Low Fat Torta

You will need

2 hard boiled eggs
Handfull of Dandelion leaves
Spray oil
1 chopped onion
1 tub Quark
2oz/50g parmesan cheese
Black pepper
4oz/100g pastery

Put the dandelions in a bowl to soak and remove any old tough leaves.

Put the oven on to gas mark 6 200c/400f.

Heat a pan and spray with oil, cook the onions for a few minutes until soft.

Wilt the leaves by placing in a hot pan over a low heat for a coulpe of minutes, remove from the heat, when cool squeeze out the water.

Using a vegetable peeler shave the parmesan cheese.

Mix the leaves, onion, quark and pepper together and place in a dish, Sprinkle over the parmesan and place the eggs around the dish.

Cover with pastry and bake for 35 mintues.

Can be eaten hot or cold.

A good for you Trifle

For the sponge

3 eggs
100g caster sugar
175g self raising flour

Pre heat the oven to gas 5.

Whisk the eggs and sugar until mixed

Fold in the flour

Pour into a lined tin and cook for 30 minutes.

For the trifle

Sponge as above

Sherry (if you are feeling decedent)

Fruit of your choice

1 Packet of sugar free jelly

1 packet of low fat/sugar custard

Low fat Natural yoghurt

Cut your sponge into pieces and place in a dish.

Pour over your sherry and fruit

Make the jelly to the packet instructions and pour over, leave to set.

Make the custard, but don’t put in as much water as stated on the packet, it needs to be think. Wait for it to cool then pour over the jelly.

When cool cover with the yoghurt and sprinkles or fruit of your choice.

Vegetable Strudel

Will serve 4, I have given per person weights so that you can increase the amounts if you are serving more people. I found this recipe in an old magazine, and have changed it a bit to make it lower in fat and salt.

3 sheets of filo pastry per person
4oz fat reduced Mozzarella cubed
1 tablespoon hard Italian cheese per person grated
4oz Pine nuts
Spray oil

1 Courgette chopped
1 small Aubergine chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
1 small red and yellow pepper deseeded and chopped
1 onion chopped
Garlic as much as you like chopped
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Black pepper.

1 Place the courgette and aubergine in a colander and mix with a little salt, place a weight on top so that all the bitter juices come out. (about an hour) rinse in running water

2 Spray two baking sheets or tins with oil and place the onion, peppers and tomatoes in one pan and sprinkle over the coriander. In the other tin place the courgette, aubergine and garlic and season well with the black pepper. Roast until just cooked, and leave to cool.

3. When the veg have cooled mix them together.

4 Lay a sheet of filo on a board and spray with oil, place another sheet of pastey on top, do this until ypu have three sheets of pastry.

5 Sprinkle over the nuts, then the vegetables, mozzarella and hard cheese.

6 Roll and place in tin seam side down, bake for 40 minutes on gas 4, 350f 180c

Log

Take

2oz self-raising flour
2oz cocoa
4 medium eggs
2oz sugar
400g double cream - or 400g quark + 3 drops vanilla essence
soft fruits

line a flat tin with baking parchment and set the oven to gas 6, 200c, 400f

Beat the sugar and eggs together, then fold in the flour and cocoa, and pour into the tin. cook for 12 minutes and cool for 5 minutes

if using cream beat until thick, if using Quark mix the quark with the vanilla

Place a wet tea towel on the table with baking parchment on top,

turn out the sponge and spread the cream on top, add the fruit

take the end of the wet tea-towel and roll up the cake

Ideally the outside should crake a little, so as to look like rough wood

Stuffed pheasant

Per person

2 breast of pheasant
2oz sausage meat
2 thin slices of black pudding
2 chopped mushrooms
2 rashers of bacon.

Place the two rashers of bacon on to a piece of foil

Lay one breast on top.

Layer the sausage meat, black pudding and mushrooms on top of this.

Top with the other breast

Wrap the bacon round and fold the foil round into a parcel.

Cook at gas 5 for 30-40 minutes until all the meats are cooked.

puds

Spice Carrot Cake
easy

Take

8oz self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3 carrots - grated
4oz butter - melted
1/4pt milk
5 tbsp castor sugar
2tsp ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice.

Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180oc/350f, and line a loaf tin.

Grate the carrots

Put the flour, baking powder, eggs, carrots, butter, spices and sugar in a bowl and mix well

spoon into the tin and bake for 45 minutes

cool and enjoy

Brandy pud

easy

You will need…

As many cherries as you want
Enough Quark to cover your cherries
Caster sugar
Cherry brandy

Take the stones out of the cherries and place them in a bowl, cover with the brandy, (go on you know you want to). Leave to stand for about 10 minuets.

Cover with Quark and sprinkle with sugar, place under a hot grill until brown and bubbling.

Yum!

Easy pud

Makes 4 depending on the size of the dishes.

Take some trifle sponges
1pt cold custard, (Tinned, packet or home made)
Tin of Mangos

Line a dish with cling film, leaving enough at the sides to fold over.

Place pieces of the sponge in the bottom of the dish and push down

Put a layer of custard over the top of the sponge

Put a layer of mango over the top of the custard

Fold over the cling film and put in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours

Turn out and serve, I added a few home grown strawberries.

coffee and chocolate pud

easy

You will need…

4oz butter
4oz sugar
8oz flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa
½ tablespoon coffee
A little milk (if needed)

Put oven on gas 4

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor or big bowl and beat until smooth. If the mix is to stiff add a little milk.

Grease some muffin tins or a cake tin, and put a spoon of mixture in each cup.

Cook for 15-20 minutes

Serve with fruit and cream

Cheesecake

easy and low fat

You will need…
12 digestive biscuits
1 oz low fat spread
4 tbsp cocoa
250g pot Quark
100g low fat natural yoghurt
3 table spoons caster sugar
2 eggs

Put oven on gas mark 4

Melt the spread and crush the biscuits, mix together and firm down in the bottom of a cake tin or dish

Place all other ingredient into a bowl or food processor and beat until smooth

Pour over biscuit base and cook for 40-45 minutes

Cool and serve with fruit and cream

Super pud

easy

Take one

Orange peeled and sliced
The grated skin of a Lemon
Half a tub of Fromage Frais low fat
Half a tub Of Quark low fat
Lemon yoghurt low fat

Place the last four ingredients in a bowl and mix

Layer the orange and cream mix in a dish

Done! Go and enjoy

Don’t waist the lemon place it in a bowl and cover with boiling water and a teaspoon of honey cool and drink, de-lish

warm pineapple
easy

Take a pineapple

Peel, core and slice. Sprinkle on some nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger, wrap in foil and bake for about 15 minutes in a warm oven

Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Quickish pud

easy

what you will need…

Christmas pud
Baylies
White chocolate

melt the choc and drink together

put into ice trays and leave to set.

cut a hole and fill with cubes, replace lid and cook to your liking.

When you cut it the sauce runs out.

chocolate pud
easy
You will need
Chocolate
Flour
Sugar
Cocoa
Butter
Eggs

Melt the chocolate and pour into small bowls leave to set

Make a sponge mix with the remaining ingredients

Pour over the set chocolate

Place bowls in a try half filled with water

Bake until firm

Turn out still warm and serve with cream.

Chocolate and rum pud

easy

You will need Dark chocolate
Rum
3 eggs, separated
Cream

Melt the chocolate and leave to cool for 10 minutes

Beat the eggs yokes with the rum, (to taste)

Wisk the egg whites until stiff

Beat the egg and rum mixture into the chocolate

Fold in the egg whites and spoon into dishes.

Leave to set and serve with a spoon of cream.

Strawberry pud

easy

You will need

Fresh strawberries

Red jelly

Strawberry yoghurt

Make up the jelly and pour a small amount into the dishes and leave to set.

Mix the chopped strawberries and yoghurt into the remaining jelly.

Pour over the set jelly in the dishes and leave to set.

Turn out and enjoy. (Smaller dishes would have looked better).

Chocolate and Orange pud

easy

you will need

12 digestive biscults
28g margarine or butter
2 sachets orange jelly crystals
250g pot Quark
120g chocolate mousse
1/2 bar Orange Aero

Crush the biscults and melt the butter, mix together and line a dish with the mix, leave to cool

make the jelly and stir in the quark, mousse and chocolate

Pour over base and leave to set, decorate with fromage frais and orange

Fruity Ice-cream

Easy

This is yet another twist on an old favourite. I haven’t give weights because you make as much as you want.

Take

Vanilla ice-cream
Dried fruit chopped (I used Apricots, prunes and dates)

Soften the ice-cream in a bowl

Add the fruit and mix well

Place in a freezer proof container and freeze.

Serve with fruit, cake or what ever you fancy.

Summer cup

Easy

You will need…
14oz raspberries
7oz blueberries
7oz blackberries
200g pot of Quark
400g fromage frais
Few drops vanilla essence
Grated zest of one orange (Zest is the skin from the fruit, not the white pith, I use a grater)

Reserve a few berries for garnish and puree the remaining raspberries in a blender.

Puree the blueberries and blackberries together

Beat the Quark with the fromage frais, vanilla and orange zest until smooth.

Layer the fruit puree and cream mixture in glasses and chill for 2 hours.

I garnished the plate with a few home grown red currents.

smoothies

easy

Take 7oz of cooked beetroot (not picked) and ¼ pt of tomato juice and the juice of one lime

Place in a blender and whiz like mad.

Good for headaches, or so I am told.

Take 11oz berries fresh or frozen
11fl oz apple juice
teaspoon honey

blend

Good for after a binge

1/4 melon
2 kiwis
teaspoon grated ginger

blend

good for fighting a cold

A nice drink

take A pineapple fresh or tinned
Two passion fruit
One mango

Blend

Beer stuffing

easy

You will need…

Stout
Oil
500g pork sausages skin removed
Peeled chestnuts
1 egg beaten
Bacon
Chopped dates
1 onion chopped
1-2 tbsp sage
1 apple grated
Breadcrumbs

Soak the dates in a couple of tablespoons of stout, oh dear you will have to drink the rest.

Cook the onion until soft then add the sage, drain the dates, (keep the juices). Add the dates to the onions and leave to cool.

Chop some of the chestnuts and add to the onion along with the sausage meat, apple and egg, mix and add enough breadcrumbs to bind it all together.

Roll into balls and add one chestnut and wrap in bacon, place in tin and pour over the reserved juices.

Cook for 25 minutes at 180oc or gas 4.

If you make them meat ball size they are filling enough to serve with veg as a meal.

Old ones but good ones. (mains)

Quick soup

easy

You will need…

Onion
Carrot
Garlic
Ripe tomatoes
Tin chopped tomatoes
Veg stock
Black pepper

Put everything into a pan, cook, blend and serve.

Sometimes after blending I add pre-cooked rice and veg to make it a little more filling..

Macaroni Cheese

easy

You will need…

Severs 4

½ lb macaroni

As many mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and garlic cloves as you like

Onion

¼ lb cheese grated

½ pt milk

1 table spoon corn flour

Black pepper

3 table spoons of yogurt

Put the oven on gas 5

Cook the macaroni, chop the onion, peel the garlic (leave whole) and slice the mushrooms.

Mix the veg and pasta together and put in an oven proof dish

Mix the corn flour with a little of the milk, put the rest of the milk on to warm, then add the corn flour, black pepper, yogurt and half of the cheese. Cook until it starts to thicken.

Pour over the pasta and veg and cover with the remaining cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

Serve.

Fish burger

easy

You will need…

Raw prawns
Salmon
Spring onions
Black pepper

Cappers
Red onion
Oil
One tablespoon Mayo
Three tablespoons Yogurt
Gherkins

Place the first three ingredients in a food processor and blend. Chill.

Cut up the cappers, gherkins and dice the onion, mix with the mayo and yogurt

Make the fish into burgers and spray with oil, grill for 5 minutes each side.

Eat with chips, salad, a bun what ever you like.

Coq au vin

easy

You will need…

1 chicken Brest for each person (this recipe serves 4)
8 shallots peeled and halved
1 bulb of garlic peeled and sliced
6oz mushroom sliced
Hand full of baby carrots scrubbed
2 sticks celery chopped
Oil
8lfoz red wine
14lfoz veg stock
1tbsp dried thyme
Black pepper
1 teaspoon corn flour

Cook the chicken in the oil for a few minutes.

Mix a little of the stock with the corn flour.

Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, stock, red wine and corn flour to the chicken and cook for 20 minutes uncovered.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery and black pepper, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Goulash

easy

What you need
12 shallots halved
As much garlic as you like chopped
2lb pork fat removed
2 red peppers
Bay leaves
2tsp paprika
400g can tomatoes chopped
7floz beef stock
Black pepper

Put in a pan and bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until meat is tender.

Low fat burrito cups with an herb salad.
easy

You will need.

One chopped red onion
¼ chopped cucumber
Two chopped tomatoes
Hand full each of chopped coriander and mint
Juice of one lemon

1 white onion, chopped
1 red and one green pepper, chopped
Spray oil
340g box of quorn mince
2tsp of ground cumin, paprika and cinnamon
2 400g tins tomatoes
1 400g tin kidney beans

1 tbsp soy sauce
White pepper
Packet of low fat corn tortillas.

Make the salad by mixing the first 5 ingredients together and set aside.

Fry the onion and peppers for a few minutes then add all other ingredients and cook for 20 minutes.

Warm the tortillas and place in a dish, place the mince mixture inside this and serve with the salad, chillies, salsa and a dip made from low fat yoghurt and mint.

Tuna Cannelloni

easy

1 onion
2 carrots
4 sticks celery
oil
1lb passata
1tsp oregano
1lb tin tuna in spring water
12 tubes pre-cook cannelloni
250g pot quark
8 cheese triangles
1/4 pt milk
black pepper
grated parmesan

chop the onion/celery and carrots and fry for a couple of minutes. Add half of the passata/pepper and oregano and cook until veg are soft.

Take off the heat and add the tuna. Stuff the mix into the tubes. Place the remaining mix in the bottom of a dish and place the tubes on top, pour over the rest of the passata. Make the topping by mixing together the quark/milk and cheese, pour over the dish. And sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for 40 mintutes on gas 6 200oc 400of/serves 4

Curried Parsnip Soup

Easy

This freezes well

Can be made with potatoes, which is just as nice.

You will need,

1lb Parsnips
2 onions
Garlic (as much as you like)
1 tbsp madras powder
1 tsp each of ground cumin turmeric, coriander and ginger
2pts veg stock
Black pepper
Tabasco and cayenne pepper (as much as you like)

Place the parsnips, onion, garlic curry powder all the spices and stock into a pan.

Add the black pepper and boil until the veg are cooked,

Blend then add the cayenne and Tabasco heat through and enjoy.

Pasta Soup

easy

You will need…
2 Onions chopped
Garlic, as much as you like chopped
3 celery sticks chopped
2 carrots chopped, or baby ones
400g can chopped Tomatoes
1 ½ pints of veg stock
2oz dried soup pasta
Tin of mixed beans
Black pepper.

Put all the ingredients except the pasta and beans into a pan and bring to the boil.
When carrots are cooked put in the pasta and cook for a few minutes more. Once the pasta is cooked stir in the bean heat through and serve with a big lump of garlic bread.

Fantastic!

Butternut squash and pepper soup

easy

All you need is…

A butternut squash

A yellow or red pepper

Water

De-seed and chop the pepper and squash, (no need to peel), place in a pan with water. Cook until veg are soft. Blend and heat through, (keep it thick).

I like to add cayenne pepper and a few pumpkin seeds.

Pea Soup

easy

You will need…

Potatoes
Peas
Veg stock
Spinach
Black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a pan, (if using frozen spinach put this in at this point). Cook until the potato is done.
If using fresh spinach add now and stir.

Blend and serve.

Sometimes I add a little grilled bacon to the top.

Fish Soup

easy

You will need….

leek
garlic
Tomatoes
Salmon/cod/seafood medley
Oil
Fennel seeds
2pts fish stock
Bouquet garni
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper

Fry the leek and garlic for a couple of minutes then add the stock, tomatoes, bouquet garni, black pepper and bring to the boil.

When the leek is soft add the cod and salmon, cook for a few minutes.
Add the sea food and cayenne and warm through.

Serve

Cauliflower soup

easy

You will need…
Onion
Paprika
Cauliflower
1 ¼ pts veg sock
¼ pt milk
6 cheese triangles
Black pepper

Put the stock, onion, paprika, cauliflower, milk and pepper into a pan and cook.

Add the cheese and melt, blend

Serve with paprika sprinkle on the top.

Sweet corn soup

easy

You will need…
Sweet corn tinned or frozen
Red pepper
Spring onion
Black pepper
Soy sauce
Garlic
Veg stock

Chopped the pepper and onion and place in a pan with all other ingredients cook until tender.

Enjoy.

spiced lamb

not as hard as it looks
Serves 6

5 red onions
1 clove garlic
1 orange
Oil
2 ½
2 ½ oz dried apricots
3 ½ oz cooked rice
Black pepper
3lb leg of lamb
2tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp curry paste
1tsp minced ginger
1tsp turmeric
1 butternut squash
2 peppers
Cherry tomatoes

Chop one red onion and crush one clove of garlic, fry until soft

Remove from heat and mix in the rice, black pepper, apricots and orange rind.

Bone the lamb and open out, place the filling on one side of the meat and fold over, tie.

Mix the coriander, cumin, curry paste, ginger and garlic with the orange juice and spread over the top of meat.

Place in a hot oven for an hour, add the chopped veg and cook.

Burger

When you want a healthy quick burger try this…
easy

You will need

Baps
Minced beef
Spring onions
Bacon
Red pepper
Tomatoes
Chives
Parsley
Black pepper
American B B Q spice

Roughly chop the onions

Place onions/beef/black pepper and parsley in a dish and mix with, (here’s the good bit), your hands. (Please wash them first and keep them away from all orifices).

Shape burgers

Chop tomatoes/chives and red pepper

Place in bowl with American BBQ spice, (to taste)

Mix

Grill bacon and burgers

Place burgers/bacon and salsa on bap

Serve

light lunch

easy

Take a melon, a cucumber, tomatoes, mint and goats cheese.

Peel and slice the melon and cucumber.
Slice the tomatoes and layer on plate, top with goat’s cheese and mint leaves.

Serve with chilled white wine. I used Sainsbury’s SO organic chardonnay 2004, which is dry and crisp, goes well with fruit and salad, and crust bread.

If you leave out the wine it’s a lovely breakfast.

Asparagus risotto

You will need…

As much garlic as you like, sliced
A leek
As much Asparagus as you like
Lean ham chopped
Oil
9oz risotto rice
1 ½ pt veg stock

Easy

Fry the leek and garlic for a few minutes

Add the rice and turn cook for 2 minutes.

Add the stock a little at a time stirring until it as all be absorbed do this until half of the stock as been used.

When all of the stock has been absorbed had the ham and cook for 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and the rest of the stock and cook until all the stock is absorbed

Serve with veg.

Thai Salmon

Easy

Take
Oil
1 level tbsp Thai green curry paste
Shredded stir-fry veg
Zest of 1 lime
2 pieces of smoked salmon for each person.

Stir-fry the green curry paste, veg and lime zest for 2 minutes.

Place one piece of salmon on a piece of oiled tin foil

Put a spoon full on veg on top

Cover with a second piece of salmon and a slice of lime

Cook in a warm over for 3-4 minutes.

Serve
chilly beef
easy
You will need…
1 Onion
2 cloves garlic
1 red or orange pepper
1 green pepper
1 green chill
2lb beef
Oil
1tsp each chilli flakes and ground cumin
Black pepper
2 cans tomatoes
400g tin kidney beans
100g yogurt
Baby sweet corn
Baby Asparagus

Cut beef into big chunks.

Peel and chop the onion, garlic, peppers, sweet corn and asparagus

Put the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic

Add the chilli flakes and cumin and fry for a few mintues.

Add the beef and cook for 5-6 mins

Add the peppers

Add the tomatoes and cover, cook for an hour or untill the meat is tender.

make the salsa, place the yogurt, green pepper and green chilli in a dish and mix.

Add the kidney beans, sweet corn pepper and asparagus cover and cook for a further 10 mins.

serve with salsa and boiled pasta.

Lemon pasta

(easy)

Pasta
As much garlic as you like
Spring onions
As many olives as you like
Oil
Lemon
Peas
200g fromage frais
Black pepper
Basil

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions

Peel and crush the garlic, slice the onions, chop the olives, grate the zest of the lemon and mix this with the fromage frais.

(If you don’t have a garlic crusher use the flat part of a broad knife, push down on the garlic, then chop the remains).

Fry the onions, garlic and peas for a few minutes.

Stir in the drained pasta and olives

Remove from the heat and mix in the fromage frais.

Serve with the black pepper and basil on top.

Duck in honey sause

Easy

8 tbsp low salt soy sauce
2tsp ground ginger
4tsp runny honey
1tsp sesame oil
2tsp Chinese 5 spice
Duck breasts (skin removed)
3tbsp water

Mix the soy, ginger, honey, Chinese spice and oil together.

Make cuts in the duck, don’t go all the way through.

Coat the duck in the sauce

Grill for 5-6 minutes

Heat the remainder of the sauce with the water, don’t let it boil.

Serve the duck with the sauce pored over.

Sausage soup

Easy

This soup is very filling and can be frozen so make a little extra and freeze in single portions, and then people can help themselves.

They are no amounts given in this recipe, you can put in as much as you like of each ingredient.

Onions chopped
Garlic crushed
Celery chopped
Carrots chopped
1tsp dried thyme
2pts veg stock
Two sausages per person cut into pieces
1pt Passata
1 tsp paprika
Black pepper

Put everything into a pan and cook on top of the oven until the Sausage is cooked and the vegetables are to your liking

Serve with pitta bread.