Eggs Florentine
American Pancakes
4 1.
2.
3.
4.
10 mins
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter. It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm thick. Serve with lots of fresh fruit and yoghurt.
Top tip! Keep uncooked batter in the fridge for a few days
2
15 mins
135g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp caster sugar 130ml milk 1 large egg, lightly beaten Butter or olive oil, plus extra for cooking
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Crack an egg into a cup, then gently tip into the boiling water. Repeat for all 4 eggs. Remove the pan from heat and set it aside for 5 minutes until the eggs are softly set. 2. Meanwhile, place the washed spinach in a sieve and pour over boiling water for the kettle to wilt it. Drain excess liquid. 3. Put the cooked spinach into a bowl and mix in the crème fraîche and mustard. Place a slice of ham on each toasted muffin half and top with the spinach mixture. Top each with a poached egg. 4. Sprinkle over the chives, season with black pepper and serve swiftly.
4 large eggs 200g pack of spinach 2 tbsp low fat crème fraîche 1–2 tsp wholegrain mustard A pack of roasted ham 4 wholemeal muffins, split and toasted 2 tbsp snipped chives Salt & pepper
Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Tomato & Capers Spaghetti
2
15 mins
1. Boil the spaghetti. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and fry, stirring all the time, until golden. Add the chilli, tomatoes and capers and fry for a further 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. 2. Add 2 tbsp of the pasta cooking water to the tomatoes, then drain the pasta and return to the pan. Pour in the tomato sauce and toss everything together well. Serve as it is or sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan. Top tip! If you don’t like chilli, swap this for a handful of rocket and 250g ricotta cheese when the pasta has cooled and eat cold.
200g spaghetti 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, sliced 1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, or half tsp dried chillies 200g pack cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tsp capers Parmesan, to serve (optional)
4
15 mins
1. Cook pasta according to instructions. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil, add the broccoli and boil for 4 minutes. 2. Drain the broccoli and return it to the pan. Lightly mash the broccoli with a potato masher or fork. 3. Finely grate the garlic and zest the lemon, then mix into the broccoli with the chilli flakes and pine nuts. Cut the lemon in half and keep for later. 4. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Stir in the broccoli pesto and squeeze over the juice of half the lemon. Pour in the olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Spoon in the grated Parmesan, toss the pasta well and serve.
400g penne pasta 250g broccoli, cut into florets 1 garlic clove, peeled 1 large lemon ½ tsp dried chilli flakes 3 tbsp pine nuts 5 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp parmesan Salt & pepper
Carrot and Coriander Soup
4
45 mins
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes. Add the carrots, potato, and ground coriander and some seasoning, and mix well. 2. Pour the stock over the vegetables. Stir to coat and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 3. Add two-thirds of the coriander leaves and stalks to the soup, then blend until smooth using a hand blender. 4. Roughly chop the remaining coriander leaves. 5. Serve soup and swirl 1 tbsp cream into each bowl. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves, a sprinkling of paprika and pepper. Top tip! Batch cook and freeze for a rainy day
30g butter 1 onion, finely chopped 650g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 1 potato, peeled and chopped 1 tsp ground coriander 1 litre vegetable stock 30g pack fresh coriander 4 tbsp low fat crème fraiche ½ tsp paprika
Curried Cod
4
30 mins
1. Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan. Cook the onion over a high heat for a few mins, then stir in the curry powder, ginger and garlic. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and some seasoning. 2. Cook for 10 minutes until thickened slightly, then top with the cod. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes until the fish is cooked through. 3. Scatter over the lemon zest and coriander, then serve with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.
1 tbsp oil 1 onion chopped 2 tbsp medium curry powder Thumb-size piece ginger, peeled and finely grated 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes 400g can chickpeas 4 cod fillets (about 125150g each) Zest 1 lemon, then cut into wedges Handful coriander, roughly chopped
Pea, Ham & Cheese Risotto
Ratatouille
4
1 hour
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add aubergine and courgettes, fry for 5 minutes. Spoon the veg into a large bowl. 2. To the pan, add the onion, garlic, basil stalks and thyme leaves with another drizzle of oil, if needed. Fry for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened and golden. Return the cooked veg to the pan and stir in the fresh and tinned tomatoes, the balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper. 3. Mix well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 30 to 35 minutes. Tear in the basil leaves, finely grate in the lemon zest and adjust the seasoning, if needed. 4. Serve with bread, pasta or rice. Top tip! Try using frozen vegetables
2 red onions, cut into wedges 4 garlic cloves, crushed 2 aubergine, chopped 3 courgette, chopped 3 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks 6 tomatoes, roughly chopped 1/2 bunch of basil 400g plum tomatoes 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Zest of 1/2 a lemon Fresh thyme 2 tbsp olive oil Salt & pepper
4
30 mins
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion for 5 minutes over a medium heat to soften. Stir in the garlic and the risotto rice, and cook for another minute. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then cover and cook for about 15 minutes on a medium heat, stirring every so often. The rice should be almost done. 2. Add the peas, ham, mustard and cheeses to the pan, and cook for another few minutes until the rice is just right and the cheese melted. Season and serve topped a little extra cheese, if you like. Top tip! Swap ham and chicken for 200g mushrooms and a pack of asparagus for a veggie option.
1 tbsp oil 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 300g risotto rice 1¼ litre chicken stock or vegetable stock 180g ham, diced 2 tsp english mustard 3 tbsp mascarpone 100g mature cheddar, grated, plus extra to serve (optional) 70g frozen peas
Spaghetti Bolognese
4
40 mins
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan then add the onions and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. 2. Add garlic and minced beef to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. Keep stirring until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. 3. Add carrots, celery, herbs, tomatoes, tomato purée and stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally then season. 4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to instructions, then drain thoroughly and return to the pan. 5. Stir the bolognese into the spaghetti and serve topped with shavings of cheese.
Chilli Con Carne
4
1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 garlic cloves, crushed 500g beef mince 400g can of chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato purée 2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped 2 tsp dried mixed herbs 100 ml beef stock Spaghetti Parmesan, to serve
1 ½ hours
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add onions and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Add garlic, carrots and spices and cook for 5 minutes. 2. Add minced beef and break up. Keep stirring until all the mince is in uniform and there are no more pink bits. 3. Rinse and drain the kidney beans and stir in with the pepper for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato puree and enough beef stock to slightly more than cover the meat. 4. Gently simmer and cook for an hour, or until thickened and rich. Add a little hot water or any remaining stock if needed 5. Serve with rice and garnish with coriander and a spoon of crème fraîche. Top tip! Swap beef mince for Quorn for a veggie option.
Top tip! Batch cook and freeze the meat (when cool) in freezer bags.
6.
2 tbsp olive oil 500g beef mince 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp dried oregano 2 tbsp tomato purée 400g tin kidney beans 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped 400g chopped tomatoes 100ml beef stock Coriander, chopped Low fat crème fraîche