Midweek Meals: Five comforting recipes that are perfect for dinner on a dull day

These tasty dinners are ready in under 60 minutes

Lentil Dahl, lemon chicken and more.

Simple Chicken Traybake

Eating healthily when you’re short on time is difficult, so I have devised this recipe. It only takes 18 minutes to cook in the oven, tastes even nicer the second day for your lunch, and is packed full of colourful vegetables.

Servings

3

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 9 mins

Total Time

 29 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Spray oil

• 1 red pepper, chopped

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

• ¼ head of broccoli, chopped

• 7 scallions, chopped

• Cherry tomatoes on the vine (leave them on the vine)

• 1 pack of mini chicken fillets

• 100g breadcrumbs

• 1 generous handful of parsley

• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme

• 2 scallions

• 20ml olive oil

• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat a fan oven to 180oC and line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment. Spray the parchment a few times with some spray oil.

2. Arrange the vegetables in separate sections on the baking tray, leaving space in the centre. Put the mini chicken fillets in the centre of the tray.

3. Using a blender, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, and the two additional scallions with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Pulse in a blender/food processor until the breadcrumbs turn green.

4. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture over the vegetables and chicken on the baking tray.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then serve immediately for a quick dinner.

6. Alternatively, leave to cool before portioning into boxes for lunch the following day.

Pinch of Nom’s chilli mac ‘n’ cheese recipe

A one-pot version of everyone’s favourite comfort food.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 14 mins

Cooking Time

 34 mins

Total Time

 48 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Low-calorie cooking spray

• 2 onions, peeled and finely diced

• 2 carrots, peeled and diced

• 500g 5%-fat minced beef

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

• 2tsp mild chilli powder

• 1tsp ground cumin

• 1tsp dried oregano

• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

• 2 peppers, any colour, deseeded and diced

• 2tbsp tomato puree

• 2tbsp Henderson’s Relish

• 600ml beef stock (2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 600ml boiling water)

• 300g dried macaroni

• 1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 180g reduced-fat mature Cheddar, grated

• Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

Method

1. Spray a large saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté for five minutes until softened.

2. Add the mince and cook for a further five minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, until the mince is no longer pink.

3. Add the garlic, chilli powder, cumin and oregano and stir in for one minute until the spices become fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, peppers, tomato puree, Henderson’s Relish and stock, and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft.

4. Add the macaroni to the pan, stir well and replace the lid. Allow to cook for a further 10–12 minutes, until the pasta is just cooked.

5. Stir in the beans and cheese, reserving a little cheese to garnish if you wish, allowing two minutes for the beans to heat through and the cheese to melt.

6. Stir in the coriander, if using, and serve!

Chicken and mushroom humble pie recipe

You can make this dish vegetarian by swapping the chicken for a similar meat substitute.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1tbsp olive or vegetable oil

• 115g frozen chopped onions

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

• 2tbsp plain flour

• 240ml chicken stock

• 200ml milk

• 1tsp wholegrain mustard

• 1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep-sided frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and chicken pieces and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and the chicken is sealed. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir to combine with the chicken and onions, then cook, stirring occasionally, for five to seven minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms have released all their water.

2. Add the flour to the pan and stir to coat the chicken and vegetables, then pour in the chicken stock and stir well. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring and thickening the sauce as you do, then bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat to low and leave to cook for 10–15 minutes, until thickened, then stir through the mustard and season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. If you're cooking now… Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Pour the pie filling into a large, ovenproof baking dish smaller than the sheet of pastry, then lay the pastry over the top of the filling and tuck in the edges. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg, then transfer the pie to the oven for 30–35 minutes, until golden and well risen. Cut into generous wedges and serve hot with mash and veg alongside, if you like.

4. If you're making ahead to freeze… Leave the filling mixture to cool to room temperature, then ladle into a large, labelled freezer bag and freeze flat with the sheet of pastry alongside for up to three months.

5. Then… Remove the pie filling and pastry sheet from the freezer and leave to defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once defrosted, preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4 and assemble, cook and serve the pie in the same way described above.

Red Lentil Dahl

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

A delicious and healthy recipe that can be loaded with whatever vegetables you have on hand to increase the nutritional value

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• ½ onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 thumb size piece of ginger , grated

• 1 medium red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

• 3 tsp cumin

• 1 tbsp medium curry powder

• 200g red lentils washed and drained

• Juice of 2 limes

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

• 500ml boiling water

• Bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. In a large pot melt the coconut oil.

2. Add the onions and sweat off gently on a low heat for about five minutes.

3. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin and curry powder and cook for roughly another two minutes.

4. Stir in your lentils, lime juice and chopped tomatoes.

5. Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for another 15- 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

6. Serve topped with heaps of fresh coriander and a good dollop of natural yoghurt!

Lemon chicken

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

Serve this with some greens stir fried in sesame oil with soy sauce and garlic, and some noodles or plain boiled rice.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

• 2 tbsp rice wine or sherry

• 100g cornflour

• 2 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 shallot

• 1 red chilli finely chopped

• 2 lemons

• 250ml chicken stock

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp honey

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• 1 litre sunflower oil to fry the chicken

Method

1. Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips, about 2cm thick is perfect. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic, adding half of both to a bowl big enough to marinade the chicken. Add the chicken, rice wine or sherry and one tablespoon of the cornflour and stir well to combine. Set aside while you prepare the lemon sauce.

2. Zest half of one lemon, and then juice both. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Wash and finely chop the red chilli, discarding the pith and seeds. Heat the sesame oil in pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots to the pan and sauté for a minute or two until they soften a little. Add the remaining ginger and garlic and the chopped red chilli to the pan and cook for another minute until the ginger and garlic lose their raw smell. Next add the lemon juice and zest, chicken stock, honey, one tablespoon of soy sauce, caster sugar and the fish sauce to the pan. Bring to a soft boil and reduce the heat to low.

3. Simmer the sauce until it reduces to about half its volume. This will thicken the sauce and intensify and deepen the flavour. It will take about fifteen minutes. Taste the sauce halfway through that time and add the second tablespoon of soy sauce if you think it needs it. I always add two tablespoons of soy sauce as I do not like my sauce to be overly sweet and I find this amount balances the sauce nicely.

4. While the sauce is simmering away, you can fry the chicken. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. While it is heating, prepare the chicken. Put the cornflour into a wide bowl and working in batches, drop in some of the marinated chicken strips. Toss the chicken in the cornflour, ensuring every piece is well coated. Shake off any excess cornflour and set the coated chicken aside in a single layer on a large plate. Repeat until all the chicken strips are coated in cornflour.

5. For maximum crispiness, fry the chicken twice. When the oil has reached 180 Celsius, you can begin to give the chicken its first fry, again working in small batches to avoid crowding the pan. It is important that the oil is this hot to ensure that the chicken fries perfectly and gets a lovely crispy coating. If the oil is not hot enough, the cornflour will fall away, the coating will be soggy, and the chicken will be undercooked.

6. Fry the chicken for one and a half minutes and remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon. Drain it on some clean kitchen paper while you fry the rest of the chicken. I do my first fry in three batches, making sure that I bring the oil back up to 180 Celsius between batches as it will cool slightly while cooking the chicken.

7. When all the chicken has had its first fry, bring the oil back up to temperature again and add all the chicken to give it a second fry. If your pan is big enough, you can do the second fry in just one batch as the chicken will be pretty crispy by now. Fry the chicken for another two minutes and remove it from the oil and allow it to drain on more clean kitchen paper or a wire rack.

8. To finish the sauce, blitz it with a stick blender or in a liquidizer until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and heat it through. Arrange the fried chicken on a serving plate and spoon over the sauce. Finish the dish with a scattering or chopped or sliced spring onion and some strips of lemon zest. Serve immediately while the chicken is lovely and crispy.