Lunch Recipes
Seafood in a Tomato and Herb Sauce
Ingredients
Method
First drain your prawns and mussels if using. (I like to lay on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb excess water)
Heat the oil in a sauce pan as it begins to smoke add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds then add the tomatoes and salt, stir on a high heat.
As the tomatoes start to break, mix herbs. After one minute add the red wine vinegar and tomato juice. As it comes to the boil, add in the prawns (and mussels if using) and stir.
Add a pinch of black pepper over the top and cover for around 5 minutes.
This is gorgeous served with some French Bread/stick if your diet allows.
Sweet Potato Wedges
Ingredients
2 Medium sized Sweet Potatoes (cut into wedges)
A Pinch of Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Sea salt
1/4 Teaspoon of Season All or Season Salt
1/4 Teaspoon of Pepper
1 Cal (or any other spray oil/cooking Spray)
Method
Cook the Potato Wedges in a Microwave for about 2-4 minutes on high heat (just enough to soften).
Then place the wedges into a bowl and shake all of the dry ingredients (spice) over the wedges and toss to cover evenly. A good alternative is to put wedges in a plastic bag with the ingredients and shake to distribute the spice evenly. Spread sweet potato wedges evenly on a baking tray making sure there arent any overlapping then coat with cooking spray.
Bake at 230 'C for about 20 minutes or until they start to brown, turning potatoes once or twice during cooking.
Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
6 cups of fresh breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Onion, finely diced
2 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. dried ground sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spread breadcrumbs on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and pour into a large mixing bowl.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion to skillet, stirring until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add apples to skillet and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over breadcrumbs. Add remaining ingredients to mixing bowl, tossing well.
Spoon into a 9 x 13" baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes or until browned on top.
Oat Crusted Cod
Ingredients
1-2 Cod Fillets (or any white Fish)
1 Egg White
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Season All
Hand Full of Oats (These should not be too large flakes)
You may use fresh or frozen fish but if frozen please allow the fish to thaw and dab with a piece of kitchen towel.
Put your oats in a bowl with the Cayenne pepper and season all and your egg white in a seperate bowl.
Heat a frying pan to a medium heat with a little 1 calorie spray or olive oil if your diet allows, (you need not use anything but have a good non stick pan!) Take your fish and dip into the egg white bowl run your fingers lightly along the fish just to take the excess egg white off then carefully dip the fish into the oats making sure all of the fish is covered, gently tap the fish to shake of any loose oats and then fry in the pan for around 7 minutes depending on the size of the fish. As soon as the fish flakes when you enter a knife the fish is done. Serve this on a bed of brown rice or if you are using no carbs then this is delicious served with salad or I even like to use beansprouts just lightly wilted in a pan and added with a little mixed veg!
Steak Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
1 piece of fillet or sirloin steak
2 Large lettuce leaves
1 Tomato
3 Slices of Cucumber
1 Spring Onion
3/4 Teaspoon of Mustard / Mayo / Ketchup / BBQ
You can change the Steak for any meat you would like ie.... Chicken, Pork, or even fish/tuna. I like to actually use steak mince and have it as a kind of Taco.
So if you start cooking your steak and whilst you are waiting for that to cook wash your lettuce leaves and dry them, (cos lettuce leaves tend to be a lot bigger and therefore wrap better)
Lay your lettuce leaf out flat and add the sauce you are wanting to use, spread this evenly over the lettuce leaves mainly in the centre of the leaf where the ingredients are going to lay. Then add your chopped salad ingredients to the centre of your leaf (spreading up the spine of the leaf) be sure to leave around an inch at the bottom free from ingredients as you are going to need to fold this over your ingredients before you wrap to keep the filling from falling out. Once your meat is cooked add that to the lettuce leaf covering the salad , then fold up the inch at the bottom of the lettuce leaf over your filling then you have to turn one side of the lettuce leaf over to meet the ingredients and roll tightly and there you have your wrap. It is gorgeous and very healthy!!
You can have great fun trying different versions of these!! It makes a fantastic alternative to bread for lunch and tortilla wraps!!
Spicy Cod and Lentils
Ingredients
5 - 8 Plum or CHerry Tomatoes
Red Lentils
Cod Fillets (Fresh or frozen)
Olive Oil
Garlic
Curry Powder
1 Onion
Olives & Mixed Herbs (optional)
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (Drop to 180 for fan assisted)
Cook around 300g of lentils following the instructions given on the pack. Whilst waiting for the lentils, mix 2 tables spoons of olive oil with two table spoons of Curry Powder and spread over the cod fillets. Pop them onto a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated over 20-25 minutes if frozen, 10-15 minutes if fresh. (If you prod the fish with a knife and it flakes apart easily it is cooked).
In the meantime, heat a table spoon of olive oil in a pan and add in the onion which should be finely chopped, one clove of garlic, chopped or crushed, and cook the ingredients until tender. (Around 2-3 minutes)
When lentils are cooked, drain and add to the pan of onion and garlic. Roughly chop your tomotoes and add them to the pan until they are warm and then you are ready to serve with your fish.
Another optional extra which is nice, is adding a few olives and dry mixed herbs to the pan at the end with the tomoatoes.
Fruity, Crunchy Lentil Salad
This recipe is ideal for making in advance. So you can take this to work for a healthy lunch a few days running. This also ideal for barbeques and picnics. The volumes is for around 4-6 servings, depending on the serving size! Keep in an air tight container in the fridge!
Ingredients
16oz/ 1 pound of Green Lentils
2 Spring Onions (Chopped)
8oz/1 Cup of Seedless Green Grapes (halved)
8oz/1 Cup of Seedless Red Grapes (halved)
1 Cucumber, (peeled and diced)
1 Red Pepper (seeded and diced)
4oz/ 1/2 Cup of Hazel nuts (shelled)
Finely Grated Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Method
Pre-heat oven to 175'c. Once oven has reached the temperature pop your shelled hazelnuts evenly on a baking tray and toast for 8-10 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil (lightly salted optional) Once water is boiled add the lentils and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. This will take around 18-20 mins. Drain and leave to cool. In a large bowl mix all of the salad ingredients and stir, then add the cooled lentils and hazelnuts and toss all of the salad together. Then drizzle over the vinegarette. Although if you are making this in advance you may do better saving the vinegarette and use just before serving.
For the Vinegarette
Squeezed fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
4-5 Tablespoons cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place lemon juice in a small bowl and slowly begin whisking in the olive oil (whisking constantly). Season with the salt and pepper and pour over the salad and toss well!!
Healthy Pockets
This is an ideal recipe for your packed lunch for work (or your children's) or if you want to stick to your healthy diet but still go on picnics with your family this summer!!
Ingredients
1 Tin of Tuna (preferably in spring water!)
2-3 Tablespoons of Cottage Cheese (depends on the consistency you prefer)
1 Spring Onion Chopped
5 Slices of Cucumber
2 Wholemeal Pittas
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Black or White Pepper
Method
Chop your spring onion finely and dice your slices of cucumber into cubes.
Drain Tuna and put into a bowl and add the spring onions and cucumber, after they are well mixed add your cottage cheese, cayenne and black or white pepper.
Cut you pitta bread in half so you should end up with 2 pockets per pitta, (you may find it easier if you lightly toast the pitta as sometimes they prove difficult to split open to make a pocket!)
All you have to do is decant your tuna mixture into a sealed tub and your pitta into a freezer bag and it is good to go!
Spicy Seafood Jumble
Ingredients
1 Boil in the bag rice
Approx 260g Mixed Seafood (available in you local supermarket)
1/2 Teaspoon Chilli Paste
1/2 Teaspoon Thai Paste
1/2 Teaspoon Season-All
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne
2 Teaspoons Dried Mixed Herbs
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Shakes of Lea and Perins
2 Spring Onions Chopped (optional)
A Handful of Mixed Peppers (optional)
Method
Start off by boiling your rice in a saucepan (following pack instructions)
Use either a wok or non-stick frying pan for the remaining ingredients, the pan needs to be pretty large. Turn the pan on high heat for a few seconds and add the mixed herbs and leave on high heat for around 5 seconds stirring to release the fragrance, then lower the heat immediately and add the Olive Oil. Once the olive oil is heated and combined with the herbs add all of the other ingredients one at a time apart from the Seafood and the Peppers and Spring onions (if using). Add the seafood once all of the other ingredients are mixed together. After 5 minutes add the Peppers and Spring onions (if using) I say add them at this point as you do not want them to be too soft.
You need to allow all of the ingredients to cook through for around 10 minutes stirring occasionally. (If you are using frozen seafood you need to add an extra 5-7 mins cooking time on top).
Once your rice has finished boiling you need to add this to your seafood jumble and cook for a further 2 mins stirring very well that the rice absorbs the sauce that we created! After everything is well stirred and thoroughly cooked it is ready to serve.
I always like a few olives on the side for extra taste but it is your choice.
You may add more or less of the spices to make it more or less spicy! Also if I am low on my protein intake I add diced chicken breast to this recipe but I cook the chicken first.
The ingredients above are in every supermarket and although it seems a lot of ingredients if you do not have them in your cupboard I can assure you a lot of the ingredients will pop up a lot in my recipes and each pot/tube/ or bottle will last you quite a long time and will end up being an essential part of your cooking ingredients.
The Chilli and Thai paste come in tubes which I find at Tesco or Asda. (If you are on a cutting diet you may be best to subtitute the paste for Dried Chillis and Dried Thai Spice only use 1/4 tsp if using Dried Thai Spice!)
