I daren’t do it myself, but many of us have been there, leaving work on a cold January evening and picking up a quick, frozen meal to save the hassle of having to make something. For me, my opt-out option is a takeaway as, thankfully, I have hypnotised my brain into not allowing frozen ready meals to be eaten. (Hopefully that doesn’t sound as smug as it might come across!) The only frozen meal I’ll allow is one I’ve made myself in a batch-cooking-fest that can be reheated.
So, to make eating healthier and easier this January, we have created a list of 5 of our favourite mid-week meals – so put any thoughts of a microwave meal away and get ready to make a filling and delicious dinner… We promise they wont take long either!
Salmon with feta, lime and beetroot salsa.
Ingredients
200g Cooked beetroot
70g Feta
Method
-Chop the beetroot and feta into small cubes and mix with the juice and zest of one lime and some seasoning.
-Season the salmon. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the salmon (skin side down) and cook for 3 minutes. Flip over, turn the heat down and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Serve with the beetroot salsa and the remaining lime, cut into wedges.
Nutty chicken satay strips
Ingredients
-2tbsp chunky peanut butter
-1 garlic clove (finely grated)
-1tsp Madras curry powder
-1tsp soy sauce
-2 tsp lime juice
-2 skinless chicken breast cut into thick strips
-half cucumber cut into fingers
-sweet chilli sauce (to serve)
Method
-Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/ gas 4 and line a baking tray with non-stick paper.
-Mix 2 tbsp chunky peanut butter with 1 finely grated garlic clove, 1 tsp Madras curry powder, a few shakes of soy sauce and 2 tsp lime juice in a bowl. Some nut butters are thicker than others, so if necessary, add a dash of boiling water to get a coating consistency.
-Add 2 skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into strips, and mix well. Arrange on the baking sheet, spaced apart, and bake in the oven for 8-10 mins until cooked, but still juicy.
-Eat warm with roughly 10cm cucumber, cut into fingers, and sweet chilli sauce. Alternatively, leave to cool and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Filo fish pies with pea-spiked mash
Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic
2 leeks
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp plain flour
600ml semi-skimmed milk, plus extra for brushing and mashing
1 lemon
1 x 250g pack of filo pastry
1 x 390g pack of responsibly sourced fish pie mix
500g Maris Piper potatoes
400g frozen peas
30g Cheddar cheese
Method
-Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Peel and finely slice the garlic, wash and finely slice the leeks, then place in a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tsp of oil. Cook for 10 mins, or until softened, stirring regularly.
-Stir in the flour, then gradually pour in the milk, stirring continuously. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 mins, or until thickened.
-Finely grate over the lemon zest, and squeeze in half the juice, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Strain the sauce through a coarse sieve into a small pan and reserve, setting the leeks aside for the pie filling.
-Lay a sheet of filo flat on a clean work surface, brush with a little milk, then top with another sheet, brush again with milk and top with a third sheet of filo.
-Spoon a quarter of the fish pie mix into the middle of the pastry and top with a quarter of the leek mixture. Bring the pastry edges up over the filling, brush with a little more milk, then twist to seal, making a parcel. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 parcels, then brush the tops with a little oil. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until golden and crisp.
-Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into 3cm chunks, then cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 12 mins, or until tender, adding the peas for the last 3 mins. Drain, steam-dry, then mash the potatoes and peas with a splash of milk until smooth.
-Reheat the reserved sauce and grate in the Cheddar, stirring until melted. Serve with the fish pies and pea-spiked mash.
Chicken and tomato spiced curry
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
450g chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp Madras curry paste
400g tin chopped tomatoes
300g basmati rice
handful coriander, chopped, to serve
Method
-Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish set over a high heat. Working in batches if necessary, cook the chicken for 5-7 mins until golden and just cooked through, then remove and set aside.
-Put the remaining oil in the dish. Add the onion, cook for 3 mins until soft, then add the red pepper and cook for 2 mins. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 secs. Stir in the curry paste until everything is well coated.
-Pour in the tomatoes along with 200ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the dish and leave to simmer for 10 mins until the sauce has thickened a little. Return the chicken to the dish and cook for 5 mins, uncovered, until piping hot and cooked through.
-Meanwhile, cook the basmati rice following pack instructions. Serve with the curry and sprinkle over the coriander to finish.
Sloppy-joe stuffed peppers with wedges
Ingredients
600g potatoes, cut into wedges
4 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
250g turkey breast mince
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato purée
30g pack fresh coriander, roughly chopped
4 mixed cooking peppers, halved
1 tsp smoked paprika
50g lighter mature Cheddar, grated
370g bag sweet and crunchy salad, to serve
-Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 mins until tender, then drain and set aside.
-Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook for 5 mins.
-Remove the lid, add the turkey mince and increase the heat to high. Cook for 3 mins, stirring, then add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for a further 2 mins.
-Remove from the heat and stir in most of the coriander and 4 tbsp water; season to taste.
-Put the pepper halves on a large baking tray and divide the mince mixture between them.
-Put the potato wedges on a separate baking tray and toss with the paprika and remaining oil; season.
-Bake the peppers and wedges for 25 mins, then scatter the cheese over the peppers and turn the potatoes. Bake for a further 10-15 mins until the wedges are lightly golden, the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted. Scatter the peppers with the remaining coriander and serve with the wedges and salad.