Sausages and Lentils

I came across this recipe in this month's Tesco magazine. It's quick, easy and satisfying.

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 sausages, any type but I used Cumberland
1 tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, sliced
Herbs etc of choice - paprika, thyme, oregano, black pepper
1/2 tsp vegetable oil

* heat the oil in a pan, add the sausages and cook for around 10 minutes, turning regularly so they brown on all sides
* add the onion and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes to soften
* tip in the lentils and tomatoes, add your choice of herbs and seasoning and cook for around 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens

Nutritional info:
Calories: 449, Carbs: 33g, Fat: 24g, Protein: 25g

Sausage Stew

This was a 'what's lurking in the fridge that needs using up?' creation. The tomatoes were left from the chicken stew I had the other night, the sausages had been in the freezer since christmas and then I just added veggies.

Ingredients (serves 1)
6 cocktail sausages
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 leek, sliced
1/2 courgette, sliced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp ketchup

* heat a little oil in a pan, add the veg and sausages and fry for 5 minutes or so.
* add the tomatoes, herbs and spices
* cover and simmer for 15 minutes

Nutritional information (calculated on myfitnesspal)
Calories: 329, Fat: 16.7g, Carbs: 25.5g, Protein: 17.2g

Chicken and Quinoa Stew

I saw this recipe somewhere online, but forgot to bookmark it and now I can't find the same one, so this is my own version. I think the original included aubergine which I'm not too keen on, so I used courgette.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 small chicken breast, cubed
35g dry quinoa
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 courgette, sliced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

* heat a little oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes
* add the chicken and fry until browned
* add the other veg, tomatoes, quinoa and herbs/spices. Add some water, cover and cook for around 20 minutes until the quinoa is cooked through.

Nutritional info (calculated using the recipe builder on www.myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 442, Carbs: 57g, Fat: 3g, Protein: 32g

Versatile tomato sauce

This was one of the first things I ever cooked, and at uni it probably formed a quarter of my diet largely due to the simplicity of cooking and the low cost of ingredients.

Ingredients
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Couple of mushrooms, sliced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Paprika, basil, thyme, oregano - as much as you like
Ketchup
Salt and pepper

* heat a little oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic and mushroom for a minute or so.
* Add the tomatoes and a good squirt of ketchup or tomato puree
* Add herbs and seasoning.
* simmer for around 20 minutes

This is a really versatile recipe and forms the basis of a lot of my meals including lasagna, chilli, spag bol etc. It's great just as it is with pasta or can easily be made meaty by adding a tin of tuna or some bacon.

Creamy tomato pasta bake

Had some veggies in the fridge that needed using up, so this was an obvious dinner choice.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 courgette
1 yellow pepper
8 mushrooms
150g penne pasta
Tin chopped tomatoes
Herbs - thyme, oregano, basil, black pepper
1 tbsp ketchup
Slosh of worcester sauce
50ml natural yogurt
Olive oil
Cheddar cheese

* heat oven to 200C
* cut the veggies into chunks, drizzle with oil in a roasting tin, and bake for 20 - 30 minutes
* Cook the pasta according to pack instructions
* tip the tomatoes into a pan, add ketchup, Worcester sauce and herbs to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes then stir in the yogurt
* mix the drained pasta, tomato sauce and veg in an ovenproof dish and top with as much cheese as you fancy
* bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then serve

If I had a bottle of red wine open, I would add a splash to the tomato sauce. Works well with tuna or bacon added.

Jambalaya

Probably not remotely authentic, but it tastes good to me.

Ingredients (serves 2)
150g long grain rice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
4 sausages, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Splosh of white wine
1tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp lazy red chilli
1 tsp olive oil

* heat oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Cook for a minute or so
* Add the chunks of sausage and cook for another minute, then add the rice and herbs/spices
* Add a good splosh of wine, then the tinned tomatoes. Add some water if it looks too thick
* cover, and cook until most of the liquid had been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Also works well with chicken or prawns.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Use a really ripe, squishy avocado for a creamy sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2)
10 or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
150g tagliatelle or spaghetti
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Handful of pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan to serve

* Preheat oven to 150C
* Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and bake for 30 minutes
* Just before the tomatoes are done, begin cooking the pasta as per packet instructions
* While the pasta cooks, put 1 tbsp olive oil, avocado flesh, chopped garlic, salt and lemon juice in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth and well combined. Alternatively whizz it up in a food processor.
* Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce.
* Top with the roasted tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan.

For a meaty addition, a couple of slices of smoked grilled bacon cut into strips works very well.

No Bake Lasagne

This recipe is from Martha Stewart, so for the full instructions click HERE.

I mostly made this because I'd just been given a pasta machine for my birthday and thought lasagne would be a good place to start, before we ventured into the realms of tagliatelle. It actually worked really well, although the portions ended up being HUGE because we'd made rather a lot of pasta and I didn't want to waste it.

Will definitely make this one again.