Tandoori Chicken Pilaff in a pot!

There's no washing up with this one which is always a plus! 

It tastes good, takes about 25 minutes to make, serves two and costs about £2.00 each.

Ingredients

2tsp sunflower oil

1 small onion - chopped

4 skinless, boned chicken thighs cut into chunks

4 tsp curry paste - any one you like

200g basmati rice

400ml chicken stock

280g mixed veg - frozen -peas/beans/cauliflower/broccoli

Leaf spinach - frozen - a handful

How to make

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until it's soft.

Add the chicken pieces, fry for a few minutes until its coloured, then stir in the curry paste and rice - cook for another minute.

Pour in the chicken stock and add any bigger bits of the veg.

Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the remaining veg and scatter the spinach over the top.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes more until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Give everything a good stir, season to taste and tuck in!

Chicken & Spring Veggies!

This is a fresh and delicious dinner that everyone loves in our family - it only takes about 20 minutes to make, will serve 4 and costs about £2.00 each.

I've entered this recipe in the 'cook for your family' competition that The Times newspaper is currently running & am keeping my fingers crossed!

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts - sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

400g new potatoes - scrubbed and sliced

500ml chicken stock

400g - broccoli, peas, sliced courgette & broad beans

4 tbsp creme fraiche

Fresh tarragon leaves - roughly chopped, a couple of tbsp

How to cook

Fry the chicken in the oil in a pan for about 5 minutes until it is cooked through and browning slightly.

Add the potatoes to the pan and stir to coat in the oil.

Pour in the stock and cover with a lid and simmer for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked.

Take the lid off and turn the heat up and boil to reduce the stock down a little.

Put all the vegetables in the pan, put the lid back on and cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the creme fraiche and stir to make a creamy sauce, season with salt and pepper, add the tarragon and serve straight from the pan.

The Ultimate Macaroni Cheese!

This is very quick to make, it takes about 20 minutes, is plenty for two and costs about £1.50 each - if you want to save some money you can leave out the bacon and it's still as nice!

Ingredients

140g cheddar cheese - grated
425ml semi skimmed milk
25g plain flour
25g butter
200g pasta 'elbows'
100g bacon lardons
Tomato - one sliced
Breadcrumbs - handful, white or wholemeal

How to cook

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.

Fry the bacon in a pan until brown and crispy and put to one side.

Put the milk in a pan, sprinkle in the flour and then add the butter.

Whisk over a warm heat until thickened and smooth, stir in most of the cheese and season.

Add the bacon and the pasta to the sauce and mix together and then spoon it into an ovenproof dish.

Pre heat the grill to high, arrange the slice tomatoes on the top, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and the cheese that's left.

Grill until golden!

Aubergine Parmigiana!

Everything that I've cooked so far has had meat in it so I thought that I should try something without it - this recipe take about 35 minutes, it will serve four but you could half the ingredients for two, you'd have tomatoes and sauce left over which you could use for a pasta dish - it costs less than £2.00 each including the bread and salad sides.

This is nice served with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce and a bit of salad on the side.

Ingredients

500g aubergines - trimmed & sliced lengthways

3 tbsp olive oil

1 glove garlic - finely chopped

400 g chopped tomatoes

350g tub tomato & basil sauce

250g mozzarella cheese balls - drained and sliced

30g Parmesan cheese - grated

Fresh basil - washed and torn

How to cook

Preheat the oven to 180 oC, fan 160 oC, gas 4.

Brush the aubergine slices all over with 2tbsp of the oil and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil you have left in a pan, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil (leave a few out to use as garnish) and some ground black pepper and simmer for 10-12 minutes until it gets thicker.

Spoon some of the sauce into an ovenproof dish, add a layer of aubergine slices and top with some of the mozzarella.

Repeat until everything is used up and then sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 20 minutes.