Aaaaaah, it’s been bloody AGES since my last recipe. Apologies. First I was finishing a PhD, then I was doing a residency where I was travelling to Yorkshire most weeks and cooking on the go, then I was POOR, and I couldn’t afford to experiment with food. And now I live in London. And am even poorer really, except the difference is I have less time because 2 hours of my day is commuting. But determined to get back on the food blog wagon. (WAGON). So expect a series of CHEAP EATS, for making in bulk and reheating for lunch or dinner. This week I have lentil chilli and this fine recipe; butternut squash and chickpea curry based pretty faithfully on a Good Food recipe. Served with rice in the evenings, or with a pitta for lunch.

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 35 mins | Serves: 4

Nutritional Info: 393 kcalories, protein 14g, carbohydrate 71g, fat 8 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 9g, sugar 16g, salt 0.94 g

NB I got this info off the recipe and I’m too tired to work out if it includes the rice or not, so when I record it, I just add on 50g of basmati rice, which brings the meal to: 571g kcalories, 110g carbs, 9g fat, 18g protein, 376mg sodium, 16g sugar.

Chop up the butternut squash. This is the worst bit of the recipe. From here on in it’s plain sailing. I chop squash the lazy way: slice off sections horizontally, so you have a load of cross section disks, then chop the skin off the sides with it laying flat, you end up with octagon-ish bits of just flesh, which then I section into chunks. Top Squash Tip.

Add the oil to the pan, heat, then add the squash and sautee until browning, about 10 mins

Then add the onion and the garlic, stir, and soften for 5-10 mins more

Add the curry paste, pop it on a high heat, and get it all lovely and covered and fragrant

Then add the stock, stir well, and simmer until squash is almost perfectly soft. Pop your rice on just as it’s getting soft-ish. About 5 minutes for basmati, and 10-15 for brown, before you think the squash is at almost.

Add the chickpeas and tomatoes (I used tinned), stir well, and simmer for a last 5 mins.

Just before serving, stir through chopped coriander. Serve with rice and soya yoghurt. Or pitta. Or naan. Or chapati. You get it.

Serves: 6 | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 30 mins
Nutritional info: 227 kcal, 35g carbs, 7g fat, 8g protein

Ingredienty:

Prep: get the stock boiling. Chop the onion, cube the tomatoes, crush and chop the garlic, break up the spaghetti, drain the chick peas, chop up the beans into 1-2cm pieces.

Get a big pan, put the oil and onion in it. Soften the onion. I have illustrated this in case you are uncertain.

Add garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes more.

Add everything that isn’t the rocket.

Bring to the boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is done.

When the spaghetti is cooked, stir through the rocket. Season to taste. Serve.

How easy?

Prep Time: 5 | Cook Time: 25-35 mins | Serves: 4
Nutritional info: 429 kcal, 9g carbs, 36g fat, 18g protein

Ingredients pic:

Using half the oil, soften the garlic, then add the tomato, basil, seasoning, and a pinch of sugar, simmer.

Meanwhile… season and brush the aubergine slices on both sides with the rest of the oil. I salt and pepper first, then brush with oil. You don’t need much oil, and that mean the season rubs in and sticks. Grill for 2-3 mins on a high heat on both sides

And now, layer up! Preheat the oven to 200’c, and layer 3 times with aubergine, tomato, parmesan and goats’ cheese, finishing with cheese, and sprinkling with a touch of oregano if you like. Bake for 2o-35 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

Serve with a good lot of peppery salad. Rocket is recommended, and a strong good tomato. One of the expensive kind. Enjoy!

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 15 mins | Serves: 4-6
Nutritional Info: (per 1/4 with 1 tbsp yoghurt): 211 kcal 27g carbs 8g fat 8g protein

Ingredients:

First off, gently soften the onion for 5 minutes or so

Then add the garlic, chillis, and cumin, stir for a minute or two

Then add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, beans (I used black eyed ones), passata, sugar, and season well. Simmer for 10 minutes

Just before serving, chuck in most of the chopped coriander, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime. Check seasoning.

And then serve with a dollop of yoghurt, and the last bits of coriander:

Close up!

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 2 (1 pictured)
Nutritional Info: 271 kcals, protein 12g, carbs 18.1g, fat 17.2 g, sat fat 1.4g, fibre 7.5g, salt 0.85 g

Ingredients pic:

soften the onion and garlic for 3 minutes or so

Add the curry paste, stir for 2-3mins until fragrant

Add the cauliflower, stir to coat, then add the chopped tomatoes and water, stir to mix

Then cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Put the rice (50g per person, well rinsed, 120ml water per person, cover and DO NOT UNCOVER, heat until all the water has boiled away and then set aside, still covered, to steam until the rest is ready)

Then, when the cauliflower is cooked, or about 10 mins in, stir in the spinach, and just before serving, the chopped coriander:

Serve with rice, or a naan or pitta instead. Tasty, quick, cheap. Awesomeness.

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30-35 mins | Servings: 2
Nutritional Info: 235 kcal 19g carbs 11g fat 9g protein

Preheat the oven to 220’c, brush oil very thinly on the sliced aubergine, season well with salt and pepper, and spreading out on the baking dish, bake for 20 min (ignore the potato).

Melt the butter in a large pan and soften the onion and garlic,

increase the heat, add the mushrooms and a pinch of oregano, and stir continuously for 2-3 mins until soft.

Splash in the wine, reduce, then add the tomato and a pinch of cinnamon, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 mins until reduced, set aside.

Then melt the sauce butter in a large pan over a low heat, add the flour and whisk for 1 min,

slowly add the milk and stir continuously, simmer unit thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and parmesan, and a pinch of nutmeg.

When the aubergine is done, reduce the oven to 180’c, pop half the mushroom mix in the baking dish, cover with half the aubergine, then the rest of the mushroom, a layer of the rest of the aubergine, and pour the cheese sauce over the top.

Sprinkle the sauce with the remaining parmesan, bake for 30-35 mins. Stand for 10 mins before serving with an ace side salad.

Hannah’s Nutritional Info edit: (using wholewheat pasta) 462kcal, 75g carbs, 12g fat, 17g protein. If adding parmesan, a 30g serving adds 120 kcal, 0g carbs, 9g of fat, and 10g of protein.

Here’s what you need:

The proportions can obviously vary, and actually you can miss some stuff out – or include seasonal variations. The leeks are important for the overall flavour, though, I think.

Chop everything:

Add the butter and oil to a large (non-stick if you can) pan, and warm over a medium heat. When it starts to sizzle…

…add the courgette and carrot and sprinkle with a pinch (just a pinch!) of sugar. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the peans, beans and leeks (thanks for comment Edith!), salt and pepper, and then cover. Cook for another five minutes. Get the pasta on! (In a separate pan.)

Add the tomatoes and chopped parsley. Cook for another five minutes.

(On this particular occasion I overcooked this last stage and the tomatoes fell apart a bit more than I like – making the whole dish no less tasty, but a bit less photogenic. Pfft.)

When the pasta is done, drain and tip into the pan with the sauce. Stir:

Serve in warmed bowls, with shaved parmesan and a sprig of parsley (if you like).

Ideal with a fruity/medium Portuguese red, preferably an Alentejo.

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Servings: 4
Nutritional Info: 215 kcalories, protein 11g, carbohydrate 30g, fat 6 g, saturated fat 3g, fibre 5g, sugar 12g, salt 1.06 g

Ingredients:

first things, chop all the veg. Pop 1tbsp of oil in a large pan and over a medium heat gentle cook the carrots, onions and celery until soft, about 15 minutes

Next, add the sugar, garlic, tomato purée, herbs (saving a bit of the basil to garnish with) and courgettes and cook for 4-5 mins on a slightly higher heat, so the courgettes might brown a little bit

Then pour over the tomatoes, stock, and beans, simmer for 15 minutes until all the veg is lovely and soft

It was at this point I seasoned it, tasted it, and decided it needed a bit more kick, I added two pinches of chilli flakes, which was good for me, this is up to you, add or don’t add to taste.

Add half the parmesan, the pasta, and simmer for 5-8 minutes more, until the pasta is cooked.

Serve sprinkled with 1/4 the remaining parmesan per person, and a bit of the chopped basil.

 

Prep Time: 10 | Cook Time: 30 | Servings: 2
Nutritional Info: (changes were spices and curry paste so I think this will be the same)  169 kcal, 14g carbs, 11g fat, 5g protein. When served with 50g of rice (dry weight) and some mango chutney (20g) and soya yoghurt (75g), you’re looking at 431 kcal, 67g carbs, 14g fat and 12g protein.

Ingredients:

pop 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan and get it very hot, add the aubergine and fry until golden brown, about 5 mins

Remove the aubergine from the pan, and pop the rest of the oil in and soften the onion, garlic, and ginger (another 5 mins)

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove those and put with the aubergine

Stir in the curry paste and tomato puree to the onion/garlic/ginger, and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. FRAGRANT, I TELL THEE.

Add the water and lentils. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding more water if necessary, and stirring now and then to make sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom. Start the rice after 10-12 minutes of simmering.

Another afterthought, after tasting the lentilly mix, not quite spicy enough, so added a pinch of chilli powder, so do this to taste

When the rice is off the heat and steaming through (directions for best rice over here, y’know), add the aubergine and tomatoes, stir until heated through, then add and stir in the coriander, and serve!

Totally vegan, reasonably seasonal (June-September, seasonal, really), very filling, quick, one-pot, and BLOODY TASTY. Everyone’s happy.

Prep Time: 15 mins | Servings: 2

Nutritional Info: 291 kcal, 7g protein, 29g carbs, 17g fat (4g sat), 1g fibre, 0.49g salt

Ingredients:

Make sure you’ve toasted your pine nuts before starting. Then start your couscous going by putting it in a bowl, pouring in the boiling stock, and covering.

Should take about 5 minutes, which is enough time to prep all your veg, halve the tomatoes, and thinly slice the spring onions and chestnut mushrooms. Buy good tomatoes and mushrooms/onions, because this is one of those simple ingredients recipes where good ingredients make all the difference.

When the couscous is done, fluff up, then add the olive oil and pesto to taste.

Stir through until well covered. Chuck in every thing else,

mix. Season to taste, and serve immediately, hot, or cool the same/next day as an awesome salad.