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midweek meals

Roasted red pepper soup with crispy croutons

Warm up on cooler evenings with this vibrant soup spiked with fiery chilli powder and harissa. The crispy croutons are optional, but add welcome crunch.

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins COOK 22 mins EASY V

2 red onions, roughly chopped
2 carrots (250g), roughly chopped
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
200g jarred roasted red peppers
(drained weight), drained and
roughly chopped
1 tsp rose harissa paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or any
other chilli powder)
850ml low-salt vegetable stock
4 tbsp natural yogurt, to serve

For the croutons (optional)

100g slightly stale wholemeal
crusty bread, cut into cubes
1 tsp olive oil

1Blitz the onions and carrots together in a food processor until finely chopped, or finely chop by hand. If making the croutons, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6.

2Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the chopped onion and carrot with a pinch of salt for 5-6 mins, stirring frequently until starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and peppers, and cook for 1 min more until fragrant.

3Add the harissa paste, cumin seeds and chilli powder, and cook for 1 min, stirring. Add the stock and turn up the heat to medium-high, bring to the boil and cook for 15-18 mins until the veg is soft.

4Meanwhile, if making the croutons, toss the bread with the oil and season well. Tip onto a baking tray and bake for 8-10 mins, or until deeply golden and crisp.

5Transfer the veg mixture to a high-powered blender (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth. Season and ladle into bowls. Top with the yogurt, and scatter over the croutons, if using.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • low fat • low cal • fibre • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 144 kcals • fat 3g • saturates 0.5g • carbs 21g • sugars 9g • fibre 6g • protein 5g • salt 1g

Fajita chicken rice bowl with burnt lime

Make crowd-pleasing fajitas the easy way with this one-tray recipe.

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins COOK 20 mins EASY

2 large chicken breasts
2 peppers, sliced
2 red onions, sliced
200g baby corn
3 tsp chipotle chilli paste
1 lime, zested, then halved
2 tsp vegetable oil
400g can black beans, drained
15g coriander, roughly chopped
400g cooked brown rice
4 tbsp salsa, to serve

1Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and line a large baking tray with baking pa