MEALS FOR ONE

Cooking healthily for just yourself can be a challenge. Here are some quick, super-healthy dinner recipes that don’t break the bank and still feel like real meals.

BROWN RICE AND TUNA SALAD

This tasty versatile recipe is inspired by the Blokes Can Cook programme – see page 25.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup frozen peas, thawed

½ packet microwave brown rice, cooked (use the other half for the Tofu Curry on page 23)

¼ cup carrot, grated

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

95g tin of tuna in springwater, drained

½ lemon

Olive oil spray

METHOD

Add all ingredients together in a bowl (except the lemon). Squeeze in the lemon, stir, spray with olive oil, stir some more, and serve. If the rice has been cooked recently, this will be a warm salad, but you may prefer to chill it. Variation Stir in a teaspoon of finely grated onion or a chopped spring onion for a more intense flavour.

NUTRITION PER SERVE: ENERGY 1590kJ (380kcal) | PROTEIN 23.5g | FAT 5.5g (SAT FAT 1.3g) | CARBOHYDRATE 53g (SUGAR 7.2g) | SODIUM 94mg

STOCKING YOUR PANTRY

A trick to cooking for one is making sure you buy ingredients that last a long time (like tinned beans, tinned tuna, and frozen peas) or that come ready divided into single portions – like some brands of microwaveable rice. You can also be clever about meal planning: buy foods that can be divided up when they are fresh or just opened and used for two or three nights in a row.

TOFU CURRY

TOFU CURRY

This delicious vegetarian curry makes the most of tofu as a low-fat substitution for paneer.

INGREDIENTS

½ packet microwave brown rice, cooked (use the other half for the tuna salad on page 22)

Olive oil spray

1 zucchini, chopped into rounds approx 5mm thick

1 small onion

100g cherry tomatoes

½ cup baby spinach gently packed down

150g tofu

½ teaspoon curry powder

¼ cup trim milk

METHOD

Spray a saucepan with olive oil spray.

Add the onion and zucchini, cover the pan with the lid, and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato. Cook, covered, at low for another 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and tofu. Cook, covered, at low for another 5 minutes.

Add the curry powder and cook for a minute, stirring.

Add the trim milk and cook, stirring till bubbling.

Spoon onto rice to serve.

NUTRITION PER SERVE: ENERGY 2050kJ (490kcal) | PROTEIN 28.4g | FAT 11.7g (SAT FAT 1.8g) | CARBOHYDRATE 59.4g (SUGAR 15.6g) | SODIUM 128mg

ROAST CHICKEN ON KUMARA MASH

ROAST CHICKEN ON KŪMARA MASH

You don’t have to cook a whole chicken – a single breast is a delicious just-for-one roast.

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil spray

1 medium kūmara

½ cup baby spinach gently packed down

1 chicken breast (around 180g)

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small onion, chopped roughly

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp trim milk

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place kūmara in the oven, and let cook for 15 minutes.

Spray a wide roasting pan with olive oil.

Coat the bottom of the pan with the baby spinach.

Place chicken breast on top, and arrange cherry tomatoes and onion around it.

Spinkle smoked paprika across everything, and then spray olive oil over that.

Put the pan in the oven, and cook beside the kūmara for another 25–30 minutes.

Take everything out of the oven, and let the chicken and veges rest. Wear an oven glove or use a clean tea towel to protect your hands from the heat, while you halve the kūmara, then scoop out the flesh and mash it with trim milk.

Serve chicken and veges over the top of mash or alongside it.

NUTRITION PER SERVE: ENERGY 2080kJ (495kcal) | PROTEIN 58g | FAT 5.1g (SAT FAT 1.4g) | CARBOHYDRATE 46.9g (SUGAR 24.8g) | SODIUM 152mg

HAM AND WITE BEAN SOUP

HAM AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

A low-fat, low-salt version of a classic.

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil spray

1 small onion, finely chopped

50g lean deli ham chopped up

¼ cup frozen peas thawed

2 tsp flour

1 cup trim milk

½ cup baby spinach, chopped roughly and gently packed down

100g rinsed and well-drained cannellini beans – salt free (approx. half a can)

METHOD

Spray a saucepan with olive oil spray.

Add the onion, cover the pan with the lid, and cook the onion on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the peas and the chopped ham, and stir for another minute.

Add the flour, and stir until everything in the pan is coated – about one minute.

Add the milk, and stir until the thickened mix is simmering.

Add the beans and the spinach, and stir until simmering again.

Pour into a bowl and serve.

Variation: Serve with a slice of high fibre bread.

NUTRITION PER SERVE: ENERGY 2330kJ (557kcal) | PROTEIN 39g | FAT 15.5g (SAT FAT 5.6g) | CARBOHYDRATE 55.3g (SUGAR 25.9g) | SODIUM 935mg

ROAST LEMON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

ROAST LEMON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Since chicken breasts often come in twos, why not do a second roast the next night?

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil spray

1 chicken breast (about 180g)

1 large washed red potato, chopped into pieces no thicker than 1cm

1 lemon, sliced into rounds

1 small onion, chopped roughly

½ tsp mixed herbs

¾ cup frozen peas

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Spray a wide roasting pan with the olive oil.

Place chicken breast in pan, and arrange chopped potato and onion around it.

Sprinkle mixed herbs across all.

Arrange lemon rounds over and between the chicken and veges.

Spray olive oil across everything. Cook for 25–30 minutes.

When the chicken and veges are nearly done, boil or microwave the peas for two minutes, or until they’re how you like them and drain.

Serve either with or without the cooked lemon.

NUTRITION PER SERVE: ENERGY 2710kJ (648kcal) | PROTEIN 59.8g | FAT 12g (SAT FAT 2.8g) | CARBOHYDRATE 59.6g (SUGAR 16.7g) | SODIUM 114mg