A sample week, from dinner ideas to shopping list

Ingredients

• Chicken breast, raw and boneless — 300 g
• Potatoes, raw — 400 g
• Carrots, raw — 200 g
• Broccoli florets, raw — 200 g
• Cooking oil — 15 ml
• Lemons — 1 whole
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Dried oregano — 1 tsp
• Salt — ¼ tsp
• Ground black pepper — ⅛ tsp

Cooking water: None required.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Scrub the potatoes and cut into 2 cm pieces. Wash and slice the carrots into 1 cm pieces. Put both on a large roasting tray with 10 ml of the oil and the salt. Spread into one layer and roast for 15 minutes.
2. On a separate board, cut the chicken into roughly 3 cm pieces. Do not wash raw chicken. Crush the garlic, juice half the lemon and cut the other half into wedges. Mix the chicken with the garlic, oregano, pepper, remaining 5 ml oil and lemon juice. Wash hands and equipment after raw-chicken contact.
3. Add the chicken and lemon wedges to the tray, keeping the pieces spread out. Roast for about 10 minutes, then add the washed broccoli florets. Roast for about 10 minutes more, turning the vegetables once. These are checking points, not a guarantee that the chicken is cooked.
4. Check several of the thickest chicken pieces with a clean thermometer: they must reach 75°C for at least 30 seconds. Continue cooking and recheck if necessary. The potatoes should be tender through the centre. If the chicken is ready first, move it to a clean plate and keep it hot while the vegetables finish; do not put it back on a raw-chicken plate. Serve between two plates with the cooked lemon wedges.

Ingredients

• Pasta, dry — 160 g
• Chickpeas, 400 g can before draining — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Chopped tomatoes, 400 g can including juice — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Medium onions — 1 whole
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Spinach leaves — 100 g
• Cooking oil — 10 ml
• Dried oregano — 1 tsp
• Salt — ¼ tsp
• Ground black pepper — ⅛ tsp

Cooking water: Water for boiling pasta, as directed on its packet; reserve 100 ml before draining.

Method

1. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. Wash the spinach. Cook the dry pasta in boiling water for the time on its packet.
2. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5–7 minutes until soft, stirring often. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 30 seconds without letting the garlic burn.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, chickpeas, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until slightly thickened. Stir in the spinach until wilted.
4. Reserve 100 ml pasta water, then drain the pasta. Toss it through the sauce. Add reserved water a tablespoon at a time only if needed to loosen it. Divide between two bowls.

Ingredients

• Chicken breast, raw and boneless — 300 g
• Long-grain rice, dry — 150 g
• Broccoli florets, raw — 200 g
• Carrots, raw — 150 g
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Fresh ginger — 15 g
• Soy sauce — 20 ml
• Cooking oil — 10 ml

Cooking water: Fresh water for the dry rice, in the quantity directed by its packet, plus 30 ml for the pan.

Method

1. Cook 150 g dry rice using the water amount and method on its packet. This recipe uses freshly cooked rice, not stored cooked rice.
2. Wash and cut the broccoli into small florets and the carrots into thin matchsticks. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. On a separate board, cut the raw chicken into thin strips. Wash hands and equipment after raw-chicken contact.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, working in two batches if crowded. Turn after about 3 minutes and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Mix the 20 ml soy sauce with the measured 30 ml water. Add the broccoli and carrots to the chicken, pour in the mixture and cover. Cook for about 4–6 minutes, stirring once, until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Use a clean thermometer to check several of the thickest chicken strips reach 75°C for at least 30 seconds; continue cooking if needed. Once the chicken is safely cooked and the vegetables are ready, uncover and toss briefly so the cooking juices lightly coat them. Serve immediately with the fresh rice.

Ingredients

• Beef mince, raw — 250 g
• Lentils, 400 g can before draining — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Chopped tomatoes, 400 g can including juice — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Potatoes, raw — 400 g
• Medium onions — 1 whole
• Carrots, raw — 150 g
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Cooking oil — 10 ml
• Dried oregano — 1 tsp
• Salt — ¼ tsp

Cooking water: Water to cover the potatoes for boiling. Reserve 100 ml of their cooking water before draining.

Method

1. Scrub and cut the potatoes into 2 cm pieces. Cover with water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 12–15 minutes until easily pierced with a fork. Meanwhile finely dice the onion, carrots and garlic. Drain and rinse the lentils.
2. Heat 5 ml oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and break it up with a spoon. Cook for 5–7 minutes until browned. Add the onion and carrots, reduce to medium heat and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring.
3. Add the garlic and oregano for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes with their juice, lentils and half the salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring. Check the mince mixture is thoroughly cooked and reaches 75°C throughout for at least 30 seconds; continue cooking if needed. Keep the sauce moist rather than reducing it dry.
4. Reserve 100 ml potato water, then drain the potatoes well. Let them steam in the drained saucepan off the heat for about 1 minute. Add the remaining 5 ml oil and remaining half of the salt, then mash by hand, keeping the skins for a rustic texture. Stir in reserved potato water a tablespoon at a time only until soft and spoonable; you may not need all 100 ml. Divide the mash between two bowls and spoon the beef-and-lentil tomato mixture over it.

Ingredients

• Potatoes, raw — 400 g
• Chickpeas, 400 g can before draining — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Eggs — 2 whole
• Spinach leaves — 100 g
• Medium onions — 1 whole
• Cooking oil — 10 ml
• Dried oregano — 1 tsp
• Salt — ¼ tsp
• Ground black pepper — ⅛ tsp

Cooking water: Water to cover the potatoes for boiling.

Method

1. Scrub and dice the potatoes into 1.5 cm pieces. Cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 8–10 minutes until just tender. Drain well. Peel and dice the onion, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and wash the spinach.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the drained potatoes in one layer and cook for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden.
3. Stir in chickpeas, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes until hot, then fold in the spinach until wilted.
4. Make two wells in the hash and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 4–6 minutes, until whites and yolks are fully set; allow longer if necessary. Serve one egg and half the hash per person.

Ingredients

• Pasta, dry — 160 g
• Broccoli florets, raw — 200 g
• Frozen peas — 150 g
• Plain unsweetened yoghurt — 100 g
• Cheddar cheese — 60 g
• Garlic — 1 clove
• Cooking oil — 10 ml
• Salt — ¼ tsp
• Ground black pepper — ⅛ tsp

Cooking water: Water for boiling pasta as directed on its packet; reserve 100 ml before draining.

Method

1. Wash and cut the broccoli into small florets, finely grate the cheddar, and peel and finely chop the garlic. Cook the dry pasta in boiling water according to its packet. Add the broccoli for the final 4 minutes and frozen peas for the final 3 minutes, or earlier if their packet needs longer.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant, without browning. Remove from the heat.
3. Reserve 100 ml pasta water, then drain the pasta and vegetables. Take the saucepan completely off the hob and return the pasta and vegetables to it. Toss through the garlic oil, finely grated cheddar, salt and pepper while the pasta is hot, until the cheese melts. Leave off the heat for about 1–2 minutes so the strongest steam subsides.
4. Let the reserved pasta water cool until warm rather than piping hot. In a separate bowl, stir 30 ml of it into the yoghurt a little at a time. Gently fold this loosened yoghurt through the pasta off the heat. Add a little more reserved water only if needed for a light coating, then serve straight away. Do not return the pan to the hob or boil the yoghurt sauce.

Ingredients

• Medium wraps — 4 whole
• Lentils, 400 g can before draining — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Chopped tomatoes, 400 g can including juice — 1 × 400 g can (before any draining)
• Medium onions — 1 whole
• Carrots, raw — 150 g
• Cabbage, raw — 200 g
• Plain unsweetened yoghurt — 100 g
• Lemons — 1 whole
• Cooking oil — 10 ml
• Salt — ¼ tsp

Cooking water: None required.

Method

1. Peel and finely dice the onion. Drain and rinse the lentils. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5–7 minutes until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes with their juice, lentils and half the salt. Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until the filling is thick enough not to soak the wraps, stirring regularly.
3. Wash and grate the carrots and finely shred the cabbage, removing any damaged outer leaves first. Juice half the lemon and cut the other half into wedges. Mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice and remaining salt, then toss through the carrots and cabbage.
4. Warm the wraps according to the packet. Share the hot lentil filling and slaw between four wraps and serve two per person with the lemon wedges. Serve any filling that does not fit alongside, rather than overfilling the wraps.