Prawn & harissa spaghetti

 

Ingredients

• 100g long-stem broccoli, cut into thirds
• 180g dried spaghetti, regular or wholemeal
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, lightly bashed
• 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 150g raw king prawns
• 1 heaped tbsp rose harissa paste
• 1 lemon, finely zested

Directions

• Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the broccoli and boil for 1 min 30 secs, or until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a ladleful of cooking water.

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic clove and fry over a low heat for 2 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard, leaving the flavoured oil.

• Add the tomatoes to the pan and fry over a medium heat for 5 mins, or until beginning to soften and turn juicy. Stir through the prawns and cook for 2 mins, or until turning pink. Add the harissa and lemon zest, stirring to coat.

• Toss the cooked spaghetti and pasta water through the prawns and harissa. Stir through the broccoli, season to taste and serve.

Ginger chicken udon noodles

 

Ingredients

• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
• ¼ white cabbage, finely sliced
• 25g ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 red chilli (deseeded if you like), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp mirin
• 100g ready-to-eat beansprouts
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 300g straight-to-wok udon noodles
• small handful of coriander, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp pickled ginger (optional)

Directions

• Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat and, once hot, stir-fry the chicken and cabbage for 5-7 mins until browned and almost cooked through. Add the ginger and chilli, and cook for a few minutes more until fragrant.

• Add the remaining ingredients, except the coriander and pickled ginger, and fry until the chicken is cooked and the noodles are tender, about 1-2 mins more. Season, adding more soy, vinegar or mirin, if you like. Top with the coriander and pickled ginger, if using.

Healthy bolognese

 

Ingredients

• 100g wholewheat linguine
• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 200g pork mince with less than 5% fat
• 200g whole cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
• generous handful chopped basil

Directions

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then cook the linguine following pack instructions, about 10 mins.

• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick wok or wide pan. Add the fennel and garlic and cook, stirring every now and then, until tender, about 10 mins.

• Tip in the pork and stir-fry until it changes colour, breaking it up as you go so there are no large clumps. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and bouillon, then cover the pan and cook for 10 mins over a low heat until the tomatoes burst and the pork is cooked and tender. Add the linguine and basil and plenty of pepper, and toss well before serving.

Linguine with avocado, tomato & lime

 

Ingredients

• 115g wholemeal linguine
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 avocado, stoned, peeled, and chopped
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• ½ pack fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

Directions

• Cook the pasta according to pack instructions – about 10 mins. Meanwhile, put the lime juice and zest in a medium bowl with the avocado, tomatoes, coriander, onion and chilli, if using, and mix well.

• Drain the pasta, toss into the bowl and mix well. Serve straight away while still warm, or cold.

Pearl couscous salad with hot smoked trout & buttermilk dressing

 

Ingredients

• 200g pearl couscous
• 100g radishes, sliced
• 1 cucumber, seeds scraped out and sliced into half-moons
• 1 green apple, thinly sliced into matchsticks
• 150g hot smoked trout or salmon, flaked into chunks

For the dressing

• 150g buttermilk or low-fat natural yogurt
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 10g chives, finely chopped
• 10g basil, roughly chopped
• ½ tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

• Cook the pearl couscous following pack instructions, then drain well and rinse with cold water. Dry the pan, then mix all the dressing ingredients in it and season well. Tip in the prepared veg and apple along with the couscous. Mix well and check for seasoning.

• Spread out on a platter and flake the smoked trout over the top. Will keep chilled for up to two days.

Spicy bean & avocado quesadillas

 

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 lime, ½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges to serve
• ½ tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a drop
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 400g can black beans
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
• 2 large wholemeal tortillas
• 1 avocado, peeled, stoned, halved and sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander, plus a few sprigs to serve

Directions

• Combine half the onions with the lime juice in a non-metallic bowl and set aside to pickle.

• Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat and cook the remaining onions for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic and spices, stir for a few seconds, then tip in the beans along with the liquid from the can. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and bouillon powder, and cook over a low heat for 8 mins, or until the beans have softened and the liquid has reduced. Mash the beans roughly to break some of them down and thicken the mixture.

• Rub a drop of oil over a large non-stick frying pan using a sheet of kitchen paper, and put one tortilla in the pan. Spread over the bean mixture, then cook over a low heat for 2 mins until the tortilla is crisp and golden. Stir the avocado, coriander and pickled onions together, then scatter this over the bean mixture and press the other tortilla on top, tucking the edges in to enclose the filling. Carefully flip over using a wide spatula and cook for 2 mins more until crisp. Slide onto a plate and cut into triangles. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over, and garnish with coriander sprigs, if you like.

Chicken satay salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp clear honey
• 2 skinless chicken breast fillets (or use turkey breast)
• 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (choose a sugar-free version with no palm oil, if possible)
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• sunflower oil, for wiping the pan
• 2 Little Gem lettuce hearts, cut into wedges
• ¼ cucumber, halved and sliced
• 1 banana shallot, halved and thinly sliced
• coriander, chopped
• seeds from ½ pomegranate

Directions

• Pour the tamari into a large dish and stir in the curry powder, cumin, garlic and honey. Mix well. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 4 fillets in total, then add to the marinade and mix well to coat. Set aside in the fridge for at least 1 hr, or overnight, to allow the flavours to penetrate the chicken.

• Meanwhile, mix the peanut butter with the chilli sauce, lime juice, and 1 tbsp water to make a spoonable sauce. When ready to cook the chicken, wipe a large non-stick frying pan with a little oil. Add the chicken and cook, covered with a lid, for 5-6 mins on a medium heat, turning the fillets over for the last min, until cooked but still moist. Set aside, covered, to rest for a few mins.

• While the chicken rests, toss the lettuce wedges with the cucumber, shallot, coriander and pomegranate, and pile onto plates. Spoon over a little sauce. Slice the chicken, pile on top of the salad and spoon over the remaining sauce. Eat while the chicken is still warm.

Fajita chicken rice bowl with burnt lime

 

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 2 peppers, sliced
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 200g baby corn
• 3 tsp chipotle chilli paste
• 1 lime, zested, then halved
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 400g can black beans, drained
• 15g coriander, roughly chopped
• 400g cooked brown rice
• 4 tbsp salsa, to serve

Directions

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Arrange the chicken, peppers, red onions and baby corn on the tray, and spoon over the chipotle paste. Season, then toss to combine. Put the lime halves on the tray, cut-side down, then drizzle the oil over the chicken and veg. Roast for 20 mins, or until everything is cooked through.

• Meanwhile, warm the beans in a small pan over a low heat, and season. Mix the beans with half the coriander and the lime zest, then squeeze over the juice of the roasted lime. Slice the chicken thinly on the diagonal and divide between four bowls along with the veg and brown rice. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander and serve with the salsa.

Burrito bowl with chipotle black beans

 

Ingredients

• 125g basmati rice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 100g chopped curly kale
• 1 avocado, halved and sliced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped

To serve (optional)

• chipotle hot sauce
• coriander leaves
• lime wedges

Directions

• Cook the rice following pack instructions, then drain and return to the pan to keep warm. In a frying pan, heat the oil, add the garlic and fry for 2 mins or until golden. Add the beans, vinegar, honey and chipotle. Season and warm through for 2 mins.

• Boil the kale for 1 min, then drain, squeezing out any excess water. Divide the rice between big shallow bowls and top with the beans, kale, avocado, tomato and onion. Serve with hot sauce, coriander and lime wedges, if you like.