The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight (22 page)

PLUM RICE PUDDING

Those little pots of rice pudding you can buy in supermarkets make a nice sweet treat, but they are expensive and they contain lots of sugar. It’s so much cheaper to make your own and really easy. Eat the rice pudding on its own or topped with a fruity compote. We like plums, but use any lightly stewed fruit you like – apples, pears and summer berries all work well.

SERVES 4

100g pudding rice

400ml semi-skimmed milk

200ml cold water

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp caster sugar (preferably golden)

Compote

3 ripe plums, stoned and quartered

6 tbsp cold water

1 tsp caster sugar (preferably golden)

134 calories per portion (with compote)

Put the rice, milk, water and vanilla extract in a medium non-stick saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 16–18 minutes or until the rice is tender and the sauce is creamy, stirring regularly. Don’t forget that it will continue to thicken as it cools, so add a little extra water if serving cold. Stir frequently towards the end of the cooking time as the mixture will be thickening up. Sweeten with a little caster sugar and serve warm or chilled with or without the topping.

To make the compote topping, put the plums, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently, until the plums are softened but still holding their shape. Add a little extra water if you need.

Spoon the rice pudding into tumblers or dessert dishes and top with the plum compote. Delicious warm or cold.

SI AND DAVE’S WEIGHT-LOSS TIPS

Taking your own lunch to work helps you keep control of your calorie intake. Shop-bought sandwiches are often surprisingly high in calories and those little pots of salad can be drenched in dressing, so high in fat.

Make a big batch of soup so you can take some to work to heat up and enjoy with a crispbread or two. It keeps well in the fridge for several days. A mug of soup makes a good snack too.

Pack your lunch box with the ingredients for a topless sandwich (see page 177) and put it all together when you’re ready. That way, your topless sarnie doesn’t get a soggy bottom.

A home-made pasta or rice salad makes an ideal take-to-work lunch to eat with some extra veg, such as strips of pepper or carrot sticks.

Guard against temptation by keeping a good selection of healthy snacks, such as crispbreads, olives and rice cakes.

If you’re hungry between meals, drink lots of water. It has no calories and will help you feel full.

TUNA NIÇOISE WRAP

We made these protein-packed wraps to take on a picnic and they were substantial and tasty – a feast in a flatbread. They survived the journey in a bicycle pannier well too, so just the thing for a day out in the hills and dales.

SERVES 2

50g green beans, trimmed

1 medium egg (fridge cold)

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 tbsp baby capers, drained

4 baby gherkins, drained and sliced

¼ tsp dried mixed herbs

185g can of tuna in spring water

2 large flour tortillas or wraps (white or wholemeal or a combination)

small handful of baby spinach leaves

1 large ripe tomato, cut into 8 pieces

20g pitted black olives in brine, drained

freshly ground black pepper

325 calories per portion

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 4 minutes. Lift the beans out with a slotted spoon and dunk them into a large bowl of cold water. Alternatively, tip the beans into a sieve and rinse them under running water until cold. Drain.

To boil the egg, put the pan back on the heat, add the egg and bring the water back to the boil. Cook for 8 minutes, then put the egg in a sieve under running water until cold. Leave the egg in cold water while you prepare the rest of the filling.

Mix the mayonnaise, capers, gherkins, herbs and a few twists of ground black pepper in a bowl. Add the tuna and stir everything lightly, without mashing the tuna too much. Peel the egg, then slice it into quarters, lengthwise.

Place the tortillas on a board and cover each one with a layer of spinach leaves, leaving a gap of about 5cm at the top and bottom of the tortilla. Add the green beans, all heading in one direction. Divide the tuna mixture between the tortillas, then the egg and tomato pieces. Sprinkle with the olives, pressing each one lightly between your thumb and finger to flatten slightly.

Fold the top and bottom of each wrap inwards to cover most of the filling and then roll up fairly tightly. Wrap them in foil – no need do this if eating immediately – then chill until ready to eat. Eat within 24 hours and transport with an ice pack if serving as a packed lunch. Unwrap the foil as you eat the wrap.

Top tip:

If you are taking your wrap to work, don’t forget to use a cool bag and ice pack to keep it chilled and in tip-top condition until you are ready to eat.

SIMPLE TUNA AND SWEETCORN PASTA SALAD

This makes a really satisfying lunch and it’s easy to take to work with you in a plastic box. It’s low in calories too, as long as you’re careful with the dressing. Try our trick of diluting the mayo with some water – works a treat.

SERVES 4

100g pasta shapes, such as fusilli or penne

200g can of tuna in spring water, drained

195g can of sweetcorn, drained

3 tbsp light mayonnaise

3 tbsp cold water

2 tsp white wine vinegar

10 cherry tomatoes, halved (about 100g)

¼ cucumber, cut into rough 1.5cm dice

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into rough 1.5cm dice

2 spring onions, finely sliced

freshly ground black pepper

romaine or little gem lettuce leaves, to serve (optional)

183 calories per portion

Half fill a large saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil. Add the pasta, stir well and bring the water back to the boil. Cook for 8–10 minutes until tender, or according to the packet instructions, stirring occasionally.

Rinse the pasta in a colander under running water until cold, then drain well and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Flake the tuna on to the pasta with a fork and scatter the sweetcorn on top.

Put the mayonnaise, water and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk with a small metal whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture over the pasta.

Add the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and spring onions, season with a few twists of black pepper and toss all the ingredients lightly together. Serve with lettuce leaves if you like. Perfect for lunch boxes and picnics.

TOPLESS SANDWICHES

To reduce the calorie count but not the satisfaction factor of your sandwiches, try going topless: make your sandwiches with just one slice of bread and loads of filling. We’ve been enjoying dense rye pumpernickel-style bread, which takes a bit of getting used to but makes brilliant open-topped sandwiches. It contains no wheat and is very satisfying – and is slightly lower in calories than thick-sliced wholegrain bread. Try not to cut your bread too thick – that’s cheating – and toast or griddle it if you like. If you want to take a topless sandwich as a packed lunch, take all the bits and bobs separately and put them together when you’re ready to eat. Here are some of our favourites.

Chicken and Parma ham

Spread a slice of rye bread with ½teaspoon of softened butter. Top with a sliced tomato, then slice half a skinless roast chicken breast and arrange it over the tomato. Top with 2 slices of Parma ham. Toss some shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber and place alongside the bread. Mix 1 teaspoon of light mayonnaise with ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and ½ teaspoon cold water until smooth and spoon over the salad. Season with black pepper.

331 calories

mackerel pâté and watercress

Skin a 55g smoked mackerel fillet and put the flesh in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of low-fat natural yoghurt and 1 teaspoon of light mayonnaise and mash roughly with a fork. Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped red onion and 3 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters and mix lightly. Put a slice of rye bread on a plate and top with lots of fresh watercress leaves. Spoon the mackerel mixture over the watercress and season with black pepper.

370 calories

A very English sandwich

Put a slice of rye bread on a plate and top with a large sliced tomato and a few cucumber slices. Add some torn lettuce leaves and a few slices of radish. Top with 4 slices of wafer-thin ham (about 40g) and a sliced hard-boiled egg. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of salad cream and snip over some salad cress.

301 calories

Cheese and pickle

Put a slice of rye bread on a plate and spread with 1 teaspoon of farmhouse pickle or chutney. Top with 40g sliced half-fat mature Cheddar and 1 slice of lean ham. Add 1 sliced tomato and 2 sliced dill gherkins. Spoon over 1 teaspoon of salad cream and serve garnished with fresh watercress.