This chapter is packed with recipes to use as accompaniments, side dishes or in some cases you can have them on their own. Since my first halogen book was published I have received hundreds of emails from all around the world. It seems that you all want to know more about preparing and cooking side dishes and vegetables, so I hope this chapter helps. Remember, if you are using the halogen to cook your main meal as well, you may need to use the extension ring to create more space.
If you have never tasted a baked sweet potato, I urge you to give it a go; it really is delicious. A simple meal but very wholesome and healthy!
• Preheat the halogen oven to 180°C.
• Prick the potatoes all over with a sharp knife and place them on the lower rack.
• Bake the potatoes until they are soft in the middle with crunchy jackets. This normally takes around 45–60 minutes, depending on size.
• Meanwhile, mix the chilli, garlic, spring onions and cream cheese together in a bowl.
• When the potatoes are cooked, scoop out the flesh. Mix the potato with the cream cheese mixture and season to taste. Add a dash of milk if the mixture is too dry (it should be the consistency of mashed potato).
• Stuff the jackets with the mixture. Bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes until the tops are golden.
Did you know? Sweet potatoes are a great source of carotenoids. Studies show a diet rich in carotenoids can help protect you from cancer.
This must be the simplest recipe of all!
• Preheat the halogen oven to 220°C.
• Place the potatoes in a bowl with the oil, garlic, herbs and paprika.
• Season to taste. Stir well, ensuring the potatoes are well coated.
• Tip the potatoes into a baking tray and place on the high rack.
• Bake for approximately 35–45 minutes, turning occasionally until golden. Simple!
Potato wedges are a great substitute for deep-fried chips. These wedges are lower in fat than chips, so are a healthier option.Why not try this recipe using sweet potatoes instead, which go well with a sweet chilli dip. Lakeland sells a halogen oven (Visicook Crisp & Bake) with a rotating arm, which acts in a similar way to the Tefal Actifry.These machines are great because they require less fat.
• Preheat the halogen oven to 210°C.
• Place the potato chunks in a bowl with the oil and paprika and toss to ensure the potatoes are evenly coated. If you want to cut down on fat, spray the potatoes with olive oil instead.
• Transfer to a baking tray or place in the bottom of the oven.
• Cook for 25–30 minutes until golden, turning occasionally.
Variation: Add chopped garlic, herbs of your choice and chillies for extra spice.
I love the flavours of garlic and rosemary, and they go brilliantly with potatoes.You can use large potatoes, as described in this recipe, or mini new potatoes (with skins still on). If using new potatoes, you won’t need to steam or boil them, or use semolina. Simply add them to the dish with the garlic, onions and rosemary, and toss in a little coconut oil or olive oil.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into wedges.
• Steam or boil the potatoes for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the halogen oven to 200°C.
• Add the oil to a 1cm-deep roasting tin and place on the high rack.
• Drain the potatoes but keep them in the saucepan.
• Sprinkle the semolina on the potatoes.
• Cover the pan and shake the potatoes for a few seconds.
• Carefully remove the hot roasting tin from the halogen. Add the potatoes to the hot oil, being careful not to splash (I use tongs to do this).
• Add the garlic, onion wedges and rosemary, ensuring they are evenly distributed around the potatoes.
• Roast for 40 minutes, turning regularly to ensure an even, crisp coating. Drain the fat and cook for a further 30 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and golden.
I love Dauphinoise potatoes but if they are made with cream they can be very calorific.This recipe uses fat-free Greek yoghurt and quark.
• Preheat the halogen oven to 200°C or use the preheat setting.
• In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche or quark, yoghurt and milk until thoroughly combined. Season with nutmeg, salt and black pepper.
• Grease an ovenproof dish, then add a layer of potato slices followed by a little garlic and some onion slices.
• Place a little of the crème fraîche mixture on top (leaving the majority to pour over the top layer) and cover with another layer of potatoes.
• Continue the layers, finishing with the crème fraîche and a sprinkling of Parmesan, if using. Season with black pepper.
• Place on the low rack and cook for 50–60 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. If they start to look too dark on top, cover with foil.
I am a big fan of sweet potatoes. Here I season them with butter and black pepper to create these delicious mash nests – very retro!
• Place the diced potatoes in a steamer and cook until soft, for 15–25 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.
• Mash with the low-fat spread and milk, and season with black pepper to taste. If you like a smooth mash, use a potato ricer or an electric hand mixer (though roughly mash the potatoes first, otherwise you may buckle the mixer blades).
• Stir in the chillies, spring onions and coriander leaves.
• Preheat the halogen oven to 180°C or use the preheat setting.
• Transfer the mash to a piping bag. On a very well-greased or lined baking tray, pipe 4–5cm round nests. Start at the centre and pipe round, slightly overlapping the inner lines. Pipe a line of mash on top of the outer edge to form a wall to the nests.
• Place the tray on the low rack and cook for 15 minutes.You can serve these as they are, or you can fill the nests with crumbled goat’s cheese or low-fat feta cheese. Once filled, return to the oven for a further 5–10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Did you know? Sweet potatoes are a great source of carotenoids and vitamin A, which can help boost your immune system.
Who can resist chips? These are made using spray oil (I place olive oil in a spray container as this works out cheaper than buying a spray oil). Using oil in this way cuts down on the amount of fat in the chips, so this can be a guilt-free indulgence.
• Preheat the halogen oven to 220°C or use the preheat setting.
• Steam or boil the potatoes for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spray a baking tray with olive oil. Drain the potatoes and place on the baking tray in a single layer. Spray with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with paprika (this helps to create a golden colour and nice flavour).
• Place on the high rack and bake for 10–15 minutes before turning over, spraying again and adding the chilli flakes. Cook for a further 10–15 minutes, or until the chips are cooked. (The cooking times depend on the thickness of the chips.)
• Serve sprinkled with sea salt and more chilli flakes if liked.
Sweet potatoes go so brilliantly with spices, and this Bombay potato recipe works a treat. Serve as an accompaniment to your favourite curry. I love to serve these with a soup or salad to add a bit of heat to the meal.
• Put the oil in an ovenproof dish. If using coconut oil, melt on a medium heat for 1–2 minutes in the halogen.
• Put the sweet potatoes in the dish and toss in the oil to coat.
• Mix the garlic and spices together with the lemon zest. Sprinkle onto the sweet potatoes and toss well. Squeeze the lemon juice over the potatoes and combine again.
• Place on the high rack and cook at 200°C for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are soft, turning halfway through cooking.
• Serve immediately.
This is a lovely accompaniment to a roast, or have it as a simple supper with some ham. Nutritional yeast flakes give this dish a cheesy flavour without the added fat.You can buy yeast flakes, which are a rich source of B vitamins, from health food stores.
• Steam the broccoli until it is just soft – you don’t want to overcook it.
• Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt, cream cheese and milk together in a bowl. Season to taste and stir in the nutritional yeast flakes, if using.
• In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oats and Parmesan. Season to taste.
• Place the broccoli in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the creamed mixture, then sprinkle the breadcrumb mix on top.
• Place on the low rack and cook at 180°C for 10–15 minutes.
• Serve piping hot.
Did you know? An enzyme in broccoli has been found to help fight breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Sweet potatoes work brilliantly with spicy flavours as they seem to absorb the spices so well.The yoghurt dressing helps soothe the palate after the fire of the spices. Add more chillies if you like it more spicy, but remove the chilli seeds if you want to avoid too much heat.
• Preheat the halogen oven to 200°C.
• Put the sweet potatoes, onions and garlic in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle over the oil and toss to coat.
• Place on the low rack and cook for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the spices together in a small bowl and season to taste.
• Once the 10 minutes are up, lift the lid of the halogen and sprinkle the spices over the vegetables. Carefully toss to coat. If necessary, add a little more oil, but the vegetables should not be soaked in oil, just lightly coated.
• Cook for a further 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle over the coriander and serve with a dollop of yoghurt.
Did you know? Sweet potatoes are a great source of carotenoids and vitamin A, which help keep your respiratory tract healthy.
This is a really easy dish that can be eaten with feta or goat’s cheese, used as a pasta sauce or even as a pizza topping.
• Mix the vegetables and garlic in a bowl or if, like me, you hate washing up, you can do this directly in the ovenproof dish.
• In a small bowl, mix a drizzle of oil with the balsamic vinegar, sugar, oregano and seasoning. Pour this over the vegetables and toss well, ensuring the vegetables are evenly coated in the oil mixture.
• Place on the low rack and cook at 200°C for 20–30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
• To serve, sprinkle with the herbs and a little crumbled goat’s cheese or low-fat feta.
Did you know? Tomatoes are a great source of carotenoid lycopene, which has been shown to help reduce cholesterol.
Fennel is a really underrated vegetable. It has a lovely flavour and goes well with fish dishes, as well as vegetarian or meat dishes.This is a really simple side dish.
• Place the fennel in a pan of boiling water and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Drain and place in an oiled ovenproof dish.
• Drizzle with coconut oil or olive oil, add the garlic and season.
• Place on the medium rack and cook at 190°C for 20–25 minutes.
• Serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Did you know? Fennel features prominently in Mediterranean cuisine. It is a good source of niacin, calcium, iron and magnesium, and an excellent source of dietary fibre, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and manganese.
This is a lovely side dish but it makes a delicious salad combined with rocket leaves, finely sliced red onion and black pepper.
• Place the oil in an ovenproof dish. If using coconut oil, place on the high rack at 220°C and melt for no more than 1 minute.
• Add the garlic and courgettes and toss well in the oil.
• Season generously with black pepper.
• Cook for 8–12 minutes until soft and golden.
• Serve immediately.
This simple yet very nutritious dish is packed full of antioxidants and is suitable for vegans. It’s a healthy option on its own, or serve it as a side dish.
• Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways. Scoop out the flesh and dice, leaving the shell of the squash intact.
• Try to keep the diced vegetables all the same size. Place the diced squash on a baking tray alongside the sweet potato, onion, red pepper, half the garlic and chilli, and all the tomatoes. Add a sprig of thyme. Drizzle with coconut oil or olive oil and season with black pepper.
• Brush the lining of the squash casings with coconut oil or olive oil. Place the remaining half of the garlic and chilli in the casings. Add a sprig of thyme in each and season with black pepper.
• Place the squash shells on the low rack and cook at 200°C for 20 minutes.
• Remove and place the squash shells on the base of the halogen. Place the high rack on top and add the tray with the remaining vegetables. Cook for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the oats, breadcrumbs and herbs in a small bowl.
• Remove the shells and vegetables. Combine the vegetables with the diced feta and place in the shells.
• Sprinkle with the oat mixture.
• Return to the oven on the high rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve this hot as a vegetable side dish (perfect at Christmas too!) or store in sterilised jars.
• Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes and then transfer to a casserole or ovenproof dish.
• Secure a double layer of foil over the top to form a lid.
• Place on the low rack and cook at 160°C for 1–1½ hours until soft.
• Serve hot or cold.
Did you know? Anthocyanins found in blueberries, blackberries, purple plums, red wine, red cabbage and aubergines protect the immune system against viral and bacterial infection.
I love rice dishes but some people are not confident cooking rice. On the hob I simply boil for 5 minutes, pop on a lid and remove from the heat to stand for 10 minutes – I get perfect rice every time.You can cook rice in the halogen oven too. Follow these simple steps and you can then adapt this basic principle to make your own variations.
• Place the coconut oil in a sauté pan. Add the spring onions, garlic, red and yellow peppers, and celery and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
• Add all the remaining ingredients, along with 600ml water, and gently bring to the boil.
• Transfer to a casserole or deep ovenproof dish. Cover with a double layer of foil.
• Place on the low rack and cook at 190°C for 10–15 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.
Did you know? Sweetcorn contains lutein and zeaxanthin, and is high in thiamine (vitamin B1) and folic acid.
I like to serve cauliflower with a selection of Indian dishes, such as lentil dahl (see p. 150) and Bombay sweet potatoes (see p.32). Make sure the cauliflower is completely dry before you toss it in the oil. I use coconut oil but if you don’t have any you can use olive oil instead.
• Place the cauliflower florets and onion in a bowl. Toss in the melted coconut oil or olive oil until evenly covered.
• Place the cauliflower on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle with the curry powder and gently toss to cover all the florets.
• Place on the low rack and cook at 190°C for 15–20 minutes until roasted and quite soft. Make sure the cauliflower still holds its form and has a slight bite to it though – you don’t want soggy cauliflower!
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve immediately.