five a day – #ThisGirlEats

RECIPE: Sweet Potato and Bean Stew | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than 75p per person.
What are the benefits? This sweet potato stew makes a brilliant vegan meal, provides three of your five a day and is pretty high in protein too.

I find it really weird these days to think I used to hate beans. Baked beans with a full English fry up, that’s the only time I’d stomach them; other than that, beans were a big no-no for me.

Something about the texture was too.. mushy? I don’t know, I think it was just yet another thing my weird, fussy, teenage brain decided it didn’t like.

Thankfully we’re over that now and beans have, once again, become my friend. They’re super cheap but packed with protein, so they help make wholesome, nutritious, satisfying food on a budget – like this!

This stew is honestly so lovely on a chilly evening or a lazy afternoon; it’s like a cosy, caring hug in a bowl. The full-bodied combo of sweet potato chunks and beans is a real winner, with sweet pepper slices giving just a touch of indulgence and elevation to that rich, earthy flavour.

I find a great way to sneak in extra veggies without really noticing is to create something so wonderfully delectable with them that it feels like comfort food, something I’d turn to when I want to look after myself, and before I know it I’ve hit my five-a-day with practically zero effort! This recipe is perfect for doing just that.

INGREDIENTS
4 Sweet Potatoes, Cubed
2 Onions, Chopped
1 Bell Pepper, Chopped
400g Tin of Black Beans
400g Tin of Kidney Beans
400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1tbsp Tomato Purée
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
1/2 Mug of Water

SEASONING
I find paprika goes really well with the sweet peppers and potatoes in this recipe, giving a nice, mellow spice without any actual heat. If you do want heat, a few chilli flakes wouldn’t go amiss either. Also throw in some dried garlic flakes with the onion (fresh if you’ve got it), a pinch of salt and pepper, and dried thyme at the end (again, fresh if you’ve got it).

So, this is how I did it…

1. Heat up a large pan and cook down the garlic, sweet potato and onion for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften.

2. Add to the pan the chopped tomatoes, sliced peppers, kidney beans and black beans with a spoonful of tomato purée, a crumbled stock cube and half a cup of water. Season everything with a good dose of paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.

3. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes, throwing in the thyme for last minute or two of cooking. Serve with a delicious slab of crusty bread for the ultimate cosy comfort dish.

Tips & Tricks

The longer you leave things like this, the more scrumptious they become! Try leaving to simmer on a low heat, topping up with water every now and then, or chuck in a slow cooker and slowly warm.

Black beans and kidney beans are my favourite, that’s why I’ve used them here. But you could swap them out for any other kinds – even a value tin of baked beans with the tomato sauce rinsed off will do!

For me, a big bowl of this on its own, with a lovely dollop of sour cream, is perfect, but you could also serve with fluffy rice, thick slices of bread, crispy jacket potatoes or in a well of creamy mash if you wanted.

RECIPE: Five Bean Chilli | #ThisGirlEats

Chilli was probably the first meal I learnt to cook from scratch and really “perfected” (there’s always room for improvement, but my chilli is pretty damn good I’ll be honest) and it’s still my favourite home cooked meal. 🌶️

It started with beef mince, then I moved onto using Quorn or mince alternatives to experiment with different versions of my most cherished recipe. I fancied trying something new, so I thought I’d have a go at making a bean chilli which bursts with colour, flavour and texture, as well as being an excellent choice for vegetarian or vegan meals.

You could make this recipe even easier by just buying a couple of tins of mixed beans rather than buying each individually – this will shrink both the cost and ingredient list – but I prefer choosing which beans go into my chilli and having the option to chop and change each time I make it.

Beans are honestly so, so good for you. First off they count as one of your ‘Five A Day’ so, along with the carrot, onion, pepper and chopped tomatoes, you’re well on your way with this recipe! Beans also help with heart health, are a good source of protein and fibre, and keep you fuller for longer. They’re cheap, too, so make a great base for eating on a budget.

So, this is how I did it…
(Serves 4)

1. Heat up a large pan with a touch of oil (or some light cooking spray) and gently fry the onion and carrot on a low heat for 10 minutes.

2. Pretty much everything else goes in once the carrot and onion have softened. Add all of the beans (make sure you drain the ones in water), chopped tomatoes, chopped pepper, a crumbled stock cube, tomato puree and the seasoning.

3. Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, giving the flavours a chance to develop.

4. Serve with a jacket potato, rice, flatbreads, whatever you fancy! 🍚

The prices below are the cheapest I could find when doing a comparison and are accurate at the time of publishing!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Tin of Baked Beans – Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce – 30p – Sainsbury’s
Tin of Cannellini Beans – Cannellini Beans in Water – 42p – ASDA
Tin of Black Eye Beans – Black Eye Beans in Water – 55p – ASDA
Tin of Pinto Beans – Pinto Beans in Water – 55p – ASDA
200g Tin of Kidney Beans in Chilli Sauce – Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce – 40p – ASDA
Tin of Chopped Tomatoes – Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice – 29p – ASDA
1 Carrot, Chopped – Carrots, Loose – 6p – Tesco
1 Onion, Chopped – Grower’s Selection Onions by Weight – 15p – ASDA
1 Bell Pepper, Chopped – Red Pepper – 41p – Tesco
Vegetable Stock Cube – Stock Cubes, Vegetable – 39p – ASDA
1tsp Tomato Puree – Double Concentrated Tomato Puree – 37p – ASDA

SEASONING
When you start frying off the vegetables, throw in some dried garlic flakes along with them. Then, once you’ve added the beans and tomatoes, season with a generous helping of paprika and cumin, a pinch of dried chilli flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

RECIPE: Low Fat Roasted Vegetable Lasagne with Home Made Chips | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.50 per person.
What are the benefits? This recipe is totally vegetarian-friendly, provides at least two – if not three! – of your five a day and is low fat.

I remember the first time I ever made lasagne at home and you know what I thought? “I am never doing this again!” There were so many components that seemed like very hard work for something I could nuke for two minutes in the microwave 🤷‍♀️

Credit where it’s due, this recipe on BBC Good Food inspired me to reconsider this classic pasta dish. No meat ragù, no béchamel sauce, just sieved tomatoes, a dollop of crème fraîche and a handful of cheese. So it got me thinking, if I made this at home myself, how would I do it..?

This is my take on a low fat roasted vegetable lasagne with the addition of a few home-cooked chips, because I love dipping chips in my lasagne! This recipe easily packs in your five a day, not to mention being much lower in fat than the traditional version. There are so many health benefits here – potassium from tomatoes and potatoes, Vitamin C from onions and peppers, protein from mushrooms, antioxidants from courgettes and aubergines, fibre from sweetcorn and carrots… the nutrition is endless!

INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Onions, Quartered
2 Bell Peppers, Sliced
1 Aubergine, Chopped
1 Courgette, Chopped
1 Medium Carrot, Chopped
4 Mushrooms, Chopped
4 Medium Tomatoes, Quartered
4 Medium Baking Potatoes, Sliced Into Chips
1/2 Cup of Frozen Sweetcorn
1 Carton of Passata
4 – 6 Fresh Lasagne Sheets
300ml Low Fat Crème Fraîche
1 Cup of Low Fat Cheese, Grated

SEASONING
When the veggies go into the roasting tin, add some dried garlic flakes and dried thyme as well as the usual salt and pepper to get the most out of them. Do the same with the chips, swapping out the thyme for dried rosemary if possible. When it comes to the passata sauce, we want to make this simple ingredient taste as rich as possible, so stir in a good helping of dried garlic flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper to give it flavour. With the top layer of crème fraîche, add a pinch of salt and pepper to increase its savoury taste.

So, this is how I did it…
(Serves 4)

1. Throw the onion, aubergine and carrot into a roasting tin, coat with cooking spray or a drop of oil along with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. Roast on 200°C for around 45 minutes, adding the pepper, tomatoes and courgette to the tin after about 20 minutes.

2. Pour the passata into a bowl with garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well so the sauce has plenty of flavour.

3. Meanwhile, spread the sliced potato chips out on a baking tray with cooking spray or oil, season with salt, pepper and rosemary (or thyme) and cook for 50 minutes, turning halfway through.

4. Once all the veggies are cooked, begin layering the lasagne. In an ovenproof dish, start with one layer of roasted vegetables, as well as the uncooked mushroom and sweetcorn. Spoon over a layer of the passata, sprinkle over a small amount of grated cheese and top with a lasagne sheet. Repeat until the dish is full.
For the final sheet of lasagne, spread a layer of the crème fraîche on top, add a pinch of salt and pepper and top with a generous helping of cheese.

5. Pop the dish back into the oven for around 20 – 25 minutes until cooked through – make sure the cheese doesn’t catch on top!

6. Serve the lasagne with homemade oven-cooked chips for dippin’!