Category: 300 calories – a whole new world

The most delicious healthy (cheats) seafood bouillabaisse

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 6-8

This recipe is a no-brainer. It doesn’t take long and doesn’t involve making your own fish stock but you wouldn’t even know.

It’s healthy, hearty, warm, and delicious. A provincial stable from humble beginnings; the undisputed king of fish stews just got a whole lot easier.

Ingredients

For the stock

6 c fish stock
1tsp aniseed
2 bay leaves
1tsp saffron threads

For the base

8 tomatoes cut into small cubes
6 cloves of garlic minced
2 onions thinly diced
2 salmon fillets (no skin) cubed
2 white fish fillets (no skin) cubed
handful of raw and peeled prawns
1 large bunch parsley chopped

Method

  1. Add the fish stock ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil.
  2. On medium heat, paint olive oil on the bottom of a heavy-based pot and put in tomatoes, garlic and onions.
  3. Lay the seafood on top of the tomatoes, garlic, and onions and leave for about 3 mins (enough to heat up the pot).
  4. Ladle the boiling fish stock into the pot and cover the seafood.
  5. Sprinkle half the parsley on top and cover. Bring to a soft boil for about 10 mins until seafood is cooked.
  6. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top and serve with warm crusty bread.

Karen Martini’s Cabbage Salad

.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Serves: 8

You really can’t go wrong with anything Karen Martini.

This salad is no exception.

We served it along-side some wicked BBQ chicken and lordy, this was a good combination.

And healthy too.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

1/2 cabbage, very finely shredded
6 mint sprigs, leaves picked and torn
6 red radishes, very finely sliced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds!
1/2 lemon juiced
100 mls olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Method

  1. Whisk together the caraway, lemon juice, olive and salt and pepper.
  2. Toss the dressing with the cabbage, mint, radish and onion, and stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Lemon & Mint Eggplant Tagine with Almond Couscous (or Cauliflower Rice)

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4

This year, all of us in the RobbyDog family are observing Meat Free Monday.

Better for the environment and surely better for us. (We’re on a major diet post a major Christmas diet!)

Prior to this dish, I had never had a vegetarian tagine though Lordy, I wish I had!

It is simple.

It tastes wonderful.

It is super-low calorie at 361 calories.

And it is so filling. Like, you’re stuffed so much so that I had to double-check the servings to make sure I wasn’t eating for two.

(I wasn’t!)

We also switched out the couscous and almonds for cauliflower rice, saving a pile of calories in the process: definitely sub 300-calories which is our twice-daily meal target.

Finally, we added a chilli to the yoghurt which is a necessary addition of spice.

Every time we jump into a diet, we can’t stop fawning over how wonderful vegetables are on all the levels described above. We look a bit silly.

Hopefully, by adding many great vegetarian dishes to our repertoire over the next few months of shredding, we won’t forget.

Meat Free Monday is a pretty good way to start.

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped + 1 crushed
1 tbsp harissa
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
200ml vegetable stock
400gm can chopped tomato
1 large eggplant, trimmed and diced
Zest of 1 small lemon
400gm can of butter beans, drained
175gm whole meal couscous
40gm toasted flaked almond
150gm low fat Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp chopped mind
1 red chilli, chopped with seeds

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan and softly fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir ion the harissa, cumin and cinnamon, cook briefly and add the stock and tomatoes.
  2. Add the eggplant and lemon and then cover the pan and cook gently for 15 – 20 minutes until the eggplant are tender. Add the butter beans and warm through.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the yoghurt, additional garlic, mint and chill=i.
  4. Cook the couscous and then stir in the almonds. Alternatively, prepare cauliflower rice.
  5. Serve the tagine on the couscous (or cauliflower rice) with the yoghurt drizzled over.

Chicken and Lime Salad

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 2

At a certain point over the Christmas/New Year break, all of us yearn for a culinary breather.

An end to the eggnog, ham and Champagne. A meal that isn’t 1,200+ calories (before the wine!).

Which is where – thankfully – this clever salad comes in.

Repent and enjoy.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, poached and thinly sliced
1 Lebanese cucumber, diced
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of two small limes
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp palm sugar
Chopped coriander
Lime wedges

Method

  1. Mix together the lime juice, chilli, fish sauce, oil and palm sugar and correct the flavours.
  2. Mix together the cucumber and tomatoes and arrange on plates. Arrange the sliced chicken over the vegetables.
  3. Spoon over the dressing, garnish with the coriander and serve with the lime wedges.

Jamie Oliver’s Portuguese Fish Stew

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4 – 6

We’re all told that the answer to long life is in the Mediterranean diet.

We all also know that being middle-aged means an endless battle with calories: that is, don’t waste your calories during the week. Leave the bread and pasta for Saturday night.

And finally… if you’ve cooked Jamie Oliver’s recipes, you’d be across that pretty much everything he publishes is fun and a cracker.

Back to our diet, we decided to make it interesting by only cooking Jamie’s recipes for the week. At 312 calories a serve, this Portuguese Fish Stew was the first up.

A quick scan through the ingredients and you’ll probably have an idea of how this will taste: simple, clean and amazing for it. Right.

Our go-to, simple weeknight dinners are tray bakes with fish or chicken and lots of vegetables.

This dish goes a level above with the sliced potatoes. Use a mandolin for the slicing of it all if you have one, or pour a glass of wine and get your sharpest knife to work.

Add in a few cloves of fresh garlic like we did and a side of sautéed broccolini and you’ll have yourself have a wonderful weeknight dinner.

Setting you in good stead for when the Spaghetti Carbonara and red wine rolls in on Saturday night!

Ingredients

2 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, skin on, thinly sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
Olive oil
500gm white fish fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
1/2 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves finely chopped
500gm white fish, cut into 2cm pieces
1 pinch dried chilli flakes
5 fresh bay leaves

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190c.
  2. Prepare the vegetables and heat oil over a low heat in a 30cm heavy, oven-proof pan. Add the onions, garlic and a good pinch of salt and slowly fry until light golden. Meanwhile, parboil the potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water and then drain well.
  3. Remove half the onions from the pan, spreading the remaining onion out into a nice layer. Top with a layer of half the tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Next, layer the fish and season.
  4. Sprinkle most of the chopped parsley on top with the chilli flakes. Drizzle with oil and repeat the layering of the vegetables – onion, peppers and tomatoes – finishing with a neat layer of the potatoes.
  5. Poke in the bay leaves, season and drizzle with a bit more oil.
  6. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and place under the grill for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crisping up.
  7. Sprinkle over the remaining parsley and enjoy.

300 calorie: Indian-spiced shepherd’s pie

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4 

By Nat Beerworth

Not only did we cook this dish twice we cooked it thrice! Its super healthy and super delicious. Good to chuck in the freezer for a rainy day. Takes about 15 mins to prep and 50 mins to cook.

Ingredients

500g pack lean minced lamb
1 onion chopped
2 carrots diced
2 tbsp garam masala
200ml hot stock (beef or chicken)
200g frozen peas
1 can tomatoes
800g potatoes diced
1 tsp turmeric
small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
juice half lemon, plus wedges to serve

Method

  1. In a large non-stick frying pan, cook the lamb, onion and carrots, until the lamb is browned and veg is starting to soften, about 8 mins.
  2. Add the the garam masala and some seasoning and cook for a further 2 mins until fragrant. Pour in the stock, tomatos, bring to the boil, add in the peas and cook for a further 2 mins until the peas are cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.
  3. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in a large pan of salted water until just tender, about 8 mins. Drain well, return to the pan and gently stir in turmeric and coriander – try not to break up the potatoes too much.
  4. Heat oven to 180 degrees. Transfer the mince to a baking dish and top with the turmeric potatoes. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then bake for 30-35 mins until potatoes are golden. Serve immediately with extra lemon wedges on the side.

Calories: 317

Billy Kwong inspired- Steamed snapper, ginger and soy broth

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4 

By Nat Beerworth

This dish ventures quite far from what we typically cook but it is fragrant, elegant and classy. Healthy is an added bonus but its definitely not the point.

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What it is supposed to look like. I need to work on my presentation skills. 

Ingredients

2 large knobs ginger, peeled
4 shallots
800ml chicken stock
2 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
5 drops sesame oil
4x 200g snapper fillets (we used ling)
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
1 bunch choy sum, trimmed and washed

 

Method

  1. Roughly chop one knob of ginger and place in a saucepan with the green ends of the shallots, chicken stock, star anise, pepper, soy, sugar, honey and sesame oil.
  2. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and strain into a clean saucepan.
  3. Place snapper in a steamer. Finely slice remaining ginger and shallots and place on the fish with chilli. Steam until just cooked, about 5 minutes.
  4. Steam choy sum until bright green and tender.
  5. Place in bottom of four bowls and gently place snapper on top. Pour over warm broth.

Calories: 264

 

Asian Burgers with Spicy Slaw

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4 

By Nat Beerworth

Who says being on a diet means you can’t eat burgers? These Turkey burgers are a really nice compromise.

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Ingredients

2 cups shredded cabbage (mixed green and red)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp chives (minced)
2 tsp cilantro (minced)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise
3-4 tsp Sriracha sauce (optional)
500g ground turkey breast
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fresh ginger (minced)
2 tsp garlic (minced)
4 whole wheat light hamburger buns
1 cup thinly sliced cucumbers

 

Method

  1. In a bowl, combine the cabbage, rice vinegar, chives, cilantro, sugar, salt, mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce (if using). Mix well.
  2. Combine the ground turkey, soy sauce, ginger and ginger. Mix well.
  3. Form the ground turkey mixture into four equal patties.
  4. Grill the patties for 3 – 5 minutes per side, or until the center of the pattie measures 75 degrees.
  5. Toast the buns for 1 minute.
  6. Serve the burgers on the buns, topped with the slaw and cucumbers.

Serving Size: 1 slider | Calories: 283

 

Firecracker Salmon

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4 

By Nat Beerworth

This recipe is a cracker. As salmon is quite high in calories it doesn’t leave much room for sides – enter broccoli! Its a really fun dish that is hot and warm.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons low sodium low soy sauce
2 tablespoons Heinz chili sauce (substitute with Buffalo sauce or hot sauce to suit your heat preference)
1 teaspoon brown sugar (or brown sugar substitute) — OPTIONAL
pinch of crushed red chili flakes
1-2 teaspoons sriracha (adjust to suit your heat preference)
4 skin off salmon fillets
Salt and pepper to season
1/2 teaspoon paprika (mild, smoky or spicy)
1/4 cup chives chopped
1 bunch broccoli

Method

  1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, minced ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes and sriracha to combine.
  2. Season salmon with salt, pepper and paprika. Add salmon fillets to the marinade, turning each to evenly coat in the sauce.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight (if time allows).
  4. Preheat oven to 190C. Heat an oven proof skillet over medium heat with a small drizzle of oil.
  5. Sear salmon for 2-3 minutes on both sides, undisturbed, to get nice crust. (You may need to sear in batches depending on the size of your skillet.)
    Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining salmon.
  6. Return all salmon fillets to the skillet. Alternatively, transfer to baking dish. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
  7. Serve warm with chopped chives and boiled broccoli.

 Calories: 286

 

Greek Chicken Meatballs and Yogurt Dill Sauce

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4 

By Nat Beerworth

Rob didn’t read this recipe correctly and so served us up about 1,000 calories each. We were both keeled over from being so full, marveling at our shrunken stomachs and how little we need (on day 3 of diet) to get full. Then I read the actual recipe and realised we had been served enough for a small family per person.

Regardless it is a great dish. I have adjusted the numbers so you don’t need to worry about blowing the calories when you make this.

I am a dill lover, hopefully you are too.

Ingredients

500g lean ground chicken
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup whole grain panko
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped red onions
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sauce
3/4 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/3 cup finely chopped dill
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
To serve
1 cucumber, cut into thick slices, quartered
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley or dill for garnish

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients for meatballs, with the exception of olive oil, in a bowl and mix, using hands is best. Form into 16 small meatballs.
  2. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat, add meatballs and cook through and brown on both sides. Meatballs may need to be made in two batches, depending on skillet size.
  3. Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients for sauce. Add meatballs to a platter with crumbled feta and cucumber pieces to serve. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or dill.
  4. Serve sauce on the side or spoon over meatballs.

Yields: 16 meatballs | Serving Size: 4 meatballs | Calories: 320