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7-day meal guide

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Monday

Sweetcorn balls

You'll need:

  • 250g  Self-raising flour
  • 1 tin (410g)  Sweetcorn
  • 125ml  Lukewarm water
  • Sunflower oil

Method:

  1. Sift the flour into a bowl and make a small well in the middle.
  2. Add the sweetcorn to this and mix roughly.
  3. Add the water while mixing the sweetcorn into the mixture.
  4. Use only enough water to form a thick dough.
  5. Scoop equal sized balls of dough and fry these in a pot of hot oil.
  6. Wait until the one side of the ball turns brown before turning the ball over to cook on the other side.
  7. Once the balls are evenly golden brown, remove them from the oil and place onto kitchen towel to cool down.
  8. Serve with butter and jam with grated cheese, or golden syrup.

Tuesday

Butternut soup

You'll need:

  • 3 tbsp  Margarine
  • 1  Onion, chopped
  • 1  Potato, chopped
  • 2 cups  Butternut, chopped
  • 1 tsp  Mild curry powder
  • ¼ tsp  Nutmeg
  • 3 cups  Chicken stock
  • 1½ cups  Milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of sugar

Method:

  1. Melt the butter and fry the onion before adding the potato and butternut.
  2. Stir-fry over a high heat and add the curry powder and nutmeg while stirring.
  3. Add the chicken stock, milk, salt, pepper and sugar and simmer for 20 minutes until soft.
  4. Let the mixture cool down until lukewarm, pour into a blender and blend until a liquid consistency.
  5. Reheat the mixture and serve.

Wednesday

Butter chicken

You'll need:

  • 3 cups  Rice
  • 1 tin  Coconut milk
  • 100ml  Water
  • 4-5   Chicken breasts
  • 1 packet  Butter chicken spice or paste (mild)
  • 125ml  Cream or reduced fat cream
  • 2 tbsp  Olive oil
  • Flaked almonds
  • Fresh corainder leaves
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Method:

  1. Bring the water and coconut milk to the boil in a pot.
  2. Add the rice and a pinch of salt.
  3. In a separate pan, brown the chicken in olive oil and flavour with salt and pepper.
  4. Remove from the pan and place to the side.
  5. In the same pan, prepare the butter chicken paste according to the directions on the packet.
  6. Once ready, add the chicken to the mixture and leave to simmer in the pan while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  7. Lightly toast the almonds in a little bit of olive oil and chop the coriander leaves roughly.
  8. Once the rice is ready, add the corainder leaves and dish onto a plate.
  9. Add the cream to the butter chicken and heat it slightly before also dishing it onto the plate.
  10. Top the dish off with fresh corainder and the toasted flake almonds.

TIP:

This recipe is an example of how you can take a component from a ready-to-use mixture, like the spices for butter chicken, and use it in a dish that you add nutritional value to. Note that some butter chicken dishes might be too spicy for children. Add a little bit more cream or substitute it for yoghurt if you feel that it might be too strong.

Thursday

Moussaka

You'll need:

  • 3  Medium aubergines
  • 1  Onion, chopped
  • 2  Garlic cloves, chopped (optional)
  • 500g  Lean beef mince
  • 1 tin  Peeled tomatoes
  • 1 tin  Tomato puree
  • 3 tsp  Sugar
  • 100g  Butter
  • 125ml  Flour
  • 1 litre  Milk
  • Fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt

Method:

  1. Peel the aubergines and cut into wheels.
  2. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 40 minutes so that the bitter juices can be extracted.
  3. Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil and add the mince.
  4. Cook until the mince has browned.
  5. Chop the peeled tomatoes and add to the mixture.
  6. Spice with some salt and pepper and add teh sugar.
  7. Leave to simmer.
  8. In a different pot, melt the butter and make a roux by adding the flour little by little while stirring continuously with a whisk.
  9. Repeat the same process with the milk.
  10. Try to prevent any lumps from forming.
  11. Keep stirring over a low heat until the mixture thickens.
  12. Add salt and pepper and chopped parsley if you like.
  13. Take an ovenproof bowl and layer the aubergine and mince mixture.
  14. Start with some meat and follow with the abergine, ending with meat.
  15. Cover the surface with a layer of white sauce.
  16. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180°C.

Friday

Sweet pepper toasts

You'll need:

  • 1 Baguette or French loaf
  • 2  Red peppers, halved
  • 2  Yellow peppers, halved
  • 50ml  Olive oil
  • 50ml  Balsamic vinegar
  • 1  Onion, chopped
  • 250g  Mushrooms, chopped
  • 2  Tomatoes, chopped
  • 2  Fresh garlic cloves, chopped finely
  • 2  Rounds Feta cheese
  • Flat leaf parsley, salt, pepper

Method:

  1. Bring a pot of water to the boil.
  2. Place the sweet peppers in a colander and into the water.
  3. Cover with the pot's lid and leave to steam for approximately 20 minutes.
  4. Once ready, cut into strips, place in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil amd balsamic vinegar.
  5. Cut the bread into slices of about 1cm each.
  6. Place them on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
  7. Grill for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 180°C.
  8. Once toasted, remove from the oven but do not change the temperature.
  9. Lightly fry the onion, mushroom and garlic in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  10. Once done, add the tomato to the mixture and scoop on the bread.
  11. Drape some of the pepper strips on top.
  12. Lastly crumb the feta on top and sprinkle parsley, salt and pepper.
  13. Drizzle some of teh oil and balsamic mixture on the toasts.
  14. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180°C.
  15. Serve while still hot.
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