recipe blog – #ThisGirlEats

Store Cupboard Recipes: 4 Things to Make with Leftover Salad

How’s everyone getting on? It’s pretty boring, this lockdown stuff. I’ve resorted to playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, listening to rewatch podcasts (Office Ladies and Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald if you’re interested) and exercising – FOR FUN. Ew.

But it’s important that we keep plodding along for our own protection and the protection of everyone around us, so well done for doing your bit! While we’re all still pining after our favourite food, I’ve found that coming up with new meal ideas a welcome challenge to distract me from constant daydreams about Nandos and Pizza Express.

I know salad isn’t exactly a “store cupboard” food but, in our house, it’s ALWAYS leftover – I guess that’s what happens when you ignore it and eat pizza instead. Who knew?! And I know we’re not alone, so here are a few ideas for using up that wilting bag of salad leaves before it dies a sad, lonely death in the bottom of the vegetable draw.

1. Lemon ‘n’ lime salad

This is my favourite go-to salad because it’s super easy, really refreshing (perfect for the hot weather we’re having!) and full of flavour. If you don’t have fresh lemon and limes – I literally NEVER do – then bottled lemon and lime juice is something I’d definitely recommend picking up; seriously, so handy. I also find having various nuts and seeds in the cupboard (sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, cashews – whatever you like and whatever is in your budget) is really useful, especially for dishes like this.

Believe me, those limp lettuce leaves will come ALIVE with this recipe! Empty your leftover salad into a large bowl (along with any other salad ingredients – tomato, cucumber, red onion, grated carrot, etc.) and add a few drops of lemon and lime juice (I prefer more lime than lemon, but each to their own) and season with a pinch of garlic powder, salt, pepper and a teeny drizzle of oil. I also like to throw in pine nuts and sesame seeds, and I have a little shaker of ~~fake parmesan~~ “hard cheese” that I like to use for a delicious savoury flavour. I can find everything here in my kitchen 99% of the time, and they can all be swapped for whatever you have at home.

2. Burrito bowl

I’m seriously missing burritos right now, you guys. No Mexican restaurants are open for delivery near us, the supermarkets have v. limited veggie options and whenever I make burritos at home I always overfill them and they split (me? greedy? never!). So, right now, a burrito bowl is the closest thing – and they’re awesome!

Burrito bowls are perfect because you can make them using fairly basic ingredients, swapping most of them out for something else if you prefer. All you need to do is layer a bowl with rice and salad, throw some peppers and onions (with paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper) on top with a spoonful of beans – I like black beans or mixed taco beans, but you can spice anything up with garlic and paprika – and finish off with a little cheese, salsa and sour cream. Throw in plenty of spices along the way and you can’t go wrong!

3. Club sandwich

Lunch is something I’ve reeeally struggled with during lockdown – without my Boots meal deal, I’m lost. Trying to make something exciting to look forward to every day (because let’s face it, even from home the best part of the work day is lunchtime) has been hard for me. I’ve fallen back on a pot of Super Noodles more than once these last few weeks, let me tell you!

Club sandwiches are probably the closest to a pub garden lunch we’ll get for a while, and it’s a really good way to use up some of those random fridge ingredients in one big wedge of sandwich-y goodness. Take a few slices of bread, layered up with your choice of main filling – chicken, turkey, or maybe mushrooms or marinated tofu – and then stuff in your salad along with any optional extras like avocado and tomato, perhaps a little mayonnaise or mustard, add in some egg or cheese if you feel like it, and you’ve got a great lunch! Don’t forget that extra slice of bread in the middle to make it a true club sandwich…

4. Mixed bean salad

I’m aware that a mixed bean salad probably sounds like the most boring thing in the world right now and, well, I won’t lie to you – you’re not wrong. It won’t light fireworks, but it’s a healthy, colourful plate, quick to put together and really good way to use up lots of different ingredients. And sometimes, in the middle of a pandemic, that’s all you need.

You can either grab a few different tins of beans yourself, or find a ready-made tin of mixed beans if you can’t be bothered to pick and choose (like me!). All you need to do is heat them up, season with paprika, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, and toss them together with your leftover salad ingredients and BAM – you’ve done it! Tuck into this for a quick lunch, or perhaps serve up on the side of chicken or with a garlic flatbread to make more of a meal out of it. Perfect for a lazy summer evening!

RECIPE: Beans, Greens & Eggs | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1 per person.
What are the benefits? This beans, greens and eggs recipe makes a really great vegetarian meal (and you could substitute the eggs with scrambled tofu for a vegan alternative), is at least three of your five a day, and is a great source of plant-based protein.

It’s June, a time of year when we’re supposed to be seeing sunny days and warm evenings – not that you’d know it with the rain we’ve been having!

Anyway, when the summer months start to roll around, many of us feel like a light, fresh meal hits the spot more than those heavy, hearty dishes we love in the winter. I’m the same, I definitely prefer to keep things on the lighter side when it’s hot outside – but that doesn’t mean I just want to live off of salad and cous cous for the next three months!

I still want proper cooked meals (ya gal gets hungry!) but something nutritious rather than stodge, and something that tastes fresh – even if most of it comes from tins like this one!

This recipe – a bed of lightly spiced tomato beans mixed with spinach and topped with fried eggs – is surprisingly filling but, because of the flavours involved and the fact that most of this dish is made up of vegetables and beans, it’s not too heavy.

I’ve used chopped tomatoes, cannellini beans and spinach all from tins because it was the cheapest option for me. You can use fresh ingredients if you’d prefer, but I promise you won’t feel short-changed if you use the tinned versions – it still tastes great.

*Tomatoes, cannellini beans and spinach topped with fried eggs*

INGREDIENTS
1 Large Onion, Chopped
400g Chopped Tomatoes
400g Cannellini Beans, Drained
Tin of Spinach Leaves (approx. 400g), Drained
1 tsp Tomato Purée
4 Eggs

SEASONING
Without a good dose of seasoning this recipe could easily be quite bland; to make sure that doesn’t happen, add a whack of garlic in with the onions (dried or fresh, either is fine), a little paprika and chilli (I use dried chilli flakes), a generous helping of mixed herbs, a touch of salt and loads of pepper.

HOW TO MAKE BEANS, GREENS & EGGS

1. In a large pan with a drop of oil or cooking spray, fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

2. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and cannellini beans, add the tomato puree, and season with mixed herbs, a pinch of paprika, a few dried chilli flakes, plenty of black pepper and salt. Simmer on a gentle heat for 20 minutes, adding in a splash of water if necessary.

3. Heat up a small amount of oil or cooking spray in a frying pan, crack in the eggs, reduce the heat and fry until cooked – should take around 5 – 7 minutes.

4. For the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the spinach in with the tomatoes and beans and stir through.

5. Serve up the tomato, beans and spinach and top with the fried eggs straight from the pan.

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetable, Mozzarella & Garlic Flatbreads | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2 (well, it makes two breads)
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.25 per bread.
What are the benefits? This roasted vegetable, mozzarella and garlic flatbread recipe is perfect for vegetarians, contains at least two – if not three! – of your five a day, and it a much healthier takeaway alternative.

I’m not even going to pretend; I’m rubbish at baking. Bread, in particular, never quite goes right for me. I don’t know, perhaps it’s just a knack I haven’t picked up yet but, thankfully, flatbreads I can juuust about handle.

I need help when it comes to baking though, and can’t just throw things together like I can when I’m cooking (and yes, baking and cooking are very different things!). To get the hang of how to make the base for this roasted vegetable, mozzarella and garlic flatbread recipe, I looked to the internet and one of my favourite back-to-basics chefs Jack Monroe for inspiration.

I jiggled around the measurements and methods a little and came up with this version. But really, for me, the bread isn’t even the most important thing (thank god!). It’s all about what goes on top.

Smothering these breads in delectable, mouth-watering garlic butter is flippin’ gorgeous, and then covering them in delicious roasted vegetables and melting mozzarella is what really starts me salivating.

I love making this bread because it’s super simple, combines three of my favourite things – veggies, garlic and cheese – and works as a tasty homemade alternative to takeaway pizza. And remember kids – carbs are our friends. 💛

*Sliced roasted vegetable, mozzarella and garlic flatbread*

INGREDIENTS

BREAD
350g Plain Flour
250ml Milk (or milk alternative)
5g (or 1 tsp) Dried Active Yeast
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Sugar

GARLIC BUTTER
1 Garlic Bulb (or 1 tsp dried garlic)
5g (or 1 tsp) Grated Hard Cheese
15g (or 1 tbsp) of Butter or Spread
Pinch of dried parsley

TOPPINGS
1 Onion, Sliced
1 Red Onion, Sliced
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 Aubergine, Chopped
6 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1 Ball of Mozzarella (light if possible), Drained

SEASONING
For the garlic butter, don’t be afraid to really pile on the garlic but also don’t forget to season with a teeny tiny touch of black pepper, salt and dried parsley – failing that, mixed herbs will do. With the roasted veggies, make sure to season really well with some dried garlic, chilli flakes, dried herbs, black pepper and salt.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED VEGETABLE MOZZARELLA FLATBREADS

1. Mix the milk (it needs to be at least room temperature, don’t take it cold right from the fridge) with the yeast. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and, into the middle, pour the milk and yeast with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Combine the ingredients together until they form a dough, then split the dough into two halves, cover and leave for around 20 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to around 200°C. Throw all your chopped vegetables into a roasting tin together, cover with cooking spray or a little oil, season and cook for around 20 – 30 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, add your butter or spread and pop into the microwave for a few seconds until melted (this literally only takes about 10 seconds!) and stir in the hard cheese, garlic and herbs.

5. Uncover the dough, roll out into flatbreads, brush the melted garlic butter all over them and place them on a large baking tray. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and leave to one side; replace with the flatbreads. Leave to cook for around 6 – 8 minutes.

6. Take the breads out of the oven, scatter the vegetables and the torn mozzarella over the top and pop them back into the oven for 3 – 5 minutes, just enough time for the cheese to melt and everything to cook through.

7. Leave to cool if you want to eat later, or scoff a few slices straight from the oven if, like me, you just can’t wait!

*Roasted vegetable, mozzarella and garlic flatbread*

RECIPE: Lazy Aubergine Lasagne | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.25 per person.
What are the benefits? This lazy aubergine lasagne recipe is at least two of your five a day, a lighter low carb option, and is much lower in fat than regular lasagne.

I love cooking – but I’m definitely a lazy cook. If you can sling it in the oven, leave something simmering or chuck everything in the slow cooker, that definitely ticks boxes for me ✅

We’re under so much pressure these days with – well, just about everything! With so much spotlight on things like healthy lifestyles, diet culture and obesity, there’s a lot of pressure on us to make sure we’re filling our bodies with the “right” things (although how anyone outside of a medical profession supposedly knows what’s “right” for my own body is beyond me..).

We want our food to help fuel long, healthy, vibrant lives, but we also need to fit this around the chaos of work, family, studying, commuting, socialising and just about everything else in between! It’s hard work, yet we still often feel bad for choosing the easy option.

I think this aubergine lasagne is a fabulous compromise for those of us who can’t be bothered – or literally don’t have time! – to stand over the stove for hours but also don’t want to eat freezer food and takeaways every night 🥡

I call this aubergine lasagne “lazy” for a few reasons: the filling is a quick mince and tomato sauce instead of a slow-cooked ragu; we’ve got sprinklings of gooey grated cheese instead of whipping up a bechamel sauce; and the whole dish is topped with seasoned creme fraiche straight from the carton. It’s still a totally scrumptious home-cooked meal with plenty of nutritional value – but none of the faff.

INGREDIENTS
1 Aubergine, Sliced
1 Large Onion, Chopped
500g Mince (or meat-free alternative)
400ml Carton of Passata
1 tsp Tomato Purée
200g Grated Cheese (low fat if possible)
200g Creme Fraiche (low fat if possible)

SEASONING
There’s nothing too outrageous here, it’s all pretty standard stuff; the key with this recipe is how much seasoning. And the answer is: a lot! With the aubergine slices, sprinkle a little salt and pepper before baking in the oven. Then, when it comes to the mince filling, chuck in loads of garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper – honestly, don’t hold back! And, finally, when you top everything with creme fraiche, make sure that layer is covered with plenty of cracked black pepper.

HOW TO MAKE LAZY AUBERGINE LASAGNE

1. Slice the aubergine length-ways in slices approx. half a centimetre thick and bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes on 200°C with seasoning and a small dash of oil or cooking spray.

2. While the aubergine is cooking in the oven, brown the mince in a pan with diced onion and garlic until this has softened. Turn down the heat, add the passata and season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

3. Once both the filling and aubergine has cooked, remove from the oven and grab a large ovenproof dish. Start to layer up – one layer of filling, sprinkle of cheese, layer of aubergine, repeat.

4. Top the final layer with creme fraiche, plenty of cheese and a generous dose of cracked black peper.

5. Pop this back in the oven to bake for a further 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

RECIPE: Sweet Chilli Tofu with Vegetable Stir Fried Rice | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than 75p per person
What are the benefits? This sweet chilli tofu with vegetable stir fried rice recipe is really high in protein, high in fibre and low in fat.

I’ve spent a good few years being scared of tofu, but it turns out if you season it properly, toss it in vegetable stir fried rice and drizzle sweet chilli sauce all over it, it’s pretty damn good!

Probably about.. four years ago? Maybe five? Anyway, a few years ago, I dived into my very first, very spontaneous foray of vegetarianism and decided I’d give it a crack (I was incredibly unsuccessful and bombed in about two weeks, but whatever).

Where I worked at the time had limited lunch options and, being a brand new and totally clueless herbivore, I panicked and just went with the first thing I saw – sweet chilli tofu from Wasabi. And it was gross. Like, really disgusting and I had to throw most of it away. It was like chewing on pieces of sponge – not nice.

I was completely put off of tofu and have always been wary of cooking with it, even though I’ve educated myself massively on veggie food since then. But I started getting bored with meat replacements and decided it’s about time I faced my tofu fears and give it a try – and it was awesome!

This sweet chilli tofu is oven baked and high in protein while the vegetable rice is a great source of fibre, and the whole shebang is really low in saturated fats. Tofu can be a little more pricey than I’d like, I won’t lie, but a little goes a long way. We ate leftovers for lunch the next day and it lasted well, so you can definitely stretch this one out.

INGREDIENTS
400g Firm Tofu
240g Brown Rice
1 Bell Pepper, Diced
1 Onion, Diced
1/2 Mug of Sweetcorn (fresh or frozen)
4 Mushrooms, Chopped
4 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce

SEASONING
Okay, so it turns out when cooking tofu it’s super important to season things really well. I marinated my tofu in a combination of soy sauce, ground coriander, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and some chilli oil from the cupboard that I hardly ever use. I also gave the rice a pinch of salt and pepper before blitzing it in the microwave and seasoned the veggies with garlic and, you guessed it, a little more salt and pepper.

HOW TO MAKE SWEET CHILLI TOFU WITH VEGETABLE STIR FRIED RICE

1. Drain the tofu (I cut mine into chunks, sandwiched it between two paper towels, rested a book on top and left for about an hour to try and squeeze as much moisture out as possible) and then marinade in a dish or bowl with a combination of soy sauce, ground coriander, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and a chilli oil if you’ve got it for at least half an hour – longer if possible – before it’s ready to cook.

2. Empty the marinated tofu onto a baking tray (you might want to use greaseproof paper to make sure it doesn’t stick) and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

3. Cook the rice according to packet instructions (30 minutes in the microwave does the trick with mine).

4. Add the diced onion, pepper, mushroom and sweetcorn to a pan with garlic, salt and black pepper and stir fry on a low heat for 10 minutes with a splash of oil or cooking spray.

5. Drain the cooked rice and add into the pan with the vegetables. Fry everything together for the last couple of minutes until well combined.

6. Serve the veggie rice, remove the tofu from the oven and place on top, then drizzle generously with sticky sweet chilli sauce.

Mixed vegetable stir fried rice topped with oven baked tofu and drizzled with sweet chilli sauce.

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.