CRAB CAKES

Serves 2

230g crab meat, brown and white
230g cooked white fish, skinned, boned and flaked
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp each finely diced green and red pepper
2 rounded tbsp mayonnaise
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 heaped tsp cajun seasoning Oil and butter for frying

Mix together all the ingredients, except the oil. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Using a spoon, scoop up the mixture and form into cake shapes as best you can – the mixture is quite sloppy. They will firm up as they cook. Heat the oil and butter in a nonstick frying pan and fry the cakes gently on both sides until firm and golden brown. These taste lovely served with lemon wedges and mayonnaise mixed with wholegrain mustard.

BASIC QUICHE

Serves 4-6

For the base
100g hazelnuts
150g ground almonds
Salt
125g butter

For the filling
3 large eggs
140ml double cream
150g grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line the base of a 24cm springform tin with baking parchment. Put the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan and heat gently until they darken slightly – you might hear a faint sizzling, too. Put them straight into a food processor and whizz to the size of digestive-biscuit crumbs. Pour them into a bowl, add the ground almonds and a pinch of salt.

Melt the butter, then pour over the nuts and mix thoroughly to combine. Tip into the lined tin and gently spread out the mixture with the back of a spoon, trying to get it even coverage across the base and up the sides – the sides are tricky, but do the best you can, pressing firmly to pack it down as evenly as possible. Put into the fridge to set for about an hour and a half.

Beat the eggs into the cream. Remove the base from the fridge, and scatter the cheese evenly over it. Pour in the custard and bake for 35 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven.

You can add whatever you like to this basic mix: ham, smoked salmon, crispy bacon, prawns, chopped sausages, oven-roasted veggies – the list is endless.

CHEESE AND SPINACH STUFFED PEPPERS

Serves 1

1 large or 2 small fresh red peppers
100g frozen spinach
1 egg Pinch of mixed spice
Fresh sage
100g cottage cheese
50g feta cheese
2 tbsp parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas Mark 6. Halve the peppers lengthways, keeping the stalk on. Remove the seeds and wash. Line up the pepper halves like little bowls. Defrost the spinach and squeeze to remove excess water. Beat the egg in a bowl with the mixed spice and sage. Add all the other ingredients and roughly mix it all together, keeping it lumpy. Spoon into the pepper halves. Arrange on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

HOT THAI BEEF SALAD

Serves 4

3 tbsp Tamari (a type of soy sauce)
3 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
Juice of 2 limes
100g steak (sirloin or fillet), sliced across the grain as thinly as possible
2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp Splenda sweetener
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 or 3 fresh red chillies, finely sliced
50ml Marigold organic vegetable stock
Oil for frying
25g creamed coconut, grated
Flat-leaf lettuce leaves, torn into pieces
Cos lettuce leaves, torn into pieces
2 spring onions, sliced
15g fresh coriander, chopped

Whisk together 1 tbsp each of the Tamari, groundnut oil, nam pla and lime juice. Pour over the sliced steak, squish around in the mixture and marinate for an hour or so.

To make the dressing, whisk together 2 tbsp Tamari, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp nam pla, 2 tbsp lime juice, the grated ginger, sweetener, garlic, chillies and the vegetable stock.

Put a dash of oil in a frying pan and set over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced beef and stir-fry briskly until the outside of the meat is browned. Pour over the dressing and when it boils (in seconds), stir in the creamed coconut. Serve on top of the lettuce, sprinkled with spring onions and fresh coriander.

NB All these lunch dishes should be served with a green salad or a side portion of vegetables of your choice

FAST OFFICE MEALS

You don’t have to be the office nerd with your packed lunch – although no harm in doing that, especially with leftovers. But it’s easy to nip out to the local sandwich bar and stick to the diet. From a supermarket, choose ready-cooked chicken, pastrami, roast beef, salmon (or other meat and fish), and have it with a bag of rocket, baby spinach, raw broccoli/cauliflower florets or any other permitted vegetables.

Just remember, no bread: instead make a salad from the sandwich bar. Choose whatever you want from group A and one from group B:

A Lettuce, rocket, spinach, coleslaw, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes

B Tuna, roast beef, chicken breast, smoked salmon (or other meat or fish), mozzarella, egg or prawn mayo

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS

Courgette soup

Peel and chop 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic and fry in 50g butter until golden. Chop 1kg courgettes, add to the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Cool, blend until smooth, stir in 200ml double cream and reheat. Serves 4

Salad niçoise

Mix together 1 can of tuna in olive oil, ½ finely chopped tomato, 1 handful cooked green beans, 2 chopped, hard-boiled eggs and salad leaves of your choice. Dress with salt, pepper, a little vinaigrette and some flat-leaf parsley. Serves 1

Omelette Gordon Bennett

Fry 3 chopped spring onions and 1 finely sliced red chilli in 1 tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan until soft. Remove. Add another splash of oil and a knob of butter to the pan and pour in 3 lightly beaten eggs. As the egg sets, lift with a fork and allow uncooked egg to run underneath. Once there is almost no liquid left, let the omelette set, pile the onions into the middle, then add 75g chopped spicy chorizo and 50g grated gruyère. Serves 2

Piquant lamb chops

Cook 3 fat lamb chops under a hot grill until the fat is golden. Spread with 1 tsp tomato purée and 1 tsp tapenade. Grill for another 30 seconds, then sprinkle with some roughly chopped parsley and a little finely grated lemon zest. Serves 1

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