Cold weather can cause calorie mayhem, with takeaways becoming an easy option and heavy-but-homely meals an attractive treat. But, with the calories in a roast dinner averaging over half the standard recommended daily total, you may instead want to try these satisfying-yet-simple winter meals that are as light on the hips as they are on the scale of effort.
Soul Soothing Soup
Packed with nutritious vegetables and guaranteed to warm, soups are simple and their varieties endless. Vegetable classics such as pumpkin, tomato, carrot, leek and potato and minestrone are always welcome after a long day, and are a great way to get more vegetables into your diet.
For the more adventurous, why not delve into the aromatic and spicy world of Asian soups – not only full of flavour, but clear soups keep the calories at bay. Simple chicken or prawn soups, with rice noodles, thinly sliced mushrooms, baby corn and bamboo shoots in a flavoursome broth, give a great balance of the all important proteins and carbohydrates, without the excess fats.
Soups and broths can be made in large batches on your days off and frozen – a practical, healthy and economical solution.
Herbed and Healthy Grilled Fish and Steamed Veg
If the thought alone makes you wonder how fish and veg could possibly be satisfying, then you need to rethink your accompaniments. Herbs and spices can truly transform a meal.
To avoid the banal; try adding thinly sliced ginger, chilli, fresh coriander and oyster sauce with white fish and Asian greens. Salmon with thin slices of lemon, fresh parsley and chives will be irresistible when accompanied by crisp green beans with hazelnuts and vinaigrette.
Lovers of Moroccan flavours will enjoy the easy yet appetising intensity that a chermoula paste (either make your own, or buy at your local herb grocer) will add to fish; accompany with an easy cous cous flavoured with fresh coriander, raisons, chickpeas and a squeeze of lemon for a sensationally simple dish. If you find fish, well, a bit fishy, you can substitute or alternate with grilled chicken.
Stove-top Satisfiers
Red pasta sauces and risottos are winter favourites because they warm you (and your house) up, require little effort, and often transform cheap ingredients into flavour-filled fare.
Rather than overdosing on oils and adding fat filled bacons or creams, pasta sauces can be enhanced by anchovies and herbs (such as nutmeg, dried oregano, bay leaves and basil), lean red meats and vegetables including zucchini, carrot and eggplant. Vegetarians can also substitute meat for a fabulous range of mushrooms.
Risotto is a dish that scares many, yet its simplicity has made it a basic staple in many Italian homes for years. Pumpkin Risotto, seafood risotto, chicken risotto – the list goes on and on, and once you’ve mastered the basic technique, you might even invent your own. To prove how easy risotto is, the ladies from 4 Ingredients have come up with a mushroom risotto that is so simple, and of course, has only four ingredients!
The essential ingredients to healthy winter cooking are simple. Choose fresh and healthy ingredients, add flavour through herbs and spices instead of creams and fats, use techniques such as steaming and grilling, and eat a varied diet which includes a balance of lean proteins and carbohydrates.
