Recipe: Quorn 'n' Corn Chilli - 179 calories per portion

Another fast day comes around and, in spite of the sunshine today, I still fancied something hot and spicy for my tea. It's OH's grocery shopping day tomorrow so not a lot fresh in, other than some slightly sorry looking mushrooms in the fridge. I went on a bit of a freezer raid, and found Quorn mince and a big bag of sweetcorn, so decided to make a chilli.

I served my chilli on top of roasted red pepper halves and, as it's so low calorie, I could even afford some grated cheese on the top, and it was still only 265 calories for the whole plateful.

Quorn 'n' Corn Chilli (makes three generous portions)

Ingredients:

Few sprays One-Cal olive oil

100g frozen diced onion

150g frozen Quorn mince

150g frozen sweetcorn

1 tin chopped tomatoes

40g tomato purée

130g closed cup mushrooms, diced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 dash Tabasco sauce

Method:

Spray a few sprays of oil into a large saucepan then add the onion and fry off.

Add the mince and sweetcorn and continue to fry off for a few minutes

Add in the tin of chopped tomatoes, mushrooms and tomato purée and stir through, add a bit of water from the kettle if it's too dry and you'd like it a bit saucier. Next, stir in the paprika, chilli flakes and Tabasco sauce.

Simmer for about 10 minutes then taste to assess seasoning - add more paprika, chilli, Tabasco, salt or pepper to taste, then simmer gently for about another 5 mins.

Nutritional Info per serving:

Calories: 179
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 26g
Protein: 12g
Sugar: 14g

Variations:

This would be lovely on a non-fasting day on tortilla chips with nice big dollops of sour cream and guacamole. Guess what I'm having for tea tomorrow then!!

Recipe: Smoky Tomato & Chickpea Stew - 112 calories per portion

I fancied something with a bit of heat and smokiness for my tea tonight so decided on a tomato & chickpea stew flavoured with chilli & paprika. When I checked the fridge, I also saw I had a courgette to use up to so figured I'd bung that in too.

As it's so low calorie, I decided to serve it with a small portion of quinoa on the side. I really struggle to cook quinoa - it always just ends up a bit wet and soggy. I've tried the two-parts stock to one part quinoa, and Ive tried just cooking it in a big pan of water then draining, nothing seems to work! My friend Ally has also blogged about cooking quinoa too, we'll keep on practicing and let you know if we come up with a fool-proof method. If you have any top tips then please do share!

I used 30g (dry weight) of quinoa, which is about 110 calories, so a sub-250 calorie meal, perfect for a fast day, and plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. I have some ideas for non-fast days too - see variations below.

Smoky Tomato & Chickpea Stew (makes four portions)

Ingredients:

Few sprays One-Cal olive oil

75g frozen diced onion

1 tsp frozen chopped garlic

1 courgette, sliced then cut into quarters

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin chickpeas in water

1 tbsp double concentrated tomato purée

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes 

Method:

Spray a few sprays of oil into a large saucepan then add the onion, garlic and courgette and fry off.

Add in the tin of chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and tomato purée and stir through, then stir in the paprika and chilli flakes.

Simmer for about 10 minutes then taste and add more paprika, chilli, salt or pepper to taste, then simmer gently for about another 5 mins.

Nutritional Info per serving:

Calories: 112
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 15g
Protein: 6g
Sugar: 5g

Variations:

I'm already planning ahead with how I'm going to use the leftovers for tea tomorrow on a non-fasting day. This would be delicious with some chorizo in, and as luck would have it, I bought some at the fabulous Kirkstall Deli Market this weekend just gone, I think I'll also add in some chunks of chicken breast too, and maybe serve it with a nice hunk or warm crusty bread. YUM!

Recipe: Courgette & Mushroom Frittata - 160 calories per portion

Eggs are fabulous. Packed full of protein, they can form a great base for a meal.

I generally use whole eggs when I'm making a meal with them, but on a fast day when I'm trying to keep things super low calorie, I'll often substitute one or two whole eggs for egg-white only. By doing this tonight, I had a yummy dinner for a completely bargainous 160 calories!

Courgette & Mushroom Frittata (makes one generous portion)

Ingredients:

125g closed cup mushrooms

100g courgette

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

Splash skimmed milk

Salt Chilli & Garlic grinder

1-cal olive oil spray

Method:

Clean and slice the mushrooms and courgette, then fry in a pan in a few sprays of oil

Meanwhile lightly beat the egg & egg whites together in a bowl with a splash of milk. 

When the veggies are lovely and golden, combine with the egg mixture and season well with the grinder. Tip into a small ovenproof dish...

... then pop into a preheated oven at about 180*C for about 10-15 mins or until it's set and golden on top

Try to resist scoffing straight away, or else you *will* burn your mouth!

Nutritional Info per serving:

Calories: 160
Fat: 7g
Carbs: 5g
Protein: 18g
Sugar: 4g

Optional Extras:

This is a *super* low calorie version, so if you can afford a few extra, I reckon this would be delicious with a bit of grated cheese stirred through the egg mix, and maybe also a bit of chopped up ham or gammon too. If I was making it again I'd probably fry up some onion with the other veggies too.

If you try it, let me know what you think!