Spicy Bean Wrap With Sour Cream & Cheese

I’m always one for a bean, so I tried this bean salsa wrap from Boots as part of the meal deal at the weekend, and it was pretty good, as far as pre-packaged lunches go. I thought I’d have a go at recreating it this week – but with a healthier twist by reducing the excess salt, sugar and preservatives.

I like to take inspiration from what I’ve seen or tasted, either in the supermarket or restaurants and then make it my own. I challenge you to do the same: pick your favourite lunchtime treat and have a go at recreating it using fresh ingredients – you’ll be amazed at how good it is – better than the original, better for you, and cheaper.

Ingredients: (makes around 4 portions)

Box of chopped tomatoes
Can of kidney beans
Small bunch coriander, finely chopped
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 birdseye chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Tbspn smoked paprika
1 tbspn red wine vinegar
Cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream
Tortilla wraps
Iceberg lettuce, finely chopped

What To Do:

1. Add a little oil to a saucepan along with the chilli and garlic and cook on a medium heat until the garlic has turned slightly golden.

2. Empty the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans into the pan and turn the heat down to low. Add salt and pepper to taste, the red wine vinegar, about ¾ of the coriander and the paprika. Keep simmering for around 30 minutes with the lid off until the sauce has thickened and reduced.

3. Assemble the wrap: Place tortilla on a sheet of foil. Spoon a line of the sauce down the centre of the tortilla, cover with the grated cheese, the strips of lettuce, a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle over the remaining coriander. Fold about 1cm of the top and bottom of the wrap over and then fold over the right side and roll over the rest of the wrap. Great tutorial here if you’re unsure.

Apple, Beetroot & Red Cabbage Slaw With Crispy Baked Chicken

Do you ever have one of those weeks where you know you’ve over eaten (and over spent on your over –eating)? Well, I have. I’ve had too much junk food, takeaway pizza, delicious but pretty unhealthy restaurant dishes… the list goes on… not to mention that last week I ate lunch out EVERY day, rebelling against my own mantra.

But I don’t completely regret it, because I discovered some of the best coleslaw I’ve ever tasted at Honest Burgers – fruity, creamy, crunchy, fresh and light – everything you could hope for and more in a slaw.

I’ve created my own interpretation – an homage to the king of slaws (If anyone does happen to have the Honest Burgers recipe, I would love to see it). By using zero fat yoghurt and low fat mayo, I think it can be classed as healthy. Plus the raw apple and cabbage are definitely not bad for you.

The best accompaniment for slaw in my mind is something smoky and barbecue-y. It has to be chicken with a crispy, charred skin. Thighs or drumsticks (with the skin on) are perfect for this. Make sure you get thighs with bones though, as it helps keep the meat tender. And please do try to buy free range chicken where possible – a little extra cost to you makes such a difference to the animal’s welfare.

I think this is one of my best yet. Sorry veggies.

Ingredients (makes 4 portions):

Packet of chicken thighs/ drumsticks (skin on, bones left in)

For the marinade:
Large handful of flat leaf parsley
1 ½ tbspns paprika
2 garlic cloves
2 tbspns oil
2 tbspns lemon juice
Large pinch salt
Pepper

For the slaw:
½ small red cabbage
1 granny smith apple
3 cooked beetroots
3 large tspns low fat mayonnaise
2 tbspns low fat natural yoghurt
2 large tspns wholegrain mustard
handful of flat leaf parsley

What To Do:

1. Start by making the marinade for the chicken. Either blend the ingredients together in a blender or mash together in a pestle and mortar (chop the parsley first and crush and chop the garlic).

2. Prick the chicken pieces all over with a sharp knife and cover each with the marinade. Leave in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 220⁰C.

3. Using a mandolin, finely slice the red cabbage, apple and beetroot into thin matchsticks. If you don’t have one, finely slice with a knife. Sprinkle some lemon juice over the apple to prevent it from going brown. Finely chop the parsley and add everything to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt and mustard together, then add to the large bowl and mix thoroughly.

5. Put the chicken in the oven for about 25 minutes (do check through) until crispy and slightly charred. Leave to cool and then box up with the slaw.Keep the bowl of slaw in the fridge covered in clingfilm until you next need it.

Tomato, Chilli & Basil Linguine

The clouds have parted and the warm sun has finally shown its face for longer than a couple of consecutive hours this year. Spring has well and truly sprung and a promise of the long summer days to come has been lingering in the air. In typical fashion, as soon as the temperature rises to just 16⁰C, a good proportion of the public have stripped down to shorts. Well, we are British afterall.

The 4 day bank holiday weekend and the glorious weather have felt like a premature summer holiday, and now I’m yearning for some food to match.

Fresh and fragrant basil, chilli, garlic and tomato infused sauce slicked together with golden olive oil, melting over silky linguine definitely ticks the box. This is perfectly simple home cooking which just improves the longer it’s left to marinate in your lunchbox.  I’ll be eating it al desko this week while dreaming of my, preferably Italian, summer holiday.

A note on the pasta; I’d take linguine over spaghetti any day, its strands are just that little bit wider, providing better sauce-clinging scope, and it just feels more Italian.

Feel free to generously dust the pasta in parmesan, cheddar or whatever cheese you fancy (or even none at all). I’ve gone for some rustic crags of feta as I still have it lying around in the fridge from last week’s Guacamole, Sweetcorn & Feta Pockets.

Ingredients (makes 4 portions):

2 Cartons chopped tomatoes
2-3 fat cloves garlic
Handful of basil leaves
2-4 red chillis
1 small white onion
Linguine (enough for 4 portions)
Leftover red/white wine (optional)
Handful of rocket
Handful of spinach
Olive oil
Cheese of your choice (for sprinkling; optional)

What To Do:

1. Finely chop the onion, crush and chop the garlic cloves and de-seed and finely chop the chillis. Drizzle a little oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the above.

2. Lightly fry for a few minutes until the onion starts to turn translucent and the aromas of the garlic and chilli are released. At this point, add a little wine if using, and leave for a few minutes to cook off (reduce). Then add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and stir.

3. Leave over a medium-low heat to bubble away with the lid on for at least 20 minutes. You want the flavour of the tomatoes to develop and caramelise a little. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as you go.

4. As this is going on, put the linguine on to boil. When the sauce is almost ready, roughly chop the basil leaves and stir through. Take the pan off the heat and stir the spinach and rocket into the hot sauce, divide up with the linguine and sprinkle the cheese over. Drizzle some olive oil over the pasta too if you want.