Odds are you deliveryguy is bringing trouble to your doorstep. Inside that innocuous bag, he carries unhealthy versions of virtuous, protein-packed dishes like fish n’ chips and chicken parma. Loaded with gloppy, neon-colored sauces, limp vegetables, MSG, and excess oil, the food may blunt your hunger, but it won’t optimally fuel your body. And that extra order of chips isn’t doing your waistline any favours, either: A 2011 study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that people who eat takeout just once a week may significantly increase their body fat as well as other risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.
Time to reclaim takeout. Where to start? From scratch. In less time than it takes the delivery dude to reach your doorstep, you can create vibrant homemade versions of your go-to takeaway orders.
Here, Amir Manoly – a Construction Project Manager who fought for his passion on season 13 of Masterchef – shares how to make some of your favourite takeaway dishes, in the healthiest way possible.
To learn more from Amir, you can head over to his new business venture, Mister Collective: at-home cooking masterclasses aiming to equip men with the skills they need to cook up a storm in the kitchen.
Healthy Burger and Fries - 600 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 coles brioche bun toasted
- 125g extra lean beef mince
- 2 pickles
- 1 tbsp lite mayonnaise
- 1tsp tomato sauce
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 slice light tasty cheese
- 250g spud lite potatoes
- 1 slice tomato
- 1 handful lettuce
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180*C fan force
- Wash and cut potatoes into fries and allow to soak in water for 20 minutes
- Pat dry and cover in salt and then add in a singular layer into the oven
- Cook for 20-30 minutes or until golden
- Roll your mince into a ball and season with salt and pepper
- Heat medium fry pan on high and add burger patty, pushing down with a spatula till desired thickness is achieved
- Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip and cook till browned on both sides
- Add cheese to top of patty and allow to melt
- Meanwhile add mayo, tomato sauce, mustard and one pickle finely diced to a bowl and combine into burger sauce
- Assemble your burger
- Enjoy!
Healthy Parma and Wedges - 450 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 150g chicken breast (rolled flat)
- 200g spud lite potatoes
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- 30g light mozzarella
- 20g kellogg’s crumbs (or panic breadcrumbs)
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 egg white
Tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp passata
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 garlic minced
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180*C fan force
- Wash and cut potatoes into fries and allow to soak in water for 20 minutes
- Pat dry and cover in paprika, garlic powder, salt and parmesan then add in a singular later to the one
- Cook for 30-40 minutes or until golden
- Combine tomato sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside
- Cover chicken in egg whites and then transfer to a plate covered in bread crumbs and parmesan
- Cover chicken in crumbs ensure evenly coated
- Add to the oven with the wedges and cook for 10 minutes on one side then another 10 on the other side or until golden brown
- Take out of the oven top with tomato sauce then mozzarella and place back in the oven till cheese melts
- Serve with a side salad or steamed vegetables
- Enjoy!
Healthy Gyro and Feta Chips - 550 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 MEB food souvlaki
- 125g pork fillet diced
- 1/4 tomato thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- Pinch fill (optional)
- Salt to season
Pork Marinade
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon squeezed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tzatziki
- 1tbsp low fat greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp finely diced cucumber
- 1/2 garlic clove minced
Feta Chips
- 150g spud lite potatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 20g reduced fat feta
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180*C fan force
- Wash and cut potatoes into thick chips and allow to soak in water for 20 minutes
- Pat dry and cover in salt and then add in a singular layer into the oven
- Cook for 20-30 minutes or until golden
- Toss chips in a pinch of salt and oregano and then crumble feta on top
- Combine pork marinade ingredients, cover pork and add to skewers. Allow to marinade for 20 minutes
- Heat medium fry pan or BBQ on high and cook for for 1/2 minutes each sides or until cooked through
- Combine yoghurt, cucumber garlic and a pinch of salt in a bowl
- Add tzatziki to pita, top with pork tomato, red onion and dill.
- Enjoy!
Healthy Philly Cheesesteak - 500 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 100g scotch fillet thinly sliced
- 1/2 green capsicum thinly sliced
- 1/2 red capsicum thinly sliced
- 1/4 brown onion thinly sliced
- 30g provolone cheese
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1 long roll (bakers delight)
- 1 large pickle (optional)
Directions
- Heat medium fry pan on medium to high heat and add olive oil then onion and capsicum and cook till caramelised
- Remove vegetables from pan and increase heat to high and cook till browned 1-2 minutes
- Re-add vegetables to the pan and combine with steak
- Top with cheese and allow to melt
- Add to bread roll and top with pickles if desired
- Enjoy!
Healthy Korean Bowl - 530 calories per serve
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 125g chicken breast diced
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup cooked white rice
- 20 g wilted spinach
- 40g carrots
- 60g fresh cucumber
- 30g bean sprouts
- 50g mushrooms
- 1 fried egg
Marinade
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 gochujang
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1cm ginger grated
- Sesame seeds
Directions
- Add chicken, buttermilk, soy and rune winder vinegar to a bowl
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Meanwhile add marinade ingredients to a bowl and mix
- Add both flours and salt to a large bowl and one by one add chicken (be sure to remove excess buttermilk)
- Toss chicken in flour until evenly coated
- Spray bottom of air. Fryer with canola oil, add chicken, spray again and cook on 200C for 20 minutes
- After 10 minutes shake chicken in air fryer, spray with coil and cook for remaining 10 minutes
- Once cooked cover in marinade and sesame seeds and mix till evenly coated
- Assemble with rice and cooked vegetables, top with fried egg and top with sesame seeds
- Enjoy!
Healthy Philly Cheesesteak - 500 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 100g scotch fillet thinly sliced
- 1/2 green capsicum thinly sliced
- 1/2 red capsicum thinly sliced
- 1/4 brown onion thinly sliced
- 30g provolone cheese
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1 long roll (bakers delight)
- 1 large pickle (optional)
Directions
- Heat medium fry pan on medium to high heat and add olive oil then onion and capsicum and cook till caramelised
- Remove vegetables from pan and increase heat to high and cook till browned 1-2 minutes
- Re-add vegetables to the pan and combine with steak
- Top with cheese and allow to melt
- Add to bread roll and top with pickles if desired
- Enjoy!
Healthy Southern Fried Cauliflower - 470 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
Fried Cauliflower
- 300g cauliflower florets chopped into large chunks
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- Canola oil spray
- 15ml Queens sugar free maple syrup
- 15ml Sriracha
Corn Ribs
- 1 corn quartered length wats
- 10g feta
Coleslaw
- 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/4 cup shredded
- 1 small carrot grated
- 1 tbsp Chobani Greek Yoghurt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch salt and pepper
Directions
- Add cauliflower, buttermilk and spiced to a bowl and cover with cling film. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour
- Add flour to a large bowl and cover cauliflower in mixture one by one
- Place cauliflower in are fryer on 200C, spray with canola oil and cook for 30 minutes until golden brown (flip after 12 minutes and spray again)
- Meanwhile combine maple syrup and sriracha in a small bowl and brush half on to corn
- Halfway through cook of cauliflower add corn to air fryer
- For coleslaw add yoghurt, oil, lemon salt and paper to a bowl and combine
- Add cabbage and carrot and combine
- When cauliflower and corn is done, brush with remaining syrup and sriracha paste and serve
- Enjoy!
Healthy Fish n Chips - 430 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
Beer Battered Fish
- 150g white fish (blue grenadier, flake, rockling etc.)
- 4 tbsp rice flour
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup ice cold beer
- Pinch salt
- 2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and Vinegar Chips
- 250g spud lite potatoes cut in chips
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1L cold water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch salt
Tartare Sauce
- 2 tbsp Chobani Greek yoghurt
- 1/4 tsp dijon mustard
- Pinch salt
- Pinch black pepper
- Pinch dried fill
- 1/2 tbsp diced dill pickles
- 1/2 tbsp diced capers
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180*C fan force
- Wash and cut potatoes into chips and allow to soak in water and vinegar for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile add oil to an oven tray and place in oven to heat
- Remove potatoes from water and pat dry then add to oiled oven tray and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Toss is salt when finished
- Add all tartare sauce ingredients to a bowl and combine. Set aside
- Pat fish dry with paper towel and set aside
- Meanwhile add 2 tbsp of rice flour to a flat plate and in a seperate bowl combine plain flour, remaining rice flour, baking soda and then slowly pour and whisk in beer till a batter like consistency is achieved
- Meanwhile heat oil in a medium saucepan to 180*C
- When oil is to temperate place fish in rice flour for a light dusting then add to batter and cover evenly
- Slowly place in hot oil (place away from body) and cook for 2-3 minutes turning regularly until golden brown
- Serve hot
- Enjoy!
Healthy Chicken and Waffles - 600 calories
Serves 1
Ingredients
Chicken
- 150g chicken tenderloins
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1 tbsp Kelloggs crumbs
- 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs
- Canola oil spray
- 30ml Queens sugar free maple syrup
Waffles
- 1/3 cup oats
- 1/3 cup Chobani greek yoghurt
- 3 egg whites
- Pinch baking powder
- Pinch salt
Directions
- Add tenderloins, buttermilk and spices to a bowl and cover with cling film
- Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 1 hours
- After 1 hour take chicken out of the oven and bring to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 180*c fan forced and cover oven tray in baking paper
- Add flour, breadcrumbs and crumbs to a large flat plate and cover tenderloins in mixture one by one
- Place tenderloins on oven tray and spray both sides with canola oil
- Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown (flip after 12 minutes)
- Meanwhile place oats in a blender and blend to a fine powder
- Add oats and remaining waffle ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth
- Heat waffle making and spray with canola oil, evenly distributing batter across two sections.
- Cook until golden brown
- Assemble fried chicken on top of waffles and cover in sugar free maple syrup
- Enjoy!
Healthy Fudgy Brownies - 84 calories per serve
Serves 20
Ingredients
- 1 block dark chocolate (180g) chopped
- 100g Natvia natural sweetener
- 125ml almond milk
- 250g vanilla chobani fit
- 90g plain flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Directions
- Preheat oven to 160*C fan force. Line a 20cm square pan with baking paper
- In a microwave safe bowl add 120g chopped chocolate melt your chocolate in 30 second spurts. Stir after every 30 seconds till fully melted and allow to cool for 2 minutes
- Add yoghurt and Natvia and whisk until smooth
- Add flour, cocoa powder and baking soda and mix till combined. Add milk and wish till fully incorporated.
- Fold through remaining 60g of chocolate chips
- Transfer to lined pan and bake for 30 minutes or until and skewer comes out clean
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes then chop into 20 serves
- Enjoy warm!