Mrs Crunch shares three light winter dishes that won’t feel heavy on your waistline or purse

WANT to enjoy winter warmers which won’t sit heavy on your waistline?

Here are three dishes with a modern twist, making them hearty enough to ward off the cold, but light and healthy enough for the whole family to enjoy.

And with essential ingredients like cheddar cheese, chestnut mushrooms and pork loin on offer at Morrisons this week, they’ll be lighter on your purse too.

Pork medallion puttanesca – £1.89 per saving

Serves four

Preparation: 5 mins.

Cooking time: 15 mins.

YOU NEED

• 4 pork loin medallions
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 500g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 8 black olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 10 basil leaves, shredded
• 2 courgettes

METHOD: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat then add the pork and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pan.

Add the onion, garlic and 1 tbsp cold water to the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes until the onion has softened.Stir in the cherry tomatoes and vinegar.

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and start to collapse. Gently squash some of them with the back of a spoon.

Cut the courgettes, length ways into very fine strips or spiralize to make courgetti. Return the pork to the pan and stir in the capers and olives. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to heat through and season to taste.

Stir in the basil and courgetti and remove the pan from the heat (or the courgetti will become watery).Divide between 4 bowls and serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.

Lower-cal chicken pie – £2.57 per serving

Serves four

Preparation: 15 mins.

Cooking time: 45 mins.

YOU NEED:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 414g chicken breast
• 150g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
• 500ml chicken stock, made from a cube
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 25g butter, melted
• 270g filo pastry

METHOD: Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chicken until it turns white. Add the mushrooms and leek and cook for 5 minutes until soft.

Stir the crème fraîche into the stock then pour into the pan. Bring to a simmer. Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp cold water to form a paste. Stir in, season and continue to simmer.

Meanwhile, lightly brush one sheet of filo with the melted butter then lay another buttered sheet on top. Repeat until the whole pack has been divided into two-layer sheets.

Ladle the filling into a pie dish. Gently scrunch up the filo pairs and place on the pie. Bake for 25 minutes until piping hot, no pink meat remains and the filo is crisp and golden.

Black bean tacos – £1.91 per serving

Serves four

Preparation: 10 mins.

Cooking time: 15 mins.

YOU NEED:

• • 1 tin black beans
  • 1 tin sweet corn
  • 2 red or yellow pepper, cored and diced
  • 2 small tomato
  • 2 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 Piccolo tomato and basil sauce
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 tsp fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
  • 50g light cheddar cheese, grated

METHOD: Chop your tomato and pepper and add them to a heavy-bottomed saucepan along with the garlic, black beans, corn and 80 ml of water.

Bring to a simmer and cook on a gentle heat for around 15 minutes. Then add the Piccolo tomato sauce and heat through.

Mash with a fork or serve as is with the avocado, fresh herbs and cheese.

Delicious on its own or with cooked noodles or with a warn tortilla.

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