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Vegan fajita bowl with cauli rice

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Vegan fajita bowl with cauli rice

Try this vibrant, nutritious bowl for a well-balanced vegan meal that has less than 200 calories
Print Recipe
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 2
Calories 174 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • olive oil
  • 1 or 2 small red peppers seeded and sliced
  • 1 red onion sliced
  • 1 tbsp chipotle paste
  • 200 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 small cauliflower chopped
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt or granules
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1/2 small avocado stoned and sliced to serve
  • coriander a few leaves chopped to serve
  • lime wedges to serve

Instructions
 

  • Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the peppers and onions for 10 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Add the chipotle paste, tomatoes and a splash of water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
  • For the spiced cauliflower rice, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like grains. Toast the cumin in a non-stick frying pan in 1 tsp olive oil, add the garlic salt, paprika, oregano and chilli flakes, and fry for a minute before adding the cauliflower rice. Stir-fry for 4-6 minutes until the cauliflower is tender, and smells a little toasted. Season well with black pepper (and only a little salt if using garlic salt). Divide between bowls. Add the peppers on top, the avocado, and coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

Soy steamed sea bream with ginger and spring onions

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Soy steamed sea bream with ginger and spring onions

Give your sea bream a fragrant lift with fresh ginger, soy sauce, red chilli and spring onions. This recipe is best made in a steamer, but is still easy to cook without one
Print Recipe
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 2
Calories 331 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger ½ sliced, ½ shredded
  • a small bunch coriander stalks and leaves reserved
  • 2 large skinless sea bream fillets
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 3 spring onions cut into 5 cm pieces, then shredded
  • 1/2 red chilli deseeded and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • cooked long-grain, basmati or jasmine rice to serve
  • steamed green vegetables to serve

Instructions
 

  • Put two lines of ginger slices with coriander stalks on top onto a small heatproof plate. Put the plate into a stove-top bamboo steamer (see cook’s notes below for an alternative cooking method). Lay the fish fillets on top and season. Mix together the soy sauce, wine and sugar, then pour over, and scatter over the shredded ginger, spring onions, red chilli and garlic. Put the steamer over a pan of simmering water, cover with the lid and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the fish is just cooked.
  • Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan until shimmering. Once the fish is cooked, remove the lid and carefully pour the hot oil over the spring onions, ginger and fish. Serve with steamed white rice and green vegetables.

Cook's notes

  • To make this without a steamer, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut two 20cm x 30cm sheets of baking paper and put them onto a large baking tray. In the middle of each put a line of ginger slices and coriander stalks, lay the fish fillets on top and season. Sprinkle over the shredded ginger, spring onion and chilli. Gather up the paper around the fish, scrunching to seal but leaving a little opening at one end. Mix together the soy, wine and sugar, then carefully pour into the parcel before sealing tightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Shaoxing wine is a Chinese spirit made from rice that adds depth when cooked – it is available from large supermarkets.

White chocolate, tahini and pretzel cookies

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White chocolate, tahini and pretzel cookies

Tahini gives a lovely sweet and salty kick to these crisp, grown-up cookies, while pretzels add extra crunch
Print Recipe
Total Time 50 mins
Calories 217 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 225 g unsalted butter
  • 50 g tahini
  • 225 g good-quality white chocolate
  • 300 g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds plus a few seeds to decorate
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 pinches ground cinnamon
  • 220 g soft light brown sugar
  • 100 g golden caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 85 g pretzels roughly broken into shards

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter and tahini in a pan over a low heat, stirring until melted. Cool for 5 minutes. Keep 25g of the white chocolate for finishing off the cookies, then chop the rest into small chunks.
  • Mix together the flour, sesame seeds, bicarb and cinnamon with 1 tsp of salt.
  • Put the sugars in a big mixing bowl, pour in the melted butter and beat together with an electric whisk to combine. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and continue to whisk until the mixture pales and starts to thicken. Tip in the dry ingredients and mix in with a wooden spoon until just incorporated, then scatter over 3/4 of both the white chocolate chunks and pretzels, and briefly mix in. Cover the dough and chill for 30-45 minutes until firm enough to spoon with an ice-cream scoop.
  • Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and line 2-3 baking sheets with baking paper (see cook’s notes). Use a small-medium ice cream scoop or a tablespooon to spoon out cookie dough balls and space about 10cm apart on the baking sheets. Scatter over the remaining chocolate chunks and pretzels and gently push in, then sprinkle over a few pinches more of the sesame seeds.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are brown but the centres soft still. Finely grate the reserved 25g white chocolate over the cookies as they come out of the oven. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  • NOTE: For cookies that are even in size, shape and texture it’s best to bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf –stacking trays means the cookies at the top and bottom of the oven may be overdone and underdone.

Cottage cheese alfredo

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Cottage cheese alfredo

Make a low-calorie, smooth and creamy pasta sauce in 15 minutes using just cottage cheese, milk, garlic granules and a little cornflour... magic!
Print Recipe
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 2
Calories 460 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g Cottage cheese
  • 250 ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 150 g wholewheat spaghetti
  • 25 g parmesan (or veggie alternative) finely grated
  • 1/2 tsp ground black peppercorns
  • a small bunch flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Tip the cottage cheese, milk, cornflour, garlic granules and a little seasoning into a high-powered blender or food processor, and whizz until completely smooth. Pour into a frying pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce until the consistency of pouring cream.
  • Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water following pack instructions, drain well, reserving some of the cooking water, then tip into the sauce in the frying pan with the parmesan and black pepper. Toss well, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it’s a little claggy. Divide between two plates and finish with the parsley.

Turkey ragu

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Turkey ragu

Like a healthier spaghetti bolognese, this turkey ragu comes packed with celery, courgette and carrots, plus a little Marmite for added flavour
Print Recipe
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Servings 4
Calories 478 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g turkey breast mince
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery finely chopped
  • 1 courgette finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Marmite
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 320 g wholewheat spaghetti
  • a few leaves basil

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the mince onto a non-stick baking tray and use a spoon to break into small pieces, spreading out so it’s in a thin layer. Put into the oven for 40 minutes, stirring halfway, until browned.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large lidded pan or casserole and add the onion, carrot, celery, courgette and garlic with a large pinch of salt. Stir well, put on the lid and cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the veg is very soft. Pour 500ml of boiling water into a jug and whisk in the Marmite and tomato purée. Pour into the pan along with the crispy turkey mince, scraping the bottom of the tray to get any crispy bits. Season and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until thickened.
  • Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions in a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente. Divide the spaghetti between four shallow bowls, top with the sauce and scatter over the basil leaves.

Breakfast smoothie bowl

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Breakfast smoothie bowl

Breakfast smoothie bowls are a big trend and it's all about how you arrange your toppings. Experiment with different fruits and veg and any superfood toppings you can get your hands on
Print Recipe
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 4
Calories 157 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g frozen red berries or smoothie mix
  • 1 ripe banana peeled
  • 4 tbsp coconut yogurt or greek yogurt
  • 300-400 ml almond milk
  • 3 tbsp acai berry powder
  • 2 dates pitted and chopped (optional)

TOPPING (1 tbsp of each per bowl)

  • blueberries or raspberries
  • chia, pumpkin or hemp seeds
  • goji berries
  • oats or granola
  • dessicated coconut
  • bee pollen

Instructions
 

  • Blend the frozen berries, banana, yogurt, half the milk and the acai berry powder in a liquidiser or blender until smooth. Try it, and if it’s not sweet enough, add the dates and blend again. It should be thicker than a regular smoothie but runny enough to pour.Add more almond milk a bit at a time to get a pourable smoothie, and divide between small bowls. Top with as many toppings as you like, and serve straight away.

New potato salad with aïoli

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New potato salad with aïoli

Crisp, golden potatoes are paired with fresh radish and zingy aïoli in this summery dish (a great side for your next barbecue)
Print Recipe
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 8 as a side
Calories 490 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg baby new potatoes
  • 80 g salted butter
  • 1 onion large, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds lightly crushed
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds lightly crushed
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 200 g radishes thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch dill roughly torn

AIOLI

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 large cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 250 ml olive oil plus extra for frying

Instructions
 

  • Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.
  • Cook the butter and onion in a large frying pan for 5 minutes or until turning translucent. Add the garlic and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and coriander seeds, and fry until starting to smell fragrant. Add the dijon mustard and juice of 1 lemon and mix. Transfer to a bowl.
  • Tip the cooled potatoes onto a clean worksurface and use the flat side of a knife to lightly squash each one. Fry the potatoes in a little more oil in a large non-stick frying pan for 10-15 minutes or until starting to crisp up. Tip onto kitchen paper to drain.
  • In the meantime, make the aïoli. Put the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice and plenty of seasoning in a small blender, and whizz until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while still blending on a low speed, until it emulsifies, thickens and is smooth.
  • Put the crispy smashed potatoes into a bowl and mix in most of the onion butter and sliced radishes.
  • Spread the aïoli across a platter and pile the potatoes on top. Finish with a drizzle of the remaining butter and lots of fresh dill.

Spanish pepper and potato omelette

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The ultimate comfort food which clears out the fridge too, try our best Spanish omelette recipe with red onion, red pepper and new potatoes. Serve with a rocket salad

Spanish pepper and potato omelette

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • new potatoes 200g sliced
  • red onion 1 small cut into thin wedges
  • red pepper ½ sliced
  • eggs 4 beaten
  • basil ½ small bunch shredded
  • watercress rocket or spinach salad ½ small bag, to serve

Instructions
 

  • STEP 1
  • Boil the potato slices until just tender, about 4-5 minutes.Cook the onions and pepper in a small deep frying pan in 1 tbsp olive oil until softened. Add the potatoes and cook for a minute. Season well, pour in the eggs and stir in the basil. Cook until set on the bottom then finish under a preheated grill. Cut into wedges and serve with the salad.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com

White bean soup with bacon

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Brighten a miserable day with this healthy cannellini bean soup topped with a sprinkling of bacon, just 54 calories per serving. Serve with crusty bread and butter for the perfect lunch.

White bean soup with bacon

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • onion 1 finely chopped
  • carrot 1 finely chopped
  • olive oil
  • garlic 1 clove crushed
  • white beans or cannellini 410g tin rinsed and drained
  • chicken or veg stock 500ml
  • single cream 142ml pot
  • streaky bacon 4 rashers finely sliced and fried until crisp
  • parsley a few sprigs fried until crisp

Instructions
 

  • STEP 1
  • Fry the onion and carrot in a little oil until soft but not browned, add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Add the beans and cook until warmed through.
  • Push all the ingredients through a mouli back into a saucepan and add the stock and cream, bring to a simmer and season.
  • Divide between 4 bowls and sprinkle with bacon and parsley.

Notes

Adapted from olivemagazine.com