 minutes...

You can add tinned... Lidl do chopped tomatoes in herbs and it's delicious! 

or you can add passata, again these are 0PP but will add great flavour... 

both cheap in LIDL and ALDI... 

or even tomato puree will add enough punch to it... 

For seasoning, where to start... there's SO many options there to make things delicious without all the added calories! Make yourself a deal that at least once a month you'll pick up a new herb or spice when you're shopping and try them! It'll make ALL the difference... Use your chocolate allowance! ;)

Whilst that's simmering... spray your crust of bread lightly with oil and dice... chop up your cheese... 

Once your pasta is cooked... drain it... and stir it into the mince and stir well... 

Tip it into a baking dish and sprinkle the top with your cubes of bread and cheese and pop into the oven to bake for 10 mins, or until the bread starts to crisp up and the cheese is all melty... slippers on... and hoover! Comfort food in 20 mins! 

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