Save pennies and shed pounds with cook Miguel Barclay’s £1 Slimming Meals that are under 500 calories and cheap as chips

THE cost of our favourite meals is rocketing, with food inflation at a 45-year high.

We reported yesterday how the ingredients for a spag bol costs 26 per cent more than a year ago, while a veggie curry is up 27 per cent and a full English 22 per cent.

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But it is possible to do something the spiralling costs — and beat the bulge too.

Miguel Barclay, 36, is the brains behind One Pound Meals and his latest book, Slimming One Pound Meals, has more than 85 recipes, which are all 500 calories or fewer, for thrifty chefs to try.

The cook, who lives in Camden, North London, says: “Times are tougher now.

“With the rise in food prices coupled with the rise in energy prices, household budgets are being squeezed.

“Every recipe in my latest book costs £1 to make and I have simplified each recipe and slimmed down (pun intended!) the number of ingredients.

“This is not classical cooking using traditional techniques, this is cooking you can actually do after a day’s work without much hassle.”

In our exclusive extract we serve up six budget recipes from Miguel’s latest book.

• Extracted from Slimming One Pound Meals, by Miguel Barclay, (Headline Home), published on May 25, £20.

Instead of veggie curry try . . .MUSHROOM JALFREZI

(238kcal, 44.5g carbs, makes one portion)

Photography by Dan Jones

THIS is totally inauthentic but delicious and quick.

My hack here is to use just tomato purée and curry powder.

The enemy of tasty mushrooms is moisture, so a drier curry like this one works really well to magnify the flavour of the mushrooms.

Plus, it satisfies that curry itch without the calorific sauce.

YOU NEED:

• ¼ mug of basmati rice
• ½ mug of water
• ½ onion, sliced
• Handful of sliced mushrooms (any variety)
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• ½ tsp curry powder
• Pinch of dried chilli flakes
• Small handful of chopped coriander (optional)
• Oil (any)
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Put the rice and water into a saucepan with a pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat with the lid on for about 7 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, pan-fry the onion and mushrooms in a splash of oil over a high heat for a few minutes, then add the tomato purée, garlic, curry powder and chilli flakes.

Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until you see some nice caramelisation on the onions.

Season to taste, then serve with the rice and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped coriander, if using.

Instead of pie and mash try . . . FILO PASTRY BROCCOLI TART

(500kcal, 49.7g carbs, makes two portions)

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FILO pastry is a lower-calorie alternative to puff pastry.

It may be less buttery but it has a wonderful texture and an audible crunch when you bite into it.

The key to this dish is to cut the tenderstem broccoli lengthways so the stalks are thin enough and cook quickly.

YOU NEED:

• 2 sheets of filo pastry
• 2 tbsp vegetarian pesto
• A few spears of tenderstem broccoli, sliced lengthways
• Small handful of crumbled feta
• Oil (any)
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4.

Lay your sheets of pastry one on top of the other in a rectangular dish then scrunch up the edges.

Lightly brush the edges with oil and spread the pesto over the base using the back of a spoon.

Arrange the sliced broccoli over the pesto, brush with oil, season, then bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the tart are golden brown and the broccoli is cooked.

Finish with a sprinkle of crumbled feta, some more black pepper and serve.

Instead of a Full English try . . . BREAKFAST EGG TACOS

(293kcal, 35.4g carbs, makes one portion)

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JAZZING up your scrambled egg with onions, peppers and paprika, then wrapping it all in a tortilla, is a great way to start the day.

You don’t need much onion or pepper, so I’ve measured them in tablespoons.

This might seem strange, but the idea is to keep a little aside from a meal earlier in the week.

YOU NEED:

• 75g any pasta
• Handful of chopped smoky bacon or lardons
• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• ½ tin of chopped tomatoes (200g)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Cook the pasta in a pan of salted boiling water as per the instructions on the packet, then drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, pan-fry the bacon in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until golden brown, adding the onion and carrot halfway through.

Be sure to scrape off any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.

Then add the tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes, adding a splash of the pasta cooking water if needed, then mix in the cooked pasta, season to taste and serve

Instead of spag bol try . . . BACON BOLOGNESE

(474kcal, 73.8g carbs, makes one portion)

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WANT to cut down on the amount of meat in your Bolognese?

Then let bacon do all the hard work for you.

Even a small amount of bacon will give the dish that meaty, smoky flavour you crave.

If you let those bacon bits stick to the pan and caramelise you can get an even deeper flavour.

YOU NEED:

• 75g any pasta
• Handful of chopped smoky bacon or lardons
• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• ½ tin of chopped tomatoes (200g)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Cook the pasta in a pan of salted boiling water as per the instructions on the packet, then drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, pan-fry the bacon in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until golden brown, adding the onion and carrot halfway through.

Be sure to scrape off any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.

Then add the tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes, adding a splash of the pasta cooking water if needed, then mix in the cooked pasta, season to taste and serve.

Instead of cottage pie try . . . NO-CHEESE MOUSSAKA

(347kcal, 12.7g carbs, makes one portion)

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BY using a dollop of yoghurt instead of the traditional heavier bechamel-style sauce, you can transform this dish into a lower-calorie version.

Roasting a whole aubergine instead of fiddling about layering up a moussaka is a useful shortcut that means it’s now possible to cook this mid-week. Win win.

YOU NEED:

• 75g any pasta
• Handful of chopped smoky bacon or lardons
• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• ½ tin of chopped tomatoes (200g)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Cook the pasta in a pan of salted boiling water as per the instructions on the packet, then drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, pan-fry the bacon in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until golden brown, adding the onion and carrot halfway through.

Be sure to scrape off any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.

Then add the tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes, adding a splash of the pasta cooking water if needed, then mix in the cooked pasta, season to taste and serve.

Instead of a stir-fry try . . . POACHED CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

(359kcal, 51.9g carbs, makes one portion)

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ADDING noodles to an already substantial chicken soup makes a hearty lunch that will keep you going all day.

Don’t be scared that you won’t be full up, this isn’t a light soup.

All cooked in one pan, it doesn’t get much easier than this.

YOU NEED:

• 500ml water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 2 chicken breast mini fillets
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• Small handful of frozen peas
• Sheet of dried rice noodles (about 50g)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, then crumble in the stock cube.

Add the chicken and carrots.

Simmer for about 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, adding the peas and noodles for the last few minutes.

Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks, then return it to the soup. Season to taste and serve with a dollop of mustard.