Lose weight & feel great in 2021 with these tasty recipes from Pinch of Nom

IT is possible to eat delicious meals AND lose weight, as Pinch of Nom’s Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson have shown.

The food bloggers’ latest book, Pinch of Nom Quick & Easy, has 100 great, quick-to-make recipes.

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Kate says: “We wanted to make it easy to be mindful of your calorie intake, even when motivation is low or you’re short on time.”

Kay adds: “We wrote most of these recipes just before Covid-19 changed our lives.

“We needed the recipes to work whatever the landscape in the future. We needed simple ingredients with straightforward swaps for things that were harder to get.”

In day one of an exclusive two-part series, Natasha Harding brings you breakfast and lunch.

Squashage fingers

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Per serving: 344 cals; 23g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 400g five per cent-fat pork mince
• ¼ tsp dried parsley
• ¼ tsp garlic granules
• ¼ tsp mustard powder
• ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rolls:

• 4 bacon medallions, cut into strips
• 4 gluten-free finger rolls or wholemeal hotdog buns, 60g each
• 40g reduced-fat Cheddar, grated
• For the quick ketchup:
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• Pinch of paprika
• Pinch of sweetener
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Mix all the squashage finger ingredients together, apart from the low-calorie cooking spray. Split the squashage mix into four. With your hands, roll into four long, finger-length sausage shapes.
2. Spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray. Lay the sausages in the pan and squish them down gently so they don’t roll about. They will be about the thickness of a burger.
3. Add the bacon strips to the same pan as the squashage fingers. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, flipping the fingers halfway through, until the squashages are cooked through and the bacon is browned.
4. If you’re not sure whether the squashages are completely cooked through, cut into the top of one with a knife to check.
5. While the squashages and bacon are cooking, mix together the quick ketchup ingredients in a bowl, or use shop-bought ketchup if you prefer.
6. When the squashages are ready, add one to each bun with a sprinkle of cheese, some of the ketchup and some of the bacon strips. You can serve them like this or place under a hot grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese if you prefer.
7. You can freeze any cooked, leftover squashages for another day, or if you want to plan ahead, you can also freeze the raw mixture.

SWAP THIS: Switch the pork mince for turkey or beef mince.

Mexican streetcorn soup

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Per serving: 99 cals; 28g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and diced
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 x 200g tins sweetcorn, drained
• 500ml vegetable stock (1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 500ml boiling water)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 65g reduced-fat feta cheese
• 10g fresh coriander, chopped

To accompany (optional):

• 4 x 60g wholemeal bread rolls (152 cals per roll)

METHOD:

1. Spray a large saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Fry the onion, red pepper, green chilli and garlic for 5 minutes until soft. Add the potato, chilli powder, 350g of sweetcorn, stock and lime juice.
2. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potato is soft.
3. Add 50g of the reduced-fat feta, then use a stick blender or food processor to blitz the soup until smooth.
4. If you prefer a thinner soup, add a little water to loosen the texture. Add the remainder of the sweetcorn and season to taste with the salt and pepper.
5. Serve with the remaining feta cheese and a sprinkling of coriander on top.
   (You can cool and freeze the soup for another day, leaving off the garnish till you’re ready to defrost and reheat.)

Dirty macaroni

Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Per serving: 275 cals; 24g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 200g macaroni
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 500g five per cent-fat pork mince
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp Cajun spice mix
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 300ml chicken stock (1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 300ml boiling water)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 30g wholemeal bread
• 10g fresh parsley, chopped
• 40g reduced-fat Cheddar, grated
• 30g light spreadable cheese
• To accompany (optional):
• 75g mixed salad (15 cals per serving)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. Place a medium saucepan of boiling water on the hob and cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop any further cooking. Set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray, place over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry for 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the pork mince and peppers and fry for a further 5–6 minutes. Add the sage, oregano, thyme and Cajun spice mix and stir. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, white wine vinegar and chicken stock. Cook for 15 minutes over a medium heat. Season to taste.
4. Blitz the wholemeal bread using a food processor or mini chopper and place in a mixing bowl. Add the parsley and cheese to the bowl and mix well. Add the spreadable cheese to the pork mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Add the cooked macaroni, mix well, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Top with the breadcrumb-and-cheese mixture and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
6. Serve – or leave to cool and freeze to have another day.

Breakfast potatoes

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Per serving: 200 cals; 40g carbs

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YOU NEED:

• 600g potatoes, with skin left on, washed and cut into 2cm (¾in) cubes
• 3 mixed peppers, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp onion granules
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp garlic granules
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
• To accompany (optional):
• Egg fried in low-calorie cooking spray (82 cals per serving) or ¼ sliced avocado (69 cals per serving)

METHOD:

1. Add the diced potatoes to a medium saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer for 7 minutes. When ready, the potatoes should still be firm but starting to become tender.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, place the peppers and onions in a large frying pan which has been coated in low-calorie cooking spray. Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes until softened.
3. Drain the potatoes and add them to the frying pan with the onions and peppers. Stir in the Worcestershire Sauce, onion granules, paprika and garlic granules.
4. Spray with some more low-calorie cooking spray and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for another 10-15 minutes over a medium heat, or until the potatoes are cooked through but still hold their shape.
5. Serve with a fried egg or a quarter of an avocado for a slimming but filling breakfast, scattered with spring onions. You can also cool and freeze any leftover potatoes.

SWAP THIS: Substitute the potatoes for sweet potatoes (they might need less cooking time, as they tend to cook faster), or the peppers for mushrooms

Tuna melt peppers

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Per serving: 243 cals; 21g carbs

YOU NEED:

• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 1 x 200g tin tuna in spring water or brine, drained
• 125g cooked long-grain rice
• ½ red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 x 100g tin sweetcorn (or cook and use frozen)
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• Small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 120g reduced-fat spreadable cheese
• 80g reduced-fat Cheddar, finely grated
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 red or orange peppers, sliced in half lengthways and seeds removed

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1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. Spray a baking sheet with low-calorie cooking spray.
2. Put the tuna, rice, onion, sweetcorn, garlic granules, parsley, lemon juice and cheese spread in a bowl along with half of the grated Cheddar, season with a little salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Stuff each half-pepper with the tuna mix and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place in the oven for 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden.
4. Serve with your choice of accompaniment.

• Extracted from Pinch of Nom Quick & Easy: 100 Delicious, Slimming Recipes by Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson (Bluebird), £20.

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