FREE RECIPES & ARTICLES

Sunflower Seed Breakfast Loaf

I love bread, but it can be a slippery slope to a sugar binge. One slice is never enough. This cottage cheese, soya flour and egg white loaf (honestly, it tastes good) is now one of my favourite recipes. Slice and freeze it to help with portion control.

MAKES: 5 servings
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

400g/14oz/scant 1²⁄³ cups reduced-fat
cottage cheese
2 egg whites
120g/4¼oz/1 cup soya flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp caraway seeds
a pinch of ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground cinnamon, plus extra
for sprinkling (optional)
a pinch of fine sea salt
50g/1¾oz/scant ½ cup sunflower seeds,
plus 1 tbsp extra for sprinkling
reduced-fat cream cheese, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/315°F/Gas 2–3 and line a 450g/1lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Put the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor and process until a creamy paste forms. Transfer to a large bowl.
2 Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks, then gently fold them into the cottage cheese, using a metal spoon.
3 Add all of the remaining ingredients and 1 tablespoon water and stir until well combined. Pour the dough into the tin and bake for 35–40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
4 Turn the loaf out of the tin, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and cut the loaf into 10 slices. Spread 1 teaspoon of cream cheese over each slice and serve sprinkled with cinnamon, if you like.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 230kcal Protein 9.4g Carbohydrates 11.8g Fat 4.9g

Tartelettes Niçoises

MAKES: 4 servings
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes,
plus 10 minutes salting
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
75g/2½oz/heaped ½ cup grated
courgette
20g/¾oz/2 tablespoons chickpea flour
50g/1¾oz/½ cup finely grated
Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg, beaten
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
400g/14oz/scant 1²⁄³ cups tinned
chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
4 thyme sprigs, 1 left whole and 3 with
leaves removed and chopped, plus
extra sprigs to serve
1 handful of chopped parsley
a pinch of stevia-based natural
sweetener or xylitol
30g/1oz drained anchovies in oil
200g/7oz tinned tuna, drained and
flaked
1 handful of pitted black olives, halved
½ red onion, finely sliced
fine sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
blanched green beans, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6 and mist four 9cm/3½in loose-based tart tins with cooking spray. Put the courgette in a sieve, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 10 minutes.
2 Press down on the courgette with the back of a wooden spoon to remove as much water as possible, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the flour, Parmesan and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Add the egg and mix thoroughly until the mixture comes together to form a “dough”.
3 Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Using the back of a metal spoon, gently press the dough into the bottom (not the sides) of the tins and blind bake for 10 minutes until golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside.
4 Meanwhile, mist a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, adding 1 tablespoon water to prevent the onion and garlic from browning, if necessary. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme sprig, parsley and natural sweetener. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
5 Remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Purée the sauce with a hand blender, or transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Blot the anchovies on kitchen paper, then cut each fillet in half. Spread a layer of sauce over each tartlet base, then sprinkle onequarter of the tuna, olives, red onion, thyme leaves and anchovies over the top of each one. (Any remaining sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.) Bake for 10 minutes until the base has browned and the filling has heated through. Serve one tartlet per person with a pile of crisp blanched green beans and thyme sprigs.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 236kcal Protein 26.4g Carbohydrates 12.2g Fat 38.8g

Polenta-Crusted Chicken with Cauliflower “Mash”

Fried chicken is food for the soul, but not for the bottom – it‘s incredibly high in fat. My version has a healthy crust and the “mash” is practically carb free.

MAKES: 4 servings
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
100g/3½oz/²⁄³ cup polenta
50g/1¾oz/½ cup finely grated
Parmesan cheese
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tbsp plain chickpea flour or
soya flour
1 egg, beaten
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
each about 120g/4¼oz
fine sea salt
50g/1¾oz pea shoots, to serve
FOR THE “MASH”:
1 head of cauliflower, broken into
florets
a squeeze of lemon juice
4 tbsp reduced-fat fromage frais
freshly ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6 and mist a baking tray with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together the polenta, Parmesan, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Put the flour and egg in separate, shallow bowls. Dip each chicken breast into the flour to coat well, shaking off any excess flour, then dip each one in the egg and then in the polenta mixture.
2 Transfer the chicken to the prepared tray and bake for 20–30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the meat is pierced with the tip of a sharp knife or skewer. (If the polenta starts to burn, cover with foil and continue to bake until cooked through.)
3 Fifteen minutes before serving, make the “mash”. Put the cauliflower in a
steamer, or in a colander over a pan with about 5cm/2in water and bring to
the boil. Cover and steam for 10 minutes until very tender. Drain the cauliflower
and leave to cool a little, then purée with a hand blender, or transfer to a
blender or food processor and process until the mixture resembles mashed
potatoes, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time until smooth, if necessary. Stir in
the lemon juice and fromage frais and season with salt and pepper. Divide the
“mash” and chicken into 4 equal portions and serve with pea shoots.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 335kcal Protein 37g Carbohydrates 11g Fat 7.8g

Blackberry Yogurt Lollies

Most ice cream is a high-fat, high-sugar diet disaster. These lollies have zero fat and are high in protein – the raw material for making diet-tastic S Factor hormones. They’re also a gorgeous colour and have a comforting creamy texture, so you’ll never know you’re eating a diet treat.

MAKES: 4 servings
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes,
plus cooling and at least 2 hours freezing
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes

80g/2¾oz/generous ¹⁄³ cup steviabased
natural sweetener or xylitol
150g/5½oz/scant 1¼ cups blackberries
120g/4¼oz/scant ½ cup reduced-fat
Greek yogurt
juice of 1 lemon

1 Put the natural sweetener and 40ml/1¼fl oz/3 tablespoons water in a saucepan. Heat, stirring, over a low heat until the natural sweetener has dissolved and the mixture is syrupy. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely.
2 Meanwhile, put the blackberries in a blender or food processor and process to a smooth purée. Using the back of a metal spoon, press the purée through a sieve into a clean bowl. Discard the pulp and pips.
3 Return the blackberry purée to the blender or food processor and add the sweetener syrup, yogurt and lemon juice. Process again until smooth, then pour the mixture into four lolly moulds and freeze for 2–3 hours. When the lollies have completely frozen, remove from the moulds and serve. If the lollies are stuck, briefly hold the moulds under hot running water and carefully remove the lollies.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 23kcal Protein 2.6g Carbohydrates 2.6g Fat 0g