Making low-calorie dinners daily can be tough, especially when you come home after a long day and need something easy and filling. While there are endless options out there, in this article, we will get you started with three low-calorie dinner ideas that are delicious and easy to make.
Chicken Broccoli Beetroot Salad Avocado Pesto
Ingredients:
- 250g broccoli – thin-stemmed
- 2 teaspoon rapeseed oil
- 3 chicken breasts – skinless
- 1 red onion – thinly and finely sliced
- 100g watercress
- 2 raw beetroots – peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
For the avocado pesto
- small pack basil
- 1 avocado
- ½ garlic clove – crushed
- 25g walnut halves – crumbled
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- juice and zest 1 lemon
Method:
1) Boil water and add broccoli. Cook for two minutes before draining and running it under cold water. Toss them in a pan using ½ tsp rapeseed oil, and make sure they are well charred.
2) Brush chicken with remaining oil and let it cook on the hot pan for at least 3 to 4 minutes per side. Simply make sure it’s well-cooked but not overcooked.
3) Add avocado flesh, garlic, walnuts, oil, lemon juice, cold water, and seasoning to the food processor and smoothen.
4) There are a number of ways you can plate your food, but it would be best to follow a scattering method.
Poached Salmon Tarragon
Ingredients:
- 200g half-fat crème fraîche
- 1 lemon
- Tarragon – small bag – leaves only – chopped
- 1 garlic clove – crushed to a paste
- 400g green beans – trimmed and halved
- 4 salmon filets
- cooked baby new potatoes
Method:
1) Zest your lemon, and cut it into small wedges.
2) Take a bowl and mix the creme fraiche, garlic, tarragon, lemon zest, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and season to taste.
3) Using a large shallow pan, bring salted water to boil, and cook the beans for 3 minutes. Drain and cool under running water before adding them to the mix made in the second step.
4) Bring the pan to boil again and bring it down to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, add salmon pieces and let it poach for 8 to 10 minutes. Or you can cook it to your own liking.
Mediterranean Vegetables with Lamb
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250 grams lean lamb filet, trimmed of any fat and thinly sliced
- 140g shallot, halved
- 2 large courgettes, cut into chunks
- ½ tsp each ground cumin, paprika, and ground coriander
- 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 green pepper cut into chunks
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Method:
1) Heat oil in a large pan, and cook your lamb and shallots over high heat. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
2) Then add courgettes and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
3) Add the spices and toss it well. At the end add garlic and pepper. Then reduce the heat and let the mix cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
4) Pour in the stock and make sure it’s well coated. Then add tomatoes, season the mix, cover it with a lid, and let it simmer for another 15 minutes.