Keep washing-up to a minimum with these all-in-one dinners, perfect for busy days
recipes HELENA BUSIAKIEWICZ photographs KATE WHITAKER
midweek meals
Spicy tofu stir-fry
This lightly spiced veggie stir-fry is low-effort, and given that there’s little washing-up to do afterwards, it’s ideal for the end of a busy day.
SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 25 mins EASY V
50ml low-sodium soy sauce
½ tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey or agave
½-1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp cornflour
280g firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
250g broccoli, cut into florets
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
10g ginger, finely sliced
300g straight-to-wok rice noodles
10g coriander, roughly chopped
1 Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and chilli flakes in a small bowl, then pour a little out into another small bowl and mix well with the cornflour to combine. Stir this back into the bowl with the rest of the sauce. Set aside.
2 Pat the tofu dry and season well. Put a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Once hot, pour in 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil and fry the tofu on all sides until golden, around 5-8 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3 Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in the pan, then fry the carrots and broccoli, stirring constantly, for 4-5 mins, adding a splash of water towards the end. Stir through the garlic and ginger, and cook for a further few minutes until fragrant.
4 Add another splash of water to cook through the vegetables, then toss in the noodles, fried tofu, sauce and most of the coriander. Mix well.
5 Divide the noodles between four bowls and serve with the remaining chopped coriander sprinkled over.
GOOD TO KNOW low cal • calcium • fibre • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day
PER SERVING 482 kcals • fat 11g • saturates 2g • carbs 73g • sugars 8g • fibre 7g • protein 19g • salt 1.3g
Toasted orzo with cherry tomatoes
Toasting the orzo before adding the stock brings a lovely nutty flavour to this dish, but if you’re short on time you can skip this step.
SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 25 mins EASY V
150g orzo
2 tbsp olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
500ml low-sodium vegetable stock
10g basil leaves, torn
125g ball mozzarella, to serve (optional)
1 Put a large, deep, lidded frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot, tip in the orzo and dry-toast for 5-6 mins, stirring frequently t
