Thrifty Health

Ticking both the healthy and budget-friendly boxes can often be tricky. Try one of these cheap, filling dinners, all under Dhs20 per

recipes ESTHER CLARK | photographs MIKE ENGLISH

Turkey escalopes & giant couscous

2 OF 5-A-DAY | HEALTHY | FIBRE | SERVES 4 | PREP 15 mins | COOK 45 mins | EASY

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 aubergine, cut into 3cm cubes

• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

• ¼ tsp chilli flakes

• 400g can chopped tomatoes

• 70g black olives, pitted and sliced

• 1 lemon, zested

• 4 turkey escalopes

• 250g giant couscous

• ½ small bunch basil, chopped, plus some extra torn leaves to serve

• 20g parmesan, shaved, to serve

1) Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion and aubergine for 15-20 mins, or until softened. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 min more. Tip in the tomatoes and olives and cook for another 10 mins.

2) Meanwhile, heat the grill high. Mix the remaining oil and the lemon zest together, then rub on both sides of the turkey escalopes. Put the escalopes on a baking sheet and grill for 5-6 mins on each side until cooked through.

3) Cook the couscous following pack instructions, then drain and stir through the tomato sauce along with the basil. Slice the escalopes and serve with the couscous, parmesan and extra basil leaves.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • fibre • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 598 kcals • fat 17g • saturates 3g • carbs 51g • sugars 8g • fibre 7g • protein 55g • salt 0.9g

Butter bean, mushroom & bacon pot pies

3 OF 5-A-DAY | LOW CAL | VIT C | SERVES 4 | PREP 15 mins | COOK 50 mins | EASY | P

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 2 red onions, thinly sliced

• 500g mushrooms, thickly sliced

• 70g smoked streaky bacon, sliced into thin strips

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 500ml low-salt vegetable stock

• 250g kale, roughly sliced

• 3 tsp wholegrain mustard

• 2 tbsp reduced-fat crème fraîche

• 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

1) Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan or large flameproof casserole dish. Fry the onions for 10 mins until soft, then add the mushrooms and bacon and fry for another 5 mins until golden. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 mins more. Gradually pour in the stock, then bring to the boil and bubble for 2 mins. Add the kale and cook for another 5 mins, then stir in the mustard, crème fraîche, half the tarragon and the lemon juice. Spoon the mushroom mixture into four small baking dishes.

2) Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Put the butter beans in a food processor with the remaining oil and tarragon and the lemon zest. Blitz until chunky, adding 2-3 tbsp water to loosen if needed.

3) Spoon the butter bean mixture over the filling, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden. Leave to cool slightly, then serve.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • low cal • folate • fibre • vit c • 3 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 378 kcals • fat 17g • saturates 4g • carbs 31g • sugars 8g • fibre 12g • protein 18g • salt 1.2g

Spicy ‘vedgeree’

IRON | FIBRE | GLUTEN FREE | SERVES 4 | PREP 10 mins | COOK 1 hr 10 mins | EASY | V

GF Tip: To save time, you could use a pouch of microwave brown rice instead of cooking rice from scratch. Cook following pack instructions before folding through the other ingredients in step 4.

• 350g long grain brown rice

• 150g green beans, trimmed and halved

• 4 medium eggs

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 2 onions, sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 heaped tbsp medium curry powder

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 2 bay leaves

• 200g spinach

• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved

• ½ small bunch coriander, chopped

• 1 green chilli, sliced

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

1) Rinse the rice under cold running water, rubbing with your fingers to remove any excess starch. Cook following pack instructions, then drain well.

2) Bring another pan of water to a simmer. Cook the green beans for 2 mins, then transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Boil the eggs in the pan for 7 mins, then drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water to cool.

3) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 10-15 mins until golden. Add the garlic, curry powder, turmeric and bay leaves and cook for 1 min more. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes and a splash of water and cook for another 5 mins until the spinach has wilted.

4) Fold the cooked rice and green beans through the spinach mixture and cook for a few minutes until the rice is warmed through. Drain and gently peel the eggs, then slice in half.

5) Top the rice mixture with the eggs, coriander and chilli. Serve the vedgeree with the lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • folate • fibre • vit c • iron • 2 of 5-a-day • gluten free PER SERVING 501 kcals • fat 14g • saturates 2g • carbs 70g • sugars 6g • fibre 9g • protein 20g • salt 0.3g