Summer recipes from the team at Benecol®

Cooking up a storm

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Not only are Benecol®\'s products a simple, daily way to reduce your cholesterol, they make fantastic ingredients too. Take a look at these delicious summer recipes.

Tropical Breakfast Salad

This fantastic breakfast provides half of your daily plant stanol intake thanks to the combination of Benecol®\'s fruit yogurt and it\'s buttery spread. It tastes delicious too!

Serves 2

Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 20 minutes

For the granola:

1 tbsp honey

25g Benecol® Buttery Taste Spread

40g oats

15g chopped mixed nuts

1 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

25g raisins

1 small ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 of any of the Benecol® Tropical Fruit yogurt range

1.   To make the granola preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/160C/fan oven 140C.  Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.

2.  Melt the honey and Benecol® Buttery Taste Spread in small pan.  Place the oats, nuts, and seeds in a large mixing bowl and pour over the melted mixture.  Stir to coat evenly.  Spread the mixture thinly, breaking up any large lumps, over the tray and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven add the raisins and bake for a further 10 minutes until everything is golden and crispy.  Set aside to cool.

3.  Mix together the mango and yogurt and spoon into 2 serving bowls.  Scatter over the granola and serve.

Tip

The granola will keep for weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.

PER SERVING 409kcls , protein 9.5g, carbs 54g, sugar 13.7g, fat 17.1g, sat fat 3.2g, mono-unsaturates 7.6g, poly-unsaturates 5.2g, plant stanol 1.23g one serving is ½ your serving of plant stanols per day.

Fat, Saturates and Total Sugars: all Green (Low). 

Aubergine parcels

These parcels are quick to prepare and incredibly healthy at only 224 calories per serving.

Serves 4

Prep time 30 minutes Cook time 15 minutes

25g Benecol® Olive Spread, melted

1 large aubergine, sliced thinly along its length

for the filling;

25g Benecol® Buttery Taste Spread

1 small onion, chopped

75g fresh breadcrumbs

25g pine nuts

6 sage leaves, chopped

finely grated zest and juice half a lemon

3 medium vine tomatoes, sliced thinly

15g Parmesan cheese, finely grated for topping

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200C/fan oven 180C. Brush the melted olive spread over the aubergine slices on both sides. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan until hot and add the slices (you may have to do this in batches), cooking for 1-2 minutes turning once until golden and softened. Remove from the pan and set aside whilst you make the filling.

2. Melt the Benecol® Buttery Taste Spread in a small pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients (except the tomatoes and parmesan) with a little salt and pepper.

3. Spread the filling over the aubergine slices, fold up and place snugly in an ovenproof dish. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and the filling is hot. Serve with salad or vegetables.

PER SERVING 224kcls, protein 6.5g, carbs 18.5g, sugar 13g, fat 13.8g, sat fat 2.7g, mono-unsaturates 5.7g, poly-unsaturates 4.5g, plant stanol content 0.8g this is one of your 2-3 servings of plant stanols per day.

Fat, Saturates and Total Sugars: all Amber (Medium).

Chicken Liver Pate

Serve this healthier version of a classic dish with thin pieces of toast, a few fresh salad leaves, sliced radishes and cucumber for a lovely summer lunch.

Serves 4

Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 10-12 minutes

50g Benecol® Olive Spread

 2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

400g chicken livers, roughly chopped

1 tbsp Marsala or brandy

100g 0% fat Greek yogurt

Handful chopped curly parsley

1.  Place the Benecol® Olive spread in a frying pan and melt until sizzling.  Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and chicken livers and cook for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.  Pour over the Marsala or brandy and let it sizzle up until virtually evaporated.  Remove from the heat.

2.  Spoon into a food processor or liquidiser and blend to a smooth paste.  Add the yogurt and pulse to combine.  Season with a little salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.  Leave to cool then chill until required.  Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

PER SERVING 201kcls, protein 19.7g, carbs 2.7g, sugar 2.6g, fat 11.5g, sat fat 3.3g, mono-unsaturates 5.3g, poly-unsaturates 1.9g, plant stanol 0.8g this is one of your 2-3 servings of plant stanols per day.

Fat and Saturates: both Amber (Medium) Total Sugars: Green (Low)

Salmon En Croute

Try this delicious recipe for an indulgent treat. You can serve this delicious dish as individual parcels or as slices from one large parcel, either way the taste is sensational and a snip at only 369 calories per portion.

Serves 4

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 20-25 minutes

25g Benecol® Olive Spread

250g mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped dill

finely grated zest of 1 lemon, wedges to serve

25g Benecol® Buttery Taste Spread, melted

6 x 25g sheets filo pastry

4 x 110g pieces skinless salmon fillet

2 tsp sesame seeds

salad to serve

1.  Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200C/fan oven 180C.  Melt the Benecol® Olive Spread in a frying pan.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes until the mushrooms have released their juices and are beginning to brown.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, lemon zest and a little seasoning and set aside to cool slightly.

2.  Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted Benecol® Buttery Taste Spread.  Divide the sheets in half to create 12 squares.  Brush 3 squares with Buttery Taste Spread and stack them on top of each other.  Spread a spoonful of the mushroom mixture down the middle, top with a piece of salmon and fold up to form a parcel tucking the ends under to seal.  Repeat to make 3 more and place on the baking sheet.  Brush them all over with the remaining Buttery Taste Spread and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and the salmon is cooked through.

PER SERVING 369kcls, protein 28.3g, carbs 20g, sugar 0.2g, fat 21.7g, sat fat 3.9g, mono-unsaturates 9.3g, poly-unsaturates 5.6g, plant stanol 0.8g this is one of your 2-3 servings of plant stanols per day.

Fat: Red (High), Saturates: Amber (Medium), Total Sugars: Green (Low).

Summer Fruity Jellies

Try this delicious recipe for an indulgent treat.  Use any of Benecol® yogurts for this recipe.  You can be sure it is helping to reduce cholesterol and also tastes great.

Serves 2

Prep time 15 minutes plus chilling

6g gelatine

110g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped

110g raspberries

2 x 125g Benecol® strawberry yogurt

1. Soak the gelatine sheets in just enough cold water to cover them, for 5 minutes. Drain squeezing out the excess water.

2. Reserving a couple of strawberry slices and some raspberries for decoration, place them in a bowl and use a hand blender (or place in a food processor) to blend to a puree.

3. Transfer the puree to a small pan and heat gently with the gelatine, stirring until dissolved. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat.

4. Stir the yogurt into the fruit mixture then spoon over the fruit into the basins and chill for about 2 hours until set. To serve tip out the jellies onto a serving plate - you may need to dip the moulds in hot water to loosen them. Serve with the reserved fruit.

PER SERVING 139kcls, protein 8.8g, carbs 54.1g, sugar 20.5g, fat 1g, sat fat 0.1g, mono-unsaturates 0.1g, poly-unsaturates 0g, plant stanol 0.8g this is one of your 2-3 servings of plant stanols per day.

Fat and Saturates: Green (Low) and Total Sugars: High (Red)

Find out more about the Benecol® food range, enter competitions and get a free Benecol® sample in the Live Life Well with Benecol® area.