Wednesday 25 November 2009

Sweet potato & Spinach soup

Here at Fitbitch Boot Camp, we love a soup. They're delicious, low calorie and blimmin' filling! This is the perfect lunch time soup - or top with a poached egg for something more substantial.
Ingredients
3 cloves of garlic
1 birds eye chili
bunch of broccoli
3 large tomatoes chopped and diced
big handful of baby spinach leaves
1 sweet potato, chopped
dsp fenugreek
2 dsp ground coriander
sea salt
pepper
Yoghurt to serve

Bung the garlic, chilli, broccoli and sweet potato in a pan, cover with water. Season with the spices and salt and pepper and leave to simmer. Once the potato has cooked through, add the spinach and stir in. (add water at any stage when it becomes too thick or looks as if it's going dry). The spinach will take seconds to cook through. Whizz with a handheld processor (make sure it's under the level of the soup!) Check for seasoning and serve with a spoonful of yoghurt. Delicious!
Sorry, no pic as it wouldn't upload!

Mussels in chilli tomato broth


Most people are petrified of cooking mussels themselves but they are so simple to do. And best of all, they're perfect food if you're on either Stage One or what I'll call the 'Fitbitch Relax' eating plan.
To prepare them do the following:
1. If any of the mussels are already open, give them a sharp flick of the a fingernail. If they don't close, throw them away.
2. Scrub the shells with a wire pan scrubber. Any hairy beard bits, grasp firmly and pull out. And that is it!
Now, on to the cooking...
Ingredients
Bowl full of mussels
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 hot chili, or to taste
handful of tomatoes, diced
Squeeze of lemon
Coriander, parsley, basil or any other fresh herb

Saute the chili, garlic and tomatoes on a low heat in lots of fresh lemon juice. Add some water to prevent it drying but just enough to cover. The tomatoes should begin to reduce down helping to form a thick, stewy broth. This should take around five - ten mins.
Next, tip in the mussels,(add a few tbsp of water - you don't want the sauce too thick) leave on a low heat with the pan lid on for three to five mins. Give the pan a rattle or stir around and they're ready to serve. Any mussels that haven't opened (or that you have to prise apart) don't eat. Top with chopped chives, coriander or whatever else you have.
The best thing about this is that a huge bowlful only contains around 150 calories and around 20gs of protein.
If you want to eat it with something, have it with quinoa if you're on the Stage One of the eating plan. If you are now maintaining you can use a tiny bit of linguine if you wish. Be careful though - I usually tell people to avoid pasta because most people habitually eat it with cheese, olive oil and red wine and the trick is to avoid anything that triggers these kinds of things!

Monday 9 November 2009

The Eat as Much as You Like Soup!


When the cold, dark nights draw in, soup is the perfect thing to eat. And if you make it yourself, you can make delicious concoctions that are fat free. Don't ever be scared to experiment when you're making stuff either - for some cooking comes naturally, others not so much. But at the end of the day, you're not going to kill yourself by making a mistake with a veggie soup. It just might taste a bit bland. Here's a Butternut Squash and Chickpea soup.

Ingredients
2 Birds eye chillies
3 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cumin
Turmeric
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
Bunch of celery
1/2 butternut squash
6 tomatoes, chopped

Chop everything up and chuck in a sauce pan. Cover with water, add the seasoning and simmer until the veggie's are soft but not completely mushy! Whizz in a food processor or with a hand blender. I like to leave mine a little bit chunky.
Then adjust the seasoning to taste and add the chickpeas and serve. This is so healthy, you can eat as much as you like!

Tuesday 3 November 2009

Trout with horseradish dressing on Rye


This makes a fab tasty lunch or light dinner. Roast a whole trout in foil in the oven with the juice of one lemon and salt and pepper for seasoning. It should take around 20mins but you will know when it is ready as the skin should just peel away easily and the flesh will fall from the bones.
Take the fish off the the bones and mix in a bowl with a dressing made of 2 dsp of low fat yoghurt with 1tsp of horseradish, fresh lemon, salt and pepper and chopped spring onions or chives. Toast one thin slice of rye bread and layer with fresh spinach, tomatoes and the fish. Delicious!