10 budget-busting lunches for one
Liven up your midweek lunches with these delicious meat-free options
1 TOMATO & GREENS SALAD
■ Blanch a handful of long-stem broccoli or broccoli florets for 2 mins, then rinse and drain. Toss with 2 tbsp defrosted peas, 2 tbsp defrosted edamame beans, 6 halved cherry tomatoes, 3 sliced radishes and 2 sliced spring onions. Mix 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, then toss together with the salad.
2 BANG BANG NOODLE SALAD
■ Cook 50g egg noodles until tender, then rinse and drain. Put in a bowl with 2 shredded spring onions, a handful of shredded mangetout, 4 baby corn, sliced lengthways, and a little chopped chilli. Mix 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter with 1 tsp sesame oil and 2 tsp soy sauce, then add enough boiling water to make a dressing. Toss everything together.
3 ALMOST-PUTTANESCA PASTA SALAD
■ Cook short pasta following pack instructions, then rinse and drain. Put in a bowl and add 2 chopped tomatoes, ½ finely sliced red onion, 1 tbsp drained capers, ½ chopped red chilli and a handful of chopped olives. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar and toss together.
4 SWEET POTATO & CHEESE TORTILLA
■ Cook 1 diced sweet potato in a pan of boiling water until tender. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and cook 1 sliced onion until soft. Add the sweet potato and cook for 1 min. Whisk 2 eggs, season, then stir in 2 tbsp grated cheddar or gruyère. Pour into the pan, leave to set, then push in the sides so the egg can run into the gaps. Cook until almost set, then finish off under a grill.
5 ROAST SQUASH & RED ONION RICE BOWL
• Put ½ diced squash on a non-stick baking tray with 1 small red onion, cut into wedges. Drizzle with oil and season. Roast in a 200C/180C fan/gas 6 oven until tender. Cook 50g brown basmati rice following pack instructions. Mix the juice of ½ lemon, ½ crushed garlic clove, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss everything together.
6 SULTANA & ALMOND COUSCOUS
■ Put 5
