Recipes Under 600 Calories
Seeded bran muffins
Ditch your normal bowl of cereal and transform All-Bran into a batch of buttermilk bran muffins to start off your day with this easy-to-follow recipe.
Servings 12
Calories 287 kcal
- 100 g All-Bran cereal
- 280 ml buttermilk
- 2 eggs beaten
- 125 ml vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 100 g light muscovado sugar
- 175 g plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 85 g raisins
- 50 g sunflower OR pumpkin seeds
Mix the all-bran with the buttermilk and soak for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Beat the eggs, oil, treacle and sugar into the buttermilk mix.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp salt, fold these in. Mix in the raisins and seeds.
Spoon the mix into 12 paper muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Sweetcorn pancakes with avocado salad
This dish is simple to prepare and makes perfect finger food for a light starter or low fat dinner. Sweetcorn pancakes are topped with a salad of avocado, cherry tomatoes
Servings 4
Calories 279 kcal
- 100 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg beaten
- 150 ml milk
- 340 g tin sweetcorn (1 large tin, drained)
- 4 spring onions chopped (use the green bits as well)
- 1 avocado chopped (use the green bits as well)
- 150 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cucumber cut into small chunks
- 2 tsp sunflower oil to fry
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, egg and milk and season well. Stir in the sweetcorn and half the spring onion. Mix the rest of the spring onions with the avocado, tomatoes and cucumber.Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tsp oil and cook spoonfuls of the batter until golden. Turn over and cook the other side.Put 3-4 pancakes on a plate and serve the avocado salad on top.
Hot paprika chicken kebabs with grilled pineapple
This kebab recipe has it all: spicy chicken, sweet caramelised pineapple and plenty of refreshing mint. The kebabs are great on their own as a starter, or with some rice or noodles as a main dish
Servings 6
Calories 353 kcal
- 1 tbsp hot-smoked paprika
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 12 skinless chicken thigh fillets cut into 3 cm chunks
- a large handful mint leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
- 1 or 2 red chillies sliced
- cooked basmati rice to serve
GRILLED PINEAPPLE
- 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 ripe pineapple peeled and cut into thick round slices
Light the barbecue. Combine the paprika, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil with some salt. Mix to a paste and combine with the diced chicken, mixing well. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.
Combine the sugar and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the pineapple slices and mix well, making sure every slice is coated.
Barbecue the pineapple slices until lightly charred on both sides. Once cool enough to handle, dice the flesh, discarding the tough cores
Put the chicken meat onto six skewers and cook over direct heat for 20-25 minutes, turning regularly, or until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges.
Top the pineapple with the mint, sesame seeds and red chillies. Serve with the chicken and rice.
Grilled hake with smoky chickpeas, preserved lemon and kale
Simply grilled hake, with a side of lemony paprika chickpeas. Ready in 30 minutes, it's a low-calorie, gluten-free midweek winner
Servings 2
Calories 371 kcal
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 preserved lemon pith and flesh discarded, and rind finely chopped
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 400 g tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
- a large handful kale chopped
- 2 fillets hake or other white fish
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes until soft, adding a splash of water if it starts to catch. Add the garlic, chilli and preserved lemon, and cook for 1 minute. Add half the paprika, all the chickpeas and 200ml of water, and season. Simmer gently for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are soft and the mixture is saucy. Stir the kale into the chickpeas, cook for a few minutes, then keep warm.
Heat the grill to high. Season the hake fillets and toss in the remaining paprika. Put onto a baking tray and grill for 3-4 minutes or until caramelised and cooked through.
Mushroom bhaji
The perfect midweek vegan dinner, this bhaji comes packed with chestnut mushrooms, garlic, ginger and turmeric. Serve with warm, fluffy naans for mopping all those juices up
Servings 4
Calories 91 kcal
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g chestnut mushrooms quartered
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- a thumb-size piece ginger finely grated
- a small bunch fresh coriander stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1/2 lemon juices
- cooked basmati rice to serve
- naans to serve
Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and fry the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes over a medium-high heat until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to caramelise. Scoop out of the pan. Turn the heat to low, add another drizzle of oil to the pan and cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, ginger and coriander stalks, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Tip in the spices and tomato purée, and cook for a few minutes before adding 100ml of water and the mushrooms back to the pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then season and stir in the lemon juice and coriander leaves. Serve with basmati rice and naans.
Red pepper soup
A brilliant bright red soup recipe, perfect for sunny days. You'll need plenty of red pepper, garlic and dried chilli flakes for this one
Servings 4
Calories 101 kcal
- 3 red peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- a pinch dried chilli flakes plus extra to serve
- 400 g tin plum tomatoes
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- double cream to serve
Heat the grill to high. Put the whole peppers onto a baking tray and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning every now and again, until charred on all sides. Tip into a bowl, cover and leave for 15 minutes to steam – this will help the skins come off easier.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion with some seasoning over a low heat for 15 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the chilli flakes, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove the skins from the peppers, as well as the tops, and seeds and pith from the insides, and discard. Roughly chop the pepper flesh and add to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
Use a stick-blender to whizz the soup until completely smooth, then season. Spoon into bowls and top with a swirl of cream and a sprinkle of chilli flakes, if you like.
Quinoa chicken salad
A healthy, low-calorie (and gluten-free) chicken salad recipe, made filling with quinoa and colourful with red onion, mint and lemon zest
Servings 2
Calories 431 kcal
- 75 g quinoa
- 2 small chicken breasts
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1/2 cucumber chopped
- 2 plum tomatoes finely chopped
- a handful of mint leaves shredded, plus a few leaves to serve
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sumac
Cook the quinoa in a pan of lightly salted boiling water following pack instructions, then drain really well.
Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of baking paper and use a rolling pin to gently tap out until less than 1cm thick. Drizzle over the oil, season well and dust with the cumin and coriander, turning to coat.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan until medium-hot then cook the chicken breasts for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden, charred and cooked through. Move onto a plate to rest for 2-3 minutes, then slice.
Mix the onion, cucumber, tomatoes and mint with the olive oil, 1 tsp of sumac, the lemon juice and some seasoning, and mix really well, then fold in the sliced chicken, any juices and the cooked quinoa.
Pile onto plates and top with the remaining sumac and more mint leaves, if you like.
Vegan risotto
Fennel, courgette, peas and parsley make for a wonderfully green risotto, flavoured with a little nutritional yeast in place of parmesan
Servings 4
Calories 324 kcal
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 bulb fennel finely chopped
- 1 courgette halved lengthways and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds lightly crushed
- 200 g risotto rice
- 1 small glass vegan white wine (optional)
- 800 ml vegetable stock hot
- 200 g frozen peas
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- a small bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan, add the onion, fennel and courgette, and fry for 10 minutes until softened, adding a splash of water if it starts to catch. Add the garlic and fennel seeds, and cook for 2 minutes, then add the rice and stir until every grain is lightly coated in oil. Pour in the wine, if using, and bubble away until reduced by half.
Keep the vegetable stock in a pan over a very low heat to keep warm. Add a ladleful at a time to the risotto, only adding more once the last spoonful has been completely absorbed, stirring all the time. Once the rice is cooked but still has a little bite, add the frozen peas and cook for another few minutes until just cooked. Stir in the nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, and some seasoning, divide between shallow bowls and top with the parsley.
Beetroot, apple and ginger juice
Feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go with this vibrant juice recipe, made with just three ingredients
Servings 2
Calories 74 kcal
- 200 g beetroots peeled and quartered
- 2 eating apples quartered
- 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger
Push the beetroots, apples and ginger through a juicer, or alternatively, chop the beetroot and apple, and whizz in batches with 300-350 ml of water in a high-powered blender until completely smooth, then strain through a fine sieve, really pushing it through. Pour into two glasses filled with ice.
