Sweet potato, chickpea & red lentil curry



Make curry paste: To 1 tbsp white vinegar and rapeseed oil add 3 whole cloves, 3 cardamon pods, 3 curry leaves, 3 clove curshed garlic; half tsp turmeric, cumin and paprika; 1tsp garam masala, white pepper, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Mix well.

Brush a fry pan with oil and fry 1 diced onion for 1 min. Add the curry paste and cook 1 min.

Add 100g red lentils, 400g chopped tomatoes, 400g canned chickpeas (drained), 400g diced sweet potato, 2 tbsp frozen peas and 400ml vegatable stock.

Bring to boil with a lid on. Reduce to med heat and cook until potatoes are soft (30-45 mins) adding 1tsp fenugreek for the last 5 mins of cooking time. Add a handful of raisins just before serving with boiled white or brown rice. Serves 4.

Baked Meat Slice (meatzza)



Mix together 500g mince, 2 eggs, 3 tbsp breadcrumbs (made from 2 slices bread if home made), 2 crushed garlic cloves, 3tbsp chopped parsley, 1tbp english mustard. Bind but don't overmix. Press gently into a greased bake tin. Sprinkle over 2 handfuls of grated cheese. Drain a can of chopped tomatoes using the tomatoes add 1tsp garlic oil and oregano, pinch salt. Spread evenly over the meat. There is 4 oblong portions, in each portion evely place 2 green olives and thin sliced chorizo.

Long slice 125g mozarello, arrange on each portion. Bake 20 - 25 mins, 200 fan, sprinkle with basil to serve 4.

For a main meal, whislt meat slice is cooking steam together portions of broccoli, large carrot batons and whole leaf pointed cabbage for 15 minutes to serve alongside.



Cooking well for less - 5 ways to serve fish:

 Tinned fish is often fresher than 'fresh' fish as it is frozen, cooked and canned within 2 days whereas 'fresh' fish can be up to 14 days old when sold. Tuna is the only tinned fish which loses it's omega-3 on the canning process.

5 ways to serve fish:
Stir-fry thin strips of carrots, red pepper and brocolli with noodles, topped with grilled or baked trout fillet.

Use leftover mash potato to make fishcakes with cooked or tinned salmon and egg to bind.

Flake cooked mackerel into a potato and green bean salad with an orange vinaigrette dressing (oil, orange juice, white vinegar 3-1 parts).

Make tinned sardines into pate by blitzing in a blender with fromage frais, lemon zest and a little horseradish sauce. Serve with crusty bread or hot toast.

Tinned pilchards or mackerel on toast topped with slices of tomato.

Cooking well for less (Beef & Salmon)

Lesser known beef cuts like flat iron (shoulder) and pope's eye (rear) obtainable from local butchers are just as tender fried as the more popular and more expensive sirloin and ribeye. Shin cuts make a fantastic slow cooked stew (4hrs, 180c, 160 fan with simple vegetables like carrot, onion and potatoes).


For a cheaper version of minced dishes like shepherd's pie, substitute half the mince for red lentils which bulks up the meal and makes it a cheaper, tastier and healthier alternative.

Salmon is packed full of healthy EFA (essential fatty acids - omega 3, essential for a healthy heart and brain). Salmon cuts can be expensive but cheaper salmon trimmings are just as nutritious. An easily prepared meal is salmon frittata with potato wedges, serves 4:

Cut 4 sweet potatoes into wedges, place in an oiled baking dish, 200 c, 180fan for 45 mins.

Brush a frying pan with oil, add thinly sliced broccoli florets (1 brocolli), 2 sliced garlic cloves, cook 3 minutes. Whisk 6 eggs, add salt/pepper/1tsp cayenne pepper. Pour into frypan along with salmon trimmings, cook 2 minutes then place in the oven for the last 10 minutes with the wedges cooking.