Pretend spring is officially over, it's back to grim old winter again - but the good news is, we've got a week of amazing meals lined up to cheer things up. From Friday night's amazing, 25-minute pork burgers with lime slaw, to a mid-week carb load with Wednesday's goats cheese and roast vegetable pasta, we've got your meal's covered...
Shopping list:
2.chicken breasts
- pork mince (it can be hard to find supermarket mince in smaller packs than 500g. Either go to a butcher or halve the pack and freeze the rest as soon as you can)
2.tuna steaks
- goats cheese
- natural yoghurt
1.white cabbage
2.medium potatoes
1.large mango
1.bunch spring onions
1.avocado
1.small aubergine
1.small courgette
6.tomatoes
1.small carrot
1.pack radishes (about 200g)
2.limes
1.onion
Garlic
Frozen soya beans
Wild rice
Pasta of your choice (conchiglie, fusilli and rigatoni are best)
2.burger buns
6.roti or chapattis
1.tin kidney beans
Tomato puree
Brown mustard seeds
Turmeric
Ground cumin
Chilli powder
Ground ginger
Cajun spice mix
Dried crushed chilli flakes
BBQ sauce
Mayonnaise
Rice wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar would be ok too)
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Monday – Spiced cabbage and potatoes with roti, 25 mins
This is a super simple vegan recipe from Meera Sodha’s heavenly book, Made in India, beefed up with some potato cubes and served with readymade roti
Put a tablespoon or two of rapeseed oil or ghee into a large, non-stick, lidded pan with a heaped teaspoon of mustard seeds and heat for a minute. Roughly chop the onion and add it to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook on a low-medium heat until translucent and soft – should take about five minutes. Finely shred just over half of the cabbage and cut the potatoes into two centimetre squares then add to the onions with a heaped teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin, chilli powder and a touch more salt. Add in 100ml of water, a tablespoon of tomato puree and pop the lid on to let it cook away for about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes and cabbage are both soft and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Heat the chapattis or roti for 30 seconds each side in a dry pan and serve with a big dollop of yoghurt.
NOTE: Those not looking to eliminate meat could serve this under some spiced chicken or lamb chops.
Tuesday – Cajun chicken with mango rice and beans, 25 mins
A simple but effective sunshine-filled recipe that tastes just as good the next day
Mix a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning with a teaspoon of olive oil then spread evenly over the chicken breasts. Place skin side down on a baking tray.
Prepare the rice by heating a tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan and stirring in half a mug of rice, coating each grain in the oil and toasting for a minute or two over a low heat. Add a mug of chicken stock to the pan, bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes, adding the drained kidney beans for the last few minutes. Cut the mango in half, dice the flesh and stir into the rice.
Grill the chicken under a high heat for five minutes, turning skin side up for a further 5-7 minutes and checking that the chicken is cooked through by cutting into the fattest part. Serve over the rice with a squeeze of lime.
NOTE: This is also great cold for lunch the next day. Vegetarians could substitute the chicken for halloumi or tofu to a similar effect, and simply swap the stock for water or coconut milk.
Wednesday – Goats cheese and roasted veg pasta, 50 mins
This is a simple yet supremely comforting pasta dish packed full with the flavours of the Mediterranean
Chop the aubergine and courgette into 1-2 centimetre chunks and place on a baking tray with a handful of halved radishes and the tomatoes, quartered. Peel a few garlic cloves and add to the tray, whole. Drizzle over a generous tablespoon or two’s worth of olive oil and season liberally then roast in the oven for 40 minutes at 190C, turning halfway. Once it’s done, transfer the veg to a pan with a tablespoon of tomato puree and a splash of water and stir until the veg breaks down. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions then add to the veg sauce and spoon the goats cheese sporadically across the top.
NOTE: This is still tasty without the goats cheese, which could also be substituted for ricotta or mascarpone. You can always roast the veg ahead of time and heat it on the night to save time if you liked.
Thursday – Tuna poke bowl, 25 mins
Taste the rainbow with this colourful and very easy DIY poke bowl
Prepare the tuna by slicing into 1cm cubes and place into a smallish bowl. Pour over two tablespoons of sesame oil, two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and a tablespoon of soy sauce, stir then refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while you make the rest of the dish.
Set some wild rice on to boil, using the same half mug or rice and mug of liquid ratio.
Chop the remaining half mango and two tomatoes into small chunks and set aside, keeping them separate. Now finely slice the rest of the radishes and set aside. Defrost a couple of handfuls of soya beans. Arrange all the veg in sections in two bowls, adding the rice once it’s cooked. Finish with the marinated tuna and scatter a few chopped spring onions and dried chilli flakes over it all.
NOTE: Buy the freshest tuna – or salmon - you can find. If you’re not sold on raw fish, you could pan fry it for a minute or two then drizzle the dressing over but be aware this does change the whole ethos of the dish. Sriracha mayo also makes for a tasty topping if you’ve got some to hand.
Friday – BBQ pork burgers with lime slaw, 25 mins
Grab a taste of the deep South with this BBQ infused lean pork burger for a Friday night treat
Place the pork mince in a bowl with the rest of the spring onions (hopefully about 2-3), finely chopped, two tablespoons of your favourite BBQ sauce and a teaspoon of ground ginger. Season with salt and pepper then stir to combine and form into two equal sized patties, flattening them so that they cook through. Pan fry on a low heat for 5-7 minutes each side until golden brown but still juicy then set aside to rest in a warm place covered with foil or a tea towel.
Make the slaw by finely shredding the rest of the cabbage – you’ll need to discard the tough stalk – then grating the carrot and mixing together with the juice of a lime, two tablespoons of mayonnaise and the rest of the yoghurt. Add in crushed chilli flakes to taste then mix well and serve along with the burger in a lightly toasted bun.