5:2 Fast Day Recipes: "Faux" Pho - Prawn Noodle Soup

The wonderful thing about herbs and spices is that they are virtually calorie free - therefore liberal usage is encouraged. I wanted to created a dish like the pho I always order at my local Vietnamese restaurant, so my faux pho was born. I know the basic ingredients but have next to no idea just what makes the broth so delicious, so I experimented and was pretty pleased with the results.

To my delight, my faux pho was a heady, aromatic dream to eat - more feast than fast. I substituted the beef fillet I would usually opt for, for prawns - lower in calories but still meaty and delicious. For obvious reasons the noodles had to be rationed, but once I upped the quantity of bean sprouts this was barely noticeable.

Best of all though, this dish is both quick to prepare and to cook. One thing - this is one of those rare meals that does not get better with age... If left too long, the herbs and spices begin to lose their potency. For that reason it is best to eat this straight away which, given its deliciousness, shouldn't be too difficult.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 

150g fresh, raw prawns. 120 calories

150g dried egg noodles. 210 calories

200g beansprouts. 62 calories

100g babycorns, sliced lengthways. 24 calories

80g mangetout. 31 calories. 

1 red chili, thinly sliced. 7 calories

3 sping onions, chopped. 24 calories 

Inch sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 19 calories

1 garlic clove, finely chopped. 6 calories

2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed. 10 calories 

Juice of one lime. 10 calories

Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped. 10 calories

500 ml chicken stock. 32 calories

Total calories: 565

Calories per serving: 283

Method

Heat the chicken stock in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the chilli, garlic, lemongrass and grated ginger. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, until the flavours have begun to penetrate the stock - this will form the base of the soup. 

Add the noodles and simmer until they have softened. This will take around 5- 10 minutes. Then add the sping onions, beansprouts, babycorns, mangetout and prawns. When the prawns have turned pink, they are cooked through.

Place in a warm bowl and squeeze over the lime juice. Scatter the chopped basil over the top and serve immediately. 

One last thing - the delicate but floral flavour of green tea and/or jasmine tea complement this dish really well and have the added bonus of being low in calories, so give them a try... Enjoy!

5:2 Fast Day Recipes: Pork and Basil Meatballs with Courgette Spaghetti

My love affair with courgettes continues in my new recipe. I bought a julienne peeler so that I could make the courgette spaghetti that is so popular at the moment. Replacing carbs with courgettes has allowed me to use a bit of meat in this meal, so I've added in some pork meatballs along with a tomato sauce. Although not as indulgent as my usual meatballs (which contain veal and breadcrumbs amongst other tasty ingredients) they hit the spot and this actually feels like a proper meal. Delicious, nutritious and just over half of the days calorie count... Delish! 

Ingredients (Serves 2)

200g lean pork mince. 302 calories

300 ml passata. 75 calories

2 garlic cloves, chopped. 16 calories

2 large courgettes (or 400g), julienned. 71 calories.

1 large shallot (or 40g) chopped. 26 calories.

100g mushrooms, chopped. 28 calories.

Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped. 6 calories.

Low calorie cooking spray. 1 calorie.

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Total calories: 525 

Calories per serving: 263 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Combine the mince and half the basil in a bowl and season to taste. Roll into bon bon sized balls and place in a frying pan, cooking over medium heat until the meatballs are browned on all sides.

The pork will release a bit of fat whilst frying, so that's what we're going to use to soften the veg. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place in an oven proof dish.

Add the onions to the frying pan, allowing them to soften before adding the mushrooms and garlic. Fry for a further five minutes before adding the passata, scraping the base to pick up all the flavours of the pan.

Pour the sauce mixture over the meatballs and place in the preheated oven. It should take around 15 minutes for the pork to cook through.

Five minutes before serving, heat the low calorie spray in a frying pan and add the courgette spaghetti. Cook until soft and on the verge of browning. 

Serve the spaghetti with the meatballs and scatter the remaining basil on top. Parmasan shavings are always a welcome addition if enough calories have been saved up! 

5:2- Fast Day Recipes: Ratatouille

After a winter of excess, it's time to ignore the premature arrival of Creme eggs on the shop shelves and get back to healthy eating. I'm restarting the 5:2 diet which is effective and doable in the long term, but can make things a bit frustrating when you don't know how you're going to be satisfied on a seemingly paltry 500 calories a day (or 600 if you're a man).

I personally prefer to distract myself during the day with fruit teas and black coffee and then "splurge" in the evening with as hearty a meal I can prepare given the circumstances.

Tonight I'm making some ratatouille which includes courgette amongst other things. Due to the high water content of courgettes, they are very low in calories but are filling at the same time. The same goes for aubergines which will also be added to my dish. 

To be super precise, I'm going to weigh the veg after I've chopped it and removed the stalks etc. The calorie counter I'm using is MyNetDiary - a really handy tool to keep track of what you're eating. This recipe is enough for two people or two portions. Either half the quantities used or freeze the leftovers for your next fast day.

Ingredients 

300g courgettes (or 2 small) halved lengthways and chopped. 54 calories

300g aubergine (or 1 large) halved lengthways and chopped. 72 calories 

90g red pepper (or 1 medium) sliced.  28 calories 

80g shallots (or 2 large) sliced. 58 calories 

400g chopped tomatoes. 82 calories 

10g garlic (or 1 clove) crushed. 16 calories

Salt and pepper, to taste

Total: 310 calories 

Per serving: 155 calories 

As I'm having this for my main meal, I'm going to add around 200g of boiled potatoes which brings the calorie total up to 300 calories, however, it would make a substantial lunch on its own, leaving plenty of leeway for other snacks or meals.

Method

To keep this meal as light as possible, I'm opting to dry fry the vegetables instead of using oil. Start off by placing the onions and garlic into a frying pan and cook very slowly over a low heat until the onions start to soften.

Add the rest of the vegetables to the pan and fry for a further 10 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally so they don't stick.

Pour in the chopped tomatoes and mix through the vegetables. If necessary, add some water to loosen.

Allow to simmer on a low heat for around 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.  

Coconut Macaroons

Not to be confused with the pretty but (kind of) pointless French Macaron, these macaroons are like little moist clouds of deliciousness.

They take mere minutes to whip up and due to their snowball appearance are very apt for this time of year. A welcome respite from mince pies, make these your new Winter treat! 

Ingredients (makes around 8)

2 large egg whites

One drop of vinegar

Pinch of salt

50g ground almonds

80g sugar (granulated is fine) 

250g desiccated coconut

1 tsp vanilla essence

To decorate 

100g milk or dark chocolate 

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan) and grease a baking tray. 

In a large mixing bowl and using an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites until frothy.

Add the drop of vinegar and then start to whisk in the sugar (around 20g at a time) until it is all combined and the meringue can form stiff peaks.

Add the vanilla essence, salt, almonds and combine until the mixture is sticky. 

Using slightly damp hands, roll the mixture into around 8 golf ball sized portions.

Place on the greased oven tray and bake for around 18-20 minutes, until the tops of the balls are golden. Allow to cool.

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons and allow harden.

 

Lasagne

Lasagne is the perfect comfort food. Ragu, pasta and a béchamel sauce all layered together to create something totally delicious. The secret ingredient in this dish is chicken liver. Even if you think you don't like offal, give them a go anyway. Chopped finely enough they melt into the ragu to produce an undetectable but delectable taste. 

I use dried pasta sheets in this, which seems lazy, but having experimented with homemade fresh pasta  I've found that it is too soft in the finished dish - using dried ensures that the layers stay intact once cooked. Be sure to use egg pasta sheets though as they have a richer flavour than their flour and water counterparts.

Ingredients 

For the ragu

500g lean beef mice

100g chicken livers, finely chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

100g mushrooms, quartered 

400ml passata 

100ml red wine 

1 tbsp tomato purée 

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp oil, to cook

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the béchamel sauce

150g butter

150g flour

600ml whole milk ( you may not need it all)

80g Parmesan cheese, plus extra or top

9 dried lasagne sheets

Method 

Make the ragu first, as this takes the longest to do. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and add the onion, cooking gently until it is softened (around 10 minutes). Then, add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. 

Next, add the rest of vegetables (and a bit more oil, if needed) and cook for 5 minutes before adding the mince and chicken livers and frying until evenly browned.

Add the passata, red wine and tomato purée and mix everything together before bringing to the boil and then placing it on the lowest heat setting, leaving it to simmer for around 2 hours. Allow to cool before assembling your lasagne.

For the bèchamel sauce

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and then whisk in the flour until there are no lumps. Leave this on the hob for a few minutes to cook the floury taste out of it. Then, whisk in the milk a little at a time until you have a thick, smooth sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and leave to cool.

Pasta sheets

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the sheets in batches of three for around 30 seconds to slightly soften, before placing them on a clean tea towel or kitchen paper.

Assembling the lasagne

I actually broke my lasagne dish a while ago and haven't got round to replacing it, so just used a pie dish which is a couple of inches deep. The good thing is that it's made of glass, so the layers are visible from the outside.

Grease your dish and start your layers. I do ragu, béchamel and pasta three times before covering the last layer of pasta with the remaining white sauce and scattering over some Parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper. The construction of lasagne is a contentious issue, so build it however you like, but I really do think this way is the tastiest.

Cook at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and the top is golden and crispy. Leave to stand for 10 minutes and serve with a green salad and some olives. Like most food, lasagne is even better the next day and freezes well before cooking.

Meal Plan w/c 17th November 2014

Monday:  Tonight I'm making my favourite soup - Minestrone! I'm adding pinto beans, Vekale, fresh tomatoes, yellow peppers and courgettes. I'll also be using my homemade stock which I made out of the carcass of last weeks chicken.

Tuesday: Dinner will be jalfrezi made with chicken legs and thighs. I'll also be making some sag aloo (spinach and potatoes) and pilau rice to serve alongside it.

Wednesday: We're having a meatless day today, so I'm going to make falafel which we'll have with a colourful Turkish salad and some flat breads.

Thursday: I'm going to make a delicious lasagne (secret ingredient: chicken livers). There's a lot of components - white sauce, fresh pasta, bolognese etc, so I'm going to try and make the sauces the day before as it spreads the work out a bit, but also lets the flavours intensify as well.

Friday: Treat night, so we're going to have lamb koftes with a tahini sauce and a Meze plate with fresh pitta bread. Great start to the weekend!

Saturday: Oily fish night so either rainbow trout or mackerel, which we'll have with some purple potatoes (delicious and in season) and some salty samphire.

Sunday: To round off the week, I'm going to make some roast game birds with lots of vegetables and some cranberry sauce. For dessert I'm going to try and make a semifreddo and the flavours I'm thinking of are rose water and pistachio. 

Chicken Challenge Day 2: Chicken goujons with Mediterranean vegetables

So after using the legs and thighs of my chicken for last night's curry, I was left with the wonderful, juicy breast fillets which I decided to turn into chicken goujons. I haven't had these for years- they're the staple food in many a children's menu and are far more sophisticated than their chicken nugget cousins. Chicken breasts can turn tough very easily, especially when cut into strips, but the breadcrumbs seem to provide some insulation for the chicken and keep it deliciously moist. All in all, these goujons are a very forgiving dish to cook.

A way to make them more "gourmet" is to season the breadcrumbs. I used cayenne pepper as a spicy kick complements Mediterranean vegetables well, but you could basically add any herbs or spices you fancy. Next time I'm going make mine with a thyme and lemon zest crust- mmmmm.

Ingredients 

For the chicken goujons 

2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips around 2cm wide 

Plain flour, to dust (around 3 tbsp) 

1 egg, beaten

80g fresh breadcrumbs 

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste 

3 tbsp sunflower oil 

For the Mediterranean vegetables

1 courgette, sliced

1 aubergine, halved lengthways and sliced 

1 red onion, thickly sliced 

1 red pepper, sliced

2 large tomatoes, quartered 

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Glug of olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place the chopped vegetables into a large, oven proof dish, drizzle over some olive oil and season to taste. Toss together so the oil is evenly distributed and place in oven. Add the cayenne pepper and some salt and pepper to your breadcrumbs.

2. Next, take the chicken strips and coat in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip and cover in the beaten egg and finally, roll around in the seasoned breadcrumbs until they are fully coated. It's best to use one hand for egg and one hand for breadcrumbs so you don't end up with a sticky mess!

3. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and fry the goujons for around 1 minute - just until the breadcrumbs have gone crispy. Then transfer them in an ovenproof dish and place in the oven with the vegetables.

4. The goujons will need around 15-20 minutes to cook and the vegetables will have had a 10 minute start, so both should be ready at the same time. To check if the goujons are cooked through, prod with a fork to see if the juices run clear. This means that they are ready to go.

Remember, often we cook chicken for a lot longer than is necessary and this has a detrimental effect on the texture - the braver you are when taking the chicken out of the oven, the tenderer and tastier it is likely to be!