Easy Chinese 5:2 Diet Recipe for National Vegetarian Week: Rainbow Stir-Fry with Quorn (2024)

Easy Chinese 5:2 Diet Recipe for National Vegetarian Week:

Rainbow Stir-Fry with Quorn

With not much time on my hands and with lots of fresh vegetarian ingredients in the fridge for National Vegetarian Week, as well as trying to fit in my two fast days a week for the 5:2 diet, I turned to an old favourite the other day, a stir-fry.I love stir-fries as they always deliver on flavour and fill you up, you can eat bigger portions as they are so low in calories, if you keep the oil content down that is. And, with the addition of some Quorn chicken style pieces, that also adds some low-fat (and low-calorie) protein to the meal too. One teaspoon of sesame oil is all that is needed to fry the Quorn pieces and subsequently the vegetables, and it adds the required flavour without the excesses of oil and lots of calories. Careful measuring of soy sauce and sweet chilli dipping sauce coupled with a generous sprinkling of Chinese Five Spice powder then completes the Oriental taste test. And, this fabulously filling recipe also provides you with TWO of your five-a-day, so it really is a belting little dish to serve up!

I was set the challenge at the beginning of the week to see if I could eat veggie all week, and to be frank, it has been very easy as some of my family are vegetarian, as was I for several years.You can see my proposed meal plan here:National Vegetarian Week, Seasonal Favourites, 5:2 Recipes and my Weekly Meal Plan. To help me in my quest to eat vegetarian this week, I was sent a £50 Asda voucher to go towards my shopping, and I have managed to buy nearly ALL of the seven day’s ingredients within the budget! My stir-fry vegetables were a HUGE bargain, I managed to scoop THREE packets of Rainbow Stir-Fry Vegetables Mix for only £3…..and, as well as this stir-fry recipe, I plan to make a stir-fry and miso broth (soup) as well as adding the other packet to a tart or quiche. The vegetables comprise carrots,bean-sprouts, peppers, sweetcorn and mixed cabbage, so a perfect vegetable mix for lots of other recipes.

One thing I have discovered when trying to eat healthier, is that if you bulk up on low-calorie vegetables and add lots of flavour by way of spices and herbs etc, the meal is more satisfying and you don’t feel “cheated” by not eating “normal” non-diet food……it’s allpsychological.The protein content in this recipe (the Quorn pieces) are very important to feeling fuller for longer too. Malcolm (my husband) and I shared one 450g packet of stir-fry vegetables between us, along with the other ingredients, for a really filling and tasty lunch – it was satisfying and kept us going in the garden until tea time. You can add chicken breast if you are not vegetarian (for not many more calories), as well as lean beef or even pork. Don’t omit the soy sauce, five spice and sweet chilli sauce though, as they add that essential Chinese stir-fry flavour. If you want to add some more sauces to serve, the calorie count for them is: 1 tablespoon soy sauce = 10 calories and 1 tablespoon sweet chilli dipping sauce = 50 to 56 calories (depending on the brand)

I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, it’s perfect for a quick fix if time is at a premium (as it is for me right now) plus, I always find that these ready-prepared stir-fry mixes are so handy to have at times like this. I will be departing from my recent series of healthy recipes this weekend however, and I have some serious baking planned for tomorrow, so do pop back to see what I have been making in the Lavender and Lovage Bakery! I also have two more lovely low-calorie veggie recipes to share, as well as a new giveaway and a new review. Have a relaxing weekend, and see you soon, Karen.

Disclaimer: I was sent a £50 Asda voucher to buy vegetarian ingredients for a National Vegetarian Week challenge. All views and opinions are my own.