Pinch of Nom’s February Recipe Roundup

We love February at Pinch of Nom. From slimming-friendly twists on romantic, pastry-based sweet treats for Valentine’s Day, to a brand-new savoury stack for Pancake Day, it’s safe to say we’ve had plenty of fun in the kitchen this month. Plus, we’ve added a whole new creamy chicken dinner to your slimming-friendly list of go-tos… Make sure you grab a pen and your copy of our Family Meal Planner to update your shopping list. You can order a fresh copy here!

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Jammy Hearts

Far too delicious to enjoy once a year, these Jammy Hearts are an adorable, buttery treat inspired by Valentine’s Day. We used proper butter for this recipe, as reduced-fat spread doesn’t give them quite the same irresistible crunch. 

We’ve made little swaps elsewhere with granulated sweetener and reduced-sugar jam, keeping them delightfully sweet for only 48 calories per biscuit. 

You’ll need a heart-shaped cookie cutter to give your biscuits their romantic shape for little effort. This set of 6 from Amazon includes a variety of sizes to choose from (we used a 6 x 5.5cm heart-shaped cookie cutter).

There’s no need to wait for Valentine’s to make a fuss over your favourite person. From extra-special cheesy mains to decadent desserts, our Recipes for Two for Valentine’s Day are worth celebrating with all year-round.

Pastry Hearts

While we like our Pastry Hearts best when they’re warm and fresh from the oven, they’re just as delicious served cold with a cuppa. It’s worth investing in a good-quality reduced-sugar red jam for this recipe, as that’s the magic in the middle. We’ve gone for strawberry, but there’s nothing to stop you trying raspberry or other flavours.

Ready-rolled light puff pastry is always a delicious time-saver, and far lower in calories than the full-fat puff pastry used in bakery-bought versions.

They’re tupperware friendly, so you can bake them in a batch and use them to win the hearts of friends, family or colleagues at the office. Trust us, they never fail! If the leftovers are looking a bit too tempting, you can always keep them out of sight in the freezer too.

Peri Peri Creamy Chicken

It’s no secret that we love a creamy chicken dinner. Velvety and versatile, adding our Peri Peri Creamy Chicken to your midweek menu is always a good idea. To give this lower calorie dish an extra touch of luxury, we’ve oven-roasted tomato halves until they’re ready to add an oh-so-juicy pop of colour to the pot.

Far better for you than popping out for a cheeky Nando’s, we’ve combined reduced-fat cream cheese with a time-saving Schwartz peri peri spice blend to make our moreish sauce.

Make it once and love it twice (or more!) by pairing it with steamed vegetables, Nando’s Spicy Rice or Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Changing up your side dishes is always a great, budget-friendly way to freshen up leftovers!

Cheesy Courgette Pancakes

If you’re drawn to savoury options on the breakfast menu, our Cheesy Courgette Pancakes will be up your street. Too delicious to save for when Shrove Tuesday rolls around, they’re proof that you don’t need a sweet tooth to enjoy everyone’s favourite flippable dish. Simple to rustle up in under 20 minutes, we’ve combined shredded courgette with coarse oats, eggs, low-fat cream cheese and Parmesan to create our lower-calorie mixture.

We think they taste even better served with crisp, lean bacon and grilled tomatoes, but there’s nothing to stop you having some fun with your toppings. Why not start your day sunny-side up by serving them with a dippy fried egg?

They’re really easy to adapt for vegetarians (swap out Parmesan for a veggie-friendly Italian hard cheese). Not ready to let go of the Pancake Day fun just yet? We’ve got enough pancake topping ideas to keep you feeling flippin’ inspired year-round.

Hunter’s Chicken Meatballs

If you’ll take any excuse to get your batch-cook on, you’ll love our Hunter’s Chicken Meatballs. A fresh new way to enjoy familiar Hunter’s Chicken inspired flavours, we’ve prepared the meatballs from scratch and baked them in a rich, spicy BBQ sauce. You can’t have Hunter’s Chicken without bacon, and we’ve made sure you’ll find the classic combination of flavours in every bite by mixing chopped smoked bacon medallions into our chicken meatballs.

It’s hard to believe they come in as light as 300 calories per serving, cheesy topping included! They’re so effortless to make, the hardest part is deciding whether to enjoy them served with mashed potatoes or spaghetti. 

Chilli Bean Pie

You’ll never miss the meat with our flavoursome and satisfying Chilli Bean Pie on the table! We’ve used a nutritious combination of vegetables and beans to make sure every slice is hearty and filling, and ramped up the spice level with a chipotle-infused sauce. We wanted our topping to be cheesy and crunchy, so we finished our golden brown cheesy mash with a sprinkling of crushed tortilla chips. 

Have some fun with tortilla chip flavours and use your favourite. Chilli-spiced tortilla chips work especially well and turn the heat up a notch, if you’re feeling brave.

At 371 calories per portion, it’s a winner all round! Serve on its own, with freshly-steamed veggies or a crispy side salad.

Sticky Chicken Nuggets

Gloriously sweet and sticky, you won’t believe you can make these takeaway-inspired Sticky Chicken Nuggets at home. Coated in crunchy panko breadcrumbs, it’s up to you if you’d rather bake them to crispy perfection in the oven or air fryer (if you’re in a hurry, our air fryer method is quicker by 15 minutes!).

Using a simple combination of store cupboard basics and spice rack staples, we’ve created a finger-licking good sauce that the whole family will love.

You’ll want to come back to these time and time again, especially once you’ve tried them with Homemade Oven Chips on the side. You’ll be glad to know that you can freeze them for a fakeaway on a rainy day (just be sure to freeze nuggets without the sauce to avoid the breadcrumbs turning soggy).

Cheese and Apple Toastie

An easy cheesy lunchtime option, our Apple and Cheese Toastie makes the most of a match made in heaven. To lower the calories, we’ve paired our apple slices with reduced-fat Cheddar cheese on wholemeal bread. Granny Smith apples are ideal for this recipe as they’ve got the perfect level of tart crispiness to complement the mildly tangy Cheddar. 

With no shortage of bold, satisfying flavours in every bite, you can enjoy it all on its own or use it to take a batch-cooked portion of soup to the next level (it never fails!).

For more taste bud-tingling flavour combos, you can take a look through our favourite classic combos here.

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