Quick pork casserole

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
3 large pork chops, all visible fat and bone removed
1 red onion, sliced
200gm button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
2 red eating apples, cored and each cut in 12 pieces
500ml chicken stock
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice*
1 Tblsp corn flour

400gm boiling potatoes
500gm green beans
4 large carrots, cut julienne
6-8 courgettes, topped and tailed and left whole

Method
Boil, steam or microwave the vegetables until cooked.
Drain and keep warm.

Cut the pork into strips.
Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the onion and pork strips until the onion softens and the pork is sealed.
Add the mushrooms and apples to the pan and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Pour in the stock and stir through the Chinese 5 spice.
Cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Mix the corn flour to a paste with a little water.
Add this to the pan to thicken the sauce.
Stir gently so the apple doesn’t break up.

Serve the casserole and vegetables on four warmed plates.
*Chinese 5 spice is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise and black pepper.

Bistro salad

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
200gm pillow pack spinach, rocket & watercress
50gm mange tout, sliced lengthways
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
12 red cherry tomatoes, halved
12 yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
8 baby corn cobs, quartered
4 eggs, hard boiled, shelled & halved
4 rashers lean bacon, chopped
30gm croutons
80gm Danish blue cheese, crumbled

1 Tblsp each of Dijon mustard, olive oil and lemon juice
2 Tblsp each of Helman’s low-fat mayo and fat free natural yoghurt

Method

Spray a frying pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the bacon bits until crispy.
Drain on kitchen paper.

Make a dressing by combining the mustard, oil, lemon, mayo and yoghurt.
This is a very sharp dressing, but it goes really well with the salad.

Tear the salad leaves into a bowl.
Arrange the other ingredients, in layers, finishing with the eggs, croutons, cheese and bacon.

Serve the salad with the dressing and plain boiled baby potatoes or crusty bread.

Lamb meatballs Morocco

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quickish

Ingredients
350gm lean minced lamb
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 x 400gm can chopped tomatoes
400ml lamb stock
2 Tblsp chopped coriander

200gm couscous
2 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tblsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tblsp chopped fresh coriander
200ml boiling water

Method
In a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, cumin, ginger and garlic.
Shape the mixture into tiny meatballs.

Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the meatballs until lightly browned and sealed.
Remove to a plate.

Tip the tomatoes, stock and coriander into the pan.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Put the meatballs back in the pan and spoon the sauce over.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
(If there seems to be a too much liquid, remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to reduce it.)

Put the couscous in a bowl with the fresh herbs.
Pour over the boiling water and give it a stir.
Cover with a plate or clingfilm and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Fluff the grains up with a fork to separate.

Serve the meatballs and sauce over the couscous, garnished with extra coriander, if desired.

If you like, you can put only half the spices, ginger and garlic in the meatball mix and add the rest to the sauce. I served mine with a very simple green salad of baby spinach, rocket and watercress.

Beef ‘n’ broccoli

Serves 4 : Very easy : Very quick

Ingredients
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
400gm rump steak, cut in strips
1 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp grated ginger root
1 tsp chilli paste

400gm broccoli florets
6 spring onions, shredded
3 – 4 Tblsp soy sauce

Cashew nuts, to garnish

Method
Heat the oil in a pan or wok.
Fry the beef for 2 – 3 minutes to seal.
Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Fry the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion softens.
Stir through the chilli paste.
Add the broccoli and a splash of water to the pan.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Turn up the heat and return the beef to the pan.
Add the spring onions and soy sauce.
Cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.

Serve garnished with cashew nuts.

I served this with noodles, but it also goes well with rice or naan breads.
Make this even faster – cook the broccoli first. I did mine in the microwave.

Morocco lamb

Serves 4 : Very easy : ±90 mins

Ingredients
400gm lean lamb cut in strips or bite sized chunks
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
600ml lamb stock
Grated rind & juice of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp honey
140gm seedless raisins
2 Tblsp good mint sauce
2 Tblsp ground almond
2 Tblsp flaked almonds

450gm pink sweet potatoes
1 head broccoli

Method
Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the onions, garlic and lamb until the onion softens and the meat browns lightly.
Pour in the stock and add the orange juice and rind, cinnamon and honey.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes.

Boil the sweet potatoes in lightly salted boiling water.
Once sot, drain well and mash.
Keep warm.
Steam, boil or microwave the broccoli.
Cook until tender, but still having some crunch left.
Drain and keep warm.

Add the raisins and mint sauce to the lamb and continue simmering for another 25 minutes.
Stir through the ground almonds to thicken the gravy.

Serve the lamb garnished with flaked almonds alongside the vegetables.

This does take a bit of time, but it is well worth the wait.

Steak ‘n’ egg with insalata Caprice

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
4 pieces fillet steak about 100gm ea.
Steak seasoning
4 eggs
4 brown rolls, split and toasted

Small pillow pack mixed baby spinach, rocket & watercress
½ large cucumber, sliced

2 large tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
100gms low fat mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar

Method
To make the Caprice salad:
Alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella with fresh basil leaves in a round dish.
Mix the oil and vinegar together and pour over the salad.

Make another salad with the salad leaves and cucumber slices.

Spray a ridged pan with non stick cooking spray.
Season the steaks and cook to desired doneness, turning only once.

Break the eggs into a separate (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) frying pan.
Once the whites have set, add ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid.
Let the eggs continue to cook in the steam.

Serve 1 toasted roll per person, topped with the steak and egg, alongside the two salads.


This is not a meal to eat every week! Egg plus steak plus cheese equals a lot of cholesterol. But we all need to indulge our cravings once in a while.

Gammon steaks

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
4 gammon steaks ea ±140gm
1 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp Dijon mustard

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
4 large carrots, julienne
250gm baby spinach
480gm new potatoes

Method
Mix the honey and mustard together.
Brush over the gammon steaks.

Boil, microwave or steam the vegetables until tender.
Drain and keep warm.

Spray a ridged pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook the gammon steals no more than 5 minutes each side.

Serve the steaks with the vegetables and extra mustard if desired.

Gammon steaks are usually pickled and/or smoked when you buy them, so they only need to be heated through. Soak them in cold water for 5 minutes to remove excess salt, and pat dry with kitchen paper before cooking