Show your mum she's special with a lovely lunch

Caesar salad Unlike a traditional Caesar salad, to avoid any risk of salmonella poisoning, this version uses hard-boiled egg yolks instead of raw eggs to emulsify the oil with the other ingredients and make a creamy dressing.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 large chicken breasts, cooked, sliced

2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 slices crusty bread, diced

1/2 tbsp olive oil

50g Parmesan cheese

Dressing

2 hard boiled eggs, yolks separated from egg whites

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt

4 anchovy fillets, chopped finely

Method

1 Make the dressing by blitzing all the dressing ingredients together in a blender. Season to taste with black pepper. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

2 Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan. Add the bread, stir and pan fry for 8-10 minutes on a low flame until the croutons are crisp.

3 Slice the boiled egg whites.

4 Place the lettuce, chicken, egg whites and croutons into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the dressing, toss to mix.

5 Divide the salad between four serving plates, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information per serving: 320kcal, 30.4g protein, 17.2g fat, 11.6g carbohydrates, 1.8g fibre

Speedy chocolate cake

Who says you can't make a cake without an oven? Treat your mum to a freshly baked cake cooked in a microwave. This not-so-sweet cake is quick and easy, so even if you forget it's her special day, you can impress and win her over any time without giving in to a commercial bakery.

Ingredients (makes around 12 slices)

100g light muscovado sugar

140g plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

50g chocolate chips

75ml vegetable oil

100ml water

1/2 tsp baking soda

11/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs

Method

1 Grease an 18cm microwavable square cake pan with oil.

2 Place the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl, and mix well.

3 In another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, water and vanilla essence together.

4 Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and beat thoroughly until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5 Pour the batter into the cake pan.

6 Microwave on full power (750W) for 5 1/2 minutes. Carefully check if the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is cooked. If not, microwave for another 30 seconds and check again.

7 Let the cake stand for 5 minutes. Turn it onto a wire rack and allow to cool before decorating the top with sifted icing sugar.

8 For a more decadent icing, heat 100ml cream until hot, pour over 110g chocolate, stir until the chocolate has melted. Cool, place in the fridge to set until it's thick and creamy. Spread the icing over the cake and decorate as desired.

Nutritional information per portion without icing: 183kcal, 2.8g protein, 9.2g fat, 24.4g carbohydrates, 0.5g fibre

Wynnie Chan is a British-trained nutritionist. If you've got a question for her or would like to be featured in this column, e-mail [email protected]