Midweek Meals: Five healthy fakeaways to make at home this week

Ditch the takeaway menus and try a healthier alternative with these five tasty dishes

Curry, stir-fry, burritos and more...

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

This gorgeous curry with chunks of sweet potato and comforting chickpeas has added sweetness from the mango chutney. There is lots of sauce here, but you could add more veg and some vegetable stock to stretch it further.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g (14oz) tin of chopped tomatoes

• 400ml (14fl oz) tin of reduced-fat coconut milk

• 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

• 1 tbsp mango chutney

• 1 tbsp curry powder

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tbsp garam masala

• 1 tsp honey

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 3 large, sweet potatoes, cut into small chunks

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 handful of spinach

• 1 tsp peanut butter

• handful of fresh coriander, chopped

• 400g (14oz) tin of chickpeas, drained

• salt and pepper, to taste

• extra fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Place all the ingredients, except the chickpeas, in the slow cooker, stir and season to taste.

2. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4-5 hours, then add the chickpeas and cook for another hour.

3. If it's more convenient, you could add the chickpeas from the start, but they might lose some of their texture.

4. Garnish with extra coriander.

Healthy southern fried chicken

A healthy version of fried chicken, this is absolutely delicious.

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• About 12 chicken thighs, boneless and skin removed

• For the coating:

• 75g plain flour and 75g Cornmeal (polenta, gives a nice crunch)

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• Low cal oil for spraying

• For the marinade:

• 200ml buttermilk

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• ½ tsp onion granules

• ½ tsp dried Italian herbs

• For the coleslaw:

• 120g plain Greek yoghurt (fat-free)

• 60g light mayonnaise 

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 200g finely shredded green cabbage

• 100g finely shredded red cabbage (optional)

• 200g shredded carrots

• 1 small red onion

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar (optional to cut through sharpness)

• To serve:

• Potato wedges

Method

1. For the marinade, this is so easy, just mix the ingredients together in a large bowl, add the chicken and coat well. Cover and chill overnight, or for at least four hours. This tenderises the chicken and gives it a nice bite from the buttermilk, adding an extra kick.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large baking tray with foil or baking paper, you’ll thank me later!

3. For the crispy coating, mix all the ingredients together in a shallow bowl.

4. Shake off the excess buttermilk from your chicken and dip into the dry mix, turn to coat well on all sides.

5. Place on the lined baking tray. Spray each thigh about 4 times with the oil. 6. Cook for 20–25 minutes, or until crispy, browned and cooked through.

6. While the chicken is cooking, make the coleslaw. 

7. Grate onion with a box grater, it’s less bitter and doesn’t overpower the coleslaw, Scrape grated onion into a large bowl.

8. Add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine. (Reserve a third of the mayo mix to a small container and add one clove of grated garlic, perfect for dipping wedges or chips!)

9. Finally add cabbage, carrots, toss to coat. This is a sharp tangy dressing which cuts through the sweetness of the chicken and just adds a yummy bite.

10. Serve with potato wedges.

South Indian Puy Lentil & Tenderstem Broccoli Stir Fry

This is a quick and easy weeknight stir fry – if you serve it with rice or flatbreads, it’s all your food groups on one plate

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 300g tenderstem broccoli, halved

• 500g vac-packed puy lentils

• Juice of 1 lime

• Handful salted peanuts, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp neutral or olive oil, plus extra to serve

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 1⁄2 tspground turmeric

• 1 tsp sea salt flakes

Method

1. Tip the broccoli into a bowl of boiling water and let it blanch for 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Turn the heat down to medium to low and let them splutter for 30 seconds, or until the cumin seeds start to darken very slightly. Drain the broccoli and add it to the pan.

3. Add the chilli flakes, turmeric and sea salt and stir-fry over a high heat for 2–3 minutes before adding the puy lentils. Stir for a further 2–3 minutes over a lower heat, then add the lime juice, taste the salt and adjust as needed and add a little more oil if you wish.

4. Serve hot, scattered with the peanuts, with rice or flatbreads and yogurt alongside.

Buddha Bowl with Air Fryer Chickpeas

Make the best out of some bedrock ingredients!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 European

Ingredients

• For the roasted vegetables:

• 1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

• 1 sweet potato or butternut squash, cubed

• 2 beetroot, cubed

• 2 red onions, cut into eighths

• For the air fryer chickpeas:

• 1 tin chickpeas, drained

• 1 tsp olive or coconut oil

• ½ tsp cumin

• ¼ tsp paprika

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• Salt and pepper

• For the tahini dressing:

• 2 tbsp tahini

• Juice of half a lemon

• ½ tsp maple syrup

• ½ clove garlic, crushed

• Hot water

• To serve:

• Cooked and cooled bulghur wheat, Feta cheese, olives, salad leaves and cucumber and onion

Method

1. In an air fryer, tumble in the vegetables with the oil, set the air fryer to 190°C and cook for fifteen minutes, shaking once in the middle. If using a conventional oven, scatter the vegetables on an oven tray and cook at 180°C for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

2. To cook the chickpeas, set the air fryer to 190°C and pour in the chickpeas, spices and oil, giving it a good shake to make sure that they are well covered in the spice mixture. Cook for ten minutes. If cooking in a conventional oven, lay flat on a baking sheet, combine with the spices and oil and cook at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until crispy.

3. Cool the vegetables and chickpeas and store in covered containers in the fridge for up to five days. To make the tahini dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and garlic, thinning with hot water to reach a pouring consistency. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over your salad when ready to assemble. Store in a jar in the fridge.

Homemade Chicken Burrito

The secret to this burrito recipe is the spice rub for the chicken

Servings

5

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 50 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 1 medium chicken

• 1 tsp each of salt, dried cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, white pepper 

• 400g cooked rice 

• Cherry vine tomatoes, chopped 

• 1 tin blackbeans, drained 

• 1 red pepper, sliced 

• 4 scallions, chopped 

• Sour cream 

• Baby leaf salad 

• Tortilla wraps 

• Fresh lime or lemon juice 

• Fresh coriander

Method

1. Preheat a fan oven to 170°C. Combine the dried herbs and spices in a small bowl. Place the chicken into a large oven proof dish. Press the spice mixture onto the chicken and rub well so that it coats all the skin. Cover the dish with tin foil (or a lid if you have one).

2. Bake the chicken in the oven for 90 minutes. Take off the tin foil lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

3. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and serve with rice, tortilla and all the fresh ingredients. Squeeze a little lime or lemon juice on top before eating.