I love a dish that combines a bunch of different veggies and this dish hits the spot. I spotted this recipe by Teresa Cutter (The Healthy Chef) in an edition of Fitness First magazine that is distributed in Australia for members. In case you missed it, I am obsessed with Teresa's recipes from both her website, and her 80/20 diet book. Teresa's recipe uses just asparagus but I added a layer of red peppers. Next time I think I will throw in some corn kernels but the possibilities are endless! You can check out Teresa's web site here.

I can't even remember the last time I had a lasagne made with pasta sheets. Besides being a carb dodger, I have never found anywhere that does a good veggie lasagne and by good I mean uses lots of veggies rather than just the standard spinach and cheese. This is such a good idea to use thinly sliced zucchini/courgettes as the 'pasta'. I think this will become a regular dish for us as it's very similar to a veggie bake.

Time it takes: 1 hour

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 125g fine asparagus, trimmed 
• 1 red pepper/capsicum, sliced into batons
• 2 medium sized zucchini/courgettes 
• fresh basil leaves, some sliced for the napolitana sauce
• black pepper 
• 200g cottage cheese or low fat ricotta 
• 2 spring onion, sliced 
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 
• 2 egg whites 
• 20g grated Parmesan
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

Method: 

1. Boil a large pot of water and blanch the asparagus and peppers for 1 minute then drain well. 
2. Slice the zucchini thinly on a mandolin lengthways (this is your pasta replacement.) 
3. Scoop the cottage cheese or ricotta into a blender or food processor then add the egg whites and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy.  
4. Fold in the spring onion by hand. 
5. Layer ingredients into a loaf pan in the following order so you end up with 3 layers of zucchini: zucchini – black pepper - cheese mix – asparagus – basil  - zucchini – black pepper – cheese mix – red peppers – basil – zucchini – ricotta mix – grated parmesan cheese. 
6. Bake in a moderate 180 C oven for about 45 mins - 1 hour until golden then serve with a simple napolitana sauce.
7. To make the napolitana sauce quickly sauté the onion until golden then add the chopped tomatoes, and a little sliced basil.  Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes and season with a little salt and pepper. 

NB: for a dairy free version substitute the cottage cheese with good quality silken tofu.

I really love this recipe! I don’t like pasta dishes as they are usually quite ‘heavy’, and being the carb-dodger and ‘no red meat’ fan that I am, I don’t usually even look twice at them. This works out like a lovely, satisfying vegetable bake which is perfect for a Sunday afternoon lunch when it’s cold outside. Comfort food without the calories and fat! Enjoy!

Whoa, so I am kinda late in posting this, but I did bake them last week for Australia Day. It was the first time I have ever attempted them and they turned out pretty good. Besides the first batch turning out slightly caramelized, the next 2 were fine. I took most of them into work the next day and they were a hit! The smell of the coconut and golden syrup as they are baking is incredible!

Don’t you just love the serving plate? I snapped it up for $1 when I was back in Australia over Christmas…classic!

I scoured the internet for awhile trying to find a suitable recipe and ended up going with one from the Aussie Slang website. Here it is…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 115 g butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp boiling water

Method:

1. Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
2. Melt the butter and Golden Syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat.
3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup. (It will foam up – this is normal.)
4. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading.
6. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C / 350F, for 15 minutes.
7. Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers

I have been so inspired by my 80/20 diet cookbook, especially since finding the Two Chicks carton of egg whites at Whole Foods. It really makes cooking with egg whites easier and economical as you don't need to throw out any yolks.

Teresa Cutter the Healthy Chefhas a recipe for a salmon and vegetable frittata which she makes in individual muffin cases, but I have made a few amendments so that it is vegetarian. I also made it in a brownie tin which I thought was a great idea as all my baking dishes would have been way too big.
The frittata definitely tasted healthier due to the egg whites, but that's not to say it wasn't tasty. The combination of veggies was superb and the crumbled feta which was mixed through and sprinkled on top was just what it needed.
This is a great recipe to make when you need to use up veggies you already have, and you need something super easy.

My version: serves 2 hungry people, or 4 smaller serves with a side dish of salad of veggies.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 10 egg whites (I used Two Chicks egg white which is available in the UK. Check if any stores sell something similar elsewhere)
• 1 red pepper/capsicum, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper/capsicum, chopped
• 1 small tin corn kernels, drained
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 100 g low fat feta, cubed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F, Gas 4).
2. Lightly grease a baking dish, brownie tin, or line a 12-hole muffin tray with cases if you want individual frittatas.
3. Beat together the eggs and egg whites and set aside.
4. Combine all the veggies, half the feta and some freshly ground black pepper.
5. Pour the veggie mixture into the pan (or muffin tray), then pour over the egg mixture. Give the tray a shake to help disperse the liquid through all the veggies.
6. Sprinkle over the rest of the feta so it's on top.
7. Bake for 20 mins, then place under a hot grill so that the top puffs up and becomes golden.
8. Enjoy!

This picture is my second version…not as brown on top and no feta, but still delish!

In an effort to keep on track with the healthy January eating, I came across a recipe on the Ocado website for healthy eating. After a quick read using the trusty iPhone while I still had reception on the tube, I realised I had all the main ingredients at home already so decided to go with it. I have made a few tweaks, so here is my version. (Please excuse the messy plate!)

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 150g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• A few sprays of olive oil
• 2 haddock fillets (but I think any white fish would work)
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas6.
2. Place the peppers in a roasting tin and drizzle over 1 tbsp of olive oil, toss to mix. Cook in the preheated oven for 10 minutes then stir through the cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes until the tomatoes are hot and the skins have split.
3. While the tomatoes are cooking, spray some olive oil in a large frying pan. Dust the fish fillets with the paprika.
4. Fry the fish for about 5-6 minutes turning halfway through.
5. Stir the parsley through the roasted peppers and tomatoes and then serve with the fish fillets with a wedge of lemon and some steamed veggies.

Voila!  An quick and easy, healthy, low-carb mid-week dinner!

After the countless acts of indulgence over the silly season, it's time to go back to my usual healthy eating habits. This year however, I have vowed to make more new dishes and share them with you all. I was lucky enough to receive a few new cookbooks for Christmas and coupled with my BBC Good Food subscription and the endless foodie blogs I explore, there is more then enough to keep me occupied. My fave has to be the 80/20 diet book by Teresa Cutter – otherwise known as The Healthy Chef. Teresa is a qualified chef and fitness trainer and her 80/20 philosophy is based on the notion to eat well 80% of the time, and 20% of the time you can enjoy a little indulgence. Her book contains stacks of tasty looking recipes and I can't wait to really get into them, but for now I have made this heart-warming chilli based on a recipe from Closet Cooking to help me through the freezing temperatures I am facing on returning to London after a few weeks in the Sydney summer. Enjoy!

This makes a massive batch – enough for 4 generous servings. My pan was only just big enough to fit it all in!

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
2 cups water
A few sprays of olive oil
1 brown onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 jalapeno pepper (chopped) – I used diced dried chile jalapenos from the Cool Chile Co.
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water, as required
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 red pepper/capsicum (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 zucchini/courgette (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1  small can corn kernels
1 handful coriander (some chopped, some leaves)

Directions:
1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the white part separates, about 10 minutes. Then take off the heat and cover while the remaining water is absorbed. 
2. Spray some the oil in a large pan.
3. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and cumin and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, beans, peppers, zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add some water to help simmer as my mixture was quite thick.
6. Add the quinoa and corn and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.
8. Plate (or bowl) up and serve with some coriander leaves on top.