Month: July 2020

One-pan cooked breakfast


A healthy ‘fry-up’ for 87p per serving

I love the concept behind Justine Pattison’s One-Pan Cooked Breakfast. A traditional ‘fry-up’, made healthier by cooking the ingredients in the oven, for less than a quid per portion with minimal washing up.

But in reality this recipe is a bit of a faff to make, and I nearly made Will late for school and me late for work by not reading the cooking method properly. When I put food in the oven I don’t want to worry about it until it’s ready to bring out. However, my patience was tested with this meal because it involves about 5 different stages – stir this, turn that, do the hokey cokey and you turn around….

Maybe I’m being pedantic (said no one to me, ever) but I prefer Scrambled Egg with Bacon and Mushrooms or Pan-fried Bacon with Poached Egg and Balsamic Tomatoes for speed and simplicity.

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Sweet Potato Saag Aloo


Just 200 calories per portion and stroppy teenager friendly

Sweet Potato Saag Aloo from the Hairy Dieters’ ‘Go Veggie’ book turned into a really satisfying experience. My teenager Will was mithering for an Indian takeaway and frowned with disappointment when he saw what his old man had served up. “Where’s the meat?”, he asked in irritation.

5 minutes later and his mood had lightened. “This tastes amazing Dad. Can we have it again?” There’s been few greater pleasures during the last few months than being able to change my son’s perceptions about food, particularly when it comes to introducing him to cheap, vegetarian-based dishes. This costs just over a £1 per portion to make.

If you don’t have all the suggested spices in, don’t worry, the Hairy Dieters state you can substitute them for mild curry powder instead, but it won’t taste as good. At just 200 calories per serving, this fab vege-based curry is going to become a regular in my home.

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Jerk Chicken


Don’t wimp out! Use scotch bonnet chillies instead of regular chillies for this

Since the pandemic, I’ve never spent as much time in the kitchen and in truth I’ve become a little jaded recently. I needed to rediscover my motivation and Jerk Chicken from the Hairy Dieters has me feeling the love for food again.

This recipe is mouth-wateringly good. Do take the time to marinate the chicken thighs for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight, to allow the flavours to intensify. And unless you’re really ‘anti-heat’, make sure you use scotch bonnet chillies, instead of regular, boring chillies. You WILL notice a difference, but it WILL be worth it. Embrace the heat! 🙂

My teenage son Will is still in ‘training’ when it comes to appreciating spices. The poor boy’s eyes were watering while he was eating this, but he loved the taste so much that he kept going until he cleaned his plate. That’s my boy! You can serve this with a side salad, or a small portion of rice or couscous. Want something a little tamer? Ok….. try Sticky Chicken with Coleslaw instead.

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Creamy Scallops with Bacon


Where’s Wally? Spot the scallops to win…… I don’t know

Oh dear, where do I begin? Creamy Scallops with Bacon from Justine Pattison turned into a ‘date night’ disaster for me recently. The first red flag was that my brilliant local fishmonger was temporarily closed due to COVID-19, prompting a rush of blood as I naively ordered frozen scallops from a supermarket. The difference ibetween fresh, quality scallops and frozen supermarket ones is night and day.

My second, even bigger faux pas, was buying a larger cauliflower to make the creamy puree. In doing so, the sauce completely overwhelmed any chance of tasting, let alone finding, the bacon and the scallops. But they were in there, even if the photo suggests I’m lieing.

When I’ve calmed down I’ll give this another bash using a much smaller cauli (500-700g only). But if this was a ‘first date’ I’m not sure Ann-Marie would have been inclined to grant me a second one ha ha!

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Salmon with Chilli Ginger Sauce


This is great with new potatoes / mash, or vegetables / stir-fry veg

Any page in a cookbook that is battered is testament to how good the recipe is. Salmon with Chilli Ginger Sauce, from the Hairy Dieters’ first book, is literally covered in stains because I make it so often at home.

It’s not even a difficult or a ‘messy’ meal to make, I guess I’m just prone to being clumsy in the kitchen. You might question whether it’s worth purchasing a jar of stem ginger in syrup if you’re not into baking, but even if you’re not, I’d get it for the purposes of this meal alone as it will keep in your fridge for a while.

The chilli ginger sauce with the dark soy sauce, orange juice and zest is mouthwatering. The Hairy Dieters suggest serving this with some rice or potatoes, and some vegetables. I prefer to serve it with just a pack of stir-fry veg to keep the calories down. This is a really quick, satisfying and delicious meal. Enjoy!

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