Recipe: Thai Green Veg Curry - 237 calories per portion

Even though yesterday wasn't a fast day, I'd kind of pigged out on the amazing Raspberry Mojito cake that my pal Ally made and bought into work, so I thought I'd try and make something under 250 cals for my tea, then I could have the leftovers today, which actually *is* my fast day!

I was in the mood for something a bit spicy and fragrant last night, and as my lovely OH had done the grocery shopping on Tuesday, we had some yummy veg to use, so I decided to cook up a big pan of Thai green curry.

I've made Thai green curries before and they're so easy peasy. I bought a fairly big pot of green curry paste a while ago from the ace Hang Sing Hong oriental supermarket in Leeds city centre, and we still had some left in the fridge. I couldn't actually remember how much to use so plumped for 100g, turns out that was probably a bit much as crikey it was HOT! Might drop it to 75g next time!

Also, I discovered when logging the recipe in MyFitnessPal that there is such a think as LIGHT coconut milk, so will endeavour to find this lower-cal lower-fat alternative when I next go shopping to replace the can I used last night!

Thai Green Veg Curry (makes five portions)

Ingredients:

100g Green Curry Paste (from oriental supermarket - I used Mae Ploy)
400ml tin Coconut Milk

1 red onion, chunkily diced
350g courgette, sliced
350g sweet potato, diced into bite sized chunks
100g frozen edamame beans

Method:

Warm a large saucepan and add the curry paste. Next, add in all the veg except the edamame beans, and stir through to coat them and start to fry off in the paste.

Tip in the tin of coconut milk and stir through. Then use a bit of boiling water to swill out the can (about half a tin) and add in to thin it down a touch. Let it simmer for about 15 mins or until the sweet potato is just cooked through.

Add in the edamame beans and simmer for another 5 minutes or so until they are cooked, and then serve in a nice big bowl.

Nutritional Info per serving:

Calories: 237
Fat: 13g
Carbs: 25g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 8g

Variations:

For a meaty dish, you could add in some chunks of fresh chicken breast just before you add the coconut milk, obviously this will up the calories a bit, but if you use light coconut milk (and maybe a bit less curry paste!) and reduce the amount of sweet potato a bit then you'd still have a filling meal for under 300 calories. YUMMY!

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!