Forget mundane healthy cooking, what every girl looking to drop a dress size needs is food she can get her teeth into. So says Jennifer Joyce, author of new book Skinny Meals In Heels.

Don’t deny yourself, she suggests: “Keep using bacon, nuts and cheese, but just use far less. Instead of eight slices of bacon in a stew, use two. You’ll get all the taste but not so much fat. Healthy cooking without these can be a little too virtuous.”

Considering more than a third of women on rapid weight loss diets gain back more than they lose, according to a recent report by Hovis, delicious meals such as Joyce’s (none of which take longer than 30 minutes to prepare) may well be the answer for New Year slimmers.

“I truly love to eat lean, piquant food. Wondrous things can be made from Asian sauces, spice pastes and fresh aromatic herbs,” she says.

True to her word, Joyce makes her sandwiches skinnier by taking out the mayonnaise and replacing it with grainy mustard or chutney.

“It tastes great and is practically zero fat.”

She also makes sure her cupboards are packed with tasty, low-fat ingredients. “Stock up your fridge and cupboards with options like smoked fish, cooked chicken breasts, Ryvita crackers and Greek yoghurt.”

Skinny tips from Jennifer Joyce

• Don’t snack

• Quit when you are full

• Wine and coffee are ok

• Less butter and more olive oil

• Vary what you eat

• Use your freezer more

Here are four recipes to get your non-diet started…

Baked Sesame Prawns with Roasted Chilli Dipping Sauce

(Serves 4)

16 raw large prawns, peeled and deveined with tails left on

2 egg whites

4tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Cooking oil spray

Salt and pepper

Thinly sliced spring onion, to serve

For the Chilli Dipping Sauce:

200ml rice wine vinegar

100g caster sugar

2tbsp chilli flakes

1 shallot, thinly sliced

Salt

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6. To make the sticky Chilli Dipping Sauce, heat the vinegar and sugar with a large pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for five minutes or until syrupy. Remove from the heat and add the chilli flakes. Set aside until cool, then add the shallot.

Butterfly the prawns by making a deep cut down the back so they lay nearly flat. Whisk the egg white until just foamy, then dip the prawns in, allowing any excess egg white to drain off.

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then roll in the sesame seeds. Place on a baking tray, spray with a bit of oil and bake for five minutes, or until they turn opaque and start to curl.

Serve warm, garnished with the spring onion, with the dipping sauce on the side.

Chewy Meringues with Blackberries and Greek Yoghurt

(Makes 16)

150ml egg white (from about 4 eggs), at room temperature

200g caster sugar

2tsp cornflour

1tsp white vinegar

300g blackberries (or other berries)

1½ tbsp icing sugar

250g low-fat Greek yoghurt

Tiny mint leaves, for garnishing

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas mark 2 and line two large baking trays with baking paper.

Place the egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar a tablespoonful at a time until incorporated. Keep whisking for one to two minutes, or until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Sift the cornflour over the top, add the vinegar and gently fold through the mixture.

Place 16 dollops of meringue, about 7.5-10cm in size, leaving plenty of space in between. Reduce the oven to 120C/Gas mark ½ and bake for 35 minutes.

Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool for a couple of hours. This is an important step, because if you take them out at this point, they will be soft; the cooling process makes them crisp.

To serve, gently crush the berries in a bowl with the back of a fork and mix in the icing sugar until dissolved. Serve the meringues with the berries and yoghurt, garnished with the mint.

Stir-Fried Fish with Dill and Rice Noodles

(Serves 4)

1 small onion, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2.5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped

2tsp ground turmeric

2tbsp fish sauce

2tbsp peanut oil

900g piece of skinless monkfish or tilapia fillet, cut into 4cm chunks

200g dried rice vermicelli noodles

6 spring onions, thinly sliced

40g roughly chopped dill stalks and leaves

Chopped roasted peanuts, coriander sprigs, sliced red chilli marinated in rice vinegar and lime wedges, to serve

Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, fish sauce and one teaspoon of the peanut oil in a bowl. Mix well, then add the fish and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the noodles in a large bowl and pour over boiling water to cover well. Leave to sit for about five minutes or until tender, then drain.

Heat the remaining peanut oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the spring onion and dill and cook for one minute, then add the fish mixture. Stir-fry for three to four minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

Divide the noodles among bowls and serve the fish on top with its juices spooned over. Serve with a small sprinkling of peanuts, coriander, chilli vinegar and lime wedges.

Baby Leaf Salad with Roasted Beetroot, Sugared Almonds and Crisp Jamon

(Serves 4)

4-5 baby beetroot, scrubbed and trimmed

1tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 slices serrano or Parma ham

4 handfuls mixed baby lettuce leaves

1 head chicory, leaves separated

Salt and pepper

For the sugared almonds:

3tbsp blanched almonds, roughly chopped

1tbsp honey

1tsp extra virgin olive oil

1tbsp caster sugar

Salt

For the dressing:

1tbsp sherry vinegar

2½tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Cut the beetroot into quarters and place on a baking tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender and caramelised.

To make the sugared almonds, place the almonds on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with the honey and olive oil, sprinkle over the sugar and season with salt. Stir to evenly coat, bake for 10 minutes until golden, then remove and allow to cool.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the ham for one minute each side or until crisp. Cool and break into pieces.

To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid, season and shake well.

Place the leaves on plates or in a big bowl. Arrange the beetroot, crisp ham and sugared almonds on top. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

• Skinny Meals In Heels by Jennifer Joyce is published by Murdoch, priced £14.99. Available January 5