Lighten up: Low-fat dishes with a twist

Buongiorno to you all. I hope January is treating you well and you are keeping off the fatty foods – as I am. I already feel better for this after all the full-on meals and great wines over the festive break.

So let’s talk about this week’s book, Clean And Lean For Life by the wellness guru James Duigan. According to James, if you want to live well, you need to learn to eat well – but it needn’t be as hard as you think. In this book he has gone the extra mile to show us the best way to stay clean and lean and I must admit I loved all his tips. 

So, starting with the recipes on the next page – grilled steak with roasted tomato and onions and a personal favourite, baked apple with honey and spiced Greek yoghurt – I can really recommend this book.

Good luck and cheers to a new you. See you all next week.

Ciao!

Grilled steak with roasted tomatoes

12 tomatoes on the vine

1 red onion, quartered

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

A generous pinch of coarse salt

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 sirloin steaks (250g per steak – as short and thick as possible)

A handful of pine nuts

2 handfuls of rocket

SERVES: 2

PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES (plus cooling time)

COOKING TIME: 50 MINUTES

Preheat the oven to 140°C/284°F/gas mark 1.

Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Cook for about 40 minutes until caramelised. Leave to cool.

Heat the coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan. Once it is sizzling, sear the steaks for about 3-4 minutes on each side. (If you like steak medium rare, press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb – the meat should feel similar to that.)

Leave the steak to rest for about the same amount of time you cooked it for. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in the frying pan until golden brown.

Serve the steak with equal amounts of rocket and warm tomato and onion mix. Sprinkle on the pine nuts and drizzle with oil. 

Baked apple with honey and spiced greek yoghurt

4 Bramley apples

200ml Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp honey (ideally mãnuka)

1 tsp ground ginger

25g flaked almonds

2 tbsp almond butter (optional)

SERVES: 4

PREPARATION: 15 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 20-25 MINUTES

Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F/gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with foil.

Remove the seeds and stalks from the apples. Place on the prepared baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes, until cooked.

Mix the yoghurt with the cinnamon, honey and ginger.

Spread the almonds on another baking tray and toast in the oven for a few minutes, until lightly golden.

Once cooked, slice the apples in half and serve with a big dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkling of almonds. 

For an indulgent addition, add a spoonful of almond butter to the top of the yoghurt.