Stop counting calories: The best recipes for guilt-free treats
DIETS shouldn’t be dull. These recipes will help you cut down the calories without cutting out life’s little pleasures.
Buongiorno readers. I hope you are all having a fab Saturday, as indeed I am.
As you are reading this I am a Saga cruise with my friends and fellow chefs Phil Vickery and Ed Baines doing demonstrations and having fun. But all good things come to an end and it’s back to London tomorrow.
This week’s book, The Bikini Promise by Sally Bee, as seen on ITV’s Lorraine, will shape you up for the summer with 100 healthy recipes. In this book Sally says forget all the diets you’ve been on in the past and follow her on this journey that will change your approach to food forever.
Plus, you can improve your heart by eating wholesome food so, starting with the recipes (opposite), I am going to have a go. Thanks Sally.
Ciao!
Turkey burger on a sweet potato fritter
British
Main
Ingredients
For the turkey burgers:
- ●500g very lean turkey mince
- ●2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- ●1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
- ●2 tsp ground cumin
- ●1 tsp dried oregano
- ●½ red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
- ●1 free-range egg
- ● Freshly ground black pepper
- ● Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
For the sweet potato fritters:
- ●800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- ● A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- ● A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
- ●1 free-range egg, beaten
- ●1 tbsp plain flour
- ● Green salad, to serve
Place the sweet potato chunks in boiling water and cook until just tender, then drain and mash. Allow to cool.
Put the turkey mince, garlic, shallot, cumin, oregano, chilli and egg in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Season with ground black pepper. Divide the mince mixture into four, and shape each piece into a burger. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the parsley and coriander with the beaten egg and flour and add to the cooled sweet potato. Shape into four large, flat fritters.
Heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the fritters over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile, add a teaspoon of olive oil to a separate large non-stick frying pan, and cook the turkey burgers for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. Serve each burger on a sweet potato fritter bed, with a big green side salad.
Strawberries and cream powder puffs
British
Dessert
Ingredients
Preparation:
- ● Light olive oil, for greasing
- ●2 free-range eggs
- ●4 tbsp caster sugar
- ●8 tbsp plain flour
- ● Icing sugar, for dusting
- ● Low-fat crème fraîche and fresh strawberries, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and grease eight holes of a 12-hole muffin tray with a little light olive oil on a piece of kitchen paper.
Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar, using a handheld electric whisk, for at least 5 minutes, until the mixture doubles in size and becomes very pale.
Sift the plain flour over the egg mixture and fold it in gently, using a large metal spoon (be careful not to overmix).
Drop rounded tablespoons of the mixture into the greased holes in the muffin tray.
Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until they are springy to the touch, then remove from oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with a generous dollop of low-fat crème fraîche and some sweet strawberries.
