Quick 'n' Easy Healthy Recipes
Pasta Special (serves 2-3)
TIP! This is great for a very quick, tasty and filling meal. Don't over fry the vegetables - it tastes better if they still have some ‘bite' when served. Add a teaspoon of finely grated fresh parmesan cheese to garnish, if liked. Add the yogurt off the heat otherwise it may curdle.
150g Wholewheat pasta shapes
1 tsp olive oil
2 rashers lean back bacon OR 1 chicken breast
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 Leek or courgette
1 red or green pepper
6 mushrooms
10 pitted black olives (optional)
4 tbsp low fat Greek style plain yogurt (less than 3g fat/100g)
3 tsp red or green pesto
1) Boil the pasta for 8-10 minutes until ‘al dente' and drain.
2) Cut fat off bacon or take skin off chicken & chop into smallish pieces
3) Slice the onion, crush the garlic clove & chop the leek/ courgette, pepper & mushrooms into preferred size
4) Heat oil in large, non-stick pan and stir fry bacon or chicken over high heat for 2-3 minutes until slightly browned
5) Add the onion & leek and stir fry until slightly softened
6) Add courgette and pepper and stir fry until slightly softened. Add the olives and mushrooms.
7) Add the cooked pasta & stir in
8) Take off the heat and add the pesto & stir in. Finally add the yogurt and stir well. Serve immediately.
Low Fat Bolognese (serves 2-3)
TIP! This can be served with any low GI carb e.g. wholewheat spaghetti or other pasta shapes, bulgar wheat, brown basmati rice, quinoa, sweet potato or sweetcorn. Add a bowl of salad or cooked vegetable e.g. spinach, broccoli, green beans, carrots etc. For a vegetarian option substitute the meat for chick peas, red kidney beans, soya mince, lentils or Quorn, or mix in, half and half, with the meat.
500g lean minced steak
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
1 carrot or courgette
1 green pepper
1 jar of tomato-based pasta sauce (to serve 2 people)
1 tbsp fresh, mixed herbs OR 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
½ cup green lentils
Freshly ground black pepper
1) Slice the onion and chop all vegetables to desired size and crush the garlic clove. Heat the minced steak in a large, non-stick pan. Stir fry over a high heat until all redness disappeared. Using the lid or a sieve, pour off the fatty liquid.
2) Add the onion & garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute until slightly softened and add the carrot, courgette and green pepper. Stir fry until slightly softened.
3) Add the herbs, jar of sauce, lentils and black pepper and stir thoroughly. Simmer for 20-25 minutes over a low heat, stirring regularly. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little boiling water to thin out.
Mixed Bean Salad (serves 2)
TIP! You can be as adventurous as you like with this. Feel free to add a bit of whatever needs using up in your fridge. This can be used as a nutritionally complete meal as the beans, together with the bulgar wheat, give you a high quality protein.
1x 300g tin mixed beans (rinse in sieve to remove brine)
4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (dab with kitchen roll to remove excess oil) - chopped into small pieces
1 avocado, chopped into cubes
½ bag mixed leaves e.g. rocket or spinach & watercress
6 cherry tomatoes
50g bulgar wheat or quinoa, cooked
Dressing:
1 small pot low fat natural yogurt
Juice & grated zest of half a lemon (or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice e.g. Jif)
20g fresh coriander
¼ cucumber, finely diced
1) Make the dressing by shaking together in a jar or container.
2) Mix all the salad ingredients together. Add the dressing and mix well
3) Garnish with fresh coriander
Salmon Steak with Roasted Vegetables (serves 2)
TIP! - Keep the vegetables as chunky as possible and keep the skin on the sweet potato for added fibre.
2 x 120-150g salmon steaks
½ fresh lemon - squeezed
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
Plenty of black pepper
Garnish:
1 small pot low fat plain yogurt or 4 tbsp virtually fat free fromage frais (for a thicker consistency)
1 teaspoon red or green pesto
1 sweet potato or squash - cut into chunky cubes
1 green pepper - sliced into rounds
1 red onion - sliced
1 courgette - sliced
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the chopped vegetables on a tray, brush with a little olive or rapeseed oil using a pastry brush and place, uncovered, onto the top shelf of the oven for 20-30 mins, until cooked & slightly browned.
2) Place the salmon steaks on individual pieces of foil and add the garlic, lemon juice & pepper. Wrap in the foil & place in the oven on the middle shelf and cook for 20-25 minutes.
3) Mix the yogurt/ fromage frais with the pesto. Use as a garnish for the salmon & serve with the vegetables.
Tuna & Ratatouille Bake (serves 2)
TIP! Use a non-stick pan for the ratatouille so you can get away with using just a little oil. Roasting the ratatouille gives a more developed flavour.
2 x 120-150g tuna steaks
Ratatouille:
1 tsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 garlic clove - crushed
1 medium onion - sliced
1 courgette - sliced
Half an aubergine - sliced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped, fresh herbs or 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
Black pepper to taste
Green beans or mange tout or asparagus - fresh or frozen
150g brown, Basmati rice, cooked
1) Cover the sliced aubergines with salt, cover and leave for 15 minutes to draw out the bitterness.
2) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Wrap the tuna steaks individually in foil and bake for 12 minutes in a ceramic dish or small loaf baking tray.
3) Meanwhile, put the rice on to boil for 20-25 minutes
4) Prepare the ratatouille: rinse the aubergines & dry thoroughly. Chop into cubes. Heat the oil in the pan and stir fry the onion & garlic until softened. Add the courgette & aubergine and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herbs and black pepper & bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5) Remove the tuna from the foil and return to the dish. Pour over the ratatouille and bake, uncovered for a further 12 minutes.
6) Serve with the rice and green beans
Tangy Smoked Mackerel with Sweet Potato (serves 2)
TIP! For speedy cooking, microwave the potatoes individually for 5-6 mins until cooked and then grill on each side to brown. Alternatively, bake them in the oven the previous night if using the oven to cook your meal.
You can use half a corn on the cob and serve separately as an alternative to mixing in the kernels. Skip the butter on your potato as the mixture is moist.
2 x 225g sweet potatoes
1 x 150-200g smoked, peppered mackerel fillet
200g pot of 0% fat Greek style yogurt or virtually fat free fromage frais
2 tsp horseradish sauce
Black pepper to taste
½ cup frozen sweetcorn - cooked
1) Scrub the potatoes and bake them in the oven at 200°C until cooked
2) Chop the mackerel into roughly equal pieces. Mix well with the other ingredients
3) Cut open the potatoes and use the mackerel mixture as a filling. Serve with a large mixed salad, dressed with balsamic vinegar.
Baked Chicken in a Tomato Sauce
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 skinless chicken breast fillet
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 400g tin of plum tomatoes
1 tbls olive oil
1 tbls balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp of capers (or optional)
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees
Place the chicken breast in a shallow oven proof dish
Add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, capers, salt and pepper
Bake for approx. 30 minutes
Serve with a small portion of brown rice
Recipe provided by K. Leibu
Lamb Shank Stew
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks (or how ever many are coming to your party)
1 white onion and 1 red onion *
3 tbls olive oil
2 tins of plumb tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
2 bouquet garni
2 sticks of celery finely chopped
4 carrots diced
A tub of button mushrooms
1 bottle of good red wine
Generous handful of lentils (I usually use ¼ to ½ a pack)
1 tblsp of chopped, fresh rosemary
1 pint of water
Method
Preheat the oven to 130-150°;
Lightly coat the shanks in some plain flour;
On a medium heat, heat the olive oil in a deep casserole dish. Add the lamb shanks and sear the outside for a few minutes. Remove from the pan and then add the onions to the casserole dish. This will allow the onions to cook in the lamb juices while the shanks rest. Cook the onions for about 5 -10 minutes. Don't let them brown;
Add the garlic, celery and carrots to the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes; make sure the garlic doesn't burn.
Put the lamb shanks back in the pan with the onion, carrots and celery and stir;
Add the tomatoes, rosemary, bouquet garni, red wine, water and lentils and then place in the oven;
Cook for approximately 3-4 hours checking it occasionally. The longer you cook it on a low heat, the better it will taste. The meat should just fall off the bone;
About an hour before serving, add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to season;
Once completely cooked, check again for seasoning.
OPTIONAL
Instead of serving the casserole with mash, you could replace the lentils with a couple of large potatoes, par boiled and cut into quarters. This will make the casserole a one pot dish and is also yummy. Add the potatoes after about 3 hours and let them cook for about an hour.
Mash Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 large potatoes;
Butter
Cream
Salt and Pepper
Quarter the potatoes and add them to boiling, salted water. Boil for approximately 25 minutes or until they are soft;
Drain and then put them back in the pan;
With a potato masher, mash them until they are smooth;
Add the butter and cream (the cream is optional but it gives it a lovely flavour);
Season to taste.
Recipe provided by K. Leibu
SmartWeight™ is different. It's not a "here today, gone tomorrow" diet. In fact SmartWeight™ does not involve dieting at all!