Peter Andre recently shared his weight struggles with OK, revealing that fad diets left him depressed. In the end, he managed to lose weight by eating a balanced diet and moving his body regularly with a training programme.
Better still, Pete still treated himself to all his favourite foods while he got in shape, all by making a few simple healthy tweaks.
Peter has teamed up with nutritionist Ben Smith to write a cookbook #ItsFine: Lose Weight Eating The Food You Love, to help others shed the pounds while eating all the dishes he had throughout his fitness journey.
From juicy kebabs to breakfast tacos, lasagne and super fudgy brownies, nothing is off limits in their new book….
I can’t believe it’s not chicken kebabs
SERVES 2
● ½ red onion, thinly sliced
● 50ml red wine vinegar
● 1 tsp ground cumin
● 3 tsp fajita seasoning
● 2 tsp dried oregano
● 1 tsp onion granules
● ½ tsp salt
● 200g mixed mushrooms
● 2 tbsp vegetable oil
● 60g natural yoghurt
● 1 garlic clove, grated
● Juice of ½ lemon
● 2 flatbreads
● A large handful of salad leaves
1. Start off by making the pickled onions around 2 hours in advance. Place the red onion into a jar, pour in the vinegar and 25ml of water and give them a good press down so all the slices get covered. Seal the lid and leave to one side.
2. Combine the spices, oregano, onion granules and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, add the mushrooms, tearing up any really big ones. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the seasoning mix and then give the mushrooms a good coating.
3. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the remaining oil. When hot, add the mushrooms, give them a quick toss around and then place something heavy over them, like a plate, to press them down. Leave to cook for a few minutes, then give them a good stir before covering with the plate again and leaving for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and roughly slice.
4. For the sauce, just add the yoghurt to a bowl, then the garlic and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Give that a good stir.
5. To serve, warm the flatbreads in the oven or as per the packet instructions. Top with the salad leaves and then the mushrooms before scattering some (drained) pickled onion on top and drizzling over the garlic yoghurt.
Ben’s banging breakfast tacos
SERVES 4
For the refried beans
● 2 tsp olive oil
● 50g red onion, finely diced
● 1 garlic clove, minced
● ¼ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
● A pinch of ground cumin
● 1 x 400g tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed (around 235g drained weight)
● A good pinch of salt
● Juice of ½ lime
● Chopped coriander leaves with extra to serve
For the pico de gallo
● 100g red onion, finely diced
● 1 jalapeño chilli, deseeded and finely diced
● A pinch of salt
● Juice of 1 lime
● 100g ripe tomatoes, finely diced
● A good handful of chopped coriander
For the tacos
● 70g cooked chorizo ring, finely diced
● 8 small corn tortillas
● 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced
1. To make the refried beans, add the oil to a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and fry gently for around 5 minutes until softening. Add the garlic and spices and stir well, letting them fry out for about a minute, before adding the beans and 2-3 tablespoons of water. Leave to simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.
2. Next, take a fork and start to mash the beans up, so the whole mix gets lovely and thick. You want to be able to spoon it onto the tacos and spread it, like hummus. If it’s a little too thick, add a splash more water; if it’s too runny, just let it cook out for a little longer. When it’s perfect, remove from the heat, add the salt and a squeeze of lime juice along with some chopped coriander, then leave to one side.
3. The pico de gallo is super simple. Just add the diced onion and chilli to a bowl along with the salt, then squeeze in the lime juice. Give it a good mix and let that sit for about 5 minutes, before stirring through the tomatoes and coriander.
4. The final bit of prep is the chorizo, so add it to a small cold pan and fry over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until the oils are released and the chorizo is crispy.
5. Separate the tortillas, then restack and warm in a microwave on high for about 30 seconds. When they’re ready, serve up each tortilla with a generous spoonful of refried beans and the same of pico de gallo. Add some slices of avocado and a few crispy chorizo bits to each along with a drizzle of the chorizo oil then finish with a little more coriander. Enjoy!
Pete’s perfect pastitsio
SERVES 8
For the meat sauce
● 3 tbsp olive oil
● 2 red onions, finely diced
● 1 tbsp granulated sugar
● A small bunch of thyme, leaves picked
● 1 large garlic clove, crushed
● 2 tbsp tomato purée
● 700g 5% fat minced beef
● 75ml red wine
● 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
● 1 tsp ground cinnamon
● 2 beef stock cubes
● 2 bay leaves
For the pasta
● 260g dried bucatini pasta
● 1 tbsp olive oil
● 2 medium eggs, beaten
● 180g halloumi cheese, grated
● A good handful of parsley, chopped
For the white sauce
● 80g butter
● 80g plain flour
● 700ml semi-skimmed milk
● ½ tsp grated nutmeg
● 80g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
● Salt and ground black pepper
● 3 medium egg yolks
● A few large handfuls of mixed salad leaves, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/ gas mark 3½.
2. To make the meat sauce, add the oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions with the sugar and a tablespoon of the thyme leaves. Fry for 5 minutes before stirring in the garlic. Cook for a further minute before adding the tomato purée, then fry for a further couple of minutes.
3. Add the minced beef. Do your best to break it up so you don’t have any large lumps. Cook until browned all over (about 5-8 minutes), then add the wine and increase the heat. Let the liquid absorb, then add the tomatoes, cinnamon, crumbled stock cubes and bay leaves. Then drop the heat down to a simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta, draining it a couple of minutes before the end of the recommended cooking time. Brush the oil around a large baking dish and add the drained pasta along with the eggs, halloumi and parsley. Mix well.
5. For the white sauce, place a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the butter. Melt without catching, then add the flour and whisk well to combine, cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the milk, in small amounts, whisking continuously. As the sauce thickens, add more milk until it is all combined and the sauce is smooth, with the consistency of double cream. Remove from the heat, add the nutmeg and all but 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Finally, whisk in the egg yolks until everything is combined.
6. Remove the bay leaves from the meat sauce, add in one large ladleful of the white sauce and stir well to combine. Pour all the meat sauce over the pasta, then cover with the remaining white sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Serve with salad leaves.
Four-ingredient fudgy brownies
SERVES 8
● 200g bananas (peeled)
● 65g tahini
● 4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
● 20g milk chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5. Line a baking tin (about 20 x 15cm) and with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, give the bananas a really good mashing with a fork, until you get a reasonably smooth paste. Add all the other ingredients and stir well to combine. If you’re allergic to sesame seeds, swap the tahini for the same amount of smooth peanut butter.
3. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and smooth it over to get a nice even layer, then bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the layer. You want the brownie to feel a little soft when it comes out of the oven.
4. Leave it to cool slightly in the tin and then portion up and remove. Either serve warm, or cool and then chill in the fridge before serving. We think they taste better out of the fridge, but they are also very tasty fresh from the oven! These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
#itsfine: Lose Weight Eating The Food You Love by Ben Smith and Peter Andre (Seven Dials, £20) is on sale now.
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