vegetarian recipe – #ThisGirlEats

RECIPE: Lean ‘n’ Green Pasta | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This lean ‘n’ green pasta recipe cost me less than 25p per person.
What are the benefits? This dish is suuuper high in antioxidants, very low in fat and somewhere between two to three of your five a day.

When you’re trying to eat healthier, it’s very easy to get swept up in the diet culture of calorie counting and restrictive eating, and I’ve had to really train myself out of those habits (I still fall off the wagon, believe me).

Nowadays, when I want to eat a little healthier, I just try to think of obvious changes, like making sure you eat your five a day, cutting down on processed food and, of course, eating your greens.

Recently I made a very conscious effort to inject some more “green” into our diets. It’s not my favourite colour to serve up on the plate, but many green veggies are super good for you, full of health benefits and definitely worth making space for. For me, it’s about combining these sorts of ingredients with things I love and eat regularly, like pasta.

That’s how I came up with this lean ‘n’ green pasta recipe, which can be pretty much made up with any leftover greens you’ve got at home, a spoonful of pesto and whatever pasta shape you can find. I’ve used broccoli, peas and kale, but these are totally interchangeable!

INGREDIENTS
300g Dried Pasta
1 Large Onion, Chopped
8 Small Broccoli Florets
50g Curly Kale
300g Garden Peas
2 tbsp Green Pesto
1 Vegetable Stock Cube

SEASONING
I know not everyone is the biggest fan of green veggies and their often unique flavour, so a great way to disguise this is using plenty of garlic (dried or fresh), salt and pepper, as well as the pesto, to season this dish.

HOW TO MAKE LEAN ‘N’ GREEN PASTA

1. Put on a large pan of salted water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to simmering and cook the pasta according to packet instructions (mine takes around 15 minutes!).

2. In a decent-sized frying pan, throw in the onion and garlic, cook for a couple of minutes until soft and then reduce the heat.

3. Add the broccoli, crumble in the vegetable stock cube and scatter in some salt and pepper. Pour in 200ml (or around one quarter of a standard mug) of water and simmer for around 5 minutes.

4. Throw in the peas and kale and finish cooking for another 5 minutes, or until the liquid dries up.

5. Drain the pasta, combine with the veggies and stir in a couple of spoonfuls of pesto, and that’s that!

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: 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: 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: Cheese and Mushroom Stack Burgers | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than 75p per person.
What are the benefits? These burgers are perfectly vegetarian-friendly, not to mention they are high in both protein and fibre.

If you’ve ever checked out my Instagram feed you’ll know I love a good burger. Almost every time we go out to eat and I take a sneaky insta snap, it’s pretty much always a fat burger on my plate. Perhaps I need to shake things up a bit… 🍔

I’ve taken my love for burgers here and steered it in a whole new direction to create a delicious alternative with a little more nutritional “oomph“. There’s still the lovely, gooey, melty cheese oozing out 🧀 but the mushrooms make up for all that – they count towards your ‘Five A Day’, they’re high in fibre and protein, and they’re an awful lot lower in fat than your traditional beef burger. So there!

Shopping at our local ASDA, I picked up the ingredients for this recipe for £1.38, which totals at just 69p per person. Compared to even the cheapest burgers (McDonald’s saver menu, here’s looking at you!) that’s a bargain! It’s also very quick and easy to make, with just a few ingredients available at many shops and supermarkets.

INGREDIENTS
4 Large Flat Mushrooms
4 Slices of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
2 Burger Buns

SEASONING
Season the mushrooms with a good pinch of salt and pepper – and that’s it!

So, this is how I did it…

1. Season the mushrooms and grill each on one side for about 5 minutes – I’ve got a tabletop grill which is really handy, but an oven grill works perfectly fine.

2. Once the mushrooms have cooked on one side, flip them over and layer up in a stack with the cheese (one mushroom, one slice of cheese, second mushroom, second slice of cheese). Pop the stacks back under the grill for a further 5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and cheese has melted.

3. Remove from the heat and serve in a soft burger roll with any extra toppings you fancy.

Tips & Tricks

Stilton isn’t my cup of tea so I stuck with plain ol’ cheddar for my mushroom stacks, but blue cheese would go really well with this if you like that kind of thing.

Grilling always helps drain excess fat from whatever you’re cooking, but you can cook the mushrooms in a frying pan instead and it works just as well.

Try using aubergine 🍆 or beef tomatoes 🍅 to experiment with different veggie stacks!

RECIPE: Mushroom and Halloumi Deli Rolls | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 1
How much does this cost? This recipe cost me less than 50p per person.
What are the benefits? The benefits of these deli rolls include being high in both protein and calcium, not to mention being perfectly suitable for vegetarians.

I don’t know about you, but finding something exciting to eat at lunchtimes is a real struggle. But now it’s time for that bland cheese sandwich and powdery soup-in-a-mug to step aside and make room for this absolute beauty.

This recipe is only three ingredients. Three! How great is that?! Just grab yourself a delicious slab of salty halloumi, a handful of rich mushrooms and slice open a soft, seeded roll to make this wonderfully flavourful dish.

It might be just a light lunch, but it’s a real heavyweight when it comes to nutritional brownie points. You’ve got a shed-load of calcium coming from that halloumi and loads of protein from the mushrooms, not to mention you can enjoy this one on ‘Meat-Free Monday’ – and every other day of the week too!

INGREDIENTS
4 Mushrooms, Sliced
1/4 Block of Light Halloumi, Sliced
1 Deli Roll

SEASONING
A light lunch can still be bursting with flavour; just sprinkle a pinch of dried garlic, dried thyme, salt and pepper in with the mushrooms to make this even tastier!

So, this is how I did it…

1. Cook the halloumi – either grill or fry – on a medium heat, for about five minutes on each side.

2. Fry the sliced mushrooms for around 5 minutes on medium-high heat with a tiny drop of oil or cooking spray, until soft.

3. Arrange the halloumi slices in the deli rolls, pile high with delicious fried mushrooms and dig in!

Tips & Tricks!

A few slices of avocado would taste divine with this recipe, and they’d help bump up that nutritional value too 🥑

Wholemeal rolls are going to benefit you even more, if you can get your hands on some!

You could take the exact same ingredients, roll them up in a tortilla and make yourself a yummy lunchtime wrap 🌯

RECIPE: Spicy Cheese and Onion Loaded Potato Skins | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1 per person.
What are the benefits? Thanks to the chillies this recipe is full of antioxidants, as well as being a good source of fibre and suitable for vegetarians.

This isn’t the first time I’ve played around with potato skins (check out my recipe for sweet potato skins with cheese and bacon) but I really enjoy making them – and, more importantly, eating them! 😋

These ones have got a kick with spicy cheese and fresh chillies; they make great antioxidants for the immune system so there’s a good reason for ramping up the heat, but they might be too spicy for those of us with a milder palette. My boyfriend loved them because he’s a sucker for spice but I found them a little eye-watering, so I’d definitely adjust to taste! 🌶

When shopping at my local supermarket (ASDA), I managed to pick up everything I needed for 96p per person, serving up two loaded skins per plate. I thought this was a bargain, especially when I saw how huge and absolutely stuffed to the brim they were when we dished them up!

INGREDIENTS
2 Large Baking Potatoes
1 Large Red Onion, Finely Chopped
2 Chillies (red or green), Finely Sliced
50g (or half a cup) Spicy Grated Cheese – ASDA do a great firey cheese blend

SEASONING
When you’re mashing together the scooped potato flesh (there has to be a more appealing word than “flesh”, surely…) season with salt and pepper and, if you want an even spicier taste, then you could also throw some dried chilli flakes in there too.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Wash and prick the potatoes, then nuke in the microwave. Each potato should take around 7 minutes; keep going until the insides are soft.

2. Scoop out the potato skins and mix the flesh (there’s that word again…) in a bowl with the red onion, chilli, cheese and seasoning until well combined. While this is all coming together, slip the empty skins under the grill to crisp up.

3. When the potato has been mashed in properly with the other ingredients, remove the skins from the grill and load ’em up.

4. Pop the skins, hopefully now full to the brim, back under the grill for another 5 minutes or so, just until the insides are warmed through and the cheese has melted.

Tips & Tricks

Potato skins make an excellent party snack – use smaller potatoes but follow the same steps for some tasty party treats.

A block of plain, non-spicy, value-range cheese will make this recipe even cheaper, especially if the chillies give you enough heat as it is.

More traditional fillings, like cheese and bacon or cheese and onion, work just as well with the same method as long as the fillings are prepared as necessary.

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.

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: Cheese “Steak” Subs & Sweet Potato Fries | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.25 per person.
What are the benefits? This recipe is low fat compared to an original cheese steak, helps you out with at least two of your five a day and, best of all, is great substitute for vegetarians!

First off, I’m super excited to share this totally delicious recipe with you! What’s even more awesome about it is that the trial run was actually carried out by my boyfriend, who is somewhat clueless in the kitchen but managed to cook this all by himself (following my very detailed instructions, of course). But more on that coming soon…

Cheese sauce is cheese sauce, I’m not gonna pretend it’s a health food. But #ThisGirlEats is all about giving food we know and love a healthier twist.

Removing red meat for aubergine rich in fibre, potassium and magnesium? That’s a big tick! Not to mention wholemeal rolls instead of sugary subs, low fat cheese sauce and a side of veggies – that’s right, sweet potato fries are vegetables!

This recipe is full of benefits and is honestly so tasty, I’d really recommend giving it a go.

INGREDIENTS
2 Sweet Potatoes, Sliced Into Chips
1 Onion, Sliced
1 Green Pepper, Sliced
3 Mushrooms, Chopped
8 Slices of Aubergine
2 tsp of Plain Flour
1/2 Mug of Milk or Milk Alternative
Handful of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
Handful of Spicy Grated Cheese
1/2 tsp of American Mustard
4 Wholemeal Hot Dog Rolls
The pickle on top is optional!

SEASONING
When the sweet potato chips go into the oven, make sure they’re seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper, as well as a sprinkling of dried thyme and dried garlic. You’ll need the garlic, salt and pepper again to season the veggies, and the slices of aubergine will need a pinch of salt and pepper too.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Heat the oven to 200°C, lightly coat a baking tray with cooking spray or a dash of oil and spread the chips across it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme and cook for 45 minutes, turning halfway through.

2. Add cooking spray (or oil), onions and garlic to a pan and fry on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers and seasoning, and cook for a further 5 minutes.

3. Lower the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for a final 5 minutes. If the vegetables start to stick, add a splash of water to the pan 💦

4. With a touch of cooking spray, grill the aubergine slices for around 5 minutes on each side.

5. To make the cheese sauce, add the flour to a saucepan, very slowly pour in the milk and whisk gently with a fork over a low heat. When the mixture has been simmering for a minute or so, remove from the heat and add the cheese and mustard, stirring until melted and combined.

6. Either serve the sauce immediately or, if you’re not quite ready, return the pan to the hob but on a really, really low heat. Keep stirring too! If the sauce is allowed to cool, it’ll go thick and gloopy.

7. Serve the aubergine, toppings and cheese sauce in the rolls and plate up with the fries 🍆