Author Archives: Belinda Berry

Light Entertainment ~

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Had a lovely dinner with friends last night. I won’t know the calories until I get the recipes written up in detail, but this is healthy eating with great flavour and a perfect way to celebrate seasonal foods.

Spring vegetables with sesame crisp

Spring Vegetables with Sesame Crisp
Fresh lightly cooked broad beans and petit pois, combined with cucumber, apple and bean shoots. Dressed with tamari soy sauce, lemon juice and toasted sesame oil and topped with a wafers of filo pastry and sesame seeds.

 

Red Mullet with Coconut Lime Sauce and Puy Lentil Salad

Red Mullet with Coconut-Lime Sauce and a Puy Lentil Salad
The fish is dusted with curry-spiced flour and pan fried in a little butter. The pan is deglazed with light coconut milk, spices and raisins. The puy lentils are tossed in lime juice, mint and chilli, with red onion, red pepper, tomato and apple.

 

Rhubarb Compote with Cardamom Custard

Rhubarb-Orange-Honey Compote with Cardamom Custard
I used my beautiful home grown forced rhubarb, which I baked with orange juice and zest and a little honey. Surrounded with a delicate, lightly sweetened soya custard aromatised with cardamom and vanilla.

 

I’m really enjoying the fact that we can eat like this whilst losing weight! 

5:2 Mediterranean Meal Plan for week 11

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Now updated with photos and calorie counts.


Swiss ChardContinuing my tour of light and healthy Mediterranean cuisine this week, with influences from France, Morocco and Italy, but adding in a little inspiration from elsewhere to spice it up a bit.

I’ll be aiming to use asparagus and rhubarb as key seasonal ingredients. At the market this morning, I also bagged a lovely bunch of watercress, some Swiss chard and a very healthy looking bunch of pale and interesting carrots.

Behind the carrots are some early globe artichokes – my favourite way of eating these is with loads of butter, so I’d better find a more healthy recipe before I add those to my meal plan!

A few less dishes on this plan – I am finding that we often have left-overs to use up, as I am still buying and cooking more than we are actually eating!  

Rainbow Carrots

This is week 11 for us on our 5:2 diet. I am over 2/3 of the way to my target healthy weight now, having lost 8.7 kg (19lbs), which is absolutely brilliant. My husband meanwhile has lost nearly 15 kg and has revealed that there was a six pack there, all along… 🙂

So this week we’ll do another 2 fast days and the rest of the time we’re keeping light on the carbs, so as not to lose momentum – but there are plenty of delicious treats along the way, as I focus on flavour and make light but tasty versions of some of our favourite dishes to share with you.

 

Spring vegetables with sesame crispRed Mullet with Coconut Lime Sauce and Puy Lentil SaladRhubarb Compote with Cardamom Custard

Saturday: dinner for friends ~ 550 kcals

  • Cucumber, Broad Bean, Pea and Apple Salad with Sesame Filo Crisps
  • Red Mullet with Coconut Lime sauce, Puy Lentil salad and Watercress Salad
  • Rhubarb and Orange Compote with Cardamom Custard

Sticky Marmalade Duck with Celeriac Mash and Red Onion ConfitAsparagus, Comté and Mustard Pockets
 

 

 

 

Sunday: local specialities and home grown rhubarb

  • Asparagus Filo Pastries with Grainy Mustard and Gruyere ~100 kcals
  • Sticky Marmalade Duck with Celeriac Mash, Red Onion Confit and Swiss Chard ~310 kcals
  • Fromage Blanc with Apple and Ginger ~ 120 kcals

Carrot and Cumin Salad  Baked Fish with a Mustard Masala Plum Kulfi

Monday ~ Fast Day with an Indian kick

  • Scrambled Egg with Smoked Trout ~ 130 kcals
  • Watercress Soup ~60 kcals
  • Carrot and Cumin Salad ~40 kcals
  • Fish with a Mustard Masala, served with Kachumber Salad ~200 kcals
  • Plum Kulfi ~50 kcals

Spring Minestrone Soup Turkey Saltimbocca with Celeriac and Chard RostiBeetroot and Chocolate Cake

Tuesday: Italian day

  • Summer Minestrone Soup ~100 kcals
  • Turkey Saltimbocca alla Romana with a Muscat Jus, served with Celeriac and Swiss Chard Rosti ~230 kcals
  • Beetroot and Chocolate Cake (1/2 serving) ~112 kcals

Chicory and Mushroom SaladCod with Tomato and ChorizoBlood Oranges with Dates and Pistachios

Wednesday: Moorish influences

  • Chicory and Mushroom Salad
  • Cod with Tomato and Chorizo Sauce, served with Grean Beans and French Fries
  • Sliced Blood Oranges with Dates and Pistachio

Simple Vegetable SoupStuffed Salmon Fillet with Steamed VegetablesFruity Tiramisu

Thursday ~ Fast Day Italian style

  • Vegetable Soup ~60 kcals
  • Stuffed Salmon Fillet with steamed vegetables ~225 kcals
  • Fruity Tiramisu ~120 kcals

 Baked baby Beetroot with Spiced Walnuts and Goats Cheese_MG_0918_MG_0928

 
Friday: a Moroccan menu with a Mexican twist

  • Baby Beetroot Salad with Spiced Walnuts and Goats Cheese ~235 kcals
  • Merguez Sausages with Cous-cous, Ginger Yogurt , Baked Butter Beans with Spinach and Carrot Salad ~225 kcals
  • Mojito Cheesecake ~175 kcals

As I go through the week, I’ll be checking my recipes and calorie-counting them, putting some of them up here on my blog. I’m also working towards my 5:2 recipe book…..

 

Pear with Chocolate Meringue Topping

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Soft sharp pear contrasts wonderfully with a sweet, nutty chocolate meringue topping, less than 150 calories per serving – or if you make mini ramekins, only 60 – 75 calories each, depending on the size and sweetness of the pears.

Pear with Chocolate Meringue Topping

The idea for this dish came from BBC Good Food, where it is called Chocolate Pear Crisp.  But their recipe had way too much sugar for my taste, so I radically changed it.

Pear with Chocolate Meringue Topping
Serves 3
soft sharp pear contrasts wonderfully with a sweet and nutty chocolate meringue topping
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 egg white
  2. 1 lemon, juice only
  3. 15g granulated sugar
  4. 5g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  5. 20g ground almonds
  6. 2 small pears
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 160c.
  2. Peel the pears, discard the cores and cut into pieces.
  3. Put into a small saucepan with the lemon juice, cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the pear is nice and soft.
  4. Meanwhile, mix the cocoa, sugar and almonds in a bowl.
  5. Whisk the egg white then fold in to the dry ingredients.
  6. Transfer the pears to 3 ramekins (or 2 ordinary and 2 mini ones) and spread the meringue mixture over the top.
  7. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, until nicely crisped on top.
Adapted from BBC Good Food, Chocolate Pear Crisp
Adapted from BBC Good Food, Chocolate Pear Crisp
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Haddock in a Saffron Sauce

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If you like the Spanish flavours of Saffron and Garlic, I’m sure you will enjoy this way of cooking fish. 

Fish in Saffron Sauce

This recipe is based on one in Tapas, the little dishes of Spain, by Penelope Casas, where she used Swordfish or Shark – but these are off the list of acceptable fish to use these days. I used Haddock, but it would be equally good with Cod or Halibut or a firm meaty fish like Tuna (as long as it was caught by pole and line). If you want more information about which fish are ok to eat and which aren’t, please download Fish to Eat and Fish to Avoid  or get the Fish Fight App.

The lovely golden colour of the finished dish is not entirely due to saffron – I used some frozen tomato flesh, of a home-grown variety called Amish Gold.

I served the Fish in Saffron Sauce with Cauliflower Rice and Broad Beans. A very satisfying and delicious main course under 300 kcals.

Fish in Saffron Sauce, with Cauliflower Rice and Broad Beans

 

Haddock in Saffron Sauce
Serves 2
saffron and garlic lend a typical Spanish flavour to this easy way of preparing fish.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 240g haddock fillet, cut into cubes
  2. 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  3. 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  4. 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or pressed through a crusher
  5. 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
  6. 250ml chicken stock
  7. 100g tomato, skinned and chopped
  8. pinch of saffron strands
  9. freshly grated nutmeg
  10. sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan or cazuela (earthenware dish).
  2. Sauté the onions, garlic and green pepper until softened.
  3. Add the tomato and cook for a couple of minutes.
  4. Stir in the stock, saffron and seasoning.
  5. Add the fish pieces, cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
Notes
  1. To make the cauliflower 'rice', cut cauliflower into florets and cook in boiling water for about 5 minutes, so still firm. Drain and mash. This is the really low fat way to do it, other methods include whizzing up the raw florets in a food processor, then frying with some onion. Alternatively, you can make cauliflower mash by cooking a little longer, then mashing with butter and a little milk, cream, soya milk or fromage blanc.
Adapted from Tapas, the little dishes of Spain, by Penelope Casas
Adapted from Tapas, the little dishes of Spain, by Penelope Casas
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Cabbage, Green Pepper and Caraway Salad

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This Spanish style salad makes a great change from Cole Slaw having a light dressing, lovely crunch and an excellent combination of flavours.Cabbage, Green Pepper and Caraway Salad

We ate it with Chicken with Garlic and Saffron (Pollo al Ajillo) and Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Sauce (Patatas Bravas) – about 400 kcals in all for me.

Chicken with garlic and saffron; patatas bravas; cabbage, green pepper and caraway salad

I have reduced the amount of olive oil and raisins used in order to make this a light, low-calorie salad that is suitable to use on a 5:2 Fast Day, or on any day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Caraway Seeds contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, essential oils and anti-oxidants with many potential health benefits. They go particularly well with cabbage, as their anti-flatulent properties are particularly helpful.

Cabbage, Green Pepper and Caraway Salad
Serves 2
Spanish influenced crunchy and tasty alternative to cole slaw. The addition of caraway seeds helps to temper the sometimes flatulent effect of cabbage!
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Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 100g white cabbage, finely shredded
  2. 1 medium carrot, cut in fine julienne strips
  3. 1/2 green pepper, cut in fine julienne strips
  4. 10g raisins
For the dressing
  1. 1/2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
  2. 1/2 tblsp white wine vinegar
  3. 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  4. sea salt
  5. freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish
  1. 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
Instructions
  1. Put the shredded vegetables in a serving dish.
  2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
  4. Sprinkle the caraway seeds over the top.
Notes
  1. I like to use vinegar aromatised with walnuts, vinaigre noix - a fab ingredient that is common here in South West France, it lends a wonderful nutty flavour to salad dressings. Look out for it!
  2. As a side dish, this would serve 4 (42 kcals each), or as a more subsantial salad, serves 2 (84 kcals each).
  3. My calculations using myFitnessPal are a little different from the beta version below, I don't really know why.
Adapted from Tapas, the little dishes of Spain by Penelope Casas
Adapted from Tapas, the little dishes of Spain by Penelope Casas
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Hazelnut and Agave Syrup Baklava ~ 110 calories each

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I do like a challenge!

I was asked if I could come up with a less syrupy version of baklava and as I had some filo pastry left, I decided to give it a go.  

I’m pretty pleased with the result: crispy, nutty and slightly sticky Baklava at only 110 calories a slice!

Hazelnut and Agave Syrup BaklavaNotes on the ingredients:

I had some agave syrup that I bought for us to try – it is low GI, so better for you as a sweetener than sugar, and while it is processed, it is not synthetic. It is also sweeter than sugar so you need less of it. You could use honey or maple syrup or sugar syrup if you prefer, but as you wouldneed to use more for the same sweetness, the end result would be higher in calories. I didn’t add any sweetness to the pastry itself.

For nuts, I chose to use ground hazelnuts, though I think that walnuts or (unsalted) pistachios, or any other nuts would work just as well.  

I wanted to use rosewater in the syrup, but didn’t have any, so I used orange flower water instead. I think the flowery note makes it more middle-eastern, but if you can’t get either then probably not the end of the world! Maybe use a little lemon juice instead.

I used a slivers of lemon zest in the syrup, but orange zest would also be nice.  

I had a few sheets of filo pastry left, 4 I think, plus a part sheet. So I cut them all to a smaller size, about 20 x 30cm, which I folded over to make my baklava 20 x 15 approx and used the trimmings to make up the layers as well. When baked, I cut this into 8 portion sized pieces – I got a little distracted just before putting it in the oven and didn’t cut it into shapes before baking it. Didn’t seem to matter really, I just had to be a little careful with cutting it after I had poured the syrup over.

I wouldn’t make a whole trayful unless we had a lot of guests.  As it is, if you are prone to being indulgent with sweet things, it might be better to make just half the quantity!

So this recipe makes enough for 8 servings, coming in at around 110 calories each. It was an absolute winner with vanilla ice cream, as it was not as sticky as a traditional baklava. Now we have another 6 pieces to eat 🙂

Hazelnut and Agave Syrup Baklava
Yields 8
flaky and nutty filo pastry with a low GI syrup
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
For the pastries
  1. 4 sheets filo pastry
  2. 50g ground hazelnuts
  3. 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  4. 20g unsalted butter
For the Syrup
  1. 25g / 1 tblsp agave syrup
  2. 1/2 tblsp orange flower water
  3. 3 tblsp water
  4. 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
  5. lemon zest, finely sliced
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 160c.
  2. Melt the butter in a small pan.
  3. Cut your filo pastry into pieces about 20 x 30cm (8 x 12 inches).
  4. Keep the filo that you aren't using wrapped up in cling film or under a damp cloth.
  5. Take one piece and lay it on the baking sheet, doubled over, so that it is 20 x 15.
  6. Brush a little melted butter between the layers and on top (it doesn't need to cover everywhere, just a few light brush strokes).
  7. Repeat with another piece of filo, so that you have 4 layers, lightly buttered.
  8. Spread half the hazelnuts evenly over the pastry and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.
  9. Put another 3 or 4 layers of pastry on, using up any odd pieces, (keeping at least one good looking slice aside) and brushing a little butter on each layer, and on top.
  10. Add another layer of hazelnuts and cinnamon, saving about a half a spoonful of hazelnuts for the top.
  11. Finish with a final 3 or 4 layers filo, lightly buttered and ending with a nice smooth piece on top.
  12. Sprinkle with the remaining hazelnuts.
  13. It's traditional to cut the baklava at this point, into rectangles or triangles, making 8 portions from this quantity.
  14. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes, turning midway if your oven tend to cook unevenly, until golden brown.
  15. About 10 minutes before the end of cooking, mix your syrup ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat gently.
  16. Remove the baklava from the oven and pour the syrup over.
  17. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
  1. Depending on the size of your filo sheets, you may be able to do more or less layers, but you can use any odd pieces in the middle layers, as long as you start and finish with whole ones.
  2. Serve with coffee, or a small glass of sweet wine, such as Muscat de Beaumes de Venise or Monbazillac. Really very good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (add 50 calories).
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Apologies for any discrepancies between my calorie estimates and those of my recipe cards. I don’t have control over how it calculates the ingredients and it may be using different products than the ones I have entered and used in MyFitnessPal. If it is critical to you, work with the higher figure!

Spanish Influenced 5:2 Meal Plan for week 10

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I have a lot of cookery books and browsing through them is one of my pleasures. Sitting with a pile of them beside my and thinking of a trip to Spain – I passed my book of Tapas, the little dishes of Spain, by Penelope Casas over to my husband, who marked a few selections for us to try (I have the original paperback version of the book, I bet the new one is lovely with more recipes and more photos). Small dishes of wonderful ingredients, prepared to delight the palate, sounds just right when you only have a few calories to play with. Let’s see what I can do with them this week.

Seasonal food: I have glorious forced rhubarb about ready to pick. Other desserts will depend on what looks good in the market. I’m hoping to find more asparagus, despite the very chilly weather we have had the last few days. I’ll be adding some soups in too, again depending on the seasonal choices on offer. Plus I have my own quince preserve to use.

I am feeling better I think from eating less refined flour so I’m going to try making my pizza dough with wholewheat flour this week.

This meal plan will work with our intermittent fasting lifestyle and support our weight loss targets, helping us to keep to around 1200/1800 calories on a normal day and 500/600 calories on a fast day.

PizzaSaturday:

  • wholewheat Pizza with chorizo, mozzarella and sundried tomatoes; rocket salad
  • Tapas: Manchego Cheese and Membrillo (quince paste), Serrano Ham, Chorizo, Olives, Anchovies,
    Vegetable Stuffed Canelones (Crepes)
    Baklava and Ice Cream

_MG_0374Sunday:

  • Chicken in Garlic sauce, Asparagus salad; 
    Rhubarb Meringue Pots (adaptation of BBC Good Food recipe)
  • Albondigas (meat balls); Patatas Bravas  (spicy oven baked potatoes with tomato sauce) and Aioli (garlic mayonnaise), Cabbage, Green Pepper and Raisin salad

Watercress SaladMonday ~ Fast Day

  • Egg with Tomato and Bacon (thinking of Huevos Rancheros now…)
  • Celeriac, Saffron and Orange Soup
    Trout with Bayonne Ham and Garlic, Cumin-flavoured Carrot salad

 

_MG_0381

Tuesday

  • Smoked Fish on Avocado
    Pork Ribs in Garlic sauce, Cauliflower Salad
  • Wholewheat Pasta with Meatballs and Tomato sauce

 

 

_MG_3307Wednesday

  • Quinoa with Asparagus and Walnuts;
    sliced Oranges
  • Chickpeas and Spinach;
    Tomato, Tuna and Egg salad

 

_MG_0386Thursday – fast day

  • Porridge with Berries
  • Fish in a Saffron sauce, seasonal Vegetables

 

 

_MG_0567Friday

  • Sausages with sweet and sour Figs, White Bean salad
  • French Onion Soup
    then there’s bound to be leftovers to use up…..

Recipes and calories counts will come later, when done!

Please see my other meal plans and recipes, also my list of what we have been eating on Fast Days.

I hope to inspire you to eat well and enjoy every day, fasting or otherwise! 

Hot and Sour Soup

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_MG_0572

I had forgotten how great this soup tastes! Spicy, slightly sweet, sour, bitter, salty – it has that umami savoury satisfaction factor.

Especially with home made chicken stock…  but you can use Marigold bouillon or even plain water and it is still yummy.

Hot and Sour Prawn Soup

 

You may know it as Tom Yam Gung – Prawn, or Tom Yam Gai – chicken. The fish sauce is an essential part of the flavour combination, so this won’t work for strict vegetarians, but you could try using soy sauce and a little sugar instead and some cubes of tofu.

I buy lime leaves and lemongrass from time to time at an Asian store in Toulouse, and freeze them.

Hot and Sour Soup
Serves 4
Deliciously light and spicy soup which can be made with prawns or chicken
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 litre chicken stock (I use home-made, or marigold bouillon)
  2. 1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
  3. 1 tbslp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)
  4. 1/2 lemon or lime, juice only
  5. 2 lime leaves, finely sliced
  6. 5cm of lemon grass stalk, finely sliced
  7. 100g mushrooms (chestnut or canned straw mushrooms), sliced
  8. 1 spring onion, sliced
For garnish
  1. a few coriander leaves
  2. a few birds eye chillies
Optional
  1. 200g of peeled and deveined prawns or shredded chicken
Instructions
  1. Heat the stock in a saucepan and add the curry paste, fish sauce, lime leaves, lemon grass, lemon juice and chillies.
  2. Taste and add more curry paste if necessary.
  3. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.
  4. Add the mushrooms, the prawns or chicken and the spring onion and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes until the prawns are cooked or the chicken heated through.
  5. Serve decorated with coriander leaves and a couple of birds eye chillies.
Notes
  1. According to MyFitnessPal, the broth comes to about 50 calories per serving without the chicken or prawns.
  2. The Thai red curry paste that I have is furiously hot, so 1 tsp is enough - you may need up to 1 tblsp if yours is mild.
Adapted from The Taste of Thailand, by Vatcharin Bhumichitr
Adapted from The Taste of Thailand, by Vatcharin Bhumichitr
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

If you want to see my meal plans for the week, please go to  Meal Plans – you’ll find my outline plan for the current week, and more detailed calorie counted plans for previous weeks.

 

Pear with Amaretti Crumble <100 calories

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Mmm, soft pear topped with a creamy, crunchy topping, and under 100 calories a serving! 

Pear with Amaretti Crumble

There are still some lovely European-grown pears to choose from – these are small Williams pears. 

Pear with Amaretti Crumble
Serves 2
A low fat, low-calorie dessert of soft pear with a crunchy topping
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 small ripe Pears (about 100g each)
  2. 2 tblsp low-fat Fromage Blanc or Fromage Frais
  3. 2 tsp Honey
  4. 2 small Amaretti Cookies
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 180c
  2. Cut the pears in half and scoop out the cores with a spoon, leaving a nice smooth hollow.
  3. Put the pears in an ovenproof dish.
  4. Fill the hollows with fromage blanc and drizzle with half the honey.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes, then crumble the amaretti cookies over the top.
  6. Bake for a further 10 minutes.
  7. Serve with the remaining honey drizzled over or around.
Notes
  1. Sometimes I add a little water to the dish before baking, to make a light sauce (could use masala wine for a treat day).
  2. 100 calories per serving, if you use small pears (if they are large ones, have just half a one each).
Adapted from BBC Good Food
Adapted from BBC Good Food
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/
 _MG_0557

Amazing low calorie desserts!!!

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Just for fun really, I thought I would see what is possible…. what kind of lovely dessert could I create with less than 100 calories?

Raspberry Cinnamon Meringue

 

This is based on Nigel Slater’s Raspberry Cinnamon Meringue recipe on the BBC Good Food website

I used 2 egg whites and only 30g golden sugar, making 4 sticky meringues (I don’t think you can make a crisp meringue with so little sugar). I followed Nigel’s method for making the meringues. Topped with fromage frais and defrosted raspberries and sprinkled with grated chocolate. ONLY 75 calories each!!!  Yummy.

or how about this, a recipe I found in Australian Women’s Weekly Healthy Heart cookbook :-  Mini Eclairs with Vanilla Cream

Mini Eclairs with Vanilla Cream

Basically a very light choux pastry, filled with low-fat vanilla flavoured yogurt that has been thickened up using gelatine.  Dusted with icing sugar. Less than 50 calories each!  (You would want to eat at least 2….).

So you really can eat dessert completely guilt-free! 

Mini Eclairs with Vanilla Cream
Yields 12
Light and delightful puffs filled with vanilla yogurt
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Prep Time
2 hr
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
2 hr
Prep Time
2 hr
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
2 hr
For the eclairs
  1. 5g unsalted butter
  2. 125ml water
  3. 50g self-raising flour
  4. 2 egg whites
  5. 1 tblsp icing sugar
For the Vanilla Cream
  1. 200g low-fat plain yogurt
  2. 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
  3. 3 tsp light brown sugar
  4. 2 leaves gelatine
  5. 2 tsp water
For the Eclairs
  1. Heat oven to 180c.
  2. Put the butter and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
  3. Add the sifted flour all at once and stir vigorously until smooth.
  4. Transfer to a mixing bowl and leave to cool for a few minutes.
  5. Gradually beat in the egg whites and beat until it holds together.
  6. Spoon into a piping bag with a plain 1cm nozzle and pipe lengths of about 5cm onto a non-stick baking tray, making 12 in all.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 160c and cook for a further 15 minutes, until nicely browned.
  8. Allow to cool, then just before serving, cut in half and fill with the vanilla cream.
  9. Dust with icing sugar.
For the Vanilla Cream
  1. Put the gelatine leaves to soak in a bowl of cold water.
  2. Mix the vanilla essence and sugar with the yogurt (or use ready made vanilla yogurt) in a bowl.
  3. Put 2 teaspoons of boiling water in a small jug and add the drained gelatine, stirring well to dissolve, then pour in to the yogurt.
  4. Mix well, then refrigerate for an hour or so until set.
Notes
  1. Serve with fresh mixed berries. Unfilled eclairs may be frozen.
Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Healthy Heart Cookbook
Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Healthy Heart Cookbook
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/