Pasta dishes and stir-fries make for simple and nutritious family-friendly meals. Try these healthier twists on classics
Hawaiian fried rice
SERVES 2 GF DF
HANDS-ON TIME 25 MINS
TOTAL TIME 25 MINS
It’s key to ‘eat the rainbow’ for a diverse and healthy diet, and this speedy stir-fry is packed with lots of different-coloured fruit and veg, ticking off 3 of your 5-a-day.
4 tsp sesame or vegetable oil 2 medium eggs, beaten 1 large red pepper, deseeded and sliced 100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 20g root ginger, finely grated 1 x 250g pouch cooked basmati rice
60g wafer-thin ham, shredded 150g fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks 10g desiccated coconut 4 spring onions, sliced 1 tbsp reduced-salt soy* sauce or tamari 1½ tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok. Tip in the eggs, stir to scramble lightly, then remove to a plate and set aside.
2 Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir-fry the pepper and mushrooms with a splash of water for 3-4 minutes over a fairly high heat until beginning to soften. Add the ginger and stir-fry for a further minute.
3 Squeeze the rice pouch to separate the grains, then stir the rice into the veg, plus the ham, pineapple, coconut and most of the spring onions. Stir-fry until piping hot then stir in the soy or tamari, chilli sauce and eggs. Serve topped with the remaining spring onions. *Use tamari (not soy sauce) if required for gluten-free
■ 526cals; 18g fat (6g sat fat); 22g protein; 7g fibre; 64g carbs; 14g total sugars; 1.5g salt
Veg patch pasta
SERVES 4 V
HANDS-ON TIME 10 MINS
TOTA L TIME 20 MINS
This easy dish is like spring on a plate, no matter what the season given it uses handy frozen veg which are just as nutritious as fresh.
150g frozen broad beans 250g dried tagliatelle ½ tbsp olive oil 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced 150g frozen peas 150g asparagus spears, cut into 3cm lengths ½ tsp dried mint (or ½ tbsp chopped fresh) 150ml half-fat crème fraîche zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the broad beans for 3-4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in cold water. Pop the inner bright green beans from their skins and set aside.
2 Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
3 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the spring onions and garlic for 2 minutes, before adding the frozen peas and the asparagus. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Add the cooked broad beans and mint to the pan, followed by the crème fraîche. Warm through for a coupl
