From blueberry pancakes to sticky pork chops – 5 delicious dishes that prove low calorie food doesn’t have to be bland

IF you’ve already fallen off the healthy-eating wagon, you are not alone.

Research shows that the average New Year health kick lasts just three and a half weeks — and ­getting fed up with eating the same things is one of the reasons we quickly return to our old, unhealthy habits.

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When celeb chef Tom Kerridge turned 40 he embarked on a healthy eating regime after being diagnosed as obese when his weight reached 30st.

He managed to lose 12st in five years by changing his diet and exercising regularly — and more importantly he kept the weight off.

Tom, now 49, says: “To lose weight we know that we need to eat less and move more.

“We are told by doctors, nutritionists, ­dieticians and personal trainers that it’s all about a balanced diet and eating fewer calories than we use.

"But why are so many people still overweight?

“I think bland and unappetising ‘diet food’ is a major ­factor.

"How can you stick to a diet if you’re not enjoying the food?

“If lower calorie food came packed with flavour and in generous portions, people would be more likely to lose weight.

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“I believe I can help, by providing lots of delicious, satisfying recipes that are also lower in calories.

“I want to help more people to lose weight for good — regardless of lifestyle and kitchen skills — without ever scrimping on flavour.”

Tom has written five diet books packed with easy-to-follow recipes.

Here are five of his tastiest low-cal meals.

•  Extracts from Lose Weight For Good; Lose Weight And Get Fit; and Tom Kerridge’s Fresh Start, all by Tom Kerridge, published by Bloomsbury.

BLUEBERRY, LEMON AND THYME PANCAKES

Serves 4 - 300 calories

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PANCAKES are a real treat for breakfast – and they are so easy to knock up in the morning.

These ones include ricotta, which is a great dairy product to use when you are on a diet as it’s low in fat but still rich and creamy.

Lemon thyme brings the fresh flavours together.

YOU NEED:

• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2-3 tsp granulated sweetener
• 1 tsp lemon thyme leaves, chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 175ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 large free-range egg
• 50g ricotta
• 200g blueberries
• Sunflower oil spray
• 2 tbsp agave

METHOD:

1. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, sweetener, thyme leaves and lemon zest in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
2. In a jug, whisk together the milk, egg and ricotta. Pour into the well in the flour mixture, then whisk until you have a thick, smooth pouring batter. Fold in half of the blueberries.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a few sprays of oil.
4. Spoon three dollops of batter into the pan to form three pancakes.
5. Cook for three minutes on each side, then remove from the pan. Keep warm, wrapped in foil, while you cook the remaining pancakes.
6. Serve three pancakes each, scattered with the remaining blueberries and drizzled with agave.

CAJUN SALMON

Serves 4 - 552 calories

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USING punchy flavours such as Cajun seasoning helps to keep your cooking exciting, taking lower-calorie meals to the next level.

YOU NEED:

• 4 skinless salmon fillets (120g each)
• 250g (1 small head) broccoli
• 1-cal sunflower oil spray
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the Cajun seasoning:
• 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• For the dirty rice:
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and finely diced
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 200ml fresh chicken stock
• 400g tin black eye beans
• 500g cooked brown and wild rice (freshly cooked and drained) or 2 pouches
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• To serve:
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. For the Cajun seasoning, mix the ingredients together in a small bowl with one tsp of flaky sea salt.
2. Pat each salmon fillet dry with kitchen paper then sprinkle with the seasoning on all sides.
3. Leave to marinate while you prepare the broccoli and dirty rice. Line a baking tray with a silicone mat (or spray with oil).
4. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets, season with salt and pepper and spread out on the tray. Cook on a high shelf in the oven for 12 minutes or until the broccoli is lightly charred and cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, for the dirty rice, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook for four to five minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes, then add the red pepper and tomato purée and stir well. Add the oregano, thyme and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
6. Drain the black eye beans and add to the pan with the rice. Cook for another five minutes.
7. Season well with salt and pepper and stir through the spring onions.
8. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Spray the salmon fillets a few times with oil then place in the pan.
9. Cook for two to three minutes on each side or until lightly charred and cooked through.
10. Spoon the rice into four shallow bowls or containers and add the broccoli and salmon. Serve at once, with lime wedges. Or cool, then seal, and keep in the fridge. Eat within two days, either cold or reheated.

TAMARIND CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH GREEN MANGO SALAD

Serves 6 - 415 calories

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TAMARIND paste adds a sweet-and-sour tang to these simple chicken skewers (it’s sold in jars and available from most large supermarkets).

You will also need six long wooden skewers – soak them before using, so they don’t burn on the griddle.

YOU NEED:

• 750g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 5 tbsp tamarind paste
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 4cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
• For the green mango salad:
• 750g firm green (unripe) mangoes, peeled
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1–2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
• 1½ tsp light brown sugar
• Juice of 1½ limes
• 1½ tbsp fish sauce
• A large handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• To serve: Lime wedges

METHOD:

1. Cut each chicken thigh into quarters.
2. Place in a bowl along with the tamarind paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and ginger.
3. Mix well and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, soak the wooden skewers in a tray of warm water.
5. For the salad, cut the mango flesh away from the stone, then slice it into julienne strips and place in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and toss together to combine.
6. Drain the skewers and thread the marinated chicken chunks on to them.
7. Heat a large griddle over a medium heat. Cook the skewers on the griddle for about five minutes on each side, until charred and cooked through.
8. Pile the chicken skewers on to a large warmed plate and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over and the green mango salad alongside.

STICKY PORK CHOPS

Serves 2 - 420 calories

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THIS recipe taps into everyone’s love of those all-American smoky flavours.

It has a great barbecue-style glaze, but with much less added sugar.

A fresh and crunchy slaw is the perfect foil for the sticky chops.

YOU NEED:

• 2 trimmed bone-in pork chops, i.e. all fat removed (250g each)
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the barbecue sauce:
• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp English mustard
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• For the slaw:
• 100g red cabbage, finely shredded
• 100g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt (0% fat)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 260C/240C fan/gas mark 10. Line an oven tray with baking parchment.
2. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Spray both sides of the chops with a few sprays of oil.
3. When the griddle is smoking hot, add the chops and cook for two minutes on each side or until well charred.
4. Set aside on the lined oven tray.
5. For the barbecue sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
6. Coat the pork chops in the sauce, on both sides. Cook on top shelf of the oven for ten minutes or until cooked through.
7. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the slaw and season with salt and pepper.
8. Remove the pork chops from the oven and run a cook’s blowtorch over them to blacken slightly. Serve with crunchy slaw.

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

Makes 12 - 150 calories

YOU NEED:

• 1-cal sunflower oil spray
• 150g self-raising wholemeal flour
• 85g good-quality cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 4 tbsp granulated sweetener
• Pinch of sea salt
• 50g light vegetable spread, melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 150ml whole milk
• 120g Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
• 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 60ml maple syrup
• 24 raspberries (100g)
• For the chocolate icing:
• 30g light vegetable spread
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 20g icing sugar
• To finish: 12 raspberries (50g)

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METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper muffin cases and give the inside of each one a spray of oil.
2. Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee granules, granulated sweetener and sea salt into a medium bowl and whisk lightly to mix.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegetable spread, vanilla extract, milk, Greek yoghurt, eggs and maple syrup until well combined. Add one-third of the flour mix to the whisked mixture and whisk until smooth.
4. Repeat this twice more to incorporate the rest of the flour mix.
5. Place two raspberries in each cupcake case. Spoon in the cake mixture, dividing it evenly. Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool slightly in their tray for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, to make the chocolate icing, mix the vegetable spread, cocoa and icing sugar together in a small bowl until smooth.
8. Spoon a small dollop of icing on top of each cake and finish with a raspberry.

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