Flat Tummy Suppers

According to recent research our human capacity for willpower is fairly weak. This doesn't come as a surprise but is incredibly helpful to remember when we're trying to lose weight or stay healthy. If you've had a 12 hour day at work, your brain literally has nothing left at the end of the day in terms of willpower... and you will therefore grab whatever is nearest to hand and most tempting.

That's why it is essential to plan meals ahead and be prepared for all those times you are simply too tired to cook, too stressed from the day or it's too late to spend hours in the kitchen when you get home.

10 Minute Meals

Lemon and Ginger Salmon
Dad's Pan-Fried Cod
Jerk Tuna
Sam's Turkish Menemen
Salmon Stir-Fry
 

20-30 Minute Meals

Roasted Fish
Lemon and Herb Chicken
Spicy Beef Salad
Pork Medallions with Celeriac and Apple Mash
Monkfish Stew
Jo and Dawn's Miso Salmon 

Pre-Prepared Meals

Jo Pratt's Moroccan Chickpea and Aubergine Stew (external link)
Smoked Paprika Sausage Casserole
Gently Spicy Stew

Lemon and Ginger Salmon

Serves 1
Small/medium salmon fillet
½ teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
½ lemon, juice and grated zest
Salt and pepper to season

1. Cover the top of the salmon fillet with the ginger, lemon zest and juice.

2. Place on foil and grill for approximately 8-10 minutes skin side down, and then skin side up for just a couple of minutes. 

I had this with some bulgur wheat, steamed pak choi and a little soy sauce drizzled over everything (and another squeeze of lemon juice). It was quick, easy and delicious!  

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Dad's Pan-Fried Cod

"Rather than use loads of batter or breadcrumbs that stick like glue to the fish and cook like glue, I just quickly dust the fish not worrying how much sticks and then place into small amount of hot olive oil and fry. The coatings can vary...there are loads you can buy from health food stores... blue corn is very good as is corn meal generally."

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Jerk Tuna

1. Coat the steaks in the jerk seasoning and if time allows, set aside for a while.
2. Either fry in a little vegetable or olive oil or place under a hot grill. Either way only cook for a couple of minutes each side, depending on the thickness, as tuna is best kept a little pink in the middle.
   

Sam's Turkish Menemen (Scrambled eggs with vegetables)

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until very soft and starting to caramelize.
2. Whisk the eggs and season with lots of black pepper, then add to the onions and stir continuously over a low heat as you would with scrambled eggs.
   
3. Once the eggs have started to scramble add the tomatoes, pinch of sugar and herbs.
   
4. Keep stirring so that everything is nice and fluffy. Once everything is lovely and hot it's ready to serve.
   

Salmon Stir-Fry

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
2. Add the salmon and veg to the bowl and mix thoroughly. 
   
3. Stir fry for a few minutes in a hot wok (according to how you like your salmon and veg)
   

Roasted Fish

1. Set the oven at 240 or gas mark 8
2. Rinse & pat dry the fish (use kitchen roll) then lay it flat in a baking dish. Shake a little olive oil over the fish, squeeze over the lemon juice, chop up the remains of the lemon and lay the pieces around the fish, season with sea salt and black pepper. (Useful tip – if you line the dish with greaseproof paper the fish will not stick to the bottom).
   
3. Timing depends on the size of your fish but place in the oven for 20 minutes and then test to see if the flesh comes away from the bone easily – if not put it back for a few more minutes.
   

Lemon and Herb Chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 200 or gas mark 6.
2. Finely grate the lemon zest and squeeze the juice, rub well into the chicken with the herbs and some seasoning.
3. Cook for 30 minutes until crispy on the outside. Serve, not forgetting to scoop up the juices from the pan.

Spicy Beef Salad

Serves 2
2 sirloin or rump steaks
1 small, very hot chilli
1 lime
Pinch of sugar
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1½tsp sweet chilli sauce
2 lime leaves or the grated rind of 1 lime
1 handful coriander leaves
1 handful mint leaves
¼ cucumber
1 carrot
Bunch of watercress
8 cherry tomatoes

1. First make the dressing. Deseed and chop the chilli very finely, mix in a bowl with the juice of the lime, a pinch of sugar, the fish sauce, the chilli sauce.
2. If you have lime leaves chop them finely, if not grate the zest of a lime into a bowl then chop and add the mint and coriander. Peel the cucumber and carrot, cut into matchsticks and add to the herb mix. Halve the tomatoes, pick over the watercress, wash it and add both to the bowl. Now toss the salad with the dressing and divide between 2 plates.
3. Rub the steaks with a little oil, season lightly then grill or griddle them to taste – only a few minutes each side for rare, a little more for better done. Slice them into thick strips and lay these over the salad on each plate.

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Pork Medallions with Celeriac and Apple Mash

Serves 2
1/4 of a celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 an apple, peeled and roughly chopped
Olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
6 pork fillet medallions
A splash of white wine or vermouth
1/2 a cup of vegetable stock
Tiny knob of butter (optional)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the celeriac and apple into a pan covered with water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the celeriac is soft enough to mash. 
2. Meanwhile, soften the onion in olive oil over a low heat for about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add the medallions to the same pan and cook over a low to medium heat for a few minutes before adding the onions back into the pan (so that the pork can brown a little).
4. Add the wine, and after 30 seconds add the stock. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat until the pork is tender - another few minutes. Make sure you have enough stock to reduce down to a nice gravy.
5. Drain the celeriac and apple, add a little butter (optional) and mash. Season to taste.

Serve up! I made the celeriac and apple mash as an experiment as I had leftover celeriac from making Hugo's mushroom soup. I thought it went pretty well with the pork and even had some leftover which then turned into a bubble and squeak effort the next day.

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Monkfish Stew

Serves 2
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
1 courgette, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
200g passata
Vegetable bouillon
Bay leaf
Fresh thyme or rosemary or whatever you have to hand
Enough monkfish for 2, chopped into inch square chunks

1. Slowly sweat the onion in a big pan and then add the garlic to soften.
2. Add the leek, courgette, turmeric, ginger and mustard seeds and stir in. Leave to infuse for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the passata and enough stock to just cover the veg.
4. Add the bay leaf and fresh herbs, simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
5. Add the monkfish for about 6-7 minutes at the end. In the meantime chop up a load of chard, wash and then simply saute in a non-stick pan. The residual water on the chard from rinsing is enough and you might want to add a little olive oil to the pan.
6. Dish up!

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Jo and Dawn's miso salmon

The marinade is a Jo Pratt creation and the rice combination is what my friend Dawn had to hand – the perfect mix.

Serves one
1 teaspoon miso paste
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mirin
1 medium salmon fillet
40g jasmine rice
A few leaves of fresh mint and coriander, chopped
Soy sauce, to taste
2-3 spring onions, chopped

1. Mix up the first three ingredients in a bowl and smear over the salmon fillet. Let the salmon marinate for half an hour.
2. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions while the salmon is marinating.
3. Pop the salmon on a baking tray and grill under a high heat for 6 to 10 minutes (or until the salmon is cooked).
4. Stir the herbs through the rice and serve the salmon on top, drizzled with soy sauce and scattered with the chopped spring onions.

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Smoked Paprika and Sausage Casserole   

One of those dishes that tastes even better the second day!

Serves 2
1 tbsp olive oil
6 chipolatas (herb ones are really nice)
One medium onion, chopped
One big or 2 small leeks, sliced
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tin tomatoes
Seasoning

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide bottomed pan over a medium heat and fry the sausages for a few minutes until golden.
2. Add the sliced onion and soften
3. Add the leeks and allow to soften with the lid on the pan for a few minutes
4. Sprinkle over the paprika and then add the tin of tomatoes, with a splash of water if it feels a bit dry.
5. Season and then leave the casserole to ogle over a low heat for 20-30 minutes until the leeks are lovely and soft.

Serve with some green veg and your favourite healthy grain (bulgur wheat, quinoa, brown rice).  

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Gently Spicy Stew

Dad made this very easy stew one weekend and it was delicious. As is so often the case the quality of ingredients made a big difference - the stewing steak and the carrots weren't expensive but came from a local farm shop, the steak was melt in the mouth and the carrots might have looked a bit knobbly but were straight out of the ground and super sweet. Dad picked up the parmesan trick from Nigel Slater and we definitely think it added something!

Serves 4
2 medium onions, sliced
olive oil
400g stewing steak (ideally from your local butcher)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger
Salt and pepper
2 leeks, sliced
6 small carrots (Dad likes to slice small carrots lengthways)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 litre veg stock (or enough to cover the meat)
End of parmesan cheese (if to hand)

1. Gently fry the onions in olive oil in a casserole... slowly.
2. Make room or remove the onions, add a little more oil and the stewing steak
3. Season and add the turmeric and ginger and slowly cook for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the meat with the onions, leeks, carrots, tomatoes, vegetable stock and cheese (optional).
5. Cook at 150C/gas 3 for three hours - just make sure there is enough liquid to cover the meat and veg, if at any time it looks dryish top it up with stock or a little water.
6. Serve with steamed broccoli and a couple of new potatoes each.

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