Category Archives: Recipe

Hot and Sour Soup

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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/
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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/

Spanakopitta – Spinach and Feta Filo Pastries

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These spinach and feta pastries are a delicious treat for any day of the week!

Spanakopitta is a Greek name for spinach and cheese pastries.

Spanakopitta and Salad

Because filo pastry is fat free, you can get the lovely crispness of pastry without loads of calories.

Spanakopitta

They are not difficult to make as individual triangles, but if you prefer you could make one large pie using the four sheets of pastry overlapping each other.

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Spanakopitta - Spinach and Feta Filo Pastries
Serves 4
Filo triangles stuffed with spinach and feta cheese
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 sheets filo pastry
  2. 2 cups spinach leaves
  3. 2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
  4. 100g feta cheese, chopped or crumbled
  5. 1 tblsp coriander leaves, chopped
  6. 1 egg, beaten
  7. Pinch of nutmeg
  8. Freshly ground black pepper
  9. 1 tblsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 200c.
  2. Heat 1/2 tblsp oil in a frying pan and gently sauté the shallots or onion until softened but not coloured.
  3. Wash the spinach well and put into a saucepan with the water that clings to it.
  4. Cover and cook gently until tender.
  5. Strain through a sieve, pressing out all the liquid, then turn out onto a board and chop roughly.
  6. Add the shallots, feta cheese, beaten egg, coriander leaves, freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper and mix well.
  7. Work with one single sheet of filo pastry at a time, keeping the remainder wrapped up.
  8. Cut the sheet of pastry into 4 equal strips.
  9. Add a spoonful of spinach mixture at one end and turn into triangles.
  10. Put onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
  11. Continue until the mixture is used up - should make 16.
  12. Brush the outside of the pastries very lightly with olive oil.
  13. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden.
Notes
  1. Serve with a mixed salad with black olives.
  2. Each Spanakopitta is 50 calories (kcals). A serving of 4 with mixed salad and a balsamic dressing would be under 250 kcals.
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

 

Mixed Salad with Olives

Made with Love Mondays, hosted by Javelin Warrior

5:2 Fast Day Dinner – Vegetable Soup, Smoked Haddock, Mocha Dessert

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Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg and wilted Spinach

I just recently noticed that the fish counter in a local supermarket had smoked haddock. Something of a treat for us here in South West France!
Mocha Dessert
It makes a very satisfying evening meal on a fast day.  We started with Simple Vegetable Soup then Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg and wilted Spinach, and finished up with Mocha Fromage Blanc. Total for dinner 385 ~woman or 465 ~man Calories (kcals). Very filling and tasty. 

Here’s how:

Simple Vegetable Soup
Serves 1
Quick and easy, using frozen prepared vegetables and bouillon powder
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Per person
  1. 100g frozen mixed vegetables
  2. 1 tsp marigold bouillon powder
  3. 250ml water
Instructions
  1. Put the veg in a saucepan and add the water and bouillon powder.
  2. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Whizz with a stick blender to desired texture, or leave as a broth with veggie pieces.
Notes
  1. Per serving: 70 Calories (kcals)
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/
Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg and Wilted Spinach
Serves 1
an easy and quick to prepare, protein-rich, fast day main course.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
3 min
Total Time
13 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
3 min
Total Time
13 min
Ingredients
  1. 100g smoked haddock fillet
  2. 1 egg
  3. 1 cup spinach leaves
  4. pinch grated nutmeg
  5. freshly ground black pepper
For the spinach
  1. Wash the spinach and put into a saucepan with the water that clings to it.
  2. Season with grated nutmeg and black pepper.
  3. Cook gently over a low heat until wilted.
For the smoked haddock
  1. Remove the skin from the fish, if necessary.
  2. Put enough water to cover the fish into a pan and bring to the boil.
  3. Add the fish and cook at a gentle simmer for 3-4 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillet.
  4. Meanwhile, poach your egg.
Notes
  1. Per serving: 210 Calories (kcals) with 1 egg, 285 Calories (kcals) with 2 eggs
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/
 

Mocha Fromage Blanc
Serves 1
A quick and tasty dessert to round off your meal, with a hit of coffee and a dusting of grated chocolate to satisfy your cravings
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Prep Time
5 min
Total Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Total Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 100g fromage blanc or fromage frais
  2. 1 tsp instant coffee granules
  3. 1 tsp water
  4. 1 tsp acacia honey
  5. 1 tsp grated 100% pure chocolate
Instructions
  1. Mix the coffee with a little water to dissolve, then add to the fromage blanc.
  2. Stir in the honey and mix well.
  3. Spoon into a serving dish and grate over some chocolate.
Notes
  1. I use a solid block of 100% Venezuelan Cocoa, if you can't get that use the highest percentage chocolate you can find.
  2. Per serving: 105 Calories (kcals)
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

I hope you enjoy something similar!  

Guacamole

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Ooh I’m excited about my new recipe cards, this is my first one to try it out!

Here’s my recipe for Guacamole, which I prepared as part of a group of accompaniments for my Turkey Chilli

Turkey Chilli

Guacamole
Serves 2
Essential Avocado dip or addition for chilli, tacos or tortillas
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Ingredients
  1. 1 small avocado
  2. 1 lemon, juiced
  3. 1 tblsp coriander leaves, chopped
  4. 1 clove garlic, crushed
  5. 1/2 tsp Maldon Sea Salt
Instructions
  1. Mash the garlic with the sea salt and coriander leaves, ideally in a pestle and mortar (alternatively, blitz everything together).
  2. Add the lemon juice.
  3. Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
  4. Mix all together.
Notes
  1. Optional: you can add skinned chopped tomato, or a spoonful of salsa for variation
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Watercress Soup – only 60 calories

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I just love the big bunches of watercress that you can buy in French markets. Watercress is rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, iron and folic acid. A bunch like this makes an easy and delicious soup in under 30 minutes. Just the thing to break your fast with.

watercress

Watercress Soup

Serves 4, only 60 kcals per serving

  • I large bunch watercress (450g)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 10g unsalted butter
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock, made with 10g Marigold Bouillon powder
  • 10g potato flakes
  • a grating of nutmeg

_MG_3264Discard any really coarse stalks from the watercress, as they can be too peppery.

Wash, drain and chop the remainder of the bunch, reserving a few tips for decoration.

Heat the butter in a large pan and gently sauté the onions, stirring from time to time, until softened but not coloured.

Add the chopped watercress, stock, nutmeg and the potato flakes, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Blend until smooth.

Serve with a garnish of watercress leaves, or a swirl of crème fraîche.

Watercress is rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron and folic acid.

Wholewheat Pitta

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Following on from a discussion with Karen Booth, who this week presented us with wonderful looking low calorie Cajun Chicken Kebabs, I had been thinking about making my own wholewheat pitta bread, as it is impossible to buy locally in SW France and the long life packs of white pitta are rather too stodgy for my liking. Looking to see if there was a way to make them light, I got inspired by looking at The Little Loaf‘s Wholemeal Pitta Bread page.

Wholewheat Pitta - 100kcals each

So having some cubes of lamb left over from yesterday’s Lean Lamb Stir-Fry with Feta, I decided to make them into kebabs to go with pitta bread. Looking in the recipe book for my Panasonic Bread Maker, I was delighted to find that their recipe was for wholewheat flour and had no added fat

  • 250g strong wholewheat flour, preferably organic stone-ground
  • 1/2 tsp baking yeast
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 150ml water

You can’t get much simpler than that.

I left the bread-maker to do it’s Pizza Dough programme and went off for a cycle ride.

When I came back, the dough was ready. I decided to divide the mix into 8 (the recipe said 4), making each pitta just 100 kcals.

Making Wholewheat Pitta       _MG_3361

Rolled out and left to prove on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then baked in a hot oven (240c, I might do a little lower next time) for about 8 minutes, until puffed up and starting to colour.

Perfect!

5:2 Fast Day Dinner – Greek Night! Low Fat Hummus, Lean Lamb Stir-Fry with Feta

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For a change I thought of having lamb for our last fast day dinner in February. One thing led to another, and our meal became greek inspired….

Low fat Hummus and Crudités

I’ve been making hummus since my sister showed me how when I was a teenager. Usually I would be more generous with the tahini paste and olive oil, but when it came to eating it, I don’t think either of us noticed anything missing! If you left out the tahini altogether, it would save 20kcals per serving – personally I love that sesame flavour that it adds, which sets apart home made from so many of the shop bought ones.

Low-fat Hummus

Makes 8 servings of 70kcals each. With crudités – 100kcals.

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained (265g drained weight)
  • 25g tahini (about 2 level tblsp)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • cold water
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, plus a sprinkle to garnish
  • a drizzle of olive oil (1/2 tsp max)
  • optional garnish: finely chopped mint or coriander

Put the chick peas, lemon juice and garlic into a blender and process until almost smooth, adding water as necessary to keep the blender going and to get the consistency the way you like it – firm is good for scooping up with crudités, then you can make it slightly more sloppy for a normal day when you can dip toasted pita bread into it! Mix in the cayenne pepper and season to taste. I rarely use salt when cooking these days, but on a fast day it feels like a need a bit to help with hydration.

This amount makes 8 fast day sized helpings of 50grams weight (approx 2 tbsp).

Serve in individual dishes (to avoid fighting!) and sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper and a tiny drizzle of olive oil (remembering that 1 tsp of olive oil = 40 kcals….)

Serve with crudités. I used 100g celery, 50g carrot, 30g radish, 50g cucumber and 50g fennel between the 2 of us – 30kcal each.

(Leftovers will go with some wholewheat pitta bread tomorrow and be followed by lamb kebas…)

Lean Lamb Stir-Fry with Feta

I had 3 lean leg steaks in the freezer. After trimming them to remove all separable fat, I had enough meat for our main fast day dish, plus a slightly larger amount for kebabs the following day. (Saves £s as well as lbs, this way of eating!)

Lean Lamb Stir-Fry with Feta

Serves 2, His and Hers portions – 340/240 kcals

  • 165g lean leg of lamb, cubed
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground (I usually have a jar of these two spices mixed together, which I use often!)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 50g carrots (3 small)
  • 100g celery (3 sticks)
  • 120g cauliflower florets
  • 180g tomatoes (2 large)
  • 80g mushrooms (2 large)
  • 135g spinach
  • 80g savoy cabbage (about a 1/4 of a whole head)
  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • seasoning to taste
  • 25g feta cheese

Rub the spices over the lamb and set aside while you prepare the vegetables.

If the spinach has large leaves, discard the stalks and tear the leaves into a few pieces. Halve the tomatoes and cut each half into 4. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the carrots diagonally. Cut the celery into diagonal chunks. Cut the cabbage into wide strips.Lean Lamb Stir-Fry with Feta

Heat half the olive oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook the lamb until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Next add the carrots, celery and cauliflower and cook a few more minutes. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Continue to stir fry as the tomatoes break down and start to release their liquid. You may need to add a little water if they are not particularly juicy, but try not to dilute the luscious flavours too much! Next add the cabbage and give that a minute or so before you add the spinach. Before the spinach has completely wilted down, return the lamb to the pan and mix together well.

Divide into two (unequal!) portions and add sliced or crumbled feta to the top. This makes such a difference to the overall enjoyment of the dish, don’t be tempted to omit it!

His portion

340 kcal portion

We would really have relished a bit more of the cheese on top, but no calories to spare, as we finished our meal with a small helping of 0% fat fromage blanc, topped with a sprinkling of toasted almonds. Maybe it was lacking a drizzle of honey, but hey, it’s a fast day, and you know what?

Her portion

240 kcal portion

We were both happily satiated by our greek inspired dinner.

After a breakfast of porridge with blackberries for me and porridge with prunes for him, that came in for the day just under our targets of 500/600 kcals.

These recipes can be used as part of any weight loss programme or as part of a normal healthy diet. A little carbohydrate in the form of pitta bread and rice, or even oven baked jacket fries, would go well with this meal on a non-fasting day.

These recipes use seasonal ingredients for Februrary :  Cauliflower,  Cabbage and Carrots

If you try these recipes and have any suggestions for improvements, or any comments, I’d love to hear from you.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Goat’s Cheese Gratin

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This is what we had for lunch today – totally delicious and lovely textures. This makes a great feature of Jerusalem Artichokes, which are in season now.  Not entirely plant-based proteins, because of the goat’s cheese….

_MG_3253 Jerusalem Artichoke and Goat's Cheese Gratin _MG_3309 Jerusalem Artichoke and Goat's Cheese Gratin

Jerusalem Artichoke and Goat’s Cheese Gratin

for 2 people (but we couldn’t finish it!). 490 kcals, 12.6g protein per serving

  • 450 grams peeled or scrubbed artichokes (keep under water to stop them going brown)
  • 3 small leeks
  • a grating of fresh nutmeg and black pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 40g shelled walnut pieces
  • 2 rounds of fresh young goat’s cheese (called Cabecou here)
  • A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme

Heat oven to 200C.

Slice the artichokes into rounds, about 5mm (1/4″) thick. Cook in boiling lightly salted water for about 3 minutes, until slightly soft. Drain.

Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until slightly coloured, then chop finely.

Trim, wash and slice the leeks finely. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the leeks and spices, stir fry for a minute or two, then add about 100ml of water. Put the lid on and lower the heat to minimum and cook for about 10 minutes until soft and luscious.

Put the leeks in the bottom of an ovenproof dish. If they have dried out, add a couple of tablespoons of water, then layer the artichokes on top. Sprinkle the nuts over and then crumble the goats cheese on top. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cheese is starting to brown.

Serve with a rocket and orange salad (half an orange), dressed with the squeezed orange juice and a few drops of aged balsamic vinegar.

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We finished our meal with Vanilla Soya Custard with Banana.

Vanila Soya Custard with Banana

Entered in At Home with Mrs M’s Recipe Link Party,  Made with Love Mondays hosted by javelin warrior and Simple and in Season which is hosted this month by Caroline at Cake, Crumbs and Cooking