Provence Calling! Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic for the 5:2 Diet (269 Calories) Guest Post

Provence Calling! Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic for the 5:2 Diet (269 Calories)

Provence Calling!

Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic for the 5:2 Diet (269 Calories)

Guest Post

Welcome to the Provence! Not as such, but by way of my good friend Angela who writes for Provence Calling. I met Angela for the first time at Food Blogger Connect last year, but, I had been following her blog (and tweets) for some time, as we both have a second home in France and I love her style of writing. I don’t usually host guest posts, I usually have enough hot air to expend all by myself! However, when Angela asked if I would like to feature a guest post recipe that was suitable for the 5:2 diet, I was pleased to share her lovely recipe with my readers. The recipe that Angela has created is a twist on a classic moules recipe, redolent of the South of France and fragrant with herbs and spices…….just my kind of meal. Her recipe for Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic is only 269 calories and is perfect for anyone following the 5:2 diet on a fast day. I do have some mussel recipes already posted on Lavender and Lovage, but it’s always nice to try (and share) a new one, and Angela’s is quite simply divine!

Ingredients for mussels and tomatoes

I will share the recipe below, and also add Angela’s very helpful photos, that illustrate how easy this lovely recipe is to make……..

Provence Calling! Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic for the 5:2 Diet (269 Calories)

Ingredients:

Chopped Ingredients

450 gms Mussels (193 calories)

2 tomatoes (30 calories)

1 banana shallot (20 calories)

1 clove garlic (5 calories)

1/2 tsp olive oil (20 calories)

1/4 tsp chilli flakes – optional (0 calories)

1 tbsp chopped parsley (1 calorie)

Method:

Scrub the mussels, throwing any away that don’t close when you tap them.

Pour boiling water over the tomatoes in a bowl and leave for 3 minutes, then peel off their skins.

Tomatoes in hot water

Chop the tomatoes into small dice.

Chop the shallot and garlic clove.

Heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil into a saucepan big enough to hold all the mussels.

Add the chopped tomatoes and shallot, garlic and chilli flakes if using.

Cook over a low heat for five minutes or until the shallots are transparent and the tomatoes have lost their shape.

Cooking the sauce

Then turn up the heat and add the mussels.

Put the lid onto the saucepan and cook for five minutes, shaking the pan from time to time.

Cooked Mussels

All the mussels should all be open, discard any that aren’t.

Put the mussels in a bowl, pour the tomato sauce on top and scatter with the chopped parsley.

Do not add salt at any time, as the mussels will release salt water when they open.

Recipe & Images: Angela Billows – Provence Calling

Provence Calling! Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic for the 5:2 Diet (269 Calories)

Mussels are a fabulous ingredient when you are on a diet, and they are also great for an Omega 3 oil rich diet. I love them, both au natural or in soups, fritters or even salads. I also enjoy a good glass of wine with fresh mussels, as some of my readers may remember here: Colombard Wine, French Bread and Mussel, Onion and Parsley Chowder Recipe………

Colombard Wine, French Bread and Mussel, Onion and Parsley Chowder Recipe

……and here too: ~ Steamed Mussels ~ A Simple Mussels Dinner and also here: Fish is the Dish, Fish Fanatics and How to Cook Mussels without Fear!

Steamed Mussels with Herbs

Moules Frites

With thanks to Angela for sharing her fabulous low-calorie mussels recipe and I’ll see you later, when I have a new toy to share (with new recipes) and also a new giveaway as well as a review. Have a great bank holiday weekend, Karen