No-cook meals

midweek meals

Sichuan smacked cucumber noodles

You can tailor this to make it less spicy, if you like. It makes an excellent lunchbox option, too.

SERVES 2 PREP 15 mins NO COOK EASY V

1 cucumber
100g rice noodles
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns,
crushed and toasted
½ tsp chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
(optional)
pinch of caster sugar
10g coriander, roughly chopped

1 Using a rolling pin or heavy frying pan, lightly smack the cucumber across all sides, until splitting. Scrape out the seeds, cut into chunks and put in a sieve. Sprinkle well with salt and leave to drain by setting the sieve over a bowl.

2 Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in boiling water until tender, then rinse with cold water and set aside.

3 Whisk together the soy sauce, tahini, rice wine vinegar, Sichuan peppercorns, chilli flakes and caster sugar in a bowl. Rinse the salted cucumbers well, then add to the dressing, along with the chopped coriander and noodles.

4 Mix well to combine, then divide between two bowls, sprinkling with more chilli flakes, if you like.

GOOD TO KNOW vegan • healthy • low cal • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 305 kcals • fat 12g • saturates 2g • carbs 39g • sugars 3g • fibre 4g • protein 9g • salt 0.52g

Watermelon, sumac & feta salad

This is my favourite summer salad for pure, cooling refreshment.

SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins NO COOK EASY V

1 shallot, thinly sliced into rings
2 tsp sumac, plus a pinch to serve
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lime, juiced
10g mint
700g watermelon (prepared
weight), cut into chunky cubes
65g feta
4 slices toasted sourdough bread,
to serve

1 Put the shallot in a small bowl of ice water and set aside. Whisk together the sumac, olive oil, lime juice and some seasoning.

2 Chop half the mint. Drain the shallots well and put in a large bowl with the watermelon, most of the feta and the chopped mint. Toss with the dressing to combine.

3 Transfer to a serving platter and scatter over the remaining feta and mint. Sprinkle with a pinch of sumac and serve with the toast.

GOOD TO KNOW low fat • low cal • folate • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 315 kcals • fat 8g • saturates 3g • carbs 48g • sugars 15g • fibre 3g • protein 11g • salt 1.53g

Rainbow hummus plate