Smart suppers
Four easy and delicious midweek meals packed with satisfying, nourishing carbs
White fish with butternut and ginger mash
Mash doesn’t have to mean potatoes, and it’s well worth experimenting with alternatives – carrots, parsnips, celeriac, jerusalem artichokes and sweet potato versions are all delicious.
40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | LC GF
extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
ginger 3cm piece, cut into matchsticks
hake (or other sustainable firm white fish, such as haddock) 4 thick fillets
butter 20g steamed long-stemmed broccoli and lime wedges to serve MASH
butternut squash 1kg, peeled and cut into chunks
garlic 4 cloves, peeled
ginger 5cm piece, sliced into rounds
red jalapeño chillies 2, deseeded and diced
coconut milk 115ml
lime Ω, juiced, plus extra if needed
coriander 2 handfuls, chopped, plus extra to serve
To make the mash, put the squash in a pan with the garlic and ginger, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well and pick out the ginger. Return the squash to the hot pan and add half the chilli, most of the coconut milk and the lime juice. Mash until smooth, adding the rest of the coconut milk, if needed. Season and stir in three-quarters of the coriander leaves. Taste and add more lime juice if needed.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the ginger for 2 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil and the butter to the frying pan, and heat over a high heat. Put the fish, skin-side down, in the pan, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden, and you can see the flesh has cooked two-thirds of the way up. Turn the fish over, baste with the buttery oil and cook for a further 2 minutes or until just cooked and the fish is opaque and flaky.
Warm the mash if needed and spoon onto four serving plates. Top with the broccoli and fish, and scatter over the crispy ginger, the remaining chilli and coriander leaves before serving.
PER SERVING 341 KCALS | fat 16.7G saturates 7.9G | carbs 20.7G | sugars 15.1G fibre 5.2G | protein 24.5G | salt 0.3G
Beetroot spaghetti with dolcelatte, walnuts and chard
Wholemeal pasta is nutritionally superior to white as it is richer in fibre, iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium, yet visually it’s perhaps not so appealing. The addition of beetroot brightens things up, turning the pasta a vibrant pinky-red while also contributing fibre, vitamin C and iron.
40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | V
rainbow chard 125g, stalks and leaves separated, sliced
cooked beetroot 175g, drained and roughly chopped
walnut pieces 75g
extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
onion 1, finely chopped
garlic 3 cloves, finely chopped
wholewheat spaghetti 300g
lemon juice a squeeze dolcelatte or gorgonzola 125g, crumbled into chunks
Steam the chard leaves and stalks, then refresh them under cold running water and set aside.
Purée the beetroot using a stick blender in a bowl and set aside. Toast the walnuts in a large, dry frying pan for 3 minutes, tossing them occasionally until they start to colour. Set aside.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and fry the onion for 7 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the beetroot purée and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until reduced slightly.
Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water following pack instructions. When the pasta is cooked but still a little al dente, drain, saving 100ml of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the beetroot mixture along with enough of the cooking water to make a light sauce. Turn the pasta to coat it in the sauce, adding more of the cooking water, if needed. Add the chard leaves and stalks, a good squeeze of lemon juice and season. Warm through briefly.
Spoon the pasta into four large shallow bowls and finish with the toasted walnuts and dolcelatte or gorgonzola scattered over.
PER SERVING 648 kcals | fat 34.4G saturates 9.8G | carbs 57.8G | sugars 8.2G fibre 11.1G | protein 21.4G | salt 1G
Quick roast chicken with white bean and rosemary mash
Much as I love potatoes, this herby white bean mash makes a fantastic right-carb alternative. You can either mash the beans roughly with a potato masher so they retain a bit of texture, or blend using a stick blender into a smooth and creamy sauce. Chicken thighs are not only full of flavour, they’re much cheaper than breasts – try to buy organic, free-range, if you can.
50 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY |
GF
chicken thighs 6-8
red onions 2, each cut into 6 wedges
extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
lemon 1 large, halved
bay leaves 3
rosemary 2 sprigs
small vine-ripened tomatoes 300g
WHITE BEAN MASH
cannellini beans 2 x 400g tins, drained and rinsed
whole milk 270ml
bay leaves 3 garlic 4 cloves, halved
unsalted butter 40g
dijon mustard 2 tsp
rosemary finely chopped to make 2 tsp
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Season the chicken thighs and put in a large roasting tin. Toss the onion wedges in the oil and dot around the chicken. Squeeze over the lemon juice and cut the halves into chunks and put in the tin. Tuck in the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove the rosemary and add the tomatoes, and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the mash. Put all the ingredients, except the rosemary, in a pan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. When it almost starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered with a lid, for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside for the flavours to infuse while the chicken is roasting.
When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf from the beans and either mash with a potato masher or blend using a stick blender until smooth and creamy. Season, stir in the rosemary and warm through.
Serve the chicken with the tomatoes and onions, spooning over any juices from the tin, and the bean mash on the side.
PER SERVING 601 kcals | fat 32.2G saturates 12.3G | carbs 31.1G | sugars 11.8G fibre 10.5G | protein 41.4G | salt 0.7G
Omelette wrap with satay sauce
Ring the changes with an omelette wrap, which takes the place of the more usual wheat-based tortilla wrap. The right-carb element comes in the form of brown jasmine rice, which is combined with crunchy raw vegetables, a peanut sauce, lots of herbs and a lively red onion pickle to make a nutritious filling.
55 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | V
brown jasmine rice 165g, rinsed
toasted sesame seeds 1 tbsp
red onion 1 small, thinly sliced
apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp
red cabbage 100g, shredded
carrots 2, cut into matchsticks
cucumber Ω, deseeded and cut into ribbons
eggs 8
butter 40g
coriander a large handful
SATAY SAUCE
peanut butter 150g
lime 1, juiced
light soy sauce 2 tsp
toasted sesame oil 2 tsp, plus extra for the salad
ginger 5cm piece, finely grated
garlic 1 large clove, crushed
dried chilli flakes Ω tsp, plus extra to serve
Cook the rice following pack instructions and drain if needed. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, then stir in the sesame seeds.
Meanwhile, put the onion in a bowl and pour over the vinegar. Set aside to pickle until ready to serve.
Whizz together all the ingredients for the satay sauce with 4 tbsp of just-boiled water in a high-powered blender.
Put the cabbage, carrots and cucumber in a bowl, drizzle over a little sesame oil, season and toss until combined.
To make the omelettes, beat 2 eggs in a bowl and season. Heat a quarter of the butter in a medium frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the beaten eggs. Tip the pan to coat the base with the eggs and cook for a minute or two until set. Keep the omelette warm, covered, in a low oven, while you make the remaining three omelettes.
To serve, top the omelettes with the rice and vegetable salad. Spoon over the satay sauce and finish with the onion pickle, coriander and an extra sprinkling of chilli flakes. Serve flat or fold the omelette over to encase the filling.
PER SERVING 661 kcals | fat 41.4G saturates 13.4G | carbs 39.6G | sugars 7.8G fibre 7.2G | protein 28.8G | salt 1.3G