The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight (13 page)

RICH BEEF AND ALE CASSEROLE

We do love a good stew and we’ve discovered that you don’t need to brown the meat in loads of fat. In this recipe we use lean meat and only a tablespoon of oil and the stew still tastes really rich and satisfying. Serve with some light mash that you soften with half-fat crème fraiche and bulk out with some steamed leeks for a cracking good feast.

SERVES 6

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp flaked sea salt

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

1kg lean braising beef

1 bay leaf

500ml dark ale or stout

250ml beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube

2 tbsp tomato purée

2 tsp caster sugar

5 medium carrots (about 275g), peeled and thickly sliced

2 parsnips (about 300g), peeled, halved lengthways and sliced

freshly ground black pepper

377 calories per portion (without the mash)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Add the onions and fry them over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until lightly browned, stirring regularly. Remove the pan from the heat.

Put the flour, salt and dried herbs in a large bowl and season with lots of freshly ground black pepper. Trim the beef of any hard fat and sinew, then cut the meat into rough 3cm cubes. Toss the meat in the flour until evenly coated, then tip it into the casserole dish with the onions.

Add the bay leaf, ale, stock, tomato purée and sugar. Stir well and bring to the boil, then cover with a lid. Carefully transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 1½ hours. At the end of this time, take the casserole out of the oven and stir in the carrots and parsnips. Put the lid back on and return the dish to the oven for a further 45 minutes or until the beef and vegetables are tender.

LAMB TAGINE

A tagine is a kind of spicy stew which originates from Morocco. This is our special version that is made with lean meat and less oil than usual but still tastes the business. Serve with a lightly dressed salad or some gorgeous green beans.

SERVES 5

750g lean lamb leg meat (or leg steaks)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp hot chilli powder

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 medium onions, halved and sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

400g can of chopped tomatoes

500ml cold water

3 tbsp runny honey

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 lamb stock cube

1 medium sweet potato (about 250g)

75g no-soak dried apricots, halved

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

fresh flat-leaf parsley and finely grated lemon zest, to serve (optional)

457 calories per portion

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Trim the lamb of any hard fat and cut the meat into rough 3cm chunks. Season all over with salt and pepper. Mix the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chilli powder in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan. Add the lamb, onions and garlic and stir-fry over a high heat for 1 minute until lightly coloured. Sprinkle with the spices and cook for 1–2 minutes more, tossing constantly. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the spices begin to give off a strong aroma.

Tip the tomatoes into the casserole dish and add the water, honey and chickpeas. Crumble the stock cube over the top and stir well. Bring to a simmer on the hob, stirring a couple of times, then cover the dish with a lid and put it in the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour.

Just before the lamb is due to come out of the oven, peel the sweet potato and cut it into rough 2.5cm chunks. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the sweet potato and apricots. Put the lid back on and return the casserole to the oven. Cook for another 45–60 minutes or until the lamb is very tender.

Serve the tagine sprinkled with some roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley tossed with a little very finely grated lemon zest if you like. The zest adds a little extra spark of flavour.

SI AND DAVE’S WEIGHT-LOSS TIPS

Try to keep starchy carbohydrate portions down – a couple of new potatoes or a small baked potato should be plenty while you are trying to lose weight. Or serve green vegetables which are much lower in calories, and juicy veg such as courgettes and peppers.

If you do want some carbs, choose vegetables such as squash and carrots, which are lower in calories than potatoes. Beetroot is great too – really meaty and full of goodness.

Mega salads take a while to eat so help you feel satisfied. Add protein such as chicken strips or tuna to salads, as it makes them more filling. Look for tuna packed in water, not oil, to reduce the calorie count.

When you’ve piled your plate high with salad, don’t slather it with high-cal dressing. Low-cal bought dressings are fine or try making your own with the recipes in this book (see page 111). Keep the fat content as low as possible.

Be under no illusions – despite its healthy image olive oil has as many calories as butter. It may be better for you but the effect on your weight is the same.

POSH PRAWN COCKTAIL

The traditional prawn cocktail gets its high calorie count from the dressing, not the ingredients, but there’s nothing to fear in this version. We’ve substantially cut the calories in the dressing while not compromising on flavour. Get your laughing gear round this and enjoy.

SERVES 4

50g light mayonnaise

2 tsp tomato ketchup

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp celery salt (optional)

200g cooked and peeled king prawns, thawed and drained

2 baby gem lettuces, leaves separated

12 cherry tomatoes

¼ cucumber, sliced

100g smoked salmon, cut into wide strips

½ tsp paprika

freshly ground black pepper

lemon wedges, for squeezing

139 calories per portion

Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt (if using) and lots of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Stir in the prawns. Arrange the lettuce leaves in wide glass dessert dishes or shred the leaves and pile into stemmed wine glasses.

Arrange the tomatoes and cucumber on top of the lettuce, then spoon in the prawn cocktail mixture. Arrange strips of smoked salmon on the prawns, then sprinkle with a little paprika and some ground black pepper. Add lemon wedges for squeezing and serve.

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

We’ve been creating and enjoying loads of salads and we love this one which is good and hearty. The clever little dressing makes enough for four servings, so cover what’s left and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. Use it to perk up any salad leaves.

SERVES 2

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp sunflower oil

1 romaine lettuce heart

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 slices of ciabatta bread, each about 1.5cm thick (15g a slice)

flaked sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Dressing

2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

15g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

2½ tbsp cold water

272 calories per portion

To make the dressing, put the anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar, add the chopped garlic clove and pound into a paste. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Parmesan and water and stir well to make a pourable dressing.

Place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of cling film and bash it with a rolling pin until the chicken is about 1cm thick. Bash the other chicken breast in the same way, then season the breasts on both sides with a little salt and plenty of black pepper.