easy recipe – #ThisGirlEats

RECIPE: Mixed Bean and Avocado Tostadas | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This mixed bean and avocado recipe cost me less than £1 per person.
What are the benefits? This recipe provides at least two of your five a day, is a great source of plant-based protein and is totally suitable for vegans.

When you have two leftover tortillas on their very last legs stuffed at the back of the bread bin and have already eaten all the wraps you can handle for one week, what do you do with them?

Make toastadas, of course! Well, a version of them, anyway.

Everyone knows that Mexican is one of my favourite cuisines, so anything inspired by this kind of food is right up my alley. A tostada is a crispy tortilla wrap, usually either flat or in a bowl shape, sometimes fried, sometimes toasted – always delicious!

This is my version of a tostada, easy to make in the average kitchen and with very little time or effort necessary. I’ve topped mine with heaps of spicy mixed beans for some protein, a few slices of fresh avocado (because I couldn’t be bothered to make guacamole) and a spoonful of sour cream – an optional extra, of course.

These mixed bean and avocado tosatadas are tasty, vibrant and full of flavour, and definitely worth a try.

*Tostasda topped with mixed beans, avocado, sprinkling of cheese and a spoonful of sour cream*

INGREDIENTS
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Bell Pepper, Chopped
400g Mixed Beans (preferably in a spicy or tomato sauce)
1 Large Avocado, Peeled, Pitted & Sliced
2 Wholemeal Tortilla Wraps

SEASONING
If you’ve managed to grab some beans that are already in some kind of sauce (mine were mixed taco beans in a spicy tomato sauce) then you don’t really need to do too much here. Just throw in a little garlic with the onion and then season the beans with a pinch of paprika, salt and pepper. Chuck in a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes too if you want a little more heat.

HOW TO MAKE MIXED BEAN AND AVOCADO TOSTADAS

1. In a pan, spray a little cooking spray or a drop of oil and cook the onions and peppers for a couple of minutes with some garlic, just to soften.

2. Turn down the heat and pour in the mixed beans. Season and simmer for around 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, it’s time to crisp up the tortillas. Pop the tortillas on a large, grease-proof baking tray and cook in the oven at 180℃ for around 10 minutes, or until they’re crispy and crunchy.

4. Remove the tortillas from the oven and allow to stand for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and pile the beans up in the middle of the flat tortillas. Scatter your slices of avocado across the top and dig in!

RECIPE: Rainbow Salad | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This rainbow salad recipe cost me less than £1.50 per person.
What are the benefits? This dish is loaded with veggies and easily gives you three of your five a day, not to mention it’s a great low-carb meal and vegan option.

I think I’ve probably said before that I’m not really a “salad person”. I’ll be honest – I don’t trust them. I know that sounds a bit weird, but hey, whatever. I just don’t trust salads. I don’t believe a salad will set my tastebuds alight and I’m very suspicious of a salad’s ability to actually fill me up. They’re just not a meal you can rely on, in my opinion.

However, I know that’s mostly nonsense made up in my head and that salads can actually be very tasty filling – if you do them right!

This rainbow salad is something I came up with on Pancake Day, mainly because I knew we’d be eating a mountain of batter loaded with chocolate spread, honey, fruit and basically all the sugar in the world later for dessert and needed something light and nutritious for dinner to offset the upcoming pancake rush.

The best thing about this salad is you can literally swap out any part of it to suit your needs. I made my plate out of veggies I love and ingredients that are easily accessible for me; that might not be the same for you. You want cucumber instead of tomatoes? Cool! Celery instead of sweetcorn? Go for it! Chicken breast instead of sweet potato? Okay, fine! Whatever changes you want to make, you can.

It’s a bright, vibrant plate of food with loads of different flavours and textures and plenty of variety to keep you full and tick plenty of boxes. Love yourself AND what you’re eating without missing out on a thing!

INGREDIENTS
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Onion, Sliced
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced
1/2 Red Onion, Sliced
1 Avocado, Sliced
1/2 Cup of Sweetcorn (frozen or fresh)
4 Cherry Tomatoes
1 Bag of Prepared Salad

SEASONING
With the onions and peppers, throw in a small pinch of garlic (dried or fresh), paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper to give a little flavour to the dish. But that’s about it!

HOW TO MAKE RAINBOW SALAD

1. Heat the oven to 200°C, wash and prick the sweet potatoes and bake them in the oven for around an hour, until soft all the way through. If, after the hour, they’re still a little hard, blast in the microwave for a couple of minutes to finish them off.

2. Meanwhile, in a pan with a very small drop of oil or cooking spray, fry the onions and peppers with seasoning on a low heat for 10 minutes or so.

3. In a saucepan of salted boiling water, chuck in the sweetcorn and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. The last step is really just to bring everything together on the plate. Arrange the salad leaves, avocado slices, red onion and tomatoes on the plate. Pile up the cooked onions and peppers, drain the sweetcorn, and top everything with the sweet potato.

*Rainbow salad with buttered sweet potato, salad leaves, tomatoes, avocado, sweetcorn, peppers and onion*

RECIPE: Pesto Pizza | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 1
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than 75p per person.
What are the benefits? This pesto pizza makes a great takeaway alternative and, compared to a normal pizza, is much lower in fat and carbs.

We all know takeaways are my vice, particularly pizza. I’ve tried coming up with a bunch of homemade alternatives to curb the temptation of picking up that Dominos menu and, while nothing quite compares to a takeaway slice with garlic and herb dip, there are other options that satisfy my cravings.

Cutting down on price but still delivering on flavour is this delightful pesto pizza. If you use a ball of light mozzarella you can make one pizza for around 53p (you’re looking at a little more if using low fat grated cheese, coming to around £1.23 per pizza) compared to at least £15 if you order in. Ridiculous when you think about it, right? I also use only a handful of low fat cheese when making these pizzas instead of piling it on, and the base is a wholemeal tortilla instead of thick deep crust dough, slashing the carb content too.

Sometimes a good cheese and tomato pizza really hits the spot for me, but there are times when you need to make more of a meal out of it, and that’s where the toppings come in. Really, that part is all down to you. I topped my pizza with onions, peppers and mushrooms, but there’s no limit to the combos you could come up with!

INGREDIENTS
30g (2 tbsp) Tomato Purée
15g (1 heaped tbsp) Light Pesto
1 Wholemeal Tortilla
100g (1/2 cup) Low Fat Grated Cheese OR 1/2 Ball of Light Mozzarella, Torn and Drained

SEASONING
When combining the tomato purée and pesto, season with salt, pepper and half a teaspoon of sugar if you’ve got any. This stops the mixture being too acidic and works to my taste better, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea so give it a try and see what you think. Sprinkle a pinch of dried basil (or fresh if you’ve got it) over the pizza just before serving.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Stir together the tomato purée, pesto and seasoning in a bowl until well combined.

2. Lay the tortilla in a frying pan and cook for a few minutes on one side to crisp up a little.

3. Flip the tortilla over, spread the tomato pesto paste all over, cover with your choice of cheese and any additional toppings and cook.

4. When the cheese has started to melt, pop the pan under the grill to finish off cooking and crisping up for a final few minutes.

Tips & Tricks

If you want a saucier base (ooh-er!) use passata instead of tomato purée. 🍅

For a punchier pizza base, tear some fresh basil into the tomato pesto sauce to really bring out the flavour of that pesto. 🌿

If you’re adding toppings to your pizza, try not to make them too heavy – remember, the base is very thin and too much on top will make this a seriously messy business! 🍕

RECIPE: Citrus Chicken With Herby New Potatoes | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.25 per person.
What are the benefits? This dish is a great source of nice, lean protein but is low in both fat and sugar.

This recipe was originally planned as a light, fresh meal perfect for summer. Unfortunately, the weather seems to have changed and it’s getting a bit dreary outside so it looks as though I’m a little late… Still, it’s cheap, easy and good for you, so it’s well worth a go. ☀️

Essentially, at the bare bones, it’s just chicken and potatoes. Good, basic food, you can’t get much simpler than that. But plain ‘n’ simple isn’t exactly my thing, I’m afraid – I like to take the very concept of plain ‘n’ simple and jazz it up a little. With just a squeeze of citrus and a spoonful of butter and herbs, these ingredients become an exciting, flavoursome dish at a lower price.

INGREDIENTS
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Lemon
1 Lime
1 Tin of New Potatoes
1 Tbsp of Butter, Margarine or Dairy-Free Alternative
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley

SEASONING
The flavours really shine in this recipe, and the seasoning definitely helps with that. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and dried garlic to the lemon and lime juice, and spruce up the chicken with one last dash of salt and pepper before it goes into the oven too. With the potatoes, salt the water that they boil in and, of course, coat with dried parsley. If you haven’t got parsley, there are plenty of other herbs you can use that’ll be just as good.

So, this is how I did it…
(Serves 2)

1. Squeeze the lime juice and lemon juice into a bowl, season with dried garlic, salt and pepper, and place the chicken into the bowls. Make sure they’re coated entirely in the juices. 🍋

2. Place the chicken on a baking tray (with a tiny drop of oil or cooking spray so it doesn’t stick), sprinkle with a dash more salt and pepper, and bake for 20 – 30 minutes on 200°C.

3. Rinse the tinned potatoes under some cold water, cook in a pan of boiling water according to packet instructions (mine took 5 minutes) and drain once cooked.

4. Stir the butter and parsley into the pan with potatoes until coated.

5. Serve! (I threw together a nice mixed salad to go with mine 😋)

RECIPE: Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Chicken | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.25 per person.
What are the benefits? This recipe uses chicken breast which is a lean source of protein and low in fat compared to other cuts of meat, and this recipe is also full of antioxidants thanks to the basil.

Mozzarella, tomato and basil is one of my favourite flavour combos. Honestly, have you tried them in a toasted panini? Mate, forget cheese and ham, this is what it’s all about! I’ve now used these flavours to make a delicious dinner that both looks and tastes like a lot of effort, but actually couldn’t be easier!

I think this recipe has a whole load of benefits. It takes very little time to prep, keeps washing up to a minimum (one tray bakes FTW!), doesn’t use many ingredients and only takes half an hour to cook. Y-U-M.

When it comes to nutritional benefits, you might raise an eyebrow at something topped with cheese being good for you – but hear me out! Chicken is a great lean source of protein, especially oven baked with the skin removed. The tomato counts towards your five a day as well as adding a juicy, succulent flavour; we’re using light mozzarella to keep the fat content low; and fresh basil is said to be full of antioxidants and a great immune booster. So there ya go!

INGREDIENTS
2 Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Ball of Light Mozzarella, Drained & Sliced Into 4 Slices
1 Tomato, Sliced
Handful of Basil Leaves

SEASONING
Pretty much every other recipe I’ve ever published has used dried herbs because for most people they are more cost efficient and quicker to use. For this one though, I’d say fresh basil leaves are pretty essential! Aside from that, the chicken needs to be seasoned with salt, pepper and dried garlic before being layered up and popped into the oven.

So, this is how I did it…
(Serves 2)

1. Heat the oven to 200°C, coat a baking tray with cooking spray or a small drop of oil and place the chicken breasts on top. Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper and dried garlic.

2. Top the chicken with a layer of basil leaves, top these with a layer of sliced tomato and top with a layer of sliced mozzarella.

3. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Check that they are cooked all the way through before serving.

I Gave My Boyfriend a New Recipe to Make By Himself, This is What Happened! | #ThisGirlEats

We like a challenge. Last week, I decided to challenge both myself and my boyfriend. I always cook but, since we started scheduling our entire lives around the World Cup, Andy got home before me and offered to make dinner so no-one was cooking by time the England game started. Which is great, but his idea of cooking generally involves transferring food from the freezer to the oven. You know, fine, but a bit uninspiring.

That’s when I came up with the GENIUS idea – to test run one of my recipes! This was brand new, something totally made up and never tried before. Philly cheese “steaks” made with aubergine and sweet potato fries on the side (find the recipe here) is tricky, I won’t lie. I really did throw him in at the deep end!

I left the ingredients and a very detailed recipe, but didn’t want to make things too easy with hints of “Maybe you should do it this way…” I just sat on the sofa quietly and waited. That was my challenge!

And you know what? He only went and bloody did it! It went really well, too. I’m actually incredibly proud of how he pulled it off, he made everything as it should be and it tasted amazing!

It just goes to show that a-n-y-o-n-e can cook. As long as you’ve got ingredients and a recipe to follow it doesn’t matter about the bumps along the way, something messy and delicious and wonderful can still come out of it. If my boyfriend can do it, so can you!

But just to prove that it doesn’t always go perfectly, here are just a few of the more stressful moments from Andy’s time in the kitchen…

“Does aubergine go bad if you cut it and then leave it out? Like avocado?” – good question! No idea tbh.
“What consistency am I looking for here?” – it’s sauce, babe. It’s meant to be the consistency of.. sauce.
“Mate, it’s REALLY hot in here.” – I say this all the time, it’s now fully appreciated just how bloody hot our kitchen gets.
“This is crazy, I’m trying to get ready and cook everything at the same time!” – literally every. day. of. my. life. Get used to it hun.

Recipe: Veggie Philly Cheese “Steaks” with Sweet Potato Fries

RECIPE: Mushroom Pesto Pasta | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me just over 50p per person (56p to be exact!).
What are the benefits? You’ll find at least one of your five a day within this recipe, not to mention it’s suitable for vegetarians (as long as the pesto is veggie-friendly!) and is a great source of fibre.

My boyfriend hates mushrooms and, guys, it really annoys me. It’s weird! Okay, I actually know a lot of people who don’t like mushrooms – but they’re weird too! Mushrooms are immense – in a burger, wrap, pasta… embrace the funghi, people! 🍄

This recipe is quick, easy and made up of three essentials – pesto (totally delicious), pasta (the best) and mushrooms (I don’t care what anyone says). Chuck them all in together and you’ve got a pretty good thing going.

Don’t stress about pesto’s fat content – “good” fats from olive oil and pine nuts, both found in pesto, can be great for your cholesterol, heart and blood pressure. On top of that, this dish also contains three different vegetables (please don’t start with that whole “but tomatoes are a fruit!” thing, you know what I mean) and, made with wholewheat pasta, it’s going to keep you fuller for longer. An easy, hearty, yummy midweek dinner.

INGREDIENTS
6 Medium Mushrooms, Chopped
6 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
140g Wholewheat Pasta
2 tbsp Green Pesto
Handful of Low Fat Grated Cheese
1 tsp Tomato Purée

SEASONING
Lucky for us, pesto does a lot of the work on this one so there isn’t a whole load of effort that goes into seasoning here. Just add a few dried garlic flakes in with the onions, sprinkle over some dried thyme when the mushrooms go in and, as always, finish with a pinch of salt and pepper.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add enough pasta for two and cook according to packet instructions, usually takes around 10 – 15 minutes.

2. Coat a frying pan with cooking spray or a tiny drop of oil and then add the onion, cooking for only a couple of minutes on a steady medium heat.

3. Add in the mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato purée and a splash of water and fry on a medium-low heat for no longer than 10 minutes, until the veggies are softened and cooked through.

4. Drain the pasta and combine with the vegetables, stirring through a heaped tablespoon or two pesto. Of course, adjust according to taste!

5. Top with grated cheese (and drizzle with a small amount of oil if you wish).

RECIPE: Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em, These Are My Delicious Stuffing Sprouts! | #ThisGirlEats

This may be a controversial statement, but I’m not afraid to say it: I love Brussels sprouts. Yep. You read that right. I don’t want to start another “pineapple on pizza” debacle (which, incidentally, I’m also quite partial to) but even as a child, sprouts were always my favourite part of a roast dinner.*

Even if you’re a hater, I firmly believe this is the perfect time of year to get your sprout on because, let’s be honest, a Christmas dinner wouldn’t really be the same without that little mountain of green bundled up in the corner.

Alright, so you don’t love Brussels sprouts, but what if I told you that you could have them surrounded by delicious balls of garlic stuffing 😋 tasty bites of salty pancetta 🥓 and festive nuggets of chopped chestnuts 🎄 Tempted? Then these stuffing sprouts are made for you!

These really centre around the stuffing. I’ve used the latest product from Mr. Crumb, the new Roasted Garlic and Herb Stuffing, which has hit shelves just in time for Christmas and makes the perfect addition to this recipe. It’s easy to use, stays moist and in tact while cooking, is gluten free and vegan-friendly, and tastes fantastic. Honestly, you’ll almost forget that those pesky sprouts are even there!

So, this is how I did it…
(Serves 2)

1. I’m sure this just adds insult to injury for those of you who want to vomit at the thought of sprouts, but I like it when they go all soft and mushy. I’m not an al dente kinda gal. So, the Brussels go into a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, if you’re normal – but I’d give it 15.

2. The Mr. Crumb stuffing has directions to oven cook and microwave – ignore them (soz to be confusing!). I just took the stuffing straight from the pack – you probably only need to use half for this recipe – and rolled into balls.

3. The sprouts, stuffing balls, diced pancetta and chopped chestnuts are added to a frying pan with Fry Light over a medium heat. I’d throw in some black pepper to season and cook for around 10 minutes. The only thing that you need to keep an eye on is the stuffing balls, and just turn them throughout to make sure they don’t burn. And that’s it! Turning the nation’s most hated veg into a super tasty side dish.

INGREDIENTS
250g Prepared or Trimmed Brussels Sprouts – Grower’s Selection Trimmed Sprouts – £1 – ASDA
Stuffing, shaped into 4-6 balls – Mr Crumb Stuffing Garlic & Herb – £2 – Morrisons
80g Chopped Pancetta – Twin Pack Diced Pancetta – £1.35 – ASDA
Two Handfuls of Ready-to-Cook Chestnuts, chopped – Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts – £1.50 – Tesco

SEASONING
You won’t need salt for this because the pancetta will do that for you; just chuck some black pepper in the pan!

* Actually, scratch that. Roast potatoes win every time.

RECIPE: Oven-Cooked Sweet Potato Fries | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 1
How much does it cost? This cost me less than 50p per person.
What are the benefits? These fries are 1 of your 5 a day, are low fat, and make a great vegan side dish.

I’ve always assumed I don’t like sweet potatoes. It’s just sort of always been a thing for me, like, “Sweet potatoes? No thanks.” It’s an instant reaction. But they seem like something I should like. So this week I tried making sweet potato fries at home as a last-ditch attempt to jump on the foodie bandwagon – and LOVED them!

It depends how you wanna serve these – I had them on their own for lunch, so I just cooked up a whole sweet potato for myself. I was ecstatic to find there’s a way to essentially just eat a big bowl of fries for lunch and feel great afterwards.

You can get a sweet potato for around 35p and you’re pretty much sorted, so it’s a definitely cost-effective option. Not only that, but sweet potatoes are, of course, a vegetable, so you’re now using a side of delicious fries as one of your five a day!

INGREDIENTS
1 Sweet Potato, Sliced into Chips

SEASONING
For me, seasoning is key for this recipe, adding a healthy dose of flavour helped me scoff down with delight something I would’ve previously avoided. Coat the fries with a sprinkle of salt (try onion salt for an extra burst of flavour!) and pepper, a pinch of garlic flakes and a handful of rosemary, dried or fresh.

So, this is how I did it…

1. I’m not really familiar with cooking sweet potato, on account of inexplicably not eating them for most of my life, but hacking away until it resembled chip-shaped chunks. Seemed to work out fine.

2. Lay the fries out on a baking tray, cover with a small amount of oil (I was afraid cooking spray wouldn’t crisp up properly – but feel free to try it!) and season with salt, pepper, garlic flakes and rosemary.

3. It was a complete guess, but I cooked on 220°C for 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through and they turned out fine. Crispy and, to my surprise, utterly delicious!

*Crispy, tasty, oven-baked sweet potato fries*

RECIPE: Bacon, Pepper and Avocado Salad | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This cost me less than £1 per person
What are the benefits? This recipe is low in carbs, low in sugar and mounts up to 2 portions of your 5 a day

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really been a big salad person. I suppose it really depends on what else you put in with it, because I can’t imagine anyone loving just a few limp lettuce leaves!

So I’ve created one that’s brilliant for me and works with the things I love to eat, as well as still being quite healthy – who knows, it could be perfect for you too!

It’s a great low-carb lunch option, if that’s what you’re after. Not to mention, it also contributes to your five a day, and avocado is full of healthy fats to help keep you full all day long.

INGREDIENTS
4 Slices of Back Bacon, Chopped
1 Avocado, Peeled, Stone Removed and Chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
Half a Bag of Pre-Prepared Salad

SEASONING
There wasn’t too much seasoning involved in this one, just some black pepper and garlic added to the frying pan last-minute. You don’t even need salt as the bacon does that for you, but you could add some salad dressing for extra flavour if you wish.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Firstly, spray a frying pan with cooking spray or a small drop of oil and allowed it to heat up before chucking in the chopped bacon and cooking for roughly 10 minutes, until the bacon is all lovely and crispy.

2. Add the peppers to the pan after about 5 minutes of cooking the bacon, just enough so they aren’t raw but still have a crunch, and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. The chunks of avocado go into the pan for the last minute or so of cooking – this is optional, but I prefer my avocado to be warm here, so I cooked it for just enough time to simply warm it through. At this point, also add some black pepper and dried garlic to the pan for flavour.

4. Take the ingredients from the pan and add to a bowl of salad, stir it all through and you’re done!

Tips & Tricks

You know what else would go great with this? Halloumi, of course. It’s great with everything, and could turn this into a veggie-friendly salad.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you don’t have to buy a pre-packaged salad – that’s just laziness on my part! Make your own up and create the absolutely perfect dish for you.

It makes a great lunch, but you could also shrink this down to a small side salad or bulk it up for a full dinner meal. The choice is yours!