Dinner

For the lamb, take a sharp knife and cut down around the bone, so you release the meat from it. Cut away any fat or sinew, so you are left with a piece of lean meat. Cut into 2.5cm chunks and set aside.

Heat a nonstick saucepan over a low flame. Add the oil and, once hot, mix in the onion, ginger and chilli. Fry briskly for 4 minutes, stirring, until the onion has lightly caramelised. Then mix in the cumin and fry for a further minute. Stir in the tomatoes and coriander stalks and fry briskly for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has reduced to a thick paste.

Add the meat and fry until coloured. Mix in the chickpeas, then strain in the tamarind water, pushing the pulp through a sieve. Discard any fibre. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season, add the coriander leaves and serve with 1 mini pitta bread per person.

STIR-FRIED SQUID WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE AND NOODLES

Chinese salted black beans are found in most oriental supermarkets, commonly sold in tins, in a salty brine. When you are ready to use them, decant — liquid and all — into a clean container with a lid and keep refrigerated. They last indefinitely in the fridge if you always use a clean spoon to remove what you need.

Serves 2

225g cleaned fresh squid
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed
1 tbsp good soy sauce
1 tbsp sake or dry sherry
2 thin slices of fresh, peeled ginger
1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 red or green chilli (or to taste), finely sliced
4 spring onions, finely sliced at an angle
1 red or green pepper, quartered and seeded
2 heads pak choy, trimmed and washed
4 water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and sliced
100g fine chinese egg noodles
1 tbsp sunflower oil

Prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking. Rinse the squid and pat dry. If necessary, peel away the freckled, mauve skin before cutting the body into thick rings or strips. If you are using the tentacles, scrape off the suckers. Place the prepared squid in a small bowl and mix in the sesame oil.

For the black bean sauce, mix together the cornflour, salted black beans, soy sauce, sake and 5 tbsp water. Now slice the ginger into fine strips and set aside on a plate with the garlic, chilli and spring onions, in separate piles. Slice the pepper, pak choy and water chestnuts into strips. Set aside.

Cook the egg noodles according to packet instructions. Heat a wok or nonstick frying pan over a high flame. Add tbsp sunflower oil. When it is hot, briskly stir-fry the squid for 1-2 minutes, until it turns white, with gold flecks. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the squid. Tip into a small bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the wok or frying pan and, once it is sizzling, add the ginger. Count to 8, then stir in the chopped garlic and chilli; count to 6, then mix in the sliced pepper, pak choy and water chestnuts, followed by the spring onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the vegetables wilt, then stir in the black bean sauce. Bring to the boil, return the squid to the pan and stir for a few seconds, until the sauce has thickened and the squid is hot. Mix in the noodles and serve.

CAJUN STEAK WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA

This is a spicy dish, so those who are wary of chillies should use their discretion and omit any from the salsa. They should also reduce the amount of cayenne pepper to taste. Serve with mixed salad leaves and baked sweet potato wedges (260g for 2 people). Add the excess pineapple to a tropical fruit salad that you can eat the next day. The protein in the steak and the lime juice in the salsa will help to lower the GI count of the pineapple.

Serves 2

2 x 125g lean fillet steaks, trimmed of all fat
1 tbsp paprika
¼tsp cayenne pepper
¾tsp dried garlic granules
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
85g fresh pineapple flesh
1 tbsp lime juice
¼tsp green chilli, or to taste (optional)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
½tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Cut the steaks in half so they form two thinner discs. Mix together the paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic granules, salt and pepper. Stir in the olive oil so that it forms a paste. Rub the spicy paste evenly all over the meat. Set aside.

Preheat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Trim the pineapple flesh of any skin and remove the eyes. Cut out the tough central core. Finely dice the tender pineapple flesh and place in a small bowl with the lime juice, chilli (if using), mint and coriander. Mix together and season to taste. Remember that the chilli heat will increase the longer it sits in the salsa.

Place the spiced steaks on the griddle pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side if you like your meat medium. Otherwise, reduce or increase the cooking time according to your taste. Three minutes on each side will give you well-done steaks. Serve the meat with the pineapple salsa.

ALTERNATIVE DINNER SUGGESTIONS

Seafood spaghetti

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and fry a small chopped onion until soft. Add 1 chopped tomato, crush a clove of garlic and add this, along with some chopped oregano and basil. Stir in 140g clams from a jar (or 200g fresh). Simmer for 5 minutes. Cook 70g pasta (see packet instructions), drain and mix with the sauce. Serve with a large green salad.

Steak with ratatouille

Serve a 120g lean, grilled steak with 180g home-made or tinned ratatouille and a 50g chunk of country-style bread.

Salmon with bean sprouts and noodles

Season an 80g-90g salmon steak with black pepper and the grated zest of 1 lemon. Steam with 1 crushed stick of lemon grass and 1cm piece of crushed ginger for 6 minutes. Mix together 90g fresh bean sprouts with tsp each of fish and soya sauce. Serve with 150g cooked egg noodles.

PUDDING

CINNAMON APPLE AND SULTANA ALMOND CRUMBLE

This makes double the crumble topping you need, but it freezes well, so you can use it another time.

Serves 4

For the filling

2 bramley apples, peeled, cored and quartered
55g fructose (Fruisana)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
30g sultanas

For the crumble topping

115g plain flour
30g whole unblanched almonds
55g nearly frozen butter, diced
55g rolled oats
30g fructose (Fruisana)

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Cut the apples into chunks. You need 600g prepared weight for this recipe. Tip into a bowl. Mix in the fructose, cinnamon and sultanas and tip into an ovenproof pie dish.

Place the flour and almonds in a food processor and whizz until the nuts form fine crumbs. Add the butter and whizz for another 1-2 minutes until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Put in a bowl and mix in the oats and fructose.

Freeze half the oat-crumble mixture to use at a later date. Cover the fruit with the remaining half. Press down lightly but evenly. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes. Serve hot, warm or cold.

SPICED PLUMS WITH FROMAGE FRAIS

The flavour in this delicious compote will develop if it is left for a day. Store covered in the fridge. It also makes a good breakfast.

Serves 4

1 star anise
2 cloves
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
55g-85g fructose (Fruisana)
600g plums
4 tbsp low-fat fromage frais (optional)

Place the star anise, cloves, vanilla pod and 55g fructose in a non-corrosive saucepan with 100ml water. Set over a medium heat and stir occasionally, until the fructose has dissolved. Then simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Halve and stone the plums. Add them to the syrup, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the plums are tender. Taste and add a further 30g of fructose if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and, once tepid, cover and chill. Serve with a little low-fat fromage frais if you wish.