Pinch Of Nom’s ultimate air fryer BBQ – including shish kebabs, loaded cheeseburger fries and pulled chicken

Shish kebab

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 mins 

Cooking time: 10 mins

Cals: 263 

Carbs: 15g 

Special equipment: 8 skewers (wooden or metal) to fit into your air fryer

For the vegetable kebabs:

• 2 medium tomatoes, halved
• 2 peppers, deseeded and cut into 12 
• 2 small courgettes, each cut into 6 
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 4 mushrooms
• 1/2tsp garlic powder
• 1/2tsp chilli powder
• Pinch of salt
• Low-calorie cooking spray 

For the meat kebabs:

• 400g 5%-fat beef mince 
• 1tsp onion powder
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1/2tsp dried mint 
• 1tsp ground coriander 
• 1/2tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1tsp ground cumin 
• Pinch of salt

For the yoghurt sauce:

• *1tsp mint sauce (or 1/2tsp dried mint)
• *60g fat-free Greek yoghurt

1. First, make the four veg kebabs. On each skewer put: 1 tomato half, 3 pepper pieces, 3 courgette slices, 2 onion wedges and 1 mushroom. In a bowl, mix the garlic, chilli and salt, and sprinkle over the kebabs. Set aside. 
2. Put the beef mince into another bowl, and add the onion and garlic powders, dried mint, coriander, chilli, cumin and salt. Knead the mince like a dough to distribute the spices evenly.
3. Split the mince into 4 and roll into sausage shapes. Spray the inside of the air fryer basket with low-calorie cooking spray. Skewer each “sausage” with the remaining skewers, then place both kebabs in the basket and air-fry at 200°C for 8-10 minutes. Only turn the meat kebabs halfway through cooking – if you do this with the veg ones, they are likely to fall apart. 
4. While the kebabs are cooking, mix the mint sauce (or dried mint) with the yoghurt. Remove the kebabs from the air fryer, drizzle with the mint yoghurt and serve with a side salad.

Cheese, onion and sweetcorn-stuffed peppers

Serves 4 

Prep time: 5 mins 

Cooking time: 15 mins  

Cals: 155 

Carbs: 14g 

Ingredients:

• 4 medium mixed peppers 
• 165g reduced-fat cream cheese 
• 120g drained tinned sweetcorn 
• 1/2tsp dijon mustard 
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped 
• 20g reduced-fat cheddar, grated 
• Freshly ground black pepper 

To serve:

• Small handful fresh basil leaves

1. Lie each pepper on its side and slice in half horizontally. Remove the seeds from the inside. 
2. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sweetcorn, mustard, spring onions and black pepper to taste. Place equal amounts of the mixture into the pepper halves. 
3. Place the 8 pepper halves into the air fryer and air-fry at 180°C for 10 minutes. 
4. After 10 minutes, sprinkle each pepper evenly with the cheddar. Cook for a further 5 minutes. 
5. Carefully remove the cooked peppers from the air fryer. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if you like, serve and enjoy! 

Loaded cheeseburger fries 

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 mins, plus 10 mins’ soaking 

Cooking time: 30 mins 

Cals: 466 

Carbs: 45g

For the fries:

• 800g potatoes, cut into 1cm-thick fries 
• Low-calorie cooking spray 
• Pinch of salt 

For the topping:

• 500g 5%-fat beef mince 
• 1tsp onion granules 
• 1tsp garlic granules 
• 1tsp tomato purée 
• 2tsp Henderson’s relish 
• 100ml beef stock (1 beef stock cube dissolved in 100ml boiling water) 

For the sauce:

• 50g reduced-fat mayonnaise 
• 50g fat-free natural yoghurt 
• 1/4tsp mustard powder 
• 1tsp tomato purée 
• 1tbsp pickling juice 

To serve

• 100g cheddar, grated 
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced 
• 2 tomatoes, diced 
• 2 dill pickles, sliced 

1. Place the fries in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 10 minutes to remove the starch (this will produce a crispier fry). Drain well and pat dry. Return to a dry bowl and spray well with low-calorie cooking spray. Add salt to taste. Toss to coat evenly. 
2. Add the fries to the air fryer basket and air-fry at 200°C for 25-30 minutes, giving the basket a good shake every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. 
3. While the fries cook, make your cheeseburger topping. Place a frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the mince and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Stir in the onion granules, garlic granules, tomato purée, Henderson’s relish and stock. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened and coats the mince like a glaze. 
4. You can freeze the beef mince at this stage. Cool quickly, then freeze in an airtight container as soon as possible. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then re-heat by spraying a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and placing it over a medium heat, then add the mince and 1tbsp of water. Stir until piping hot throughout. 
5. Mix together all the sauce ingredients. You can thin it down with a few tablespoons of water if you prefer it runnier. When the fries are cooked, distribute among 4 bowls. Top with the mince and sprinkle over the cheese. Top with the red onion, tomatoes, dill pickles and drizzle over the burger sauce. 

Barbecue pulled chicken 

Serves 4 

Prep time: 15 mins 

Cooking time: 25 mins

Cals: 332 

Carbs: 9.1g  

Ingredients:

• 500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 5cm chunks 
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 4 wholemeal bread rolls 

For the barbecue spice mix:

• 2tsp smoked sweet paprika 
• 1tsp garlic granules 
• 1tsp dried oregano 
• 1tsp mustard powder 
• 1tsp granulated sweetener or sugar

For the sauce:

• 150g passata 
• 2tsp tomato purée 
• 1tsp onion granules 
• 1tbsp Henderson’s relish 
• 1tbsp runny honey 
• 2tsp balsamic vinegar 

1. Mix all the barbecue spice mix ingredients together in a small bowl. 
2. Spray the chicken chunks with low-calorie cooking spray and sprinkle over 1tbsp of the spice mix. Rub evenly into the chicken. 
3. Depending on your style of air fryer, either place the chicken pieces into the drawer (after removing the basket) or place in a cake tin or silicone mould. Air-fry at 180°C for 12 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through. 
4. Meanwhile, mix together the sauce ingredients and add the remaining spice mix. After 12 minutes, stir the sauce through the chicken pieces and air-fry for another 10-12 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through with no pink remaining. 
5. Transfer the chicken and sauce from the air fryer into a bowl and shred the chicken pieces using two forks. Stir well so the sauce coats the shredded chicken. Put in the bread rolls, and serve. 

Pavlovas

Serves 8

Prep time: 20 mins 

Cooking time: 45 mins  

Cals: 116 

Carbs: 18g 

Special equipment Electric whisk, piping bag and nozzle

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites 
• 75g caster sugar 
• 50g icing sugar 
• 1tsp cornflour
• 1tsp white wine vinegar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 60g mascarpone cheese 
• 60g fat-free Greek-style yoghurt 
• 200g frozen mixed berries, defrosted and juice saved

1. First, prepare some baking parchment for piping the meringue mix on to. Cut it to the size of the air fryer basket. Draw 8 circles approximately 8cm in diameter and set aside. 
2. Place the egg whites into a clean bowl. Ensure there is no egg yolk in the bowl. Whisk until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar, 1tbsp at a time, and whisk until mixed. Sift in the icing sugar a little at a time and whisk in. The egg whites should be stiff and glossy and, when you feel the mixture, there should be no grittiness. If there is grit, whisk for another minute. 
3. Mix the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla in a bowl. Pour into the meringue mixture and whisk. Spoon into a piping bag. 
4. Place the baking parchment in the air fryer basket, ink side down. You should be able to see the guidelines through the parchment. Pipe one layer of mixture into the first circle to make a base. Pipe another 3 layers on the edge of the base to make a nest. Repeat until you have 8 nests.
5. Place in the air fryer and air-fry for 45 minutes at 120°C. Remove the basket from the air fryer and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment from the basket and place each meringue on to a wire rack.
6. Mix the mascarpone and yoghurt in a bowl until fully combined. Leave in the fridge until ready to assemble. When completely cool, fill the meringue centres with the mascarpone and spoon over the defrosted berries and their juice. Serve. 

• Pinch of Nom Air Fryer by Kate and Kay Allinson (Bluebird, £20), is out June 20.