The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight (5 page)

MUSHROOM, FETA AND TOMATO BAKED PEPPERS

It’s always important for food to look good, whether you’re dieting or not, and these peppers are a delight to the eye as well as the tastebuds. A great vegetarian recipe, this has lots of strong flavours that come together in a beautifully colouful and well-balanced dish.

SERVES 2

4 sun-dried tomato pieces in oil, drained well

2 tsp sunflower oil

175g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and diced

20g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

50g dry white breadcrumbs

½ small bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

100g feta or soft goat’s cheese, drained

2 smallish peppers, red or yellow

freshly ground black pepper

401 calories per portion

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry the mushrooms over a high heat for 4 minutes.

Add the roughly chopped hazelnuts and fry for a further minute until the nuts are lightly toasted. Season with a good grind of black pepper and remove from the heat.

Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and chilli flakes until thoroughly combined. Break the cheese into small chunks and toss them through the stuffing lightly. Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and carefully remove the seeds and membrane.

Place the peppers in a small foil-lined roasting tin, cut side up, and fill each half with the mushroom and feta stuffing. Cover the surface of the stuffing with a small piece of foil. Bake for 35 minutes until tender, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time. Serve warm with a lightly dressed mixed salad.

MUSSELS WITH LEEKS AND WHITE WINE

Mussels are a favourite of ours. They’re a great dish when you’re trying to lose a bit of weight, as they are low in calories but high in taste. They take a while to eat too, so help you feel satisfied. And as we all know, the ladies like a man with more muscles than fat!

SERVES 2–3

1kg fresh live mussels

2 tsp sunflower oil

2 slender leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm diagonal slices

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

150ml white wine

4 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche

small handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped

1 tsp cornflour

1 tbsp cold water

2 thick slices of crusty wholegrain bread

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

387 calories per portion (if serving 2)252 calories per portion (if serving 3)

Scrub the mussels really well and remove their stringy beards. Chuck out any mussels that are damaged in any way or that are open and don’t close when tapped on the side of the sink.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or sauté pan – you need something with a lid – over a low heat. Very gently fry the leeks and garlic for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally. There’s no need to cover the pan. Add a little water to the pan if the leeks start to stick before they are softened.

Pour over the white wine and stir in the crème fraiche and parsley. Add the mussels, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3–4 minutes or until all the mussels have steamed open, stirring once. Give the pan a good shake now and again. Mix the cornflour and water together to make a thin paste.

Remove the pan from the heat and tip the mussels and their liquor into a colander over a large bowl. Throw away any that haven’t opened, then divide the mussels between 2 warmed wide bowls.

Tip the mussel liquor back into the pan and stir in the cornflour paste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring until thickened. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste and pour the sauce back over the mussels in the bowls.

Serve each bowl of mussels with a thick slice of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce. Heaven!

Top tip:

The cornflour paste makes the sauce thicker and creamier which we like, but you can leave it out if you prefer.

ROASTED COD WITH PARMA HAM AND PEPPERS

Cod works really well for this recipe, as it has nice firm flesh, but you can use any white fish. Make sure the fillets are all about the same size so they cook evenly. This couldn’t be easier to prepare but tastes really special. It’s so good you won’t miss the chips.

SERVES 4

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks

2 medium courgettes, trimmed and cut into 2cm slices

1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges

1 tsp olive oil

4 x 150g thick skinless cod (or other white fish) fillets

4 slices of Parma ham or any thinly sliced prosciutto

10g dry white breadcrumbs

10g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2–3 tsp good quality balsamic vinegar

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

224 calories per portion

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Put the peppers, courgettes and onion in a large baking tray and drizzle them with the oil. Season with a little salt and plenty of ground black pepper and toss everything together until the vegetables are lightly coated with oil. Roast for 20 minutes until softened and lightly charred.

Pat the fish dry on kitchen paper and check for any bones. Remove any that you see with tweezers. Season the fish with freshly ground black pepper and wrap each fillet loosely with a slice of ham.

Take the baking tray out of the oven and make gaps in the layer of vegetables to make space for the pieces of fish. Place the fish on the tray. Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese and parsley and scatter over the fish and vegetables.

Put the tray back in the oven for another 12–15 minutes or until the fish is cooked, the ham has crisped and the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve hot, drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar.

SPANISH-STYLE CHICKEN BAKE

This is a brilliant recipe and you’ll notice that there’s no additional fat needed – all the fat comes from the chorizo, and the tomatoes make it lovely and juicy. A low-fat fiesta of a dish.

SERVES 4

1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges

1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges

500g new potatoes, quartered lengthways

8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled

8 medium tomatoes, quartered

75g chorizo (preferably picante)

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

½ tsp dried oregano

1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

370 calories per portion

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Put the onions, potatoes, garlic and tomatoes in a large roasting tin and season with sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Toss everything together lightly and roast for 20 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, skin the chorizo and cut the meat into thin slices – 5mm is about right. Put the chicken thighs on a board and carefully slash each one 2 or 3 times with a knife. Season all over with black pepper. Mix the paprika and oregano together and set aside.

Take the roasting tin out of the oven, scatter the chorizo over the veg and turn everything a couple of times. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and chorizo and sprinkle with the paprika and oregano. Season with a little salt and return to the oven for 20 minutes.

Take the tin out of the oven. Holding one corner carefully with an oven cloth, lift the tin a little so all the juices run to the opposite end, then spoon and drizzle the juices back over the chicken. Tuck the pepper strips loosely around the chicken and vegetables.

Turn the oven up to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Put the tin back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until the peppers are just softened and the chicken is golden and crisp. As you eat, squeeze the garlic out of the skins and enjoy the deliciously soft and fragrant flesh. Just don’t kiss anyone afterwards!

WHOLE BAKED FISH WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Don’t get fatter, leave off the batter! Baking fish such as sea bass whole is the very best way of cooking them, as it preserves all the flavour and delicious juices. This is a great dish for sharing – put the fish and vegetables on a large platter, take it to the table and dig in. Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale the fish for you. A 675g fish will probably weigh about 550g once prepared.

SERVES 2

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 yellow or orange pepper, deseeded and cut into 3cm pieces

175g new potatoes, cut into 1cm slices

2 tsp olive oil