tortilla – #ThisGirlEats

RECIPE: Gooey Mixed Bean & Rice Quesadillas | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 1
How much does it cost? This cost me less than £1.25 per person.
What are the benefits? This recipe is great for vegetarians, bursting with loads of fibre and packed with protein, too.

Got a big appetite but looking for something low maintenance and healthy?

Same. Literally every day.

Finding something that 1) curbs my cravings, 2) isn’t too demanding, and 3) is good for me, can be so hard. It’s like some mythical being, a legend told in days gone by.. is it even possible, we wonder?!

Yes, yes it is! These quesadillas are super filling (hello carb heaven! 🌯), really easy to create (hello microwave 👩‍🍳) and are vegetarian friendly (hello environment! 🌱) What’s not to love?!

INGREDIENTS
2 Wholemeal Tortilla Wraps
70g Brown Rice
1/2 Cup Low Fat Grated Cheese
200g Mixed Beans in Tomato or Chilli Sauce
1/2 Bell Pepper, Chopped
1/2 Medium Onion, Chopped

SEASONING
To make this recipe really zing, throw as much seasoning at it as you possibly can! Dried coriander, salt and pepper can go in with the rice as it cooks, and some dried garlic flakes, chilli flakes and a touch of paprika can go in the pan with the onion and peppers to give the whole thing a kick.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions (I’m lazy and use the microwave, takes about 30 minutes).

2. Heat the beans – again, according to instructions (and again, I’m lazy, so I nuke them in the microwave). Stir these into a bowl with the cooked rice.

3. Throw the chopped pepper and onion into a hot frying pan with a little cooking spray and fry until they soften, then stir these in with the beans and rice to make a chunky, yummy filling.

4. Lay a wholemeal tortilla flat in a dry pan and spread the bean, rice and veg evenly, leaving small gap between the mixture and the edge of the tortilla. Sprinkle a hefty dose of cheese – don’t worry, I won’t judge – on top.

5. Heat until the cheese begins to go all gooey and melty and delicious, then lay another tortilla over the top. Kinda like a sandwich! Quickly pop the pan underneath the grill and cook until the top tortilla crisps up.

RECIPE: Lamb Kebab Skewers With Cous Cous and Tortilla Crisps | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me £2.75 per person.
What are the benefits? These kebabs are high in protein, count towards at least one of your five a day, and makes a great takeaway alternative to the usual late night, post-booze kebabs.

It’s not summer yet, but a girl can dream, right? 🔆 I mean, how else are we going to get through these dismal winter months…

With that in mind, I’ve cooked up something that transported me to a summer BBQ, fruit cider in one hand and chicken drumstick in the other, even though I was actually huddled up on the sofa shivering into my woolly socks.

It’s tasty without being too heavy, which is probably a good thing as we spend most of January grazing just to get ourselves through the post-Christmas blues.

Although lamb can be a little fatty, this recipe is still great for you in so many ways. It still packs in protein, veggies and nutrition while skipping over my usual “danger zones” – i.e. covering everything in cheese.

Mmm, cheese… 🧀

Anyway, this recipe makes six lamb kebab skewers so, depending on your appetite, this serves 2-3 people. I made mine for two with succulent kebab meat, plus a hefty dose of flavoursome cous cous, plus some tortilla crisps to crunch – a gorgeous plate full of different textures, colours and flavours.

INGREDIENTS
400g Diced Lamb
1 Courgette, Chopped
1 Red Onion, Chopped
Pack of Vegetable Cous Cous
2 Wholemeal Tortillas

SEASONING
For the kebab skewers, I added dried garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and a drop of olive oil to the bowl and rubbed everything together in the bowl, before adding a dash of hot sauce too. For the tortillas, allow a drop of olive oil onto a piece of kitchen paper, rub all over the tortilla and then sprinkle over dried garlic flakes and dried coriander.

So, this is how I did it…

1. In a bowl, toss the crunchy veg and tender lamb together with a splash oil and seasoning. Make sure it’s all coated – but not too greasy!

2. Assemble the skewers – chunk of lamb, slice of courgette, bite of red onion – and place under the grill on a fairly high heat for approximately 10 – 12 minutes.

3. While the kebabs are cooking, prepare the cous cous. Yes, I’m being lazy and using pre-packed cous cous – don’t judge me! I’m grilling lamb over here and I’ve gotta keep an eye on it, I haven’t got time to be making roasted vegetable cous cous from scratch! Simply empty the packet into a bowl, add boiling water, stir with a fork and serve when ready.

4. When the lamb kebabs are cooked through, remove from directly underneath the grill and keep warm (don’t worry, it’s only for a couple of minutes).

5. It’s time for the tortillas, which should be rubbed with a teeny tiny drop of oil and sprinkled with seasoning. Grill for just a minute or two on each side until they crisp up – these cook super quick, so be careful!

6. Serve the lamb kebab skewers along with the warmed cous cous and the crispy tortillas and BAM! Done.

RECIPE: Chunky Vegetable Curry with Crispy Tortilla “Naans” | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This cost me less than 50p per person
What are the benefits? You get at least 3 of your 5 a day, it’s vegetarian friendly and makes a great takeaway alternative

I’m a thief. I’ve nicked the idea for this from two different recipes; one a cheap student affair and one a low-fat chicken curry.

I’ve shamelessly pinched my favourite bits from both to make this yummy mid-week meal. It’s fairly straightforward, low in cost, full of nutrition and incredibly versatile, as you can use any vegetables in the house for a delicious outcome.

The tortilla “naans” (which are not naan breads at all, but are an alternative side to this curry dish) were an idea born from a combination of having leftover tortillas dangerously close to going off and forgetting to buy actual naan breads in the week. They turned amazing!

It’s a lower carb option than fluffy naans and, being chock-full of veggies, it’s much lower in fat than the usual creamy carnivorous curries we get. Butter chicken and onion bajhis may have my heart, but this is a pretty second choice!

tumblr_mml50yIGSr1qbq5v7o4_250 — *tumblr.com*

INGREDIENTS
1 Medium Potato, Chopped
1 Carrot, Sliced
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced
4 Mushrooms, Sliced
1 Tomato, Chopped
1 Apple, Chopped
400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
400ml Coconut Milk (reduced fat if you can)
2 tbsp Curry Paste
1 tsp Tomato Puree
1 Vegetable Stock Cube

SEASONING
Each part of this recipe kinda lives and dies with the seasoning. For the curry, you want to add some dried garlic, dried coriander leaf, salt, pepper and chilli flakes to the pan. If, like me, you find rice quite bland, add some salt, pepper, thyme and coriander leaf as the rice cooks just to give it a pop. And, finally, before you put the tortillas in the oven, you want to cover them with a sprinkling of garlic flakes, coriander leaf and cracked black pepper.

So, this is how I did it…

1. First thing’s first, heat up the frying pan and add your chunkier vegetables – potatoes, carrots, anything that takes a little longer to soften up. Fry these off for about 5 minutes.

2. Then add the rest of your veggies, along with the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, curry paste, tomato puree, crumbled stock cube and seasoning. Cook this for about 15-20 minutes, and just keep an eye on the liquid levels – if it starts to dry up, add a splash of water to tide it over.

3. Following the packet instructions, along with some seasoning, and cook the rice, either on the hob or in the microwave.

4. Place the tortillas on a baking tray, brushed with a teeny tiny amount of oil, sprinkled with seasoning and put them in the oven for about 5 minutes, until they crisp up.

Tips & Tricks

An excellent way to bulk this up even further (as if it doesn’t have enough going on already!) is to add lentils or chickpeas. They’re both really filling, are great for you, and are awesome ingredients for a curry.

If you’d like the sauce a little thicker, sprinkle in a small pinch of flour and stir. It’ll help thicken everything up (I’m not a fan of runny sauces).

Got a slow cooker? This recipe is wonderfully tasty and so incredibly easy in a slow cooker, just bung the ingredients into the crockpot and cook up the rice when you’ve got the chance.