Category Archives: Recipe

Stuffed Baked Peaches – a late summer fast day dessert

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Delicious ripe yellow peaches, married with soft amaretti biscuits and the juice of an orange…. heavenly and under 90 calories a serving!

Baked Stuffed Peaches

I usually make a stuffing that has added butter, egg yolk and sugar with crumbled amaretti biscuits, then I pour a sweet dessert wine around them. Lovely, but rather heavy in calories!  So to make it lighter, I simply crumbled the biscuits into the stoned peach halves, and used the juice of an orange, sprinkling the zest over the top. Served warm, with some greek yogurt and some more biscuit crumbs, or toasted flaked almonds, for decoration.

Baked Stuffed Peach
Serves 4
Baked ripe peaches, stuffed with soft amaretti biscuits
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Ingredients
  1. 4 yellow peaches
  2. 4 amaretti morbidi (4g each)
  3. 1 orange
To serve
  1. 2 amaretti morbidi (8g)
  2. 4 tbsp greek yogurt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
  2. Halve and stone the peaches and lay close together into an ovenproof dish, cut side uppermost.
  3. Crumble 1 biscuit into the cavity in each half and press lightly into place.
  4. Grate the zest of the orange over the peaches.
  5. Pour the juice of the orange around them.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes until tender.
  7. Serve warm on a spoonful of yogurt and decorate with a crumble of amaretti or some toasted flaked almonds.
Notes
  1. Amaretti morbidi are small soft biscuits made from apricot kernels, almonds, egg white and sugar. You could equally use the more familiar crunchy amaretti or any almond-based biscuit.
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Skinny Gazpacho for a 5:2 Fast Day

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This chilled soup recipe is simply scrumptious and only 55 calories for a generous serving. I have avoided the bread and olive oil of my traditional recipe and can’t say I really miss them,  I found that by blending until as smooth as possible and then sieving out the seeds, the end result is just as satisfying.

Skinny Gazpacho

At this time of year, tomatoes are ripening quickly and this is a fabulous way of using them, especially if you are lucky enough to have a glut of home grown ones. The soup freezes well.

Skinny Gazpacho
Serves 8
A light and delicious summer soup to serve chilled. I have kept it to the barest and simplest, so you really need good sun-ripened tomatoes for the best flavour.
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Prep Time
45 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
45 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 kg ripe tomatoes
  2. 2 green peppers (capsicum), de-seeded
  3. 1/2 cucumber, peeled
  4. 2 shallots (or a few spring onions), trimmed
  5. 3 cloves garlic
  6. 1 tsp ground cumin
  7. freshly ground black pepper
  8. sea salt
Instructions
  1. Score the tomatoes and put into a large bowl or pan, cover with boiling water, leave for about 30 seconds and then lift out with a slotted spoon and leave to cool (you might need to do this in two batches).
  2. Remove the skins and cut out the cores, chopping the remaining flesh roughly.
  3. Finely the cucumber, pepper and shallots and set some aside for garnish.
  4. Finely chop the garlic.
  5. In batches, puree the tomatoes along with the cucumber, pepper, shallots and garlic, then pass through a sieve into a large bowl.
  6. Season with freshly ground black pepper and ground cumin and stir well.
  7. Chill thoroughly.
  8. Serve with a topping of chopped vegetables, a sprinkle of cumin and a crumble of sea salt.
Notes
  1. You can vary the quantities of vegetables.
  2. If your tomatoes are not sweet and ripe, a dash of sherry or balsamic vinegar may enhance the flavour.
  3. If you don't have time to get the soup really well chilled, serve with a couple of ice cubes floating on top.
  4. For non-fasters, you can add croutons or garlic breadsticks.
  5. For a more substantial meal, add chopped hard-boiled egg as a garnish too.
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Celebrating a 5:2 Summer – Tomato and Feta Filo Tart <400 calories

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This recipes combines some of my favourite summer ingredients – tomatoes and basil, with filo pastry and feta cheese – to make a delightful starter when entertaining, or a yummy fast day meal.

 

Tomato and Feta Filo Tart

 

Recipe serves 4 as a main course (380 calories) or 8 as a starter (190 calories).

Tomato and Feta Filo Tart
Serves 8
a celebration of luscious ripe tomatoes - serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a main course
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 6 sheets filo pastry
  2. 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  3. 2 tbsp pesto
  4. 100g feta cheese, crumbled
  5. 6 large tomatoes, sliced
  6. salt and pepper
  7. 12 basil leaves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 210C
  2. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of baking parchment (facilitates removal of the tart later!)
  3. Lay as sheet of filo on the paper and brush lightly with oil.
  4. Lay another sheet of pastry on top, then lift and turn over (this helps to use much less oil than brushing each sheet)
  5. Repeat until all 6 sheets of pastry have been used.
  6. Turn over the edges to make a neat outer rim.
  7. Brush the pesto evenly over the top, then crumble over half of the feta cheese.
  8. Arrange the tomato slices over the top
  9. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the remaining feta cheese.
  10. Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden, about 30 minutes.
  11. Cool in the pan then transfer to a board.
  12. Scatter the basil over, then slice and serve warm or coo, with crisp salad leaves
Notes
  1. 8 servings of 193 calories each, or 4 servings of 386 calories.
Adapted from Eating Well
Adapted from Eating Well
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5:2 in the Summer – Tuscan Zucchini Soup

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This is a simple soup that makes a good light lunch or first course at under 90 calories per serving. Add another 70 calories for 3 grissini breadsticks. 

Ideal if you have a glut of courgettes and it freezes well too.

Tuscan Courgette Soup with breadsticks

Tuscan Zucchini Soup
Serves 6
A light and delicious soup that makes the most of courgettes/zucchini and freezes well
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1kg courgettes, diced
  2. 1 tbsp olive oil
  3. 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  4. handful basil leaves
  5. freshly ground black pepper
  6. 10 g marigold swiss vegetable bouillon powder
  7. 1.2 litres water
  8. salt to taste
  9. 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  10. 40 g parmesan, finely grated
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan.
  2. Add the courgettes, garlic, basil and black pepper.
  3. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
  4. Make the stock with boiling water and bouillon powder.
  5. Set aside a couple of tablespoonfuls of the courgettes for garnish.
  6. Add the stock to the pan and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes.
  7. Whizz to a purée with a stick blender.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  9. Stir in parsley and most of the grated parmesan.
  10. Serve with a little grated parmesan on top and some pieces of courgette.
Notes
  1. You can use any shape of courgettes or soft-skinned summer squash.
  2. This soup freezes well.
Adapted from Cooking to Impress without Stress by Annabel Langbein
Adapted from Cooking to Impress without Stress by Annabel Langbein
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Maintaining on 5:2 – enjoying the fruits of summer

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I reached my target weight of 55kgs during June and have been happily maintaining between 54-55 for the last few weeks. With 5:2, it is so easy! I really don’t have to worry about what I eat in between fast days, though compared to this time last year I am eating less carbs and fat, well less of everything actually, except for fresh veggies and fruits!

I love this time of year, when our evening meal is largely determined by what I can harvest from the garden :-

DSCF0753

Last week saw our first horticultural show in Lauzerte, organised by the VEEQ *Vivre Ensemble en Quercy* Garden Group.  I love my garden, so it was with enthusiasm that I entered loads of different categories to help fill up the tables and make a good show for the public. I was somewhat astonished to receive two cups and the magnificent trophy for Champion! I got a 1st for my mixed box of produce, shown above:- it gives you some idea of the choice I am spoiled with during the summer. All organically grown too.

Even if you aren’t lucky enough to have a garden, or to enjoy tending it, summertime is great for local seasonal produce and you can often pick up a bargain at market stalls.

Here’s a neat carb-free idea that you can do with courgettes of any shape, but I used patty pan squash, which are cropping abundantly :-

 Carb-free Summer Tartlets

summer tartletsSlices or halves of squash or courgette (slice a little off the bottom if using long courgettes, so they sit well on the tray), laid on a non-stick baking tray, lightly brushed with a little olive oil, sprinkled with finely chopped garlic or garlic powder, topped with either a slice of tomato and feta cheese, or grated cheese with tomato. Sprinkle with finely sliced basil, season with freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt and bake near the top of the oven at about 220c for 10 – 15 minutes. 

A bit of a treat this week has been to have Strawberry Scones with Clotted Cream – I made a couple of batches of scones for the Horticultural Show, where we were serving English cream teas. So easy and quick to make and quite low in butter and sugar. I made up for that with the clotted cream, which was left over for us to buy at the end of the show. An afternoon tea-time treat. I much prefer using fresh fruit to jam. You could use thick creme fraîche instead of clotted cream. 

 

Strawberry Scones

 

I used Delia Smith’s Plain Scone recipe – about 100 calories per scone. Using about a tablespoon of cream between the two halves – add another 90. Including the strawberries then say 200 calories for this plate of yumminess. But whose counting?

Enjoy the summer while it lasts!

 

A bowl of cherries becomes….. cherry cole slaw

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When faced with an abundance of something, it is well worth trying some new ideas……

Our cherry season is short and I tend to stone and freeze the majority of them, so that I can make pies, compotes, jam or whatever later on. 

Cherry Cole Slaw

I was making cole slaw to go with one of our BBQs and usually I add dried fruit, such as raisins, or maybe some chopped apple, but there was this big bow of fresh cherries in front of me, so I added some of those instead. They added just the right note of acidity and sweetness to contrast with the cabbage, carrots and creamy yogurt and mayo dressing. The borage flowers gave a rather lovely visual lift, I thought.

A bowl of cherries…..becomes Cherry and Choc Chip Gelato

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Fantastic crop of cherries this year, after 2 years of none.

_MG_2476

With the yellow and red cherries, I have made

  • Cherry, Vanilla and Lavender Jam
  • Cherry Pie Filling
  • Cherry and Cinnamon Samosas

and have about 10kg of frozen, stoned fruit to do something else with later.

Now the luscious dark red cherries are ripening. We have eaten handfuls of them just as they are, dripping with juice and with a lovely mix of sharpness and sweetness. Every day of sunshine sees them getting darker and sweeter.

This evening I picked some especially for making my version of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia – fabulous flavour and not too bad on the calories (well I hope not, it IS a fast day…)

I suppose strictly this can’t be called Ice Cream, as it is made with Fromage Frais, not Cream. I decided on Gelato, as this has a softer texture, and is lower fat. Yummy.

Please note this recipe contains raw egg.

The calorie count is incorrect in the Recipe Card. On MyFitnessPal it came out to nearly 200 calories a serving! oops. If I can figure out what it doesn’t like, I’ll correct it.

Cherry and Choc Chip Gelato
Serves 6
a light but luscious frozen fromage frais dessert, with cherries, dark chocolate and a hint of kirsch
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 50g dark chocolate
  2. 100g Bing cherries
  3. 15ml kirsch liqueur
  4. 2 eggs
  5. 50g soft brown sugar
  6. 500g fromage frais
Instructions
  1. Pre-chill the ice-cream maker.
  2. Halve the cherries and put in a bowl with the kirsch, then refrigerate until needed.
  3. Chop the chocolate, then refrigerate.
  4. Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy.
  5. Add the sugar and fromage frais and mix with the whisk.
  6. Pour into the ice cream maker.
  7. Shortly before the ice cream is ready, add the cherries and chocolate and leave to mix for a couple of minutes longer.
  8. Transfer to a plastic container with lid and put in the freezer to firm up, for up to about 30 minutes, then serve.
Notes
  1. Best made shortly before serving.
  2. If freezing for a longer time, remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving so that it can soften enough to scoop.
  3. Serving based on 2 good sized scoops.
  4. Please note: this recipe contains raw egg.
Adapted from Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
Adapted from Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Chargrilled Courgette Salad

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Chargrilled Courgette Salad

Griddled Courgette SaladHere’s something to celebrate the start of summer! 
Per person. Slice 1 medium courgette lengthways into 4 slices. Marinade in a little olive oil with finely chopped garlic and red chilli, then griddle on a ridged pan until tender. Toss with any remaining marinade mixed with lemon juice, chopped mint and chopped basil. Serve at room temperature on a bed of lettuce. Approx 70 Calories, using 1 tsp of olive oil. Would be nice with parmesan shavings or toasted pine nuts or other nuts/seeds sprinkled over.

Broad Bean and Walnut Salad

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I just love this time of year, when there are fresh broad beans to pick from the garden!

Here is a salad to celebrate delicious broad beans.

Broad Bean and Walnut Salad

Broad Bean and Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

Broad beans, lightly cooked
Red onion, finely sliced
Spring onion, finely sliced
White Radish, finely sliced
Walnut pieces, toasted
Parsley, chopped
Vinaigrette made with walnut vinegar*

This would work so well with a light fresh goat or sheep’s cheese, like feta! For my meat-eater I served it with some slivers of serrano ham and rosette sausage.

I had it on a pile of green leaves with some Cantal cheese and sliced tomato.

I haven’t calorie counted it as I didn’t weigh the ingredients, but it is the sort of healthy food that can be part of any day of eating.

*vinegar aromatised with walnuts is a common ingredient here in South West France, where walnuts grow happily. If you can’t find it, then you could use some walnut oil to get that lovely nutty flavour.

I used white radish as the red radishes looked a bit wilted in the shop, but they would be so pretty in this salad.

Hazelnuts would work too, as an alternative to walnuts.

Fast Day Stuffed Chicken Breast Dinner <350 calories

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Mushrooms, garlic and Serrano ham turn a simple chicken breast into a very tasty fast day dinner. 

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken

I usually aim for about 100g of chicken for me and a larger portion of about 140g for him.

I had thought of adding a light creamy sauce with chives, but it was pouring with rain and I didn’t want to go out into the garden to pick the chives, so I used a little pesto instead.

Wrapping the chicken in ham and then in foil helps to keep it nice and moist during cooking.

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast
Serves 1
Mushrooms, Garlic and Serrano Ham transform a simple chicken breast into a tasty dinner for a 5:2 fast day
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 100g chicken breast
  2. 2 medium mushrooms, chopped small
  3. 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  4. 1 tsp olive oil
  5. pinch ground cumin
  6. 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
  7. sea salt
  8. freshly ground black pepper
  9. 1 tsp pesto
  10. 1 slice Serrano Ham, trimmed of fat
To serve
  1. 4 asparagus spears
  2. 1/2 medium carrot
  3. A few broad beans, podded
  4. 50g cauliflower florets
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 180c
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently saute the garlic for a minute or so and then add the mushrooms.
  3. Stir fry until the mushrooms are just cooked and starting to release their moisture.
  4. Remove from the heat and season with cumin, coriander leaf and pepper to taste (I don't add any salt, but you might wish to).
  5. Trim the chicken breast to the required size and remove any fat.
  6. Cut a diagonal slice into the thickest part of the flesh, without cutting all the way through, to make a pocket.
  7. Stuff the mushroom filling into the pocket and then wrap the parma ham around the chicken to help hold it together.
  8. I used a little pesto underneath the ham as additional flavouring, but if you are going to have a sauce with it, you could go without that.
  9. Wrap in foil, place on a baking tray and cook for 30 minutes.
  10. Meanwhile, boil the broad beans and until tender, then drain and peel them, unless they are tiny.
  11. Boil the cauliflower until tender, steam the asparagus and carrots over the top, then mash the cauliflower (add a little fromage frais or milk powder to enrich it if you like, or butter on a non-fast day).
  12. Unwrap the chicken and serve. I made a little jus by adding some of the cauliflower water to the residue left in the foil.
Notes
  1. Adjust your chicken portion according to your available calories or appetite! With 140g of chicken, the meal comes to 412 calories.
  2. You can use Parma Ham or Bayonne Ham instead of Serrano.
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