Why it's time for meat-free Mondays: Going veggie at least one day a week is the best way to slim... so check out these delicious recipes from the Hairy Bikers that could save your life

• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

Losing 3 stone each in 2012 probably saved their lives. Now, as statistics reveal a higher mortality rate from coronavirus for those who are obese or have type 2 diabetes, Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers reveal how their new cookbook may help save yours . . .

Vegetables really are the dieter’s best friend. They’re much lower in calories than meat and provide loads of the vitamins, minerals and fibre our bodies needs to keep healthy while filling our tummies right up.

We’re both big meat eaters — always have been — but these days we enjoy at least two meat-free days a week. This helps keep our calorie intake down and good nutrition up.

And trust us, this is no sacrifice. In the old days, vegetarian food was something we associated with a grey plate full of unappetising mush. 

A juicy steak or roasted joint of meat would always be our first choice, any day of the week. Not any more.

A vegetarian meal offers a riot of colour, it looks as vibrant on the plate as it makes you feel once you’ve eaten it. 

The Japanese say that a good meal should have at least five different colours on it: those colours come, of course, from your veggies.

A couple of years ago, Dave spent the whole summer at his place in France while Si stayed at his sister’s in Italy. 

In those beautiful Mediterranean countries, we were spoilt for choice when it came to fresh fruit and vegetables. Dave grew an abundance of fresh produce in his own kitchen garden; Si revelled in the offerings from the local markets.

Imagine a plate full of ripe tomatoes, left for a couple of hours in bowl with nothing more complicated than some salt, pepper, a bit of red wine vinegar and a few drops of good olive oil: something so beautiful-looking can take centre stage on the table, and tastes out of this world.

We returned home at the end of that summer having fallen for the simple pleasures of meals where fresh veggies are the main event, instead of being an after-thought left standing at the side of the culinary stage.

And we don’t just take our inspiration from the Mediterranean cooking styles: herbs and spices from all over the world add a whole raft of flavour to vegetarian dishes, without increasing the calorie count. Remember, flavour doesn’t add calories.

Aubergines have a chunky, meaty feel, but are low in calories so they’re great for filling you up, without bulking up your waistline.

Meanwhile, even a devoted steak-lover might be surprised to discover just how juicy a cooked Portobello mushroom can be.

One of Dave’s tricks is to add broccoli to his pasta for the last couple of minutes cooking time. This is a healthy way of bulking out your portion while adding flavour, but few calories. 

There are just 34 calories in an 80g portion. These meat-free days really are worth doing.

Calorie counter

There are all sorts of diets, but in the end the best way to lose weight is to cut calories.

If you take in fewer calories, the body has to use its own stores of fat. On average, a man needs about 2,500 calories a day and a woman about 2,000.

To lose about 1kg a week, you need to cut your calorie intake down to about 1,500-1,800 a day. 

Once you get down to your target weight, make sure you don’t start eating too much again and exceeding your needs.

Research shows that people who have a mainly or totally vegetarian diet are less likely to be overweight or to suffer from heart disease or high blood pressure.

You only have to start looking at the calorie counts for vegetables — 80g of carrots comes to 34 calories compared to 132 calories for a small 25g bag of crisps — to see why. Half a red pepper is 21 calories: a single chocolate digestive biscuit, more than eight times as much.

We’d say, aim like us to have at least two meat-free days every week, cooking with delicious vegetables, pulses and wholegrains.

And who knows, you might find you like these vegetarian meals so much that you start to lean naturally towards having more meat-free days through the week.

If you’re worried about getting enough protein without meat, don’t be. An egg is only between 55 and 80 calories depending on size, and so makes a great protein addition to a veggie meal.

And there’s plenty more in lovely plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, beans and lentils, which you’ll find in so many of our delicious vegetarian recipes, several of which we’re sharing with you today.

Harissa vegetables and jumbo couscous

197 calories per serving

Spicy harissa paste adds a lovely punch of flavour to these vegetables and the two dishes make a perfect combo. 

Jumbo couscous was new to us, but it’s a wonderful thing: you don’t need much to give a salad body and texture. 

It’s great with these vegetables, but you can also enjoy it by itself for lunch or with some grilled fish for supper.

Serves 4

• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 2 red onions, finely sliced into wedges
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
• 2 large courgettes, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 100 ml hot vegetable stock or water
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 100 g wholewheat, jumbo couscous
• 200 g salad leaves
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Handful of mint leaves
• Handful of parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and red peppers and fry them over a high heat for 5 minutes.

Add the courgettes, then continue to cook for another couple of minutes. Add the lemon zest and cumin seeds. 

Whisk the tomato purée with the harissa paste and the 100ml of stock or water, then pour this over the vegetables and cover the pan. 

Turn the heat down and simmer for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened but still with a bit of bite to them. 

While the vegetables are cooking, pour the 500 ml of hot vegetable stock or water into a pan, add the couscous and season it with pepper.

Bring it to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for 6-8 minutes until the couscous has plumped up and is tender.

Remove the pan from the heat and drain off any remaining liquid.

Add the tomatoes to the frying pan with the vegetables and leave them to soften, covered, for a further minute.

Mix the couscous with the salad leaves, then add the vegetables and their dressing. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and sprinkle liberally with the mint and parsley leaves.

Vegetarian pasta

290 calories per serving

This pasta dish freezes and reheats well so it’s worth making a big batch and storing some in the freezer for another day. 

You can double up the quantities if you like. It’s perfect for the unexpected guest: they’ll be well impressed.

Serves 4

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large courgette, diced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, or a sprig of fresh, finely chopped
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 200 g cavolo nero, shredded
• 150 g broad beans (frozen are fine)
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
• 200 g short, wholewheat pasta, such as farfalle
• 20 g vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, grated, to serve
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and celery, then sauté them over a medium heat until they’re nicely soft and translucent.

Add the garlic and courgette and cook for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle over the rosemary and lemon zest, then add the cavolo nero and broad beans. 

Pour over the stock, add the tomatoes, then simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds and the vegetables are tender. Season with black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the pasta and cook until just al dente: cooked but with a little bite to it. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce to combine. Serve with a little grated cheese.

Biker tip: If you freeze this dish, let it defrost naturally, then put it in a saucepan with a splash of water.

Cover the pan and warm the pasta through over a low heat

Greek-style roast vegetables

176 calories per serving (for 4) 117 calories per serving (for 6) 

This kind of one-pot vegetable dish usually contains loads of olive oil and so is high in calories.

We’ve found that you can get away with just a small amount of oil and loads of juicy veg and it still tastes fantastic. The veg are good cold, too, so make extra and add them to a salad.

• 300 g potatoes, unpeeled and sliced into rounds 
• 2 large courgettes, sliced into rounds
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges
• 2 peppers (red or green) cut into chunks
• A few garlic cloves, unpeeled l 1 tsp dried oregano or mixed herbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml white wine
• 300 ml vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Put all the vegetables and garlic in a large roasting tin or shallow casserole dish. Sprinkle over the herbs and season well with black pepper.

Drizzle over the olive oil, then mix everything together with your hands so all the vegetables have a coating of oil. 

Mix the wine with the stock or water and pour over the vegetables. Either cover your roasting tin with foil or put the lid on your casserole dish, then place in the preheated oven for half an hour.

Remove the foil or lid and gently turn everything over with a spoon. 

Dot the cherry tomatoes around the dish, then put it back in the oven for another half an hour, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables have started to brown.

Pesto-stuffed mushrooms

209 calories per serving

Someone used to say that life is too short to stuff a mushroom, but we disagree when it comes to these little beauties! 

These don’t take too long to put to together and make a really satisfying dish with the butter beans and spinach.

Serves 4

• 4 large field or Portobello mushrooms, wiped clean
• 25 g panko breadcrumbs
• 1 large courgette, diagonally sliced
• Low-cal olive oil spray
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 400 g can of butter beans, drained
• 100 g spinach, washed

For the pesto:

• 50 g fresh basil, leaves only
• 30 g vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, grated
• 25 g pine nuts
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. To make the pesto, put all the ingredients in a food processor and season with pepper. 

Blitz to make a coarse paste, stopping to push down the ingredients in the bowl and adding a little water if necessary. 

Place the mushrooms in a roasting tin, undersides facing up. Spread 1 tbsp pesto over each mushroom and top with some breadcrumbs. 

Add the courgette slices in between the mushrooms and spritz them with oil. Put the tin in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. 

Mix the tomato purée and oregano with 100 ml of water in a bowl and stir in the butter beans. Take the tin out of the oven and add the butter bean mixture around the mushrooms. 

Try not to let the liquid go over the mushrooms: it’s fine for it to cover the courgettes. 

Cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Arrange the spinach over 4 plates and top with the stuffed mushrooms, courgettes and butter beans.

Biker tip:  Mushrooms are low in calories, but satisfying, and even the ordinary white button kind contain lots of vitamins and minerals. Roast them with a spritz of oil.

Barley risotto with greens

322 calories per serving (without cheese)

348 calories per serving (with cheese)

Barley makes a great risotto and is a nice change from rice. It’s packed full of minerals and vitamins too, so let’s eat more of it. You can also make this tasty dish with spelt if you fancy.

Serves 4

• 1 tsp olive oill 10 g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 200 g pearl barley, rinsed
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 400 g tenderstem or sprouting broccoli
• 100 g runner beans, shredded, or broad beans
• 100 g peas
• Freshly ground black pepper

To finish:

• 25 g vegetarian Parmesan-style hard cheese, grated (optional)
• Handful of basil leaves, torn

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook it over a gentle heat for a few minutes until it’s starting to soften. 

Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the thyme, lemon zest and barley.

Stir until the grains look glossy, then pour over the wine.

Bring it to the boil and let most of the wine boil off, then pour in the stock. Season with black pepper. 

Bring the stock to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer gently, stirring regularly to make sure the barley doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. 

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Cut the broccoli into chunks, then add it to the pan with beans and simmer for 2 minutes. 

Add the peas and cook for another minute, then drain everything into a colander.

When most of the liquid has been absorbed by the barley, check the texture, if the grains aren’t quite done, add a little more liquid if necessary. 

When the barley is cooked, beat in the cheese, if using, then fold in the greens. Garnish with basil leaves.

Lil’s roast vegetable dip

15 calories per 50g serving 

This kind of one-pot vegetable dish usually contains loads of olive oil and so is high in calories.

We’ve found that you can get away with just a small amount of oil and loads of juicy veg and it still tastes fantastic. The veg are good cold, too, so make extra and add them to a salad.

• 300 g potatoes, unpeeled and sliced into rounds 
• 2 large courgettes, sliced into rounds
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges
• 2 peppers (red or green) cut into chunks
• A few garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 tsp dried oregano or mixed herbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml white wine
• 300 ml vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Put all the vegetables and garlic in a large roasting tin or shallow casserole dish. Sprinkle over the herbs and season well with black pepper.

Drizzle over the olive oil, then mix everything together with your hands so all the vegetables have a coating of oil. 

Mix the wine with the stock or water and pour over the vegetables. 

Either cover your roasting tin with foil or put the lid on your casserole dish, then place in the preheated oven for half an hour.

Remove the foil or lid and gently turn everything over with a spoon. 

Dot the cherry tomatoes around the dish, then put it back in the oven for another half an hour, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables have started to brown.

Aubergine bake

205 calories per serving (one ball of mozzarella)

269 calories per serving (two balls of mozzarella)

Our low-cal version of an Italian classic — melanzane parmigiana — makes a comforting and delicious supper dish.

There’s lots of oil in the traditional version, but we’ve cut back on that to keep the calories down, while making sure there’s still plenty of tasty sauce.

Use one or two balls of mozzarella as you like, but remember that more mozz means more calories. Check that your mozzarella is suitable for vegetarians.

Serves 4

• 4 large aubergines, sliced into 1 cm rounds 
• Low-cal olive oil spray
• Handful of basil leaves, torn
• 1 or 2 balls of half-fat mozzarella  

For the tomato sauce: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• 1 tsp oregano
• Small pinch of cinnamon
• Small pinch of sugar
• 200 ml red wine
• 2 x 400 g can of chopped tomatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. You may need to cook the aubergines in a couple of batches. 

Line two large baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Arrange the slices of aubergine on the trays, then mist them very lightly with oil, you will probably need about 3 sprays per tray. 

Put the baking trays in the oven and roast the aubergine slices until they are soft and the flesh is golden brown in patches. This will take about 40-45 minutes. 

Remove the aubergines from the oven and set them aside to cool while you cook the rest of the slices in the same way. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. 

Add the onion and fry over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the oregano, cinnamon and sugar and give everything a quick stir. 

Pour in the red wine and turn up the heat, then simmer quite briskly until the liquid has reduced by about half. Add the tomatoes and season with pepper, then simmer for at least 20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. 

Take a large ovenproof baking dish and spread a little of the tomato sauce on the bottom.

Cover with a layer of aubergines and some roughly torn basil, then continue adding layers of sauce and aubergines until you have used everything up, you should have at least 3 layers of aubergines.

Finish with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Slice the mozzarella as thinly as you can and arrange it over the aubergines and sauce.

It doesn’t matter if there are gaps, it will spread a little during cooking.

Put the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the aubergines are very tender and the mozzarella has melted and browned a little. Serve with a green salad. 

Roasted chickpeas

40 calories per 25g serving 

Fancy a cracking good snack without too many calories? Nibble on these roasted chickpeas, as long as you keep to a sensible portion! Sumac is a lovely lemony spice, but you can use some chilli or paprika instead. 

• 400 g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp sumac
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. First dry the chickpeas by wrapping them in a tea towel, or by gently blotting them with kitchen paper, then put them in a bowl.

Drizzle over the olive oil, then add the lemon zest and a generous amount of black pepper. Spread the chickpeas over a baking tray and roast them in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Check them regularly and give the tray a shake so the chickpeas roast evenly. The chickpeas are done when they are nicely browned and crisp on the outside, but still soft on the inside.

Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl, then add the rosemary and sumac and stir. Great hot or cold.

Your low-cal five a day

Make sure you have at least five portions of veg and fruit a day and you’ll find they do you good as well as fill you up. That way you’ll have less room for unhealthy snacks like sweets and crisps.

The concept of ‘five insteads a day’ says it all: so, for instance, choose an apple instead of a chocolate biscuit. Vegetables, particularly the nonstarchy ones, are much lower in calories than meat, dairy products and cereals.

Here are some calorie counts for 80g portions (roughly a fistful) of the most popular vegetables.

You might be surprised at how few calories vegetables contain, as long as you don’t slather them in butter!

Broccoli: 34; cabbage: 26; carrots: 34; cauliflower: 26; celery: 8; cherry tomatoes: 20; courgettes: 16; green beans: 24; peas: 76; red pepper (half) : 21 ; spinach: 15; sweetcorn: 52.

Compare those calorie counts with those of some snacks: small bag (25g) of crisps: 132; oven chips (100g): 157; small bar (45g) of milk chocolate: 237; 1 milk chocolate digestive biscuit: 86; 1 sausage roll (100g): 327.

Extracted from The Hairy Bikers Eat To Beat Type 2 Diabetes published by Seven Dials on June 11 in paperback, priced £12.99. Also available in ebook format. 

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