Raspberry Ice Cream Cake – about 250 calories per portion

I was looking for ideas to use our bumper crop of home-grown raspberries and came across this recipe on delicious.com. An ice-cream based dessert that is a cross between a cheesecake and tray bake, but no cooking required.  I have used far less biscuit and toffee sauce than suggested. Really yummy with our own home-grown raspberries! A lovely weekend treat that isn’t too high in calories.  

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Raspberry Ice Cream Cake
Serves 8
A simple to prepare frozen dessert using raspberries and digestive biscuits, with a drizzle of caramel sauce
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Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 tub Vanilla ice cream (900kcal)
  2. 8 digestive biscuits, crushed (568 kcal)
  3. 50g unsalted butter, melted (373 kcal)
  4. 25g confiture de lait (or dulce de leche or other caramel sauce) (81 kcal)
  5. 200g raspberries (103 kcal)
Instructions
  1. Remove ice cream from freezer and allow to soften.
  2. Melt the butter and mix in most of the crushed biscuits (reserve about a tablespoonful).
  3. Line a dish (suitable to freeze) with baking paper and press the mixture evenly across the bottom, then chill for about 15 minutes.
  4. Spread the ice cream over the base and press in some of the raspberries.
  5. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top and then decorate with raspberries and sprinkle over the reserved biscuit crumbs.
  6. Freeze for a few hours.
  7. Cut into squares and serve with some additional raspberries and a little whipped cream (not included in calorie count)
Notes
  1. The calorie count from this recipe card is incorrect, but I'm not sure why.
  2. I have triple checked on caloriecount.com, MyFitnessPal and with individual ingredients and all of those come to about 250 kcal per portion.
Adapted from delicious
Adapted from delicious
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

Leek and Crunchy Carrot Gratin

This is a very flavourful vegetarian main which is low enough in calories to have on a 5:2 Fast Day or as part of a calorie-counted healthy eating plan :-
Leek and Crunchy Carrot GratinOr serve as a side dish with chipolata sausages :-

Leek Gratin with Chipolatas

 The calculations for calories came out differently on MyFitnessPal than on my recipe card, below. Either way, no more than 265 kcals for the portions of gratin shown here.

The caraway seeds add a really interesting flavour. 

Leek and Crunchy Carrot Gratin
Serves 5
A yummy leek based vegetarian main dish, or a good accompaniment to sausages (baked in the oven at the same time). With the vegetables, milk, cheese, breadcrumbs and nuts, this has a good balance of ingredients.
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 500g leeks, cut into chunks
  2. 150ml vegetable stock or water
  3. 1 tsp caraway seeds
  4. sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  5. 250ml semi-skimmed milk
  6. 10g unsalted butter
  7. 1 tblsp plain flour
For the topping
  1. 60g fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs
  2. 2 medium carrots, grated
  3. 75g grated hard cheese
  4. 15g chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
  2. Put the leeks in a saucepan with the water and seeds.
  3. Bring to the boil, cover and then simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until the leeks are softened.
  4. Remove the leeks with a slotted spoon to a baking dish.
  5. Pour the remaining liquid into a jug and make up to 300ml with milk.
  6. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour to make a roux.
  7. Gradually add the liquid, beating well after each addition, to make a smooth sauce.
  8. Simmer the sauce for a couple of minutes, stirring.
  9. Check the seasoning.
  10. Pour over the leeks.
  11. Mix all the topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the top.
  12. Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden.
Notes
  1. I used oddments of cheese that I had left - a little cheddar, some comté and some crumbled blue sheep's cheese, which gave an interesting mix of flavours.
Adapted from The Ultimate Healthy Eating Cookbook (1999), consultant editor Anne Sheasby
Adapted from The Ultimate Healthy Eating Cookbook (1999), consultant editor Anne Sheasby
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/