Tomato & thyme cod

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion , chopped
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 heaped tsp light, soft brown sugar
• few sprigs thyme , leaves stripped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 cod , fillets (we like No Catch) or another white flaky fish, such as pollack

Ready in 20 minutes and low fat, this fish dish is great for a Monday night when you'd rather be on the sofa than in the kitchen

Serves 4

Preperation and cooking times

Prep 5 mins

Cook 15 mins

Low-fat

If the fish was not previously frozen

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, then fry for 5-8 mins until lightly browned. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, thyme and soy, then bring to the boil.
2. Simmer 5 mins, then slip the cod into the sauce. Cover and gently cook for 8-10 mins until the cod flakes easily. Serve with baked or steamed potatoes.

Make ahead

The sauce for this dish can be made up to a day ahead. Simply cool and chill until ready to reheat.

Per serving

172 kcalories, protein 27g, carbohydrate 7g, fat 4 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 1g, salt 1.11 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2008.

Moroccan chickpea soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 600ml hot vegetable stock
• 400g can chopped plum tomatoes with garlic
• 400g can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
• 100g frozen broad beans
• zest and juice ½ lemon
• large handful coriander or parsley and flatbread, to serve

Serves 4

Preperation and cooking times

Ready in 20-25 mins

Vegetarian, Super healthy

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the onion and celery gently for 10 mins until softened, stirring frequently. Tip in the cumin and fry for another min.
2. Turn up the heat, then add the stock, tomatoes and chickpeas, plus a good grind of black pepper. Simmer for 8 mins. Throw in broad beans and lemon juice, cook for a further 2 mins. Season to taste, then top with a sprinkling of lemon zest and chopped herbs. Serve with flatbread.

Spicing it up

Spice it up further with a spoonful of harissa paste. Curry lovers can swap the cumin for 1 tsp of garam marsala. Or for a more hearty dish, fry 4 sliced chorizo sausages along with the onions and celery.

Per serving

148 kcalories, protein 9g, carbohydrate 17g, fat 5 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 6g, salt 1.07 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2005.

Speedy noodle soup

Don't let a lack of time ruin your evening meal, this speedy supper is easy to whip up at the last minute

Ingredients

• 330ml stock (any you like)
• squeeze chilli paste , to taste
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 sheet straight-to-wok noodle
• handful stir-fry vegetable
• crushed peanut

Serves 1

Preperation and cooking times

Prep 5 mins

Cook 5 mins

Vegetarian, Low-fat

(with veggie soy sauce)

1. Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan, stir in a squeeze chilli paste and soy sauce, then drop in 1 sheet straight-to-wok noodles.
2. Simmer for a few mins until all the noodles have separated.
3. Add a handful stir-fry veg, reserving any leafy bits until later.
4. Simmer for 1 min until the veg is just tender. Stir in the leafy veg, then simmer for 1 min more.
5. Serve in a deep bowl, scattered with crushed peanuts.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2008.

Chicken noodle soup

Ingredients

• 900ml chicken or vegetable stock (or Miso soup mix)
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, about 175g/6oz
• 1 tsp chopped fresh root ginger
• 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
• 50g rice or wheat noodles
• 2 tbsp sweetcorn , canned or frozen
• 2-3 mushrooms , thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions , shredded
• 2 tsp soy sauce , plus extra for serving
• mint or basil leaves and a little shredded chilli (optional), to serve

Serves 4

Preperation and cooking times

Prep 10 mins

Cook 30 mins

Low-fat

1. Pour the stock into a pan and add the chicken, ginger and garlic. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, partly cover and simmer for 20 mins, until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken to a board and shred into bite-size pieces using a couple of forks.
2. Return the chicken to the stock with the noodles, corn, mushrooms, half the spring onions and the soy sauce. Simmer for 3-4 mins until the noodles are tender. Ladle into two bowls and scatter over the remaining spring onions, herbs and chilli shreds if using. Serve with extra soy sauce for sprinkling.

Make it vegetarian

Replace the chicken with 175g/6oz firm tofu cut into cubes, simmer for 5 mins, then add the other ingredients as before.

Per serving

217 kcalories, protein 26g, carbohydrate 26g, fat 2 g, saturated fat 0.4g, fibre 0.6g, salt 2.52 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2006.

Ultimate chocolate cake

Ingredients

• 200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids
• 200g butter , cut in pieces
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 85g self-raising flour
• 85g plain flour
• 1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 medium eggs
• 75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
• grated chocolate or curls, to decorate

FOR THE GANACHE

• 200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above
• 284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar

Cuts into 14 slices

Preperation and cooking times

Prep 30 40 mins

Cook 1 hr min 1 hr 30 mins

Plus baking and cooling time

Without icing

1. Video tutorial: Melting chocolate

1. Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
2. While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
3. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.

541 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 55g, fat 35 g, saturated fat 20g, fibre 2g, salt 0.51 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2004.

Baked raspberry cheesecake

Easy

Serves 8
Preperation and cooking times
Preparation time

Prep 20 mins
Cook time

Cook 40 mins
Ready in 1 hour
Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Crush the biscuits in a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin). Mix with the butter. Press into a 20cm springform tin and bake for 5 minutes, then cool.
2. Beat the cream cheese with the flour, sugar, a few drops of vanilla, eggs, the yolk and soured cream until light and fluffy. Stir in half the raspberries and pour into the tin. Bake for 40 minutes and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Leave in the tin to cool.
3. Keep a few raspberries for the top and put the rest in a pan with 1 tbsp icing sugar. Heat until juicy and then squash with a fork. Push through a sieve. Serve the cheescake with the raspberry sauce and raspberries.

Recipe from olive magazine, March 2007.

Tomato, squash & spinach curry

Ingredients

• 1 large onion , halved and sliced
• oil
• 2 tbsp madras curry paste
• 1 small butternut squash , about 500g, cut into chunks
• 5 tomatoes , quartered
• 100g spinach , roughly chopped
• steamed Basmati pilaff , to serve

Serves 4

Preperation and cooking times

Ready in 30 mins

Vegetarian, Vegan

1. Cook the onion in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes until softened. Add the curry paste and cook for 3 minutes. Add the squash, tomatoes and 200ml water, stir well.
2. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is just cooked and the tomatoes have broken down. Stir through the spinach and leave for a couple of minutes to wilt. Season and serve with basmati rice.

Per serving

131 kcalories, protein 3.8g, carbohydrate 18.7g, fat 5.1 g, saturated fat 0.4g, fibre 4.3g, salt 0.42 g