⭐️ Smoky Mexican black bean and sweet potato stew ⭐️

❤️ This recipe is from my first cookbook, The Slimming Foodie 📒 (find it here 👉 https://amzn.to/3LaXNNH) ❤️

I love this rich, dark, smoky and spicy stew. It`s full of goodness and is delicious served on its own, or with some rice or quinoa.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 370
SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, finely chopped
low-calorie cooking spray or spray oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
800g (1lb 12oz) sweet potato, peeled and chopped into smallish cubes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus extra to serve
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
400ml (14fl oz) vegetable stock
400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
2 × 400g (14oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
40g (1½oz) pickled jalapeños, finely chopped
salt and pepper
lime wedges, to serve
fat-free yoghurt, to serve

Method:

1. In a large sauté pan with a lid, fry the onion gently in low-calorie cooking spray for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, sweet potato, smoked paprika, cumin and oregano and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
2. Pour in the stock, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée, black beans and jalapeños. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then place a lid on the pan and cook over a low heat for another 15 minutes.
4. Check the sweet potato chunks are cooked through, then serve with lime wedges, and fat-free yogurt sprinkled with smoked paprika.

NOTE If you prefer, you can replace the sweet potato with butternut squash, and stir in some spinach or kale at the end of cooking. To make this extra tasty, top with grated cheese at the end of cooking and grill under a hot grill until browned and bubbling (make sure your pan is ovenproof first).

Food photo credit: Chris Terry

⭐️ Spicy peanut aubergine curry with lime & coriander rice ⭐️

❤️ This recipe is from my first cookbook, The Slimming Foodie (find it here https://amzn.to/3LaXNNH) ❤️

CALORIES PER SERVING: 451
SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

FOR THE CURRY
2 aubergines (about 700g/ 1lb 9oz total weight), chopped into small chunks
2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
low-calorie cooking spray or spray oil
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 red chilli
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
300ml (1/2 pint boiling water)
35g (1402) unsalted peanuts, crushed, to serve
FOR THE RICE
300g (10¹/20z) white basmati rice
finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lime
finely chopped coriander

Method:
1. In a sauté pan, fry the aubergines and peppers in low- calorie cooking spray over a gentle heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Make up the sauce in a mini chopper. Spoon the peanut butter into the bowl with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, red chilli, garlic and sweet chilli sauce and blend until smooth.
3. Once the aubergine and pepper have been frying for 15 minutes, add the sauce, stir well, then top up with the measured boiling water. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and topping up with a splash more boiling water if it starts to look too dry.
4. Halfway through the curry cooking time, put the basmati rice on to cook, according to the package instructions.
5. When the rice is cooked and fluffy, drain, then stir in the lime zest and juice and the chopped coriander.
6. Crush the peanuts in a pestle and mortar, or put the peanuts in a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin. When they`re crushed, place them in a small, dry frying pan and set over a high heat, stir-frying for a couple of minutes until golden brown and smelling delicious.
7. Serve up the rice, spoon the curry over the top and scatter with the toasted peanuts.

Food photo credit: Chris Terry

⭐️ Brunch hash ⭐️

❤️ This recipe is from my first cookbook `The Slimming Foodie` (📒) ❤️

A hearty one-pan dish, this has the filling power of a full cooked breakfast, but the ease of everything being cooked in one pan. This is great on its own, but sometimes I like to serve it with baked beans on the side.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 360
SERVES: 2

Ingredients:
low-calorie cooking spray
1 medium white potato (about 200g / 7oz), peeled and chopped into smallish cubes
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 smoked back bacon rashers, fat removed, finely chopped
1 medium sweet potato (about 200g / 7oz), peeled and chopped into smallish cubes
½ red pepper, deseeded and chopped intro smallish cubes
2 eggs
salt and pepper
sauce of your choice (brown sauce or chilli sauce work perfectly), to serve

1. Spray a sauté pan with low-calorie cooking spray, place over a high heat and tip in the white potato. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, until it is starting to lightly brown on the outside.
2. Add in the onion and bacon, reduce the heat slightly and stir-fry for 5 more minutes.
3. Add the sweet potato and pepper to the pan, spray the top with a little more cooking spray and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Push aside the vegetables with a wooden spoon to create 2 small hollows in the hash. Crack the eggs into these. 5. Season everything with salt and pepper, place a lid on the pan and allow the eggs to fry for 4 minutes: you want the whites to be cooked through on the top and the yolks to still be runny.
6. Serve immediately with your favourite sauce.

NOTE Make this vegetarian by leaving out the bacon and add in any other breakfast favourites you fancy, such as mushrooms and tomatoes. Torn-up mozzarella also works well in this – just add it at the same time as the eggs.

Food photo credit: Chris Terry

⭐️ Greek-style orzo with baked feta ⭐️

❤️ This recipe is from my first cookbook, The Slimming Foodie 📒 (find it here 👉 https://amzn.to/3LaXNNH) ❤️

The quick cooking time and rice-like size and shape of orzo mean it`s perfectly suited to traybakes. The light and fresh flavours in this pasta bake, with lots of healthy vegetables included, is complemented by salty baked feta and the satisfying crunch of sunflower seeds. Serve with a simple green salad.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 416
SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
150g (5½oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 tablespoon dried oregano low-calorie cooking spray
300g (10½oz) dried orzo pasta
small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
50g (1¾oz) baby spinach
800ml (1¾ pints) vegetable stock
90g (3¼oz) feta cheese, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan (425°F), Gas Mark 7.

2. Place the onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes into a deep baking tray or casserole dish and stir in the lemon zest and juice and oregano. Spray with low-calorie cooking spray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and stir through the orzo, add in the mint and spinach, season with salt and pepper, then pour in the stock. Stir again and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven, give the orzo a stir, cover the top evenly with the feta, then sprinkle over the sunflower seeds.

5. Bake for 10 minutes. The orzo should be cooked through with no bite, the feta melted and starting to brown a little, and the sunflower seeds golden brown.

NOTE This recipe also works very nicely with roasted peppers from a jar, rather than fresh peppers. Simply slice a few up and stir them in after the orzo has cooked, just before topping with the feta and sunflower seeds.

Food photo credit: Chris Terry

⭐️ Fiesta Beef ⭐️

❤️ This recipe is from my first cookbook, The Slimming Foodie 📒 (find it here 👉 https://amzn.to/3LaXNNH) ❤️

I often make a big batch of this hearty Mexican-inspired dish and save some in the fridge to be easily reheated for weekday lunches.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 432
SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

low-calorie cooking spray or spray oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g (1lb 2oz) lean minced beef (less than 5 per cent fat)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons Taco Spice Mix (find a homemade mix recipe p.212 in the book)
160g (5¾oz) long-grain white rice
500ml (18fl oz) beef stock
400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
400g (14oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lime, plus extra lime wedges, to serve
100g (3½oz) frozen sweetcorn
125ml (4fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
100g (3½oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
To serve
sliced spring onions
chopped red chilli

Method:

1. Spray a large casserole dish with low-calorie cooking spray or spray oil and fry the onion, garlic and beef gently for 8 minutes, breaking up the minced meat with a wooden spoon.
2. Stir in the spice mix and cook for about 1 minute, then stir in the peppers.
3. Add the rice, stir it through, then pour in the stock. 4. Tip in the tomatoes, beans, lime juice and sweetcorn and simmer for 20 minutes, giving it a stir every now and again.
5. Preheat the grill on its highest setting.
6. Check that the rice is cooked, then stir in the milk with three-quarters of the grated cheese.
7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, then place under the hot grill for 4 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
8. Sprinkle with the spring onions and red chilli, and serve with lime wedges.

NOTE This dish can easily be made vegetarian by swapping the beef for black beans, and the beef stock for vegetable stock. You can also serve this alongside crunchy shredded lettuce with a fresh lime dressing.

Food photo credit: Chris Terry

⭐️ Portobello pizzas ⭐️

❤️ This recipe is from my first cookbook, The Slimming Foodie 📒 (find it here 👉 https://amzn.to/3LaXNNH) ❤️

Pizzas are a popular treat in my house, and substituting Portobello mushrooms for traditional dough pizza bases gives a healthy twist on a familiar favourite. With little preparation time needed and being quick to cook too, these make a fantastic speedy meal. Serve with a rocket salad.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 178
SERVES: 2

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushrooms
low-calorie cooking spray
4 teaspoons tomato purée
½ teaspoon garlic granules
60g (2¼oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
rocket leaves, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6.
2. Place the mushrooms with the stalks facing upwards on a baking tray and trim away the stalks.
3. Spray each mushroom with low-calorie cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Put the mushrooms in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
4. When the mushrooms come out of the oven, tip out any excess liquid that has pooled inside them.
5. Put a teaspoon of tomato purée in each mushroom and spread it around, then sprinkle a pinch of garlic granules over each one. Divide the cheese equally between the 4 mushrooms.
6. Top each mushroom with a quartered cherry tomato, then sprinkle with dried oregano.
7. Bake the mushrooms for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
8. Serve with a rocket salad.

NOTE If you have a batch of Make-ahead Marinara Sauce (recipe also in book 1) in the refrigerator, it makes a great replacement for the tomato purée. Add whatever pizza toppings you like: pepperoni, jalapeños, or even ham and pineapple.

Food photo credit: Chris Terry