Recipes Under 600 Calories

Asian poached chicken with basmati and cucumber

/in , /by

This simple Asian-influenced dish is a great way to make chicken more exciting midweek. Served with a refreshing cucumber salad and added crunch of sesame seeds, it’s so good you’ll forget it’s healthy

Asian poached chicken with basmati and cucumber

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients
  • basmati rice 100g
  • skinless chicken breasts 2
  • root ginger 4 slices
  • garlic 1 clove sliced
  • soy sauce 2 tbsp
  • chicken stock fresh made up to 500ml
  • cucumber ½ peeled and sliced
  • sesame seeds 1 tsp toasted
  • chilli sauce to serve

Instructions
 

  • Method
  • STEP 1
  • Rinse the basmati rice and put it in a wide saucepan. Put the chicken breasts on top and push them down into the rice, then poke the ginger and garlic in around them. Pour the soy sauce over and add enough stock just to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Toss the cucumber with the sesame seeds and a sprinkle of salt. Serve the chicken sliced on top of the rice with the cucumber and chilli sauce.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com

Butternut squash lasagne

/in , , /by

This vegetarian take on a family favourite is perfect if you’re trying to cut back on meat, and is ready in just 30 minutes, making it quick enough to cook midweek

Butternut squash lasagne

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients
  • onion 1 finely sliced
  • oil for frying
  • butternut squash 500g peeled and cut into small cubes
  • cinnamon a pinch
  • nutmeg
  • milk 100ml
  • frozen spinach 150g
  • fresh lasagne sheets 3
  • mozzarella 1 ball about 125g

Instructions
 

  • Method
  • STEP 1
  • Fry the onion in a little oil until soft, add the butternut squash and fry until tender and slightly browned around the edges. Add the cinnamon, a grating of nutmeg and the milk and mash roughly. Heat the spinach with another grating of nutmeg.
  • STEP 2
  • Meanwhile, cook the lasagne slices in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain. Put a sheet of lasagne in a small baking dish, add a layer of butternut squash and half the spinach. Season. Add another layer of lasagne and the rest of the butternut squash and spinach. Season and follow with a final layer of lasagne. Rip the mozzarella into pieces and scatter it over the final sheet, grill briefly until the mozzarella bubbles and browns.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com

Salmon parcels with dill and wine butter

/in , /by

A really quick and easy salmon recipe that requires minimal effort in the kitchen. Serve with buttered new potatoes and green beans for a delicious midweek meal.

Salmon parcels with dill and wine butter

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients
  • salmon steaks 2 around 150g each
  • dill roughly chopped to make 2 tbsp
  • butter 50g softened
  • dry white wine 4 tbsp
  • new potatoes 200g steamed to serve
  • green beans 100g steamed to serve

Instructions
 

  • Method
  • STEP 1
  • Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Lay each salmon steak on separate pieces of baking parchment large enough to make a parcel.
  • STEP 2
  • Mix together the dill and butter and spread over each salmon steak. Season.
  • STEP 3
  • Tip 2 tbsp wine over each fish, fold over the parchment to cover the salmon and fold the edges over to make a parcel. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with buttered new potatoes and green beans.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com

Sweetcorn pancakes with avocado salad

/in , , , /by

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

Sweetcorn pancakes with avocado salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients
  • plain flour 100g
  • baking powder 1 tsp
  • egg 1 beaten
  • milk 150ml
  • sweetcorn 1 large tin about 340g, drained
  • spring onions 4 chopped (use the green bits as well)
  • avocado 1 cut into small chunks
  • cherry tomatoes 150g halved
  • cucumber ¼ cut into small chunks
  • sunflower oil

Instructions
 

  • Method
  • STEP 1
  • 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.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com

Sesame chicken with avocado salsa

/in , , /by

Quick and easy, crunchy sesame chicken with a fresh and zesty avocado salsa, all for under 500 calories. It makes a great lunch that you can take to work, or a lighter dinner midweek.

Sesame chicken with avocado salsa

Quick and easy, crunchy sesame chicken with a fresh and zesty avocado salsa, all for under 500 calories. It makes a great lunch that you can take to work, or a lighter dinner midweek.
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients
  • skinless chicken breasts 2 sliced
  • sesame seeds 2 tsp
  • lemon 1 zested and juiced
  • avocado
  • cucumber ½
  • chilli 1 finely chopped
  • coriander leaves a handful
  • olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Method
  • STEP 1
  • Toss the chicken with the sesame seeds, lemon zest and some seasoning. Thread onto skewers if you like. Chop the avocado and cucumber into small, equal-sized cubes and toss with the lemon juice, chilli and coriander leaves. Drizzle on a little oil and season.
  • STEP 2
  • Add a little oil to a frying pan and add the chicken, fry until browned on all sides and cooked through. Serve the chicken with the salsa.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com

Super-seedy salad with tahini dressing

/in , , /by

This veggie salad recipe is packed with prebiotic goodness from the resistant starch in the seeds and finished with a tangy tahini-yogurt dressing

Super-seedy salad with tahini dressing

Our gut-friendly recipe also uses sourdough as it’s easy on the gut. Although made using a fermented starter, much of the beneficial bacteria is lost during the baking process. However, because fermentation starts to break down the flour proteins it’s a much easier bread to digest.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • stale sourdough 1 slice torn into chunks
  • mixed seeds 50g
  • cumin seeds 1 tsp
  • coriander seeds 1 tsp
  • dried chilli flakes a good pinch
  • spray oil
  • baby kale 50g
  • long-stemmed broccoli 75g blanched for a few minutes then roughly chopped
  • red onion ½ thinly sliced
  • cherry tomatoes 100g halved
  • flat-leaf parsley ½ a small bunch torn
  • DRESSING
  • natural yogurt 100ml
  • tahini 1 tbsp
  • lemon 1 juiced

Instructions
 

  • STEP 1
  • Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the bread into a food processor and pulse into very rough breadcrumbs. Put into a bowl with the mixed seeds and spices, season, and spray well with oil. Tip onto a non-stick baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring and tossing regularly, until deep golden brown. Cool.
  • STEP 2
  • Whisk together the dressing ingredients, some seasoning and a splash of water in a large bowl. Tip the baby kale, broccoli, red onion, cherry tomatoes and flat-leaf parsley into the dressing, and mix well. Divide between 2 plates and top with the crispy breadcrumbs and seeds.

Notes

Adapted from livemagazine.com

Charred onions with balsamic, walnuts and ricotta

/in , , /by

Brush sweet onions in a balsamic honey glaze, bake until tender and serve with dollops of creamy ricotta for an easy veggie side

Charred onions with balsamic, walnuts and ricotta

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • balsamic vinegar 200ml
  • runny honey 75g
  • olive oil 2 tbsp
  • onions 5 peeled
  • garlic 1 clove skin on
  • walnuts 75g
  • ricotta 200g
  • whole milk 1 tbsp
  • flat-leaf parsley a small bunch ½ very finely chopped, ½ roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • STEP 1
  • Combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small pan and boil fiercely, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 1/2. Mix 3 tbsp of this syrup with the olive oil, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • STEP 2
  • Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat and slice each onion into 5 thick rounds. In batches, brush the olive oil glaze over both sides of each onion slice and griddle until charred (keep any remaining glaze). When both sides are blackened with griddle marks, transfer to a baking sheet. When all the onions are griddled, season and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until really tender. Add the garlic to the tray for the final 15 minutes.
  • STEP 3
  • While the onions are baking, toast the walnuts in a frying pan until browning and fragrant, then cool before roughly chopping.
  • STEP 4
  • When the onions are done, arrange on a serving platter, and drizzle over the remaining glaze. Put the ricotta in a mixing bowl with the milk, finely chopped parsley and a pinch of salt. Squeeze the soft, roasted garlic from its skin and mash with a fork, then add to the bowl too. Use an electric whisk to beat the ricotta until really smooth.
  • STEP 5
  • Dollop the ricotta in big spoonfuls over the onions, then scatter over the walnuts and roughly chopped parsley with some more seasoning. Eat just-warm or at room temperature, with crusty bread, or alongside a roasted chicken, if you like.
olivemagazine.com

Confit garlic with roasted tomatoes on toast

/in , , /by

Mornings in Spain often start with ‘pan con tomate’ (toast slathered with tomato and garlic purée). Use British tomatoes in this deconstructed version

Confit garlic with roasted tomatoes on toast

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • garlic 4 whole bulbs
  • thyme 6 sprigs
  • olive oil 400ml
  • cherry tomatoes 300g halved
  • sourdough 4 slices toasted

Instructions
 

  • STEP 1
  • Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Cut the garlic bulbs horizontally across the tops, so that all of the cloves are revealed, and sit them snugly into a small, deep roasting tin. Add the thyme sprigs and a generous pinch of salt, and pour over the oil until the bulbs are nearly submerged, adding a little more if needed. Cook for an hour or until the cloves are really soft.
  • STEP 2
  • Put the cherry tomatoes cut-side up into a roasting tin and sprinkle with salt. Put into the oven for the final 25 minutes of the garlic’s cooking time.
  • STEP 3
  • Use a spatula to lift the garlic bulbs from the oil and cool slightly. Squeeze the cloves from their skins onto the toasted sourdough and pile on the tomatoes, along with a little of the garlic-perfumed oil (keep the rest for cooking – it will keep for two weeks in the fridge).

olivemagazine.com

Mexican charred sweetcorn soup

/in , , /by

Spice up your soup with punchy ancho chillies in this Mexican inspired recipe

Mexican charred sweetcorn soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • dried ancho chilli 1 see notes below
  • vegetable oil 2 tbsp plus a little extra
  • onion 1 finely chopped
  • celery 2 sticks finely chopped
  • garlic 3 cloves finely chopped
  • sweet smoked paprika 2 tsp
  • ground cumin 2 tsp
  • roasted red peppers from a jar 4 chopped
  • vegetable stock 1 litre
  • corn on the cob 2
  • limes 2 1 juiced, 1 wedged to serve
  • coriander a small bunch chopped

Instructions
 

  • STEP 1
  • Put the ancho chilli into a small bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave for 10 minutes, drain, then discard the seeds and stem.
  • STEP 2
  • Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion and celery with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the spices and cook for another minute. Add the ancho chilli flesh, peppers and vegetable stock, and simmer for 15 minutes. Season, then use a stick blender to whizz until smooth. Keep warm.
  • STEP 3
  • Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a high heat, lightly brush the corn cobs with oil and season. Cook the cobs for 8-10 minutes, using tongs to turn them until really charred. Put onto a chopping board and allow to cool slightly. Turn a cob up on its end, then use a large sharp knife to carefully remove the kernels in a downward movement. Turn and repeat until all the kernels have been removed, then repeat with the other cob.
  • STEP 4
  • Stir the lime juice into the soup and add the sweetcorn. Divide between 4 bowls, scatter over the coriander and serve with lime wedges.