The phrase `healthy eating' usually sends people running for the hills rather than to their kitchens, but eating well doesn't have to be dull. Here are five delicious dishes that prove healthy eating can be anything but boring.
For those watching the waistband or indulging in a spring clean of the calorie-jammed cupboards, it’s time to dispel the myth that eating healthily starts – and ends – with five types of lettuce and a life’s supply of lentils. A lot of tasty ingredients and a dollop of imagination can make the good-for-you option go a long way.
From dishes loaded with vitamin-packed veggies and guilt-free sauces to tasty meat and fish recipes spanning world cuisine, this is proof that the balancing act between your bathroom scales and what’s on your plate needn’t be a tasteless tightrope walk.
Theo Randall’s Spring salad
Salad often seems the curse of the healthy eater, but Theo Randall’s moreish makeover is anything but bland. Make the most of spring’s green, fresh produce with this Italian-inspired salad. Blending basil and rocket with the tang of Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings and the crunch of ciabatta croutons, this dish makes a great light lunch. Aromatic, easy-to-prepare and perfect for a last-minute meal or sharing with friends. Bellissimo in Blighty!
Read Theo Randall’s recipe for spring salad
Richard Corrigan’s sea bass
People are often wary about cooking fish, considering it tricky and time-consuming, but Richard Corrigan’s sea bass recipe is a must-try. Simple but bursting with flavour, sea bass is a filling but healthy fish dish, rich in omega oils. With the zesty tang of lemon and the kick of garlic, offset with rich crème fraiche and mushrooms, this is a simple and super-fast favourite that you can serve in minutes.
Read Richard Corrigan’s recipe for sea bass
James Martin’s tagliatelle with salmon
Pasta always makes for a versatile, satisfying meal, and James Martin’s red salmon-flavoured version is no exception. Salmon is packed with protein and Omega 3 oils, making it both nutritious and low in fat and calorific content. He suggests stocking up on tinned salmon as a kitchen essential to add to a variety of dishes. Combined with the low-fat crème fraiche, iron-rich spinach and some very healthy greens, this easy recipe is almost angelic.
Read James Martin’s recipe for tagliatelle with salmon
Phil Vickery’s one-pot turkey pilau
Turkey is a great high-protein, low-fat meat, spiced up here in Phil Vickery’s irresistible Indian makeover. The chopped tomatoes, broccoli, leeks and sultanas provide a riot of colour, and throwing everything into one pot makes for a sociable, simple meal for up to four people. The turkey can also be substituted for chicken, and with minimal washing up, what better way to eat healthily?
Read Phil Vickery’s recipe for one-pot turkey pilau
Simon Rimmer’s cinnamon chicken
When cooking healthily, the spice cupboard is your biggest ally – yet it often remains woefully underused. This chicken dish livens things up with a sweet cinnamon coating; the perfect contrast to the crunch of the accompanying hazelnut and bulgur wheat salad. The honey and crushed chillies lend an adventurous kick.
Read Simon Rimmer’s recipe for cinnamon chicken