Rarebit mushrooms - gorgeous supper dish, 280 calories

Portobello Mushroom Rarebit with Oven-Baked Tomatoes

280 calories, 16g protein, 2 portions of veg

This is a delicious dish for suppertime - or anytime. The rarebit mix keeps in the fridge in a covered container for up to two days, so you can use it on anything else you fancy. It’s great directly on toast or on top of a pre-cooked fillet of smoked fish, like haddock, finished off under the grill. Also great on sourdough served with the Cauliflower & Mustard soup.

Serves 4 as a main

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 14– 18 minutes

8 medium portobello mushrooms (around 50g each)

400g cherry or baby plum tomatoes

1 tsp oil

For the rarebit mix:

2 eggs

80g mature Lancashire cheese, finely crumbled or grated

2 tbsp stout or semi-skimmed milk

2 tsp English mustard

1 small red onion, finely chopped

To serve:

4 x 50g slices sourdough or gluten-free bread

50g rocket or dark leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark 6. Wipe the mushrooms and remove very woody stalks. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place cut side up in an ovenproof dish, then put the mushrooms on top, gill-side up. Brush with a little oil and bake till the mushrooms have just softened (the biggest mushrooms may take a little longer), around 8–10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the rarebit mix. Beat the eggs with a fork in a small bowl. Add the cheese followed by the stout/milk, mustard and onion and mix well. Season well.

3. Spoon the egg mixture on top of the mushrooms (if they’ve released a lot of liquid, pour this off the baking tray first). Place back in the oven for 6–8 minutes, until the cheese mixture puffs up and browns, but don’t let it burn.

4. Toast the bread and serve the mushrooms on top, garnished with the salad leaves. VARIATION: You could use pesto instead of mustard (1 tsp of shop-bought pesto is around 23 calories, depending on the brand).

From: The Dirty Diet: Ditch the guilt, love your food

Baked avocado, 209 calories

BAKED AVOCADO STUFFED WITH BEANS AND SMOKED CHEESE, 209 calories

This is one of my favourite dishes of all time: eating a version of this when I was 18, way before avocados were trendy, made me realise how exciting veggie food could be. The flavour of avocados becomes nuttier and richer when they are gently baked. I’ve added beans here (you don’t need many, use whatever you have), paprika and smoked cheese. One tip: use ripe but not squishy avocados, as the older ones become stringy and brown when baked.

Serves 1

Preparation time: 8 minutes

Cooking time: 10–12 minutes

Ingredients:

1 small avocado, 100–120 calories depending on size

30g cooked, drained beans, such as borlotti, 28

1/2 teaspoon paprika, 3

1 spring onion, finely sliced, 2

10g smoked cheese, 38

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

To serve

1 dessertspoon half-fat crème fraiche, 18

5 cherry tomatoes, 15–25

2 small wedges cut from an iceberg lettuce, 5

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

2. Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Lightly crush the beans with the paprika and mix with the sliced spring onion.

3. Place the avocado on a baking tray and pile the bean mix into its centre, to cover. Slice the cheese very thinly to cover the beans and as much flesh as possible. Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes.

4. Season and serve with the crème fraiche, plus the cherry tomatoes and

lettuce wedges – these are great for scooping up the hot filling.

P. S. The same technique works well with cream cheese or a blue cheese like Stilton, with a topping of walnuts on a non-Fast Day. For a vegan version, top the beans with mixed seeds and a good sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

For more recipes like this, try my recipe book 5:2 Veggie & Vegan.

It includes tips, recipes and a complete guide to intermittent fasting, veggie style.

The BEST egg-fried cauliflower rice (182 calories)

I don’t know how many calories cauliflower rice has saved 5:2 fasting people since we first posted a recipe in the Facebook group, but it must run into the millions. It’s very easy and makes a great replacement for rice or couscous: lighter, lower in calories, and you are getting a portion of vegetables. And the egg-fried version is just so tasty.

Quick everyday cauliflower rice

Serves 2

Calories per serving: 25

Preparation and cooking time: 5­–10 minutes

 200g cauliflower florets 50 cals

salt and pepper

1. Grate or finely chop cauliflower florets until they resemble rice grains. The fastest way to do this is to pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor, which gives a finer texture.

2. Place the cauliflower into a loosely covered microwaveable dish. Don't add water: there’s already enough in the cauliflower to stop it drying out. Place in the microwave and cook on full power for 2 minutes. If you are only cooking one portion, reduce the time to 60 seconds.

3. Or you can stir-fry the grated cauliflower. Add a splash of water to or spray a saucepan with 1-cal cooking spray to prevent it from sticking and set over a high heat. When hot, add the cauliflower and fry for 2–3 minutes, or until softened. If you are using spray, the rice may caramelise a little, adding a nutty flavour.

4. Season and serve alongside curries, stews and other main dishes.

More ideas from the 5:2 Kitchen I like to add herbs or spices to the mixture when I process it or during cooking. You could try cumin, ginger, fresh chillis or dried chilli flakes or fresh herbs like parsley or basil.

You can freeze individual portions, too, which generally won’t take much longer to re-heat than fresh.

Recipe from 5:2 Good Food Kitchen - packed with 80 delicious recipes, inspiring real-life stories PLUS tips for healthy, fast cooking.

Egg-fried Cauliflower Rice, 182 cals

This is the more souped up version of cauli rice that makes a great main meal or side dish. It’s infinitely variable, depending on what you’ve got in the fridge or spice rack.

Serves 1 as a main course/2 as a side dish

Calories per serving: 182 for 1 main course servings, 91 cals as a side dish for 2

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes

½ medium cauliflower, around 200g of florets  (50 calories)

½  teaspoon coconut or sesame oil, 22

½  teaspoon whole or ground spices e.g. garam masala, five-spice, cumin or spice paste, 3-10

 2 medium spring onions, finely chopped, 4, or ½ an onion, 19

150g vegetables e.g. sliced mushrooms, chopped pepper or carrot, frozen or fresh peas, 25-50 calories

1 medium egg, 78 cals

Optional: ½ small chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped 2-4

Splash of soy sauce, tamari or sweet chilli sauce

1.      Prepare the cauliflower as for the basic rice above.

2.      Heat half the oil in the largest frying pan or wok you have. Add the spices, onion and vegetables and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes.

3.      Add the cauliflower and the other half of the oil: cook for 2 more minutes and allow the ‘rice’ and vegetables to brown but move in the pan before they burn.

4.      Beat the egg. Lower the heat in the pan slightly, move the vegetables to one side of the pan and pour in the egg into the other half. Stir as they scramble, for 1-2 minutes.

5.      Mix the eggs and ‘rice’ together in the pan then serve. Add a splash of soy, tamari or chilli sauce to serve.

 More ideas from the 5:2 Kitchen: add chopped cashew or peanuts in place of the eggs plus some cubed tofu for a vegan version. A splash of coconut milk at the end of cooking is yummy too.

Spice up your life with a quick veggie tikka masala

In November 2020, I got the dreaded text saying I had to self-isolate as I’d been in contact with a person who had tested positive for Covid19. It was a tough couple of weeks - thankfully I was well and so was my partner - but tasty food become even more important to spice up those looong days indoors.

My partner was able to go out, walk the dog, come back with supplies – my sympathies and respect to anyone who has had to do this in a busy household with little help.

I will admit my chocolate consumption went up. But I managed a couple of fast days and this is one of my favourite recipes (from 5:2 Veggie & Vegan) that uses warming spices to up the flavour and raise mood – chilli can increase the endorphins every time. Better still, it works for Fast Days - and normal days too.

Paneer/tofu tikka masala, 301/245 calories

Vegetarian/Vegan option/Gluten Free

Vegetarian version with paneer and Greek yogurt: 301 cals

Vegan version with tofu and coconut yogurt: 245 cals

Paneer is a mild but versatile Indian cheese; the calories vary a lot depending on brand, so look for a lower-fat version (I used Savera), or use tofu. Homemade masala marinade is delicious and quick to make with a hand blender, but you could save time by buying a paste – again, calories vary.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 6–8 minutes

200g paneer, 348, or firm tofu, 230, diced

1 onion, chopped, 38

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into small chunks, 30

100g tomatoes, roughly chopped, 20

½ teaspoon coconut oil,  21

2 level tablespoons strained Greek yogurt, 29-40, or coconut yogurt, 55-195

Chopped fresh coriander, to serve, 2

Tikka masala paste, serves 2, 47 calories per serving with lowest-cal vegan yogurt/57 with lowest-cal dairy yogurt

1 teaspoon each whole coriander and cumin seeds, 10

1 teaspoon each turmeric, cayenne pepper and garam masala, 15

2 garlic cloves, crushed or roughly chopped, 8

4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated, 8

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped, 4

2 tablespoons tomato purée, 20–46

50g strained full-fat Greek yogurt, 48–65, or coconut yogurt 28–98

1. Place all the paste ingredients in the beaker for a stick blender (or a tall jug: you don’t want chilli or garlic in your eye). Blend together until the whole mix is thick and fragrant. If using ready-made paste, stir 3 tablespoons into the yogurt, adding a little extra turmeric and garam masala if you have them. Place the mixture in a sealed plastic container until needed.

2. Mix the paneer or tofu into the paste to coat. Let it marinate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight if you have time.

3. Fry the onion, pepper and tomatoes in the coconut oil in a medium saucepan for 2 minutes. Now add the paneer/tofu and paste to the pan with 50ml water. Cook, stirring gently, for 4–5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir the last bit of yogurt through just before serving. Add the coriander as a garnish, or serve with cauliflower or steamed basmati rice.

P. S.  The second portion keeps in the fridge (but maybe padlock it in the meantime, it’s that delicious). For a halloumi version, make the tikka paste and fry with the vegetables and tomato sauce. In a separate non-stick frying pan, fry 100g of reduced-fat halloumi (230 calories) in 1/2 teaspoon of oil, until browned on both sides. Add to the curry sauce and serve immediately – halloumi is salty so doesn’t need extra seasoning.

From my book, 5:2 Veggie and Vegan - full of delicious, healthy recipes & inspiring weight loss stories.