The long, cold January is finally in our rearview mirror and with no restrictions to abide by anymore you're bound to fancy a week of indulgence. Binge on all of the cheese with our smoked haddock & cheesy leek sweet potato pie on Thursday and treat yourself to Friday nights chipotle chicken quesadillas, in just 10 minutes. Of course, we still have our Monday vegan meal if veganuary has sold you on dairy and meat-free living...q
Shopping List:
150g smoked haddock
1 sirloin steak
2 chicken drumsticks
200g falafel
150g cheddar
2-3 peppers (any colour)
4-5 sweet potatoes
1 cauliflower
2 inch piece of ginger
1 pack green beans
1 bag salad leaves
1 leek
1 large tomato
2 onions
Garlic
1 lemon
2 limes
Red chillies
6 tortilla wraps
Straight to wok medium noodles
1 tin chickpeas
1 tin coconut milk
Hoi sin sauce
Tahini
Chipotle paste
Mustard seeds
Garam masala
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Turmeric
Dried chilli flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Rapeseed oil
Butter
Milk
English mustard
Flour
Monday – Hummus, falafel & roasted veg wrap, 30 mins
A veg-packed hearty wrap made even better with homemade hummus
Chop half the cauliflower (and the leaves) into smallish chunks, along with the peppers and one onion then drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast at 190C for 25 mins.
Make the hummus by blending two thirds of the can of chickpeas with a heaped tablespoon of tahini, a small clove of garlic, the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until smooth and use the chickpea water to thin it out if necessary. Season and set aside.
Cook your falafel according to packet instructions.
Once the veg is cooked, set half aside and refrigerate until Friday’s dinner. Assemble the wraps by layering the hummus, falafel and veg inside. Serve with the salad leaves.
Tuesday – Ginger beef stir fry, 15 mins
A sticky, spicy and simple weeknight noodle dish
Take the steak out of the fridge about an hour before cooking. Chop half of the pack of green beans in half, grate half the ginger, chop four garlic cloves and as many chillies as you’d like (two is good) and finely slice any cauliflower leaves you have left (if none, that’s fine). Heat a tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a large wok or frying pan on a high heat. Cut the steak into 3cm slices and set aside. Add all the chopped veg to the pan and fry for about four minutes, turning regularly. Add in the steak and cook for two minutes before drizzling in two tablespoons of hoi sin sauce and the noodles, then cook for a further minute or two until the noodles look done.
Wednesday – Sweet potato, chickpea & green bean curry, 45 mins
This tangy coconut curry has a range of textures and is super satisfying. It’s perfect for batch cooking too
Finely chop the remaining onion and fry gently in a few tablespoons of rapeseed oil until soft. Add in three cloves of crushed garlic, and a teaspoon each of mustard seeds, garam masala, coriander, turmeric and a heaped teaspoon of cumin. Fry for a minute or two until the seeds begin to pop then add in the tomato, diced, and the rest of the ginger – grated. Let that bubble away while you peel and chop a large sweet potato or two into smallish chunks, then add to the pan along with the rest of the chickpeas and the tin of coconut milk. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes until there is a thick, creamy consistency. Stir in half the remaining green beans, as much dried chilli as you’d like and serve once the beans are almost soft. Serve with plenty of lime and cauliflower rice made using the leftover cauliflower.
Thursday – Smoked haddock & cheesy leek sweet potato pie, 35 min
A quick and creamy fish pie to warm you up on a cold night
Peel, chop and boil the rest of the sweet potatoes then mash them until smooth.
Slice the leek finely then fry gently in a knob of butter and teaspoon of oil until really soft – try not to let them brown too much. Once they’re soft and silky, sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour and cook it out for another couple of minutes. Pour in 400ml of milk, stirring all the time, bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer. Add the haddock, cut into bitesized chunks, then half of the cheese, grated and about half a teaspoon of English mustard (to taste) plus the rest of the lemon juice. Let the cheese melt then pour the mixture into an oven proof dish, top with the mashed sweet potato and bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes until the top has crisped up. Serve with the rest of the green beans.
NOTE: Make tomorrow night’s dinner by cooking the chicken for the quesadillas at the same time as the fish pie. Just coat the chicken drumsticks in a tablespoon of chipotle paste and roast in a tin for 20 minutes. Cool, then refrigerate.
If you don’t like fish, try chunks of cooked chicken which is always delicious with leeks.
Friday – Chipotle chicken quesadillas, 10 mins
Quesadillas are the easiest Mexican foodstuff ever. These smoky cheesy ones take 10 minutes if you do your prep right.
If you cooked the chicken yesterday, well done. If not, follow the note above before you start cooking.
Shred the chicken off of the bone and put in a bowl. Mix it with the leftover onion, peppers and cauliflower from Monday then grate in the rest of the cheese and combine. If you’d like to add a chopped chilli now, you can. Divide into two equal portions and spread over two tortillas, then press another tortilla on top, firmly. Heat a non stick pan and carefully toast the tortillas on each side until the cheese is melting and the centre feels hot to the touch. Serve with sour cream if you like.
NOTE: Keep these vegetarian by swapping the chicken for chipotle roasted sweet potato or mushroom, but these work with almost any meat, firm fish or meaty veg. They also freeze well.