Beany Chilli and Jacket Potato: Meat Free Monday

Keeping it very simple today and suggesting a nice healthy fulfilling beany chilli as a Meat Free Monday meal! Everyone has their own version of chilli, it’s one of those recipes where you can often use up whatever is left in the fridge and it will still taste amazing! I don’t like mine to be too spicy so I’ve kept the chilli levels moderate however you can always adjust this to your personal taste.

Serves 6 (freezable)

1 Onion – chopped finely
2 Garlic Cloves – crushed
1 Green Chilli – finely slices
2 Sticks of Celery
1 tablespoon Red Jalapenos (from a jar)
1 can Black Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
bunch Fresh Coriander
300ml Water
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 170c. Heat some olive oil in a casserole dish on the hob and fry the onion, garlic, green chilli and celery for around 5 minutes untill softened. Add the spices, red jalapenos, both cans of beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, seasoning, water and the coriander stalks (chopped).

Put it in the oven for 45 minutes with a lid on then add the coriander leaves, stir and put back in the oven for a further 20-30 minutes with the lid off.

Once it has thickened up nicely, serve with a jacket potato and a sprinkle of coriander leaves.

Mums Speedy Nachos: Meat Free Monday

My mum came to stay this weekend and offered to cook one of my favourite childhood favourites – Speedy Nachos! Looking back at the recipe I never even registered that it was vegetarian! It was just delicious and for this weekend it was the perfect choice for a friday night in watching TV and catching up on gossip since the last time we’d seen each other!

I’m going to put this forward for a meat free monday recipe because it is so easy to put together, it is brilliant for this time of year and also you do not miss the meat at all! It’s very filling and depending on how much cheese you use can be a bit of a treat!

Speedy Nachos (my mums recipe): Serves 4- 6

1 large Onion
2 cans Kidney beans in chilli sauce
2 Jars of Hot Salsa
Red Jalapenos (the sliced kind in a jar is perfect)
250g Cheddar Cheese
1 large bag cheesy or original Doritos (or any tortilla chips)
Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 150c.

In a large, deep frying pan soften the diced onion in a little olive oil. Once cooked add the kidney beans with the chilli sauce with both jars of salsa and stir through untill hot. Cook it on the top for about 10- 15 mins so it thickens slightly.

Pour the beany mixture into a big lasagna dish/ ceramic baking tray and layer the jalapenos on the top evenly. Grate 1/4 of the cheese over the mix then put a layer of doritos on top, then grate the rest of the cheese over the Doritos.

Put in the oven for 15 minutes untill the cheese has melted and the top has began to brown.

Serve with a simple iceburg lettuce salad and a mexican beer! It really is such a delicious dinner, thanks mum! x

Butternut Squash Fajitas

I will be staying with family for the weekend soon and I hate that I might be an inconvenience by not being able to eat all the food; So I thought of meal ideas which I could offer to cook that everyone would enjoy. This is a very versatile meal which you can add griddled meat too for the family if you want and also everyone helps themselves to the parts they like! I think having food in the middle of the table which everyone shares creates a relaxed atmosphere and gets everyone talking. (I always thought I would do this style of cooking if I went on Come Dine With Me!)

Butternut Squash Fajitas

serves 4-6

1 large Butternut Squash
1 Red Onion
1 Onion
1 Red pepper
1 Yellow pepper
Sprinkle Paprika
Sprinkle Cayenne Pepper
Coriander
2-3 Avacados
1 Red Chilli
1 Lime
Spray Oil
Tomato Salsa (You can make your own but I buy a big jar of it)
Sour Cream – optional
Tortilla Wraps (Enough for 2 or 3 each)

(Chicken, Turkey or Beef strips all work perfectly with this meal if you are adding meat- just sprinkle with the spices and griddle or grill on a high heat untill cooked.)

Chop the top and bottom of the butternut squash off and peel off the skin. Chop in half across and then in half length ways and scoop out the seeds. Cut into wedges and put on a baking tray, spray with oil and sprinkle over paprika, cayenne pepper and a little salt. Bake for about 20 mins at 190c.

Slice the peppers and onions into strips and fry on a griddle pan (or just in a frying pan) with some spray oil untill softened. Add some fresh coriander – stalks and leaves- and cook for another few minutes.

Chop up an avacado into chunks or strips and mash slightly (not too much!) add a thinly sliced red chilli and put in a bowl with a splash of lime juice.

Heat the wraps individually in a microwave for 10 seconds each and pile up on a plate on the table with a pot of salsa, the avacado, sour cream if using. Pile up the cooked peppers, onions and butternut squash on the griddle pan or in a serving platter which has been warmed and put on the table. Sprinkle it all with coriander leaves and serve with a few cold Coronas and lime wedges.

I’ve started making this just for the two of us reguarly and I use the rest of the butternut squash to make healthy chips or added to a stew later in the week.