Tuna Pasta Salad

I haven't got much time for anything at the moment. I certainly haven't got time to be standing cooking for hours on a weekday at all. What with little babies needing my undivided attention, children needing to be picked up, the ever-growing mountain of washing and cleaning, and my heavy boxing training schedule - I should be the perfect candidate for a takeaway lifestyle. But that ain't ever gonna happen! So I need some cheeky recipes that I can make in advance or only take a few minutes to throw together.

Let me indroduce you to my little friend - The Tuna Pasta Salad. It's so easy to make, it can be made in advance and popped in the fridge, and everyone loves it. Job done. Can I have a mummy prize please?

Lentil Dhal with Chicken

I love a dhal. In fact, I don't think you can beat lentils. This Lentil Dhal with Chicken is a quick "does-everything" curry. My ideal dish at the moment is something that can just blip away on the stove. I want to bang all the ingredients in a pan and have a yummy dish at the end of it all - and this dish is very good for that.


I've simplified this dhal recipe and added chicken, although it is equally as nice without the meat. And if you've got a baby, check out my Baby Dhal with Chicken, which is easiest to make when making this grown-up dish!

Ingredients:
125g green lentils
125g red lentils
600ml water
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
225g tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3cm root ginger, chopped or grated
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
2 chicken breasts, sliced


HOW TO MAKE:
First of all, soak the lentils in the water. Now prepare the onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic. Once you have them all chopped, heat two tablespoons of oil and add the black mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, add the onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger. Fry for 5 minutes, then add the chilli, turmeric and cumin. Fry for 30 seconds, then add the lentils in their water and the coconut milk. Simmer for 20 minutes then add the chicken and in a separate pan, put your rice on to cook. When the rice has cooked, add coriander to the dhal, season to taste and serve. Sometimes, I find a squeeze of lemon just lifts the flavours of the dish.

If you like this recipe try Sweetcorn Curry

Flageolet Neapolitan

This is a great vegetarian recipe.It's easy to make and very tasty with either pasta or rice - great! It's also very cheap which is always a bonus.

Ingredients

1 tin of flageolet beans
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 can of tomatoes
2 tsp of basil
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp of capers
50g black olives
seasoning
parmesan cheese
pasta or rice

HOW TO MAKE
Heat the oil in the pan and fry onions for 3-4 mins, then add garlic and cooked beans. Fry for a further 3-4 mins stirring well. Add the tomatoes, basil, bay leaf, capers and olives and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 mins until the sauce has reduced. Season to taste.

Cook the pasta or rice and serve the sauce with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top.

The combination of beans and pasta provides a high protein, high fibre meal. The juicy vegetable sauce and the piquancy of capers and olives make a delicious dish. Flageolet beans have a sweet flavour which balances the acidity of the tomatoes.