So the boyf and I are currently on the Weight Watchers diet. We chose it because we don’t have to cut anything out…we just have to cut down a bit! We’re allowed a certain number of points a day each, and some foods ‘cost’ more points than others. What’s great is that things like fruit and most vegetables are ‘free’ and have zero points…whereas things like cake have ‘cost’ lots of points! We’re just about getting the hang of it though, and have learned to fill up on the ‘free’ stuff, whilst reducing things like potatoes, pasta etc.

We fancied falafel for supper last night, and when I went to check how many points it’d cost us, I was a bit put out! I’d thought it would be pretty low in points, but it turns out that just three falafels cost more than half a tin of tuna for example! So, rather than gorge on my usual portion of four plus falafels, alongside piles of rice or pitta bread, I had to get a bit creative….

I’ve been making sweet potato chips this way for ages, the same way I make my regular potato chips in fact. Baking them in just a little olive oil is lots more healthy than frying them, and loads easier too I find. They come out wonderfully crispy on the outside, whilst lovely and soft on the inside. I usually add some seasoning to make them tastier still, but all in all they’re just really simple and quick to make.

For the obligatory ‘something green’ alongside, I raided the fridge and found a lovely big paper bag full of broad beans. We’ve been getting Abel and Cole organic deliveries for a while now, and I love that we get something different each week. Broad beans are one of my favourites though so it’s always exciting finding those in our delivery. I also found a little watercress left over, and a big bunch of spring onions….so there was the basis for my ‘something green’.

Ingredients for the sweet potato chips….

• One medium sized sweet potato per person
• Two teaspoons of olive oil per person
• A sprinkle of Aromat
• A sprinkle of crushed chilli flakes

How to make them….

• Pre-heat the oven to about 200 degrees
• Peel and chop up your sweet potatoes into nice chunky chips
• Pour the oil onto a baking sheet and use a pastry brush to spread it all over
• Tip the potatoes onto the sheet and sprinkle with the Aromat and chilli flakes
• Now coat them with the oil and seasoning with the brush, mixing them up on the tray and then ensuring they are well spread out
• Place the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for around twenty minutes, or until they are golden and crispy…you can test one with a sharp knife to check they are nice and soft
• Remove from the oven and tray, then place on a sheet of kitchen foil to rid them of excess oil before serving up

Ingredients for the broad bean salad….

• A handful of broad beans per person, blanched and shelled
• A large handful of watercress per person, any thick stalky bits trimmed
• Four or five spring onions per person
• Two teaspoons of olive oil per person
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• A little dill

How to make it….

1. Pre-heat your oven to around 200 degrees
2. Wash your spring onions, remove any browny outer layers, the top and tail them
3. Then split the spring onions in half, down the length
4. Spread a teaspoon of oil on a baking sheet (or use some spare space in the tin for the sweet potatoes) and then place the spring onions on it, using a pastry brush to ensure they are coated with oil
5. Place them in the oven, on a  middle shelf and cook for about ten minutes, or until they crisp up
6. While they’re cooking, plonk the watercress, broad beans and dill in a large bowl, then pour over one teaspoon of oil and the lemon juice before mixing everything lightly
7. Once your spring onions are nice and golden and crispy, remove them from the oven, plate up the watercress mix and then serve up the spring onions on top

Done!

I know they’re super easy recipes, but they are dead tasty, and great to go alongside something else more time consuming or complicated perhaps….they’d be lush with a yummy roast chicken breast cooked in tapenade or some lovely marinade. I think they’d also work well as little individual dishes for a sort of tapas spread.

Enjoy!

Ems x