A popular query we see a lot is “What do I do with quark?” and “I need slimming recipe ideas with quark”? We thought we’d give you a few quark slimming & Weight Watchers friendly recipe ideas!
A lot of you from our Facebook group have struggled for ideas to use up that tub of Quark that’s been lurking in the back of the fridge for the last couple of weeks.
First, what is quark?
When asked this question, many people seem to think that quark is a wonder product created by the slimming industry to aid weight loss, but this isn’t the case.
Quark is actually said to have originated in Central Europe, as far back as the 14th century.
Quark is a high protein, fat free, fresh soft cheese, that has a similar creamy texture to sour cream and a mild tangy taste.
It is very versatile, and you can use it in sweet or savoury dishes, which makes it an ideal choice for anyone trying to follow a healthier diet.
Is quark low in calories?
We also get asked this question a lot! Plain quark has around 19kcal per 30g but sweet flavoured quark is around 67kcal per half a 225g pot.
Quark isn’t something I’d eat “neat” by choice, but some of the fruity quarks are really nice. They’re also super high in protein.
What can you use quark for?
Cuisines all over Europe feature quark as an ingredient for appetisers, salads, main dishes, side dishes and desserts, and it’s great as a substitute for full-fat sour cream in cheesecakes, dips and sauces.
One important thing to remember when cooking with quark is to heat it gently. If you don’t you will end up with a curdled mess in the pan!
Slimming & Weight Watchers friendly quark recipes
We have many recipes that contain quark, so here’s some of our favourites…..
Coleslaw
There’s a lot of slimming & Weight Watchers Friendly recipes out there for coleslaw, but this is how we make our Coleslaw.
Coleslaw is a classic side dish to accompany salads, jacket potatoes, BBQs and of course our KFC Fakeaway. But, as with many of our favourite things, it’s pretty high in calories.
So why not make your own coleslaw?
You would never know that quark was the secret ingredient! You’ll find the full recipe for our Coleslaw here.
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Let’s face it. Most slimming “cheesecakes” are a faff! Having to faff with Muller Lights and gelatine isn’t my idea of fun. These use quark, but in a nice way – I promise!
Not to mention waiting for the damn thing to set…. You don’t have that problem with these Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries!
You could even have some fun, and use a different sort of biscuit for a different flavour.
You can catch the recipe for these Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries here.
Mississippi Mud Pie Cheesecake
If you love a sweet treat, then this Mississippi Mud Pie Cheesecake will hit the spot! Who says you can’t enjoy desserts on a slimming diet?
This cheesecake is only 125 calories a slice, and although it doesn’t have a biscuit base, the clever oaty topping really gives it some crunch.
It will last for several days in the fridge…if you can resist!
For the full Mississippi Mud Pie Cheesecake recipe go here
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Cajun Chicken Pasta is one of those slimming & Weight Watchers friendly meals that everyone has heard of. Everyone has their own, slightly different version, and this is ours – Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta!
As usual, we have tried to pack as many vegetables as we can into this slimming & Weight Watchers friendly Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta.
Because of the pasta, I’d recommend you put as many veggies in there as you can.
You’ll find the full recipe for our Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta here.
Potato Salad
This is a classic summertime or BBQ side dish. However, the traditional potato salad isn’t very slimming friendly with all that mayonnaise, so we decided to make our own Potato Salad.
It’s a perfect for any BBQ or picnic, or just as an accompaniment to a salad.
You can find the full recipe for this Potato Saladhere.
Fish Pie
“If it swims it slims”, is most certainly my mantra when following a slimming diet.
This Fish Pie reminds me a lot of my Smoked Haddock Fishcakes – just so tasty.
We like to really pack this Fish Pie with lots of fish, and you can put any type that you like in there.
BLT Pasta Salad
Sometimes you just crave pasta. This BLT Pasta Salad was created on one of those days.
With just a few ingredients everybody has to hand, you can quickly make this BLT Pasta Salad for a simple lunch, an evening meal or as a side dish.
You can even make it up and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days.
The full recipe for this BLT Pasta Salad can be found here.
Chicken and Mushroom Pie
Since starting a slimming diet one thing we miss is pie. We’ve not had any pastry since the end of January, so we thought we’d try making an alternative.
This Chicken and Mushroom Pie is what we came up with.
Now, we know there’s probably a lot of slimming & Weight Watchers Friendly friendly pies made with filo out there, but this is our version (so it’s obviously our favourite!)
You can find the Chicken and Mushroom Pie recipe here.
Creamy Pepper Sauce
We love steak, and this Creamy Pepper Sauce is a perfect accompaniment!
Saturday night tradition is to have steak, pepper sauce and some chips, even before we embarked on our slimming journey.
The only problem is the way that we used to make pepper sauce wasn’t exactly slimming & Weight Watchers friendly.
First up there would be olive oil, then a heap of double cream. I think there would be some serious calories in the pepper sauce of old.
Find the full Creamy Pepper Sauce recipe here.
Creamy Salmon and Asparagus Pasta
This Creamy Salmon and Asparagus Pasta has to be one of the best pasta dishes we’ve created since we started on our slimming journey.
It’s quick, easy and if you use Pecorino cheese it is only 368kcal per portion.
The recipe uses 30g of Pecorino, and there’s enough for 4 portions.
The full recipe for this Creamy Salmon and Asparagus Pasta can be found here.
Mini Beef and Horseradish Yorkshire Puds
I love Yorkshire Puddings. They are the BEST thing to go with a Sunday roast, and even on a buffet!
We used to make these when we had the restaurant, they were a buffet favourite, so we thought let’s make a slimming & Weight Watchers friendly version of them. Mini Beef and Horseradish Yorkshire Puds!
The concept of these is pretty simple. Beef & Horseradish cream, stuffed inside a Yorkshire pudding.
The Mini Beef and Horseradish Yorkshire Puds recipe can be found here.
Stuffed Eggs
I don’t know about you, but we get through about 3 dozen eggs a week! So we thought we’d turn them into a fantastic party food & here we are with our Stuffed Eggs!
Eggs are full of protein, omega 3 and are fantastic at filling you up! I’ve often thought how someone would do a slimming diet without them.
For the full Stuffed Eggs recipe go here.
Want more Slimming & Weight Watchers Friendly recipe ideas as to what you can do with Quark?
You can find all of our other Quark recipe ideas here.
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