Prawn Dim Sum

If you want something light and full of protein then Prawn Dim Sum are perfect. They're also great if you're trying to watch your weight and have people over for dinner. They'll be impressed and you won't have to cook two separate things. Of course, some might see this as a starter or a nibble but it would work as a meal particularly if you had a side order or Morning Glory (find it in Asian supermarkets) with Oyster Sauce. You might think this sounds impossible to make but it's simple and really fun. I learned how to do it at an excellent Thai cookery course run by a lovely Thai girl called Bookie who runs
Ingredients
Wonton pastry (from Asian store)
1 birds eye chilli, red
10 raw prawns, de shelled and deveined
Water chestnuts, handful
two batons of raw carrot
Coriander root
1 tsp of cornflour

For the sauce
Dark soy sauce
Rice wine vinegar
juice of one orange

First chop and mince the prawn until it literally resembles a grey glue. sounds horrible I know but the results are nice! Then chop and finely mince the carrot, chilli and water chestnuts as well as coriander root. combine all together using your fingers to ensure it is evenly distributed. Add the cornflour and again combine well. This helps it to cook together.
Next the fun bit! Get the pastry out of the fridge but ensure you keep it covered with a damp cloth, like filo pastry. Making a circle with the thumb and finger of your left hand, place the pastry over the hole and poke into the hole. Then pack the pastry with the prawn mixture, and then nip around the edges using wet fingers to seal. Once you have assembled them all, lightly grease the bottom of a steamer or bamboo steamer, place them in and leave to cook. Should take no more then ten minutes.
Usually this is eaten with garlic that has been fried in oil and then dripped over and a dipping sauce made with sugar. But it tastes just as delicious with this healthy alternative. Pour 4 good tablespoons of dark soy sauce in a pan with half of rice wine vinegar and the juice of one orange. Stir until fully mixed. Decant into a bowl and serve with the Dim Sum. This would make around eight dim sum.
Calories: 234, Carbs:39g Fat:1g Protein: 16.5g

Rainbow sald with mint and toasted sesame

Ingredients
Mixed organic herb lettuce
Tomatoes
Grated raw beetroot
Tomatoes
handful each of chopped fresh mint and basil
Tin of butter beans
1 tsp of toasted sesame seed

Pea, green chilli and coconut soup

ordinarily, I'd say don't touch coconut milk, dessicated or creamed if you are on the Fitbitch Eating Plan (different if you're on maintenance or training for endurance) but as long as you stick to these quantities you should be fine. To be even stricter, just use yoghurt and forgo the coconut.
Ingredients
Frozen peas, 100g
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, finely sliced
1 birds eye green chilli, chopped (or half if you don't like it hot)
25g creamed coconut
2 cloves of garlic
Fresh mint

Saute the chopped onion, garlic and chilli in a pan with water. When it starts to soften add the peas and the potato and coconut and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the potato is soft. Whizz up in food processor or with a hand blender. Add salt and pepper to season and chopped mint, whizz again and serve.
If you are one of those people who can't seem to think of soup as a meal unless it has bread with it, try a rice cake broken into pieces on top or a ryvita. It's like a healthy crouton!
Calories: 363, carbs:35, protein:10, fat:20

Quinoa, Tuna Salad

This is a light meal that will perfectly provide good sustenance with a good mix of protein and healthy essential fatty acids found in the avocado. Be careful if you're watching your weight though as avocados can be very calorific if you go overboard.
This is not the kind of thing you'd eat if you were going to go out for a long endurance marathon run the following day - you might think about adding beans.
Ingredients
140g tin of tuna in water
3 tomatoes chopped
1 medium avocado
100g boiled quinoa
Organic salad leaves (if you live in Brighton, get the pack from Infinity foods - delicious!)
Lemon juice to dress

Just combine all togehter and eat!

Calories: 431, Carbs,23.9g, Protein:43.4g Fat:18.4g

Broccolli, chilli stir fry with soba noodles

This is a delicious dinner full of protein, while the soba noodles are an excellent source of Low glycaemic index carbohydrates.
Ingredients
40g Buckwheat soba noodles
2 tomatoes, quartered
handful of stir fry salad leaves
1/2 birds eye chilli
broccolli
1 egg
Dash of tamari sauce
1 tsp of sunflower oil or use a spray

Saute the broccolli florets, tomatoes and chilli in the oil,while the buckwheat noodles are cooking. ONce cooked add the noodles so they are coated with the chilli oil. Push to one side and break an egg into the pan. Let the white begin to set and then begin to stir it around into the noodles and the sardine. Then turn it out and serve with a dash of tamari sauce. You can add 1/2 tin of sardines drained of oil if you want to add more protein and a tsp of seasame oil for flavour.
Contains: 319 calories, 17g protein, 35g carbs, 12.5g fat

Crunchy orange, mint & hazlenut salad

So many people say they can't diet because they hate salads. This is not surprising considering the fact that most people think a salad is a limp piece of iceberg lettuce with a few tomatoes.
Nowadays, you can create so many salads which are not only delicious as an accompaniment but also as a standalone dish. I created this recipe to have with roasted gilthead bream, but you could equally add 1inch piece of feta cheese to make an entire supper.
Ingredients
Celery, chopped
Carrot, grated
Bunch of mint, chopped
Bunch of basil, chopped
1dsp hazlenuts and walnuts, chopped
2tsp pumpkin seeds
One orange, cut into thin slices (blood red orange would work particularly well)
For the dressing
juice of fresh orange
Rice wine vinegar

Combine all the ingredients together, dress and serve. This would also be delicious with green beans and a tuna steak.

Healthy Smoked mackerel pate

Mackerel is full of healthy omega 3 fats, which are good for brain function, good for brain function and nervous system as well as helping regulate hormones. And it is delicious!
That said, you have to be careful and not eat too much if you are watching your weight as it is fairly calorfic compared to white fish. This can make a great lunch time snack, although if you are on the Fitbitch Eating Plan level one, use rice cakes instead of bread.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 freshly smoked mackerel (www.fish.co.uk serve great ones)
1 fresh lemon
1/2 large tub of zero fat Fage Greek yoghurt
handful of fresh chopped dill
Wasabi or horseradish to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Take the mackerel flesh from the bones, ensuring you discard any loose bones. Combine with the yoghurt, lemon, herbs and seasoning, mixing well. Spoon into ramekins or small glasses and refrigerate for a few hours. Serve with a small rocket and tomato salad and hot toasted bread.
and hormones