Almost fat-free roasted vegetables

Ingredients

• new potatoes

• parsnips, peeled and quartered

• carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks

• sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 2 purple or golden beets, peeled and halved

• salt and pepper

• rosemary (optional – for garnish)

• coconut or olive oil cooking spray, or wine / water for steam frying

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Place a roasting tin in the oven to heat up.

Place all your veg in a bowl and mix together with salt, pepper and the rosemary (if desired).

Remove the roasting tray from the oven and thinly coat the base with the cooking oil spray (or wine/water).

Add the veg to the tray and give it a few stirs to mix everything up.

Roast for 35-45 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Herby roast potatoes

Ingredients

• coconut or olive oil spray,

• 4 cloves garlic

• mixed herbs

• potatoes, halved

• pinch of salt & pepper

• parsley and/or rosemary (optional for garnish)

Method

Peel and halve the potatoes, put them in a pan of boiling water and gently boil for around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a roasting pan in the oven (around 200°C/400°F).

Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan, put on a lid and give them a good, vigorous shake to roughen up the edges.

Take the pan from the oven, give it a thin coating of the oil spray, then add the potatoes along with the garlic and herbs.

Throw in some salt and pepper, give it all a good toss and then return to the oven.

After around 25 minutes, turn the potatoes, return them to the oven and roast them until they look good enough to eat.

Sprinkle with the parsley and/or rosemary if using.

Fat-free gravy

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp gluten-free flour

• 1 tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp mustard, English or Dijon

• pinch of salt and pepper

• 1 organic vegetable stock cube dissolved in 2 cups boiling water (broth)

• 2 tbsp Marmite, red wine or soy sauce (optional, to add flavour according to your tastes)

Method

Whisk the dry ingredients together over a medium-low heat until they become toasty – no more than a few minutes.

Slowly add the veg broth and whisk to remove any lumps.

Now add the mustard and/or optional ingredients and continue to stir.

Continue stirring over a medium-low heat until the gravy is bubbly and thickened.

Cheating cauliflower cheese

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower, washed and chopped into florets

• 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

• 4 tbsp packet cheese-sauce granules – made with low-fat milk

Method

Cook the cauliflower in boiling water, or steam, for around 10 minutes, then drain and put it into an ovenproof dish.

Make up the cheese sauce according to the instructions, using skimmed milk.

Pour the sauce over the cooked cauliflower and mix well.

Add salt and pepper.

Place under a hot grill for 5-10 minutes until brown and bubbly.

Crispy oven-baked sweet potato fries

Ingredients

• 7-8 sweet potatoes (medium)

• 1 tbs flour

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Clean and slice the potatoes into fairly thick chips/French fries.

Add to a pot of cold water (enough to cover them) and bring to the boil.

Boil for 5 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Line a roasting tray with parchment paper.

After boiling, drain the potatoes and place them back in the pot.

Add all the seasonings, cover and shake to distribute them.

Spread the chips evenly on the parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Roasted maple sprouts

Ingredients

• 200 grams (2 cups) Brussels sprouts

• 8 new potatoes

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• coconut or olive oil cooking spray or water/wine for steam frying

• salt and pepper

• 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Halve the sprouts lengthways.

Cut the potatoes into pieces similar in size to the sprouts.

Place the sprouts and potatoes into a baking dish with the chilli flakes, spray 5-6 pumps of the cooking oil spray or water/wine over them, add salt and pepper and mix together.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until they start to turn a golden brown.

Take out of the oven, add the pomegranate seeds and toss.

Drizzle the maple syrup over the mixture and mix everything together.

Low-fat dumplings

Ingredients

• 100 grams (7/8 cup) plain flour

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp butter

• 100 ml (½ cup) skimmed milk

• parsley (optional)

Method

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Rub the butter into the mixture using your fingers, until crumbly.

Stir milk into the crumbed mixture to make a soft dough.

Drop by spoonfuls into boiling water.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.

Serve immediately while piping hot.

Top tip: To make parsley dumplings, add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to the dry ingredients