Think you’re too busy to cook? Think again! These simple recipes are ready in a flash
1 No-cook supper for four
Minty chicken salad
■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ No cook
250g thin rice noodles
2 cooked skinless chicken breasts, shredded
1/2 cucumber, halved and sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
4 tbsp soy or fish sauce
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tsp sugar
20g pack of mint, leaves only, roughly chopped
1 Soak the noodles in boiling water for 5 mins (or following pack instructions) until softened. Drain, then cool under running water. Drain again well, then tip into a bowl along with the chicken, cucumber, spring onions and chilli.
2 Drizzle over the soy or fish sauce, lime zest and juice and sugar, then toss with the mint leaves and serve.
PER SERVING 320 kcals, fat 2g, saturates 1g, carbs 56g, sugars 5g, fibre none, protein 22g, salt 2.8g
2 Toss and serve
10-min tuna & bean salad
■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins
■ No cook
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
100g sugar snap peas, finely sliced
410g can cannellini or butter beans
130g bag salad leaves
3 tbsp of your favourite dressing, plus extra for drizzling
200g can tuna in brine, drained
Mix the carrot, pepper, sugar snap peas and beans together in a large bowl. Gently toss in the salad leaves and half of the dressing, then flake the tuna over. Drizzle with more dressing when you serve.
PER SERVING 211 kcals, fat 9g, saturates 1g, carbs 18g, sugars none, fibre 5g, protein 16g, salt 1.2g
3 Fast lunch in a bowl
Chorizo & chickpea soup
■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 15 mins
■ No cook
400g can chopped tomatoes
110g chorizo (unsliced)
140g wedge Savoy cabbage, shredded pinch of dried chilli flakes
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube crusty bread or garlic bread, to serve
1 Tip the tomatoes and a can of water into a medium pan set over a medium heat. As the tomatoes heat, quickly chop the chorizo into chunky pieces (removing any skin).
2 Pile the chorizo and cabbage into the pan with the chilli flakes and chickpeas, then crumble in the stock cube. Stir well, cover and leave to simmer over a high heat for 6 mins until the cabbage is just tender. Ladle into bowls and eat with bread.
PER SERVING 366 kcals, fat 18g, saturates 5g, carbs 30g, sugars none, fibre 9g, protein 23g, salt 4.3g
4 A starter for six
Grilled goat’s cheese with cranberry dressing
■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 15 mins
■ Cook 5 mins
2 red-skinned apples, q
