cheese & onion flatbread with Houmous

Serves 2 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 8–10 minutes

This is a quick recipe that I make if I know I’m going to be out and about for the day as it can easily be packed up in a lunch box for a take-away lunch or tasty snack. The recipe also provides half your daily intake of oat bran for the Stabilization phase. For a herb flatbread, just stir in a tablespoon of chopped parsley or chives before cooking.


For the flatbread
4 tbsp oat bran
3 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt
1 egg, beaten
2 spring onions, finely chopped
25g Cheddar cheese, grated
For the houmous
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt
Small handful of fresh parsley
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of paprika
Seasoning
To make the flatbread, mix together the oat bran, yoghurt, egg, spring onions and
grated cheese.
Heat 3 drops of oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and wipe off with
kitchen paper. Spread the mixture around the pan, making a flat surface.
Cook for 4–5 minutes until the underneath is golden. Gently turn over and cook for
a further 4–5 minutes, then remove from the pan and cut into wedges.
For the houmous, place everything in a blender and blend until nearly smooth. If you
want a looser texture, just add a little water.
Serve the houmous on wedges of the cheesy bread with salad, if wished.

Scotch eggs

Serves 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

Everyone loves Scotch eggs and these are far healthier than shop-bought ones, plus you can add your own choice of spices and herbs to the sausage mixture if you wish Delicious for taking on picnics or for a lunch box for work, this recipe is really simple to make and will be enjoyed by the whole family.

5 large eggs
8 low-fat sausages
2 slices wholemeal bread, made into crumbs
1 tbsp oat bran
Salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Cook 4 of the eggs in boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and refresh under cold running water. Leave to cool slightly to make them easier to handle, then peel away the shells.
Remove the skin from the sausages and, using the meat from 2 sausages for each hardboiled egg, make the sausage meat into a ball in your hand and then press the egg into it, gradually working around the whole egg to seal it in completely.
Beat the remaining egg and place in a shallow bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs and oat bran and place on a plate or chopping board.
Coat the covered eggs in beaten egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mix to coat completely.
Place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 20–25 minutes until golden.
Serve with a summer salad.
Refreshing hard-boiled eggs under cold water at the end of the cooking time stops the
cooking process and prevents the eggs having a circle of grey around the yolk when you
open them up.

Haricot Bean, Tuna & Mint Pâté

Serves 4 Preparation time: 10 minutes

A really clever kind of dip or pâté that you can bulk up with lots of crudités, this is a super-quick and simple starter or snack to take to work in your lunch box. If you don’t have a food processor, use a fork or potato masher  you will just have a slightly chunkier pâté.

400g tin haricot beans,
drained and rinsed
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
Seasoning
130g tin tuna in spring water,
drained
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Red and yellow peppers,
deseeded and sliced, to serve
Place the drained haricot beans, lemon juice, yoghurt and seasoning in a food processor. Add half of the tinned tuna and process until nearly smooth.
Spoon into a bowl and stir in the remaining tuna and the chopped mint.
Serve with sliced peppers for dipping.

crab burgers

Serves 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes + chilling Cooking time: 6–8 minutes

If you love burgers, but are not keen on having meat too often, I think these delicious crab burgers make a fine substitute. Use both dark and white crabmeat for a great flavour. To toast the sesame seeds, just cook in a dry frying pan and toss around until they start to turn golden.

4 spring onions, finely diced
450g crabmeat
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, beaten
100g breadcrumbs
Seasoning
¼ Chinese cabbage, shredded
25g mangetout, shredded
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

In a large bowl, mix together the spring onions, crabmeat, lemon zest, parsley, eggs, breadcrumbs and seasoning.
Using wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers, then place in the fridge to chill for 20–30 minutes.
Heat 3 drops of oil in a non-stick pan and wipe off with kitchen paper. Cook the burgers for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, toss together the cabbage, mangetout, tomatoes and red peppers with the olive oil and lemon juice.
Serve the burgers on top of the shredded salad, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
You could serve these burgers with a sweet chilli dipping sauce if you are in the Stabilization phase.

Spiced Rhubarb Compote with Orange Cream

Serves 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

A delicious way to serve rhubarb — this great fruit has an affinity with ginger and is wonderful accompanied by a tangy orange cream. It is also officially a vegetable, so you can enjoy this dessert in the Cruise phase.

50g fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp sweetener
300g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1–2 cm pieces
3 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp low-fat crème fraîche
Grated zest of 1 orange
Place the ginger and sweetener in a pan with 150ml water and bring to the boil, then
simmer for 2–3 minutes.

Stir in the rhubarb and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the panand leave to cool, stirring from time to time.Meanwhile, beat together the yoghurt, crème fraîche and orange zest.Serve the gingered rhubarb compote with a big dollop of orange cream.

Cinnamon Baked Egg Custard

Serves 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35–40 minutes

A real family favourite, cooked by mothers and grandmothers for years, and one you don’t need to miss out on at any stage of the diet!

600ml skimmed milk
3 eggs
3–4 tsp sweetener
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
Freshly grated nutmeg, for topping
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.

Heat the milk in a small pan until hot, but not boiling. Remove from the heat.In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sweetener, cinnamon and yoghurt untilsmooth. Pour the warmed milk over the egg mixture, whisking continuously, thenstrain through a sieve.Place four small ovenproof dishes or cups into a roasting tray and pour the eggmixture into each one. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg. Pour hot water into the trayaround the dishes or cups, enough to come halfway up them.Bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes until set. Cool slightly in the tin and serve warmor cold.

Looks really pretty topped with pomegranate seeds if you are in the Consolidation phase