These tasty 30-minute recipes from Pinch of Nom including pancakes and pasta are actually good for you
SERVING up healthy, delicious meals should not take hours, according to popular food bloggers Kate and Kay Allinson.
Their latest book, Pinch Of Nom Express, includes 100 recipes where time spent in the kitchen is minimal but with results as tasty as always.
Pinch Of Nom is the UK’s most visited food blog and their books have sold more than 4.5 million copies.
Kay said: “As always, we’ve designed these recipes to only ever use simple ingredients and adapt to the equipment you’ve already got in your kitchen.
Classically trained chef Kate adds: “We wanted to show you that it’s possible to create great-tasting food without spending all day cooking.”
Here, we share five recipes that can be on your table in 30 minutes or less.
- Edited extract from Pinch Of Nom Express: Fast, Delicious Food, by Kate and Kay Allinson, (Bluebird, £22, out now)
Savoury breakfast pancakes
YOUR new favourite way to start the day.
Our cross between a salsa and guacamole makes for a delicious savoury topping.
Drizzle over the creamy yoghurt mixture and add a lovely saltiness by sprinkling on some crispy bacon and chorizo.
(Serves two)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Per serving: 396 cals
YOU NEED:
For the topping
10g chorizo, diced
1 bacon medallion, cut into strips
For the pancakes
100g self-raising flour
2 medium eggs, beaten
100ml skimmed milk
¼ tsp garlic granules
5g reduced-fat mature Cheddar, finely grated
3g chives, finely chopped
Low-calorie cooking spray
Sea salt and ground black pepper
For the salsa
2 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
¼ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
4g fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
¼ avocado, peeled, stoned and mashed
½ tsp sriracha sauce
2 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
¼ tsp reduced-sugar ketchup
To accompany (optional)
1 medium fried egg (add 82 cals per serving)
METHOD: First, make the pancake batter. Add the flour, eggs and milk to a bowl and whisk together until fully combined.
Add the garlic granules, Cheddar and chives, season with salt and pepper and whisk again. Leave to rest for five minutes.
While the pancake batter is resting, prepare the salsa.
Put the tomatoes, spring onion, red chilli, coriander, avocado and ¼ teaspoon of the sriracha sauce in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Add the chorizo and bacon to a small frying pan and cook over a low heat for two to three minutes until crispy. Set aside.
Once the batter has rested, spray a clean frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
When the pan is hot, spoon in some of the mixture and spread into a small pancake shape.
Don’t spread it too far as you want a fluffy pancake.
You can cook several at once, depending on the size of your pan.
Cook for two to three minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface and it’s lightly golden underneath.
Flip over and cook for a few more minutes. Stack on a plate and cover with kitchen foil to keep them warm.
Repeat until all the batter is used. We made six pancakes with our mixture, but it depends how small or wide you spread the batter.
The pancakes can be frozen at this point, layered between sheets of non-stick baking paper and placed in a freezer-proof container.
Follow standard guidelines for defrosting and reheating.
Add the yoghurt, ketchup and remaining ¼ teaspoon of sriracha to a small bowl and mix.
Stack up the pancakes on two serving plates, add a spoonful of the salsa, spoon over the crispy chorizo and bacon and finish with a dollop of the yoghurt mixture.
Cashew nut chicken
PUT down the takeaway menu! There’s no need to order when you can rustle this up.
We’ve raided our store cupboard for the ingredients to make our mildly-spiced sauce.
Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s a sure-fire weekend winner with rice or noodles.
(Serves four)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Per serving: 274 cals
YOU NEED:
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp honey
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
low-calorie cooking spray
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
80g button mushrooms, quartered
2 medium skinless chicken breasts (visible fat removed), about 260g in total, cut into thin strips
80g broccoli, cut into small florets
80g cashew nuts
To accompany
50g uncooked basmati rice per portion, cooked according to packet instructions (add 173 cals per 125g cooked serving)
METHOD: Combine the soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger, sriracha, cornflour and four tablespoons of water in a small bowl.
Stir until smooth and set aside.
Spray a large frying pan or wok with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and fry for five minutes, until the onion has softened slightly and the mushrooms have coloured.
Add the chicken strips and stir-fry for three to four minutes, or until golden-brown on all sides.
Add the broccoli and pour in the soy sauce mixture.
Simmer for three minutes until the chicken is coated and the broccoli is tender (but still retains a little crispness), and the sauce has reduced.
Stir in the cashew nuts and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
We think this is great with basmati rice.
The chicken will keep in the fridge for up to three days.
To freeze, follow standard guidelines for defrosting and reheating.
Chilli crab linguine
A QUICK, tasty dinner that will impress.
It turns tinned white crab meat into a dinner as good as restaurant versions, but with a fraction of the calories.
We’d say this recipe is medium hot, but you can add more or less chilli to make it right for you.
(Serves 4)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Per serving: 371 cals
YOU NEED:
300g dried linguine
Low-calorie cooking spray
½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, seeds left in and finely chopped
80g frozen peas
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 x 170g tins white shredded crab meat in brine, drained
150ml fish or chicken stock (½ fish or chicken stock cube dissolved in 150ml boiling water)
50g reduced-fat cream cheese
10g flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD: Cook the linguine in boiling water for around ten minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until tender but so it still retains some bite.
Drain, return to the saucepan, cover and set aside.
While the linguine is cooking, spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
Add the onion and fry for five minutes until softened and translucent, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for one to two minutes and continue to stir.
Mix in the frozen peas and tomatoes and cook for two to three minutes, until the peas are tender and the tomatoes are softening around the edges.
Stir in the crabmeat and stock and simmer, uncovered, for about two minutes to heat through.
Add the cream cheese and stir until completely blended in.
Tip the crab meat mixture into the saucepan containing the linguine, add the parsley and stir.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.
Ham, cheese and spinach omelette wrap
CAN’T choose between a wrap and an omelette?
Put them together and enjoy hot or cold. Perfect for wrapping up all kinds of fillings.
Start with this classic.
(Serves two)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Per serving: 368 cals
YOU NEED:
4 medium eggs
Low-calorie cooking spray
2 small soft tortilla wraps (about 18cm/7in diameter)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the filling
50g reduced-fat cream cheese
20g Parmesan, finely grated
2 thin slices of cooked ham (about 40g in total), cut into small squares
40g baby spinach leaves
Small pinch of fine garlic granules, to taste
METHOD: Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork until broken up and evenly mixed.
Season with salt and pepper.
Spray a small non-stick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a low-medium heat.
When the pan is hot, add half of the eggs and tilt the pan slightly so that the eggs swirl around to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
Cook gently for one to two minutes, without stirring, until the eggs have set like a very thin omelette and are nearly cooked, but are still wet on the surface.
While the egg mixture is still wet on the surface, place a tortilla wrap on top.
Press the wrap down lightly with a fish slice so that it sticks to the egg.
Flip the egg and wrap over using a fish slice, so that the egg is facing up.
Cook the underside for about 30 seconds or until the tortilla wrap is lightly golden.
Slide the omelette wrap on to a plate, with the egg side facing up.
Spread half of the cream cheese along the centre of the omelette wrap and sprinkle over half of the Parmesan.
Scatter over half of the ham and spinach then season to taste with a small pinch of fine garlic granules, salt and pepper.
Fold the sides into the centre to encase the filling.
Repeat to make a second omelette wrap, and serve warm or cold, alone or with a crisp mixed salad, tomato ketchup or other accompaniment of your choice.
Banana pancake traybake
SO flipping good. From oven to plate in 20 minutes, you would never be able to tell that these delightful squares are slimming-friendly.
(Serves 8)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Per serving: 139 cals
YOU NEED:
Low-calorie cooking spray
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp white granulated sweetener
200ml skimmed milk
1 medium egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
20g milk chocolate chips
¼ tsp icing sugar, for dusting
To accompany (optional)
Ready-made toffee flavour dessert sauce (add 17 cals per tsp)
Special equipment
24x24cam square baking tin
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C/gas mark 4).
Spray the baking tin with low-calorie cooking spray, grease thoroughly then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl and stir in the sweetener.
In a measuring jug, mix together the milk, egg and vanilla extract and stir this wet mixture into the flour a little at a time until smooth.
Beat together with a balloon whisk for one to two minutes.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scatter over the banana slices and chocolate chips, and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is lightly golden-brown.
Remove from the tin, remove the non-stick baking paper and cut into eight squares.
Dust with icing sugar and serve alone or drizzled with a little toffee-flavour dessert sauce.