This is one of my favourite new discoveries. 

I adore potatoes, so I knew I was going to love it. 

I mean everyone loves potatoes, don't they? 

No one is going to say no to a portion of the Moroccan Style Potato Bake, especially as it comes in at only 233 calories per portion.

QuickCook Low Fat Cookbook

I found the recipe in QuickCook Low Fat, a nifty little book by Hamlyn which has a website linked to it. 

I posted another recipe called One-Pot Southern Style Rice from it last week as well as a review of the cookbook. 

I find myself using these little books quite often for midweek meal ideas.

As well as potatoes in this dish, there are roasted red peppers (from a jar), red onion, garlic, preserved lemon, paprika, cumin, ginger, tomato puree and white wine vinegar.

Recipe tweaks

Potatoes 

The recipe called for new potatoes, but I was still working through my Scotty Brand Kestral Potatoes, the ones I've kept in a pillowcase since early December (you can read about that in my Spicy Tattie Puffs post.), so I used them . 

New potatoes would look much neater, but I don't think they would really make any difference to the dish, so just use whatever potatoes you have.

Preserved Lemon

I had some preserved lemon in the fridge, but if you don't have any, then add the finely grated peel from 1 lemon and the juice from half a lemon.

Vinegar

The recipe called for aged sherry vinegar, but I just used white wine vinegar.

This easy and quick potato bake is a great recipe for the 5:2 Diet, it has only 233 calories for a substantial portion. 

I serve it with a slice of bread or with some vegetables. 

It's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

5:2 Diet

I'm still following the 5:2 Diet or The Fast Diet as Dr Michael Mosley is calling it now.

 I've been following the diet for a few months and don't really have to think about it now.

I do my fasts (under 500 calories a day) twice a week, always on work days, as I find it easier and never 2 days together.

I'd lost 12lb by the time Christmas came around, which I was very pleased with.

 I had a break for Christmas and New Year and started again when I started back at work. 

It has taken me a few weeks to get back to that weight after all the indulgences of the Christmas period, but I'm not really worried as I know this diet works.

How do I do the 5:2 diet?

When I started the diet I spread the calories through the day, but this didn't really work for me, so I changed things around and now I have nothing in the morning, except lots of water, then a light lunch and a more substantial dinner.

My lunches at work tend to be either Heinz squeeze and stir minestrone soup (72 calories) or 2 crisp breads and 1 light laughing cow triangle (95 calories).

 In the afternoon I have a low calorie drinking chocolate (40 calories). 

This leaves me with a few hundred calories for my evening meal.

5:2 Diet - Moroccan Style Potato Bake = 233 calories

Serving suggestions

Potato bake + 1 medium slice wholemeal bread + 1 tsp Lurpack lighter spreadable
233 calories + 91 calories + 26 calories = 350 calories

Potato bake + 100g broccoli + 100g cauliflower + 30g (3 heaped tbsp) frozen peas
233 calories + 38 calories + 38 Calories + 65 calories = 374 calories


Scroll down for some more 5:2 recipes

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Moroccan-Style Potato Bake

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission. 

February 03, 2013

A spicy potato bake marrying the wonderful combination of potatoes, roasted red peppers and Moroccan spices. Only 233 calories per serving.

Ingredients

• 750g potatoes cut in half or quarters, depending on the size
• 1 litre/ 1½ pints hot vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
• 250g drained roasted peppers, sliced
• 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Instructions

Put the potatoes and vegetable stock in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook, covered, for 12 minutes until tender but firm.2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F), Gas Mark 8 and heat the olive oil in a large, deep-sided, ovenproof frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 3–4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further 3–4 minutes until softened and lightly coloured.3. Stir into the onion mix the preserved lemon, roasted peppers, the spices, tomato purée, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Cook gently for 2 minutes.4. Drain the cooked potatoes, reserving 400 ml of the liquid, then add the potatoes and reserved stock to the pan. Bring up to the boil, then put the pan in oven and bake for 14–16 minutes until golden (I cooked it for about 25 minutes). Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Details
Total time: 30 mins

Yield: Serves 4

More 5:2 Recipes

calories per serving

1. Coconut Fruit Salad = 174 calories 
2. Fridge Salad = 230 calories 
3. Minestrone Soup =198 calories 
4. One Pot Southern-Style Rice = 232 calories 
5. Plum and Apple Smoothie with Fizz = 68 calories
6. Simple Tomato Sauce = 63 calories 
7. Spicy Butternut Squash Soup = 113 calories 
8. Spicy Tomato and Lentil Soup = 123 calories 
9. Swamp Juice = 115 calories 
10. Vegetable and Lentil Stew = 242 calories 

Disclosure: Scotty Brand sent me some Kestral Potatoes and Octopus sent me QuickCook Low Fat cookbook to review. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own. I bought my own copy of Michael Mosley's The Fast Diet, but I think it is worth mentioning for people starting out on 5:2 Diet/The Fast Diet.