Have your cake and eat it too: healthy recipes to kickstart the new year

The 20-kilo Challenge also features 100 new delicious and nutritious recipes, including pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, muffins and gelato, proving that you can transform your health while still enjoying your favourite foods.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp harissa paste (see tip)

60ml lemon juice

500g peeled raw prawns, deveined, tails intact

3 large zucchini, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

Method

1. Combine harissa and two tablespoons of lemon juice in a shallow dish. Add prawns and toss to coat. Cover and place in fridge for 10 minutes.

2. Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini, turning occasionally, for two to three minutes, until light golden. Add garlic and cannellini beans and cook, stirring, for one to two minutes, until heated through. Stir in remaining lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick grill pan or barbecue over high heat. Lightly spray prawns with oil. Cook for one to two minutes each side, until cooked through.

4. Serve prawns with zucchini and bean mixture. Sprinkle with parsley leaves.

Serves 4. Points per serve: 0.

Tip: Harissa is a fiery North African chilli paste. You'll find it in the herb and spice section in supermarkets.

Ingredients

1 brown onion, finely chopped

4 celery sticks, cut into 1cm pieces

2 carrots, cut into 1cm pieces

3 tsp harissa Middle Eastern spice blend (see tip)

200g lean lamb mince

2 tsp chicken stock powder

65g basmati rice

shredded fresh mint, to serve

Method

1. Lightly spray a large saucepan with oil and heat over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and carrot, stirring, for five minutes or until onion has softened. Add spice blend and cook, stirring, for one minute or until fragrant. Add mince and cook, breaking up lumps, for three minutes or until browned.

2. Stir in stock powder, rice and 1 litre water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until rice is tender. Serve topped with mint.

Serves 4. Points per serve: 4.

To refrigerate: Store leftovers in a reusable container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat soup in a saucepan on the stovetop or microwave single portions until hot, adding a little extra water if too thick.

Tips:

Harissa Middle Eastern spice blend is a mixture of paprika, coriander, salt, garlic, mint, caraway, cumin and chilli. Find it in the spice aisle of major supermarkets.

To tame the spicy flavour, serve soup topped with a dollop of 99 per cent fat-free plain Greek yoghurt.

Ingredients

2 large corn cobs, husks intact

4 eggs

400g can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

2 Lebanese cucumbers, finely chopped

2 tbsp lime juice

Method

1. Rinse corn under cold running water. Place wet cobs in microwave. Microwave on high (100%) for six minutes. Carefully remove cobs from microwave with tea towel or oven mitts. Trim ends and remove husks and silk. Cut kernels from cobs. Process kernels in a food processor to form a coarse puree.

2. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add corn puree, beans and half the coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

3. Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Add three 1/4 cup portions of corn mixture to pan, allowing room for spreading. Cook fritters for two minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat in three more batches with remaining corn mixture, lightly spraying pan with oil between each batch, to make 12 fritters in total.

4. To make salsa, combine remaining coriander, tomato, cucumber and lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Divide fritters among four serving plates. Serve topped with salsa.

Serves 4. Points per serve: 1.

Tip: To bump up the veggie count, add one chopped avocado to the salsa.

Ingredients

65g reduced-fat oil spread

75g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

150g self-raising flour, sifted

1 tbsp poppy seeds

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tbsp finely grated orange zest, plus extra to decorate

120g 99% fat-free plain Greek yoghurt

Icing:

90g light cream cheese

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 1/2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Lightly spray 12cm x 22cm loaf tin with oil and line base and sides with baking paper.

2. Beat oil spread, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with electric beaters until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Fold in flour, poppy seeds and orange juice and zest, then yoghurt to form a smooth batter.

3. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Stand cake in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

4. Meanwhile, to make icing, whisk cream cheese, orange juice and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. Spread over top of cooled cake. Sprinkle with extra zest. Cut into 12 slices to serve.

Serves 12. Points per serve: 5.

To refrigerate: Store cake in a reusable container for up to five days.

To freeze: Store whole cake (without icing) in a reusable container for up to two months. When ready to serve, thaw at room temperature and proceed with step four.