The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight (8 page)

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a grill pan lined with foil, cut side up. Season the tomatoes with a little ground black pepper, then cook under a preheated hot grill for 5–8 minutes until softened.

Pour the remaining oil into a small non-stick frying pan. Place over a high heat and stir-fry the mushrooms for 2–3 minutes until lightly browned. Make sure you keep the heat up high so they get some lovely colour. Tip the mushrooms into a bowl and return the pan to a medium-high heat.

Put the steaks in the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side or according to taste. Two minutes on each side should give you a medium-rare steak.

Put the steaks on warmed plates and leave them to rest. Return the mushrooms to the pan and warm through over a high heat. Dissolve the stock in the just-boiled water and add to the pan, stirring constantly to lift the sediment and juices from the bottom of the pan.

Add the crème fraiche, mustard and wine, if using, and stir together for 1–2 minutes until the sauce is hot and has thickened slightly. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce over the steaks and serve with the grilled tomatoes and a large, lightly dressed salad.

GAMMON WITH PARSLEY SAUCE

This is a low-fat version of a classic dish that is one of our all-time favourites. Making the parsley sauce with cornflour instead of butter keeps it low in fat, but it’s still really tasty. If you don’t believe us, try it for yourself. Pineapple rings optional!

SERVES 4

1 tsp sunflower oil

4 gammon steaks (smoked or unsmoked)

freshly ground black pepper

Parsley sauce

300ml semi-skimmed milk

1 small onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

10g cornflour (about 1½ tbsp)

2 tbsp cold water

3 heaped tbsp finely chopped parsley (curly parsley works best here)

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

334 calories per portion(without potatoes and beans)

To make the sauce, put the milk, onion and bay leaf in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Take off the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the onion and bay leaf and throw them away.

Brush a large non-stick frying pan with the sunflower oil and place it over a medium-high heat. Snip the gammon fat off completely with a pair of kitchen scissors. Season the gammon with ground black pepper, then cook the steaks for 2½–3 minutes on each side. If your pan isn’t large enough for all the gammon steaks together, cook a couple and keep them warm in a low oven while you do the rest.

While the gammon is cooking, place the pan with the infused milk over a medium heat and stir in the parsley. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with the cold water until smooth and pour into the pan with the milk. Heat through, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thick. Season to taste.

Put the gammon steaks on warmed plates. Pour over a little of the sauce and serve the rest separately. We like serving this gammon with a few new potatoes and some freshly cooked runner beans.

LEMON AND THYME ROAST CHICKEN

A good roast chicken is one of our favourite meals and by adding lemon and thyme to flavour the meat you don’t miss the stuffing. Even though we’re watching our weight we can still enjoy a chicken dinner, but now we don’t eat the skin – contains loads of calories, we’re told.

SERVES 5–6

1 free-range roasting chicken (about 1.75kg)

4 bushy sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

½ large lemon

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

4 rashers of rindless dry-cure smoked back bacon

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Gravy

100ml white wine (or extra chicken stock)

300ml chicken stock, made with ½ chicken stock cube

1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

2 rashers of rindless dry-cure smoked back bacon

2 tsp cornflour

1 tbsp cold water

362 calories per portion (if serving 5)302 calories per portion (if serving 6)

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Remove any elastic bands that may be trussing the chicken. Put the chicken on a board and slide your fingers under the skin of the breast, carefully separating it from the flesh. This is much easier than it sounds, so just go for it. Gently push the thyme sprigs up under the chicken skin – the idea is to add some extra flavour to the meat. Squeeze the lemon all over the bird and rub the juice into the chicken skin.

Pile the onion slices in the centre of a sturdy roasting tin and place the chicken on top. Don’t allow any onion to escape around the outside of the chicken as it may burn. Pop the squeezed lemon half inside the chicken, then wash your hands and season the bird with sea salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes per 1 kilogram, plus 20 minutes – a 1.75kg chicken will take about 1 hour 35 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the cooking time, take the chicken out of the oven and cover the breast with the 4 bacon rashers. Put the tin back in the oven until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. The juices should run clear when the thigh is pieced with a skewer and there should be no pink remaining.

Move the chicken and bacon to a warmed serving dish and scoop up any onions that you are able to lift from the pan and place them on the dish as well. Cover the chicken with foil and a couple of dry tea towels and leave it to rest. Holding the roasting tin carefully with an oven cloth, tilt all the juices to one corner. Skim as much fat from the surface as possible and chuck it away.

To make the gravy, put the roasting tin on the hob over a medium heat and pour in the wine and stock. Stir well to lift the juices and sediment from the bottom of the pan – these will add lots of flavour to the gravy – and bring to a simmer. Pour the gravy carefully into a medium saucepan and add the 2 remaining rashers of bacon. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The bacon adds extra flavour to the gravy.

Take the bacon rashers out of the pan with tongs or a fork and put them with the rest. Mix the cornflour with the water in a small bowl and stir it into the gravy. Heat through until bubbling and simmer for a further minute, stirring until thickened. Strain the gravy through a fine sieve into a warmed jug.

Carve the chicken and serve it on warmed plates, adding a little of the roasted onion and a rasher of bacon to each one. Pour over a little of the gravy and serve the rest separately.

EASY CRISPY CHICKEN

This is finger-licking good and all the family will love it – they won’t even realise how low in calories it is! If you like, you can use 100g ready-made white breadcrumbs instead of making your own.

SERVES 4

150g white sliced bread (about 4 slices)

4 tsp dried oregano or dried mixed herbs

2 tsp flaked sea salt

25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

4 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt

1–2 tbsp plain flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each about 160g)

freshly ground black pepper

299 calories per portion

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Place the bread on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment and toast until pale golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the crusts and tear the bread into large pieces.

Put the bread in a food processor and blitz into crumbs. Tip these into a large bowl and toss with the oregano, salt and Parmesan cheese, then season with lots of black pepper. Divide the crumb mixture between 2 dinner plates. Spoon the yoghurt into a bowl and sprinkle the flour on a plate.

Take a chicken breast and coat it lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip it into the yoghurt until evenly covered. Then place the chicken on a plate of crumb mix and press so you get a thickish crust all over.

Transfer the chicken carefully to the lined baking tray. Continue dipping and coating the rest of the chicken breasts until they all have a lovely crust of crumbs. Each plate of crumbs should be enough to coat 2 breasts.

Bake the chicken for 22–25 minutes until golden, crisp and cooked through. Leave to stand for 4–5 minutes before serving with some fresh green salad.

Top tip:

To make the chicken extra crispy, as in our photo, spray with a spritz of sunflower oil before baking.

CAJUN SPICED CHICKEN WITH POTATO WEDGES AND CHIVE DIP

This recipe, with its raging Cajun spicy flavours, was inspired by the fab food we ate when we made our trip down the Mississippi. It’s a real treat but surprisingly low in fat, so you can enjoy a few – and we mean a few – potato wedges alongside.

SERVES 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ tsp sunflower oil, for greasing

lime wedges, to serve

Cajun spice mix

5 tsp ground cumin

4 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp dried thyme