WEIGHT-LOSS TIPS

Non-stick means less fat. Invest in a really good non-stick frying pan for cooking fish, chicken and other dishes perfectly with the minimum of fat.

The recipes in this chapter are all complete meals with a good balance of protein and vegetables and not much carbohydrate.

Make your own soup rather than buying it so you are in control of the ingredients. A bowl of soup is comforting, warming and nourishing – a perfect lunch with a hunk of wholegrain bread.

Broth-style soups are particularly low in calories but high in taste and you can add loads of green veg – also low in calories.

An omelette is the perfect quick meal. Can be filled with anything you have to hand.

Peppers, courgettes and tomatoes are great in one-pan dishes and have fewer calories than starchy vegetables such as carrots. They create their own juices as they cook so you don’t need to use lots of oil – just a light coating if at all. Using less oil allows you to appreciate the flavour of the food.

PRAWN AND CHIVE OMELETTE

Omelettes are a weight-watcher’s best friend. If you come in from work ravenous and you’re tempted to head for the bread and cheese, knock up an omelette and you’ll be sitting down to a fab meal in minutes. Oozing with prawns and chives, this version couldn’t be tastier.

SERVES 1

3 medium eggs

1 tbsp freshly snipped chives

100g peeled North Atlantic prawns, thawed if frozen

½ tsp sunflower oil, for brushing

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

339 calories

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a large metal whisk. Season with a little salt and some freshly ground black pepper, then stir in the snipped chives. Drain the prawns in a sieve, then tip them on to some kitchen paper to soak up any excess moisture.

Brush a small non-stick frying pan with just enough oil to lightly coat the base and place it over a medium heat. Pour the eggs into the frying pan. As the eggs begin to set, use a wooden spoon to draw the cooked egg towards the centre. Do this 5 or 6 times, working your way around the pan. As the cooked egg is moved, the uncooked egg will run into the gaps and begin to cook.

Scatter the prawns over the omelette and cook for a further 2–3 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Season with a little more pepper, then carefully loosen the sides with a heatproof palette knife and fold the omelette over. Slide it on to a warmed plate and serve with a large, lightly dressed salad.

Top tip:

Instead of prawns, you could add some thinly sliced ham or fresh tomato quarters and a handful of spinach.

MINTED PEA AND FETA OMELETTE

Normally you need to be careful about adding cheese to an omelette as it can really pile on the calories. Feta has such strong taste, however, that you can get away with adding very little and still get the benefit of the fab flavour.

SERVES 1

30g frozen peas

40g feta cheese, drained

½ tsp dried mint

3 medium eggs

½ tsp sunflower oil, for brushing

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

382 calories

Put the peas in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough just-boiled water to cover. Leave for a minute, then drain the peas in a sieve and tip them back into the bowl. Crumble the feta cheese on top, sprinkle over the mint and season with lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Break the eggs into another bowl and beat them with a large metal whisk. Season with a little salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Brush a small non-stick frying pan with just enough oil to lightly coat the base and place it over a medium heat.

Pour the eggs into the frying pan. As the eggs begin to set, use a wooden spoon to draw the cooked egg towards the centre. Do this 5 or 6 times, working your way around the pan. As the cooked egg is moved, the uncooked egg will run into the gaps and begin to cook.

Scatter the peas and feta over the omelette and cook for another 3 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Carefully loosen the sides with a heatproof palette knife and slide the omelette on to a warmed plate, folding it as you do so. Serve with a large, lightly dressed salad.

MINESTRONE SOUP

A steaming bowl of this makes a super-satisfying lunch with a slice of crusty wholemeal bread on the side. Low in fat but high in flavour, soup is also a good staple to keep in the fridge. Pop a mugful in the microwave when your cravings get too much for you.

SERVES 6

4 ripe tomatoes

2 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

1 slender leek, trimmed and finely sliced

2 medium courgettes, diced

1.5 litres chicken stock, fresh or made with 1 chicken stock cube

50g dried spaghetti

1 tbsp tomato purée

200g frozen peas

100g curly kale or green cabbage, thickly shredded

25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)

fresh basil leaves, to garnish (optional)

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

98 calories per portion 115 calories per portion (with Parmesan)

Make a cross in the bottom of each tomato and put them in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough just-boiled water to cover the tomatoes and leave for 1 minute. If the tomatoes are ripe enough, the skins should shrink back under the hot water. Drain and leave to cool.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan or sauté pan and fry the onion very gently for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured, stirring often. While the onion is cooking, slip the skins off the tomatoes and cut the flesh into quarters. Scoop out the seeds and chuck them out. Cut the tomato flesh into rough 1cm cubes.

Add the celery, garlic, leek and courgettes to the pan with the onion. Stir over a low heat for a couple of minutes, then stir in the chopped tomatoes, pour over the chicken stock and bring to the boil.

Break the spaghetti into short lengths and drop them into the pan. Add the tomato purée and bring the soup back to the boil, then cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas, kale or cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes or until the pasta is just tender.

Season the soup with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan and torn basil leaves if you like.

GOLDEN VEGETABLE SOUP

There’s nothing like a bowl of home-made soup on a cold day – it feels properly comforting and sustaining. This hearty soup has a great velvety texture which we both love. Just the thing to chase away your dieting blues.

SERVES 6

1 small butternut squash (about 850g)

4 medium carrots (about 375g)

2 medium parsnips (about 325g)

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp sunflower oil

1 litre just-boiled water

1 vegetable or chicken stock cube

freshly ground black pepper

low-fat natural yoghurt and freshly snipped chives, to serve (optional)

102 calories per portion

Peel the squash, cut it in half, then scoop out the seeds. Chuck the seeds away and cut the squash flesh into rough 3cm chunks. Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut them into 2cm slices. Peel and roughly chop the onion and the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until softened and lightly coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir in the squash, carrots and parsnips. Pour over the just-boiled water, crumble the stock cube on top and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat slightly and simmer the vegetables for 25–30 minutes or until they are completely tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and blitz the soup with a stick blender until smooth – or leave it a little chunky if you prefer. Alternatively, let the soup cool for a few minutes and blend it in a food processor, then tip it back into the pan. Warm the soup through, then ladle it into warmed bowls. Season with some black pepper and top with a swirl of yoghurt and a few snipped chives if you want to make it look a bit more fancy.

MUSHROOM, FETA AND TOMATO BAKED PEPPERS

It’s always important for food to look good, whether you’re dieting or not, and these peppers are a delight to the eye as well as the tastebuds. A great vegetarian recipe, this has lots of strong flavours that come together in a beautifully colouful and well-balanced dish.

SERVES 2

4 sun-dried tomato pieces in oil, drained well

2 tsp sunflower oil

175g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and diced

20g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

50g dry white breadcrumbs

½ small bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

100g feta or soft goat’s cheese, drained

2 smallish peppers, red or yellow

freshly ground black pepper

401 calories per portion

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry the mushrooms over a high heat for 4 minutes.

Add the roughly chopped hazelnuts and fry for a further minute until the nuts are lightly toasted. Season with a good grind of black pepper and remove from the heat.

Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and chilli flakes until thoroughly combined. Break the cheese into small chunks and toss them through the stuffing lightly. Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and carefully remove the seeds and membrane.

Place the peppers in a small foil-lined roasting tin, cut side up, and fill each half with the mushroom and feta stuffing. Cover the surface of the stuffing with a small piece of foil. Bake for 35 minutes until tender, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time. Serve warm with a lightly dressed mixed salad.

MUSSELS WITH LEEKS AND WHITE WINE

Mussels are a favourite of ours. They’re a great dish when you’re trying to lose a bit of weight, as they are low in calories but high in taste. They take a while to eat too, so help you feel satisfied. And as we all know, the ladies like a man with more muscles than fat!

SERVES 2–3

1kg fresh live mussels

2 tsp sunflower oil

2 slender leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm diagonal slices

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

150ml white wine

4 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche

small handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped

1 tsp cornflour

1 tbsp cold water

2 thick slices of crusty wholegrain bread

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

387 calories per portion (if serving 2)252 calories per portion (if serving 3)

Scrub the mussels really well and remove their stringy beards. Chuck out any mussels that are damaged in any way or that are open and don’t close when tapped on the side of the sink.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or sauté pan – you need something with a lid – over a low heat. Very gently fry the leeks and garlic for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally. There’s no need to cover the pan. Add a little water to the pan if the leeks start to stick before they are softened.

Pour over the white wine and stir in the crème fraiche and parsley. Add the mussels, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3–4 minutes or until all the mussels have steamed open, stirring once. Give the pan a good shake now and again. Mix the cornflour and water together to make a thin paste.

Remove the pan from the heat and tip the mussels and their liquor into a colander over a large bowl. Throw away any that haven’t opened, then divide the mussels between 2 warmed wide bowls.

Tip the mussel liquor back into the pan and stir in the cornflour paste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring until thickened. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste and pour the sauce back over the mussels in the bowls.

Serve each bowl of mussels with a thick slice of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce. Heaven!