Air fryers aren’t only for chips and other high-carb foods… Katie Caldesi shows you can go low-carb all day long in her latest book The Diabetes Air Fryer Cookbook
Mushroom rarebit
I love using big field mushrooms for this recipe, which makes an easy brunch or a light supper. Serve with spinach and a couple of tomatoes on the side. To add protein, enjoy it with any of the egg recipes on pages 42-43 in the book.
- 2 large portobello mushrooms, brushed clean
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg
- 25g mature Cheddar or other hard cheese, coarsely grated
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- Couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce (optional, leave this out if you don’t eat fish)
- 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt, crème fraîche or double cream
- Salt and pepper
Use a small knife to cut away the stalks of the mushrooms; set aside the stalks. Lay the mushrooms, gill-side up, on a silicone liner or an ovenproof dish. Brush with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the air fryer drawer and air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 3 minutes, or until tender and darker around the edges. Using tongs, turn the mushrooms over so the domed sides are facing upward and grill for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Finely chop the mushroom stalks and then mix them with all the remaining ingredients in a bowl using a fork or whisk.
Remove the mushrooms from the air fryer. Turn them gill-side up again. Spoon the filling into their cavities. Air fry for another 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Any extra filling can be cooked in a small ramekin or egg cup at the same time. Serve warm.
Seabass fillets on roasted peppers with lemon and parsley oil
This ridiculously simple supper is filling, delicious and looks pretty, too. The choice of herbs is up to you. Seabream or mackerel fillets also work great in this recipe. Any leftover lemon and parsley oil will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped, or 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 thyme sprig or pinch of dried thyme (optional)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 200g frozen chopped red peppers or 1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and chopped
- 2 seabass or seabream fillets, skin on
- Salt and pepper
For the lemon and parsley oil - Small handful parsley, stalks and leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, or more to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Put the spring onions, garlic, thyme and half the oil in the drawer or in an ovenproof container with a little seasoning. Air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 2 minutes, or until just softened. Add the peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes. Toss the drawer to combine them with the oil and garlic once they have defrosted.
Place a rack or a crisper lightly over the peppers and put a piece of silicone or nonstick baking paper on top. Lay the fish fillets on a plate and spray or brush both sides generously with the remaining oil. Evenly scatter with salt and pepper. Place the fillets on the rack, skin-side up, and air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 8 minutes, or until firm to the touch. There is no need to turn them halfway through.
Meanwhile, make the lemon and parsley oil by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl, then adjust the seasoning and lemon to your liking. Alternatively, whizz it all together in a small food processor.
Remove the rack with an angled slice or the prongs of a fork and set aside over a plate. Divide the peppers between 2 warm plates. Use a silicone spatula or thin metal slice to transfer the fish to each plate, drizzle over a little lemon and parsley oil, then serve.
Stuffed courgettes with ricotta and mint
This beautiful dish is perfect for a light lunch or would serve four as a starter. To bump up the protein, serve with low-carb bread rolls or finish your meal with Greek yoghurt and berries.
- 2 courgettes, halved lengthways
- 150g ricotta cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 20g Cheddar or other hard cheese, finely grated
- 15-20 mint leaves, chopped, or 1 heaped tsp dried mint, plus extra chopped leaves to garnish
- 25g pine nuts or other nuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- Salt and pepper
Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides of the courgettes (keep the insides for later) leaving a boat-shaped shell of just under 1cm (½ inch) thick, being careful not to make any holes. Put the courgette halves on a crisper in the drawer and air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, cheese, mint and seasoning together in a bowl. When the courgettes are just tender and starting to lightly brown, remove from the drawer and divide the filling between them.
Put the crisper into the drawer and place the courgettes on top, packed together. Drop the pine nuts evenly on top. Brush with 2 tsp of oil. Air fry for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, then set the stuffed courgettes aside and keep warm.
Finely chop the courgette insides and mix these in a bowl with the remaining tsp of the oil, the onion, tomatoes and some seasoning. Remove the crisper from the air fryer, then tip the mixture into the drawer, or into an ovenproof dish, and air fry at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes until soft. Toss twice during the cooking time.
Divide the chopped courgette mixture between 2 plates, or 1 large serving plate, and arrange the stuffed courgette halves on top. Garnish with mint leaves and a swirl of olive oil.
Mixed seed and walnut loaf
I was thrilled to be able to cook a loaf of this bread in my air fryer. No more heating up the whole oven anymore. This bread can be sliced, wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months, then toasted from frozen, or it keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you don’t have a suitable loaf tin, use any small sized ovenproof dish and line it with nonstick baking paper.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 100g mixed seeds (such as pumpkin, flax, sunflower, sesame)
- 100g ground almonds
- 75g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 10g wheat bran
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 100g mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 3 eggs, beaten
Spray a 450g (1lb) loaf tin (making sure it fits in your air fryer) with some oil.
Use a metal spoon to mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Vigorously stir in the mozzarella, 5 tbsp of cold water and the eggs. When you have a well-combined dough, use your hands to gather it into a ball and remove it from the bowl. Shape the dough between your hands and put it into the prepared loaf tin. Spray the top of the loaf with oil and put a piece of tin foil over the loaf, tucking it under the tin so that it can’t fly away in the fan.
Bake the loaf at 160°C (325°F) for 30 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.
Remove from the air fryer, turn the loaf out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing to serve.
Banana and chocolate muffins
Ideally serve these warm straight from the air fryer while the chocolate is still molten. A couple of these are perfect for breakfast on the go, or you could add one to a packed lunch. Serve with a dollop of cream cheese or Greek yoghurt and berries. Choosing the “bake” setting on an air fryer often means the fan will be less strong, which helps when you are cooking anything that needs to cook through rather than burn on top.
I love these baked in my mini terracotta flowerpots, which are approx 6cm (2½ inches) across and 6cm (2½ inches) deep. I line them with scrunched and wetted non-stick baking paper, but the muffins will work equally well in 7cm-diameter, 3.5cm-deep silicone muffin moulds.
- 1 small banana
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60g ground almonds
- 50g chopped walnuts
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 15g dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa solids), chopped
Mash the banana with a fork in a mixing bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Distribute the mixture evenly between 4 lined mini flowerpots or 6 silicone muffin moulds.
Bake in the air fryer at 160°C (325°F) for 12-15 minutes, or until firm and cooked through.
The smaller ones can be turned out straight away onto a wire rack, but leave the flowerpot muffins for 10 minutes to cool before turning out.
