Meal Planner w.c. 26.04.21

Welcome Back! Please find below some suggested recipes for Monday through to Friday. Crafted by our in-house Chefs, these recipes have been designed for busy families that want variety, taste and nutrition all in one.

We hope you enjoy them!

Loaded Mac ‘N’ Cheese –  Day 1

Ingredients: 

100g Butter plus extra for greasing 

100g Plain flour 

1 Heaped Teaspoon Mustard (any will do)

1.2Lts Milk 

5 Tablespoons Double Cream 

1 Bay Leaf 

400g Mature Cheddar 

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

1 Pinch of Nutmeg 

500g Dried Macaroni 

100g Bacon Lardons 

60g Breadcrumbs 

50g Parmesan

Method: 

  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, stir in the plain flour and cook for a minute. Add the mustard, then take the pan off the heat and gradually whisk in the milk and cream. Add the bay leaf, put the pan back on the heat and cook the sauce, stirring constantly, until it boils and is thick and bubbling. 
  2. Take the pan off the heat again, remove the bay leaf and add the Cheddar, then keep stirring until the cheese has melted. Season with black pepper and nutmeg.  
  3. Boil the macaroni in a large pan of salted boiling water (with a ratio of 1 teaspoon of salt per 600ml of water) for about 10 minutes or until al dente, then drain well. 
  4. Butter an ovenproof dish that’s about 35 x 20cm in size and preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C. Fry the bacon lardons or pancetta until crisp and add them to the cheese sauce. Stir the cooked macaroni into the sauce and pour everything into the buttered dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan and scatter them over the top. 
  5. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad. If no access to the oven, no need to bake.

Lamb Kofta Bon Bons With Tabbouleh Couscous & Red Pepper Sauce –  Day 2

Ingredients 

500g lamb mince 

1 x teaspoon of dried rosemary 

1 x block of feta 

1x teaspoon dried mint 

1x packet couscous (the easy ones you just add water too) 

35g parsley 

25g fresh mint • half a cucumber (fine diced) 

½ red onion (fine diced) 

1 x tablespoon olive oil 

1x juice of lemon 

a pinch of salt
2 x Red Pepper
1 x Yellow Pepper
1 x Jar Of Roasted Peppers (Can find these in most supermarkets)
1 x Clove Of Garlic


Method:

  1. Rough Chop roasted and raw pepper along with garlic. Then in a thick based pan on a medium to high heat lightly pan roast the peppers in a little oil. Stir and then cover for 3-5 mins or until all vegetables are soft. 
  2. Remove from heat, add a pinch of salt, black pepper, and blitz using a blender to form a smooth sauce. (Use a rolling pin and bash the peppers, to form a paste, if you don’t have a blender)
  3. Cook cous-cous to packet instructions and set aside. 
  4. Whilst these are cooking, prepare your salad. Fine chop; parsley and mint. Dice cucumber and red onion. Once cous-cous has cooled, mix it with a fork to fluff it the hell up. Then add to a large bowl the herbs you’ve just chopped along with; lemon juice, lemon zest, cucumber, red onion, olive oil and the cooked cous-cous, wrap and set aside. 
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine with your hands, lamb mince, dried rosemary and mint, salt, pepper and crumbled feta. Preheat the oven to 180.c, ball up your kofta into golf ball shapes, then place on a roasting and in the oven for 15-20 minutes. 
  6. Portion CousCous on to plate, then top with koftas and spoon over pepper sauce. **Save some Feta and sprinkle this on top, Pomegranates also make a great combo for this dish.

Red Lentil Ragu & Spaghetti (VG) –  Day 3

Ingredients

2 Whte Onions, Fine Diced
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Celery Sticks, Finely Diced
3 Carrots, Finely Diced
3 Garlic Cloves, Crushed/ Fine Grated
2 x 400g Cans of Chopped Tomatos
500g Red Lentils (Dried)

2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

2 Tablespoon tomato purée

2 Teaspoons of both Oregano and Thyme

1 Litre Vegetable Stock
3 Bay Leaves

500g Spaghetti
Parmesan or Vegetarian Cheese

Method:

  1. Dice the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and gently fry in a large saucepan for 5-10 mins until soft.
  2. Then stir in the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, lentils, dried herbs and veg stock. Bring to a simmer then cook for 40 – 50 mins allowing the lentils to cook, and are tender. Then season. **If the mixture starts to get too thick add a dash of water.
  3. Then it’s time to cook your pasta. If you dont have any spaghetti, most pasta you’ve got in the cupboards will work with this ragu. Once cooked stir in the ragu or spoon on top of the pasta. And cheese!

** This recipe will freeze well for up to 3 months.


Morrocan Lamb Tacos – Day 4

Ingredients

1 x Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 x Tablespoons Morrocan Spice Mix (We love the schwartz branded one)
450g Lamb Mince

100g Dried Apricots (Roughly Chopped)
1 x Onion (fine diced)
1x Garlic Clove
1 x Sprig of Rosemary

8 x Soft Corn Tortillas

3 x Gem Lettuce (Fine Sliced)


Additional:


Pomegranate seeds
Feta 

Sour cream
Method:

  1. In a medium sized frying pan, add oil and heat. Then add the onions, and garlic. And sweat off until soft for 3-4mins.
  2. Then turn up the heat add lamb mince, rosemary and moroccan seasoning, and cook for 5 mins, or unti; mince starts to crisp.
  3. Stir in some tomato puree and chopped apricots and cook for a further 5 mins until mince has cooked through.
  4. Heat you tacos in a dry pan, we recommend 20 secs a side. Lay them flat out. Then top each with a little chopped lettuce, then morrocan mince.
  5. To really make this recipe pop, crumb;le some feta over the top, add some pomegranate seeds and drizzle with sour cream.

Chip Shop Wrap – Crushed Pea and cod Fish Fingers Day 5

Ingredients

1 x Box of store bought Fish fingers ( We recommend Tesco Finest Chunky Cod, but any will do.)

175g Bag of Frozen Peas
200ml Curry Sauce (Jar)
1 x Tablespoon of Fresh Chopped Mint Leaves
1 x Tablespoon (Big One) Of Butter
1 x ½ Lemon
3 x Gem Lettuce (leaves)
Method:

  1. Cook fish fingers to packet instructions.(If you have more time make these from scratch with the kids)
  2. Cook peas according to packet instructions. Then set aside. 
  3. Put a heavy based saucepan on the hob on a high heat.
  4. Then add butter and peas, mash with a fork, then add lemon juice and chopped mint leaves and mash again.
  5. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
  6. Heat Curry sauce and wraps separately in the microwave. Then place a tortilla flat on each plate, top with the curry sauce, and then spoon on some of the crushed peas, add the fish fingers and a couple of gem lettuce leaves. Wrap and enjoy!
    ** Add some chips to your wrap if you want to max it out.