Finding really tasty but healthy meals can often be tricky. I found ‘The Diet for Food Lovers’ in a bargain bin in TKMaxx, and it’s a fantastic book full of delicious recipes that don’t make you feel like you’re scrimping on flavour! This recipe is fast becoming one of our favourites – if you’re not home too late then you can easily make it on a weeknight, which is always useful. If you don’t use all of the pesto it keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, so it’s good for another meal too!

Ingredients (serves 4)

500g baby new potatoes, halved
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-size chunks
200g cherry tomatoes
3 courgettes, trimmed and cut into bite-size chunks
4 garlic cloves
Small handful rosemary leaves, finely chopped
Small handful thyme leaves, finely chopped
4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Olive oil (or groundnut oil)

For the pesto
Large handful basil leaves
1 tablespoon pine nuts
30g Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6. Place the potatoes in a large, shallow, non-stick ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the potatoes from the oven and add the red peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Stir, then return to the oven and roast (uncovered) for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally while roasting to prevent sticking.

3. While the vegetables are roasting, make the pesto. Place the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil in a food processor and blitz to a stiff paste.

4. Heat a little olive or groundnut oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 4-6 minutes or until it is cooked through. At the last minute, add the fresh pesto, stir and cover until you are ready to serve. Turn off the heat.

5. Peel the roasted garlic cloves, squash or roughly chop and mix back into the vegetables.

6. Mix the pesto chicken in with the vegetables before serving. Enjoy!

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