1. Stuffed flat mushrooms
Pan-fry sliced courgettes, peppers, tomatoes and spring onions in a dash of olive oil. Flavour with garlic granules and cracked black pepper. Meanwhile, warm the inside of a flat mushroom in a pan drizzled with a little olive oil. Turn the mushroom over to lightly brown the outside, stuff with the sauteed veg, and serve piping hot.
2. Garlic mushrooms
Put some button mushrooms into a pan with low sodium soy sauce, garlic puree, cracked black pepper, and any dried herbs you have lying around. Throw in chopped spring onions or chives. Cook quickly and eat slowly.
3. Cabbage with fennel seeds
Steam some cabbage, or raid the fridge for leftover free vegetables. Warm a frying pan and pour in a little balsamic vinegar. Add the cabbage, a teaspoon of fennel seeds, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a touch of salt and some ground black pepper.
4. Chilli and lime rocket leaves
Mix together your favourite combination of free salad veggies and rocket leaves. Make a dressing using fresh lime-juice, paprika, dried herbs and chilli sauce. Drench and devour.
5. Warming marrow and leek soup
Throw together some chopped marrow, diced red peppers and leeks. Heat a pan with 300 ml (half a pint) of water, made up to stock using half a stock cube (or less). Add the vegetables with a large pinch of dried parsley, cook through and add pepper to taste.
6. Stir-fried babycorn
Heat a pan with five sprays of oil. Chuck in some baby sweetcorn, season with a little soy sauce and black pepper.
7. Hot roasted vegetables
Mix together your favourite combination of chopped peppers, mushrooms, onions, courgettes, asparagus, celery, baby corn and tomatoes. Add a teaspoon or so of crushed garlic, some fresh or dried herbs, a little salt and pepper. Place in a foil-lined tray and bake in a hot oven till cooked (about 15 minutes).
8. Speedy salsa sauce
Heat five sprays of spray oil in a non-stick frying pan and add a crushed clove of garlic. Stir-fry some finely chopped onion and green or red pepper. Add a couple of canned chopped tomatoes with some of the tomato juice and flavour with a good pinch of red chilli powder. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
9. Cucumber and mint cooler
Cut some chilled cucumber into wedges and top with fresh chopped mint, lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper.
10. Jelly with whole strawberries
Make up a sugar-free jelly and add a cupful of fresh strawberries. Leave to set and chill in the fridge. Alternatively, buy an individual pot of sugar-free jelly, cut it into rough chunks and serve with fresh strawbs.
If you like these recipes, you’ll find more in The Gi Plan by Azmina Govindji and Nina Puddefoot.
