Red lentil & sweet potato pâté

Red lentil & sweet potato pâté

Rosie Clewlow's vegetarian dip is a healthy alternative to houmous and great with crudités in a lunchbox.\

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika, plus a little extra
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 140g red lentil
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves chopped, plus a little extra to decorate (optional)
• 500ml low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• pitta bread and vegetable sticks, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook slowly until soft and golden. Tip in the paprika and cook for a further 2 mins, then add the sweet potato, lentils, thyme and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 20 mins or until the potato and lentils are tender.
2. Add the vinegar and some seasoning, and roughly mash the mixture until you get a texture you like. Chill for 1 hr, then drizzle with olive oil, dust with the extra paprika and sprinkle with thyme sprigs, if you like. Serve with pitta bread and vegetable sticks.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Melon & crunchy bran pots Melon & crunchy bran pots

 Melon & crunchy bran pots Melon & crunchy bran pots

Not just for breakfast, this healthy pot of yoghurt, fruit and seeds is a real mid-afternoon hunger booster and ready in 10 minutes.

Ingredients

• ½ x 200g pack melon medley
• 150g pot fat-free yogurt
• 2 tbsp fruit & fibre cereal
• 1 tbsp mixed seed
• 1 tsp clear honey

Method

1. Top melon medley with yogurt, then sprinkle over cereal mixed with seeds. Drizzle over honey and eat immediately.
   
   source:  bbcgoodfood

Storecupboard pasta salad

Storecupboard pasta salad

This pasta salad makes a quick and healthy lunch, or is perfect prepared ahead for a picnic or lunchbox.\

Ingredients

• 2 tsp finely chopped red onion
• 1 tsp caper
• 1 tbsp pesto
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 185g can of tuna in spring water, drained
• 100g leftover pasta shapes
• 3 sundried tomatoes, chopped

Method

1. Mix the onion, capers, pesto and oil. Flake the tuna into a bowl with the pasta and tomatoes, then stir in the pesto mix.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Asian chicken salad

 Asian chicken salad

This easy-to-prepare salad is filled with zingy flavours - the simplified version is great for kids' lunchboxes too.

Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• zest and juice ½ lime(about 1 tbsp)
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 100g bag mixed salad leaves
• large handful coriander, roughly chopped
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
• ¼ cucumber, halved lengthways, sliced

Method

1. Cover the chicken with cold water, bring to the boil, then cook for 10 mins. Remove from the pan and tear into shreds. Stir together the fish sauce, lime zest, juice and sugar until sugar dissolves.
2. Place the leaves and coriander in a container, then top with the chicken, onion, chilli and cucumber. Place the dressing in a separate container and toss through the salad when ready to eat.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Lunchbox snacks

Lunchbox snacks

Keep hunger pangs at bay with these healthy, yummy lunchbox nibbles.

Ingredients

• bean dip with veggie sticks
• raspberry banana smoothie
• cinnamon custard plums
• apricot yogurt granola pots
• carrot & pineapple muffins (all ingredients for recipes below)

Method

1. Bean dip with veggie sticks 5 of 5-a-day, low fat. Whizz 215g can drained butterbeans, squeeze lemon juice, 1 small crushed garlic clove, 1 tbsp each chopped parsley and mint, 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tbsp water. Serve with vegetable dippers made from 1 celery stick, 1 carrot and ½ red pepper - wrap in a damp piece of kitchen paper to stop them drying out (serves 1).
2. Raspberry banana smoothie Whizz 85g raspberries together with 1 chopped banana and 150ml orange juice until smooth (serves 1).
3. Cinnamon custard plums Put 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp butter, 2 quartered plums, few drops vanilla extract, pinch ground cinnamon and 2 tsp water in a dish. Cover with cling film, pierce, microwave for 3 mins on High. Once cooled, put fruit in a container and spoon 2-3 tbsp custard on top. Seal and refrigerate (serves 1).
4. Apricot yogurt granola pots Mix 200g oats, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a baking tray. Spread out and bake at 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 for 7 mins. Stir, bake for 7 mins more. Cool. Mix with 150g dried fruits (enough for 8 servings). For one serving, mix 100ml natural yogurt with 1 tbsp sugar-free apricot jam in a container. Store granola in an airtight container and portion into a small bag when packing lunchbox.
5. Carrot & pineapple muffins Sift together 140g self-raising flour, 85g wholemeal flour (reserving about 2 tbsp of the bran), ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch salt. In another bowl, beat 150ml sunflower oil with 100g golden caster sugar. Add 200g mashed cooked carrots, 3 canned pineapple slices, cut into cubes, 2 tbsp pineapple juice from the can, 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix in 50g sunflower seeds. Fold dry mix into the wet one. Cut out a dozen 10cm squares of baking parchment and place in the holes of a muffin tin. Spoon mixture into tin, sprinkle with bran and a few sunflower seeds. Bake at 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6 for 20-25 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool (makes 12).
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Green club sandwich

Green club sandwich

This healthy sandwich is packed full of goodness to keep you going until dinner.

Ingredients

• 3 slices wholegrain or rye toast
• 3 tbsp ready-made houmous
• 1 small avocado(100g), stoned and sliced
• 1 handful rocket leaves
• 8-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Method

1. Toast the bread and spread houmous evenly over one side of each slice. On one slice of bread, lay half the avocado, rocket and tomato. Season with pepper, then cover with another slice.
2. Pile on the rest of the avocado, rocket and tomato, season again and top with the third slice.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Chicken soba noodles

Chicken soba noodles

Quick and easy to prepare, whether you're packing them up for work or grabbing a bite at home.

Ingredients

• 85g bundle soba or buckwheatnoodles
• drizzle of sesame oil
• 8 mangetout
• 1 small carrot
• ½ red chilli
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• handful shredded cooked chicken
• soy sauce

Method

1. Cook the noodles, drain well, then toss with a drizzle sesame oil.
2. Finely slice the mangetout, cut the carrot into matchsticks and deseed and slice the red chilli.
3. Add to the noodles with the toasted sesame seeds and some shredded cooked chicken, if you have it. Pack with a small portion of soy sauce.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Spicy tuna & cottage cheese jacket

 Spicy tuna & cottage cheese jacket

For a low-fat energy lunch try a carbohydrate-heavy baked potato with a light and nutritious filling.

Ingredients

• 225g can tuna, drained
• ½ red chilli, chopped
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• handful halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ small bunch coriander, chopped
• 1 medium-sized jacket potato
• 150g low-fat cottage cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C. Prick the potato several times with a fork and put it straight onto a shelf in the hottest part of the oven. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until it is soft inside.
2. Mix tuna with chilli, spring onion, cherry tomatoes and coriander. Split jacket potato and fill with the tuna mix and cottage cheese.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Red lentil & carrot soup

Red lentil & carrot soup

This warming and budget-friendly vegetarian soup is perfect packed in a flask for lunch. It's also easy to double the quantities and freeze half for later.

Ingredients

• 1 white onion, finely sliced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 carrots, scrubbed and diced
• 85g red lentils
• 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
• generous sprigs parsley, chopped (about 2 tbsp) plus a few extra leaves

Method

1. Put the kettle on to boil while you finely slice the onion. Heat the oil in a medium pan, add the onion and fry for 2 mins while you slice the garlic and dice the carrots. Add them to the pan, and cook briefly over the heat.
2. Pour in 1 litre of the boiling water from the kettle, stir in the lentils and stock cube, then cover the pan and cook over a medium heat for 15 mins until the lentils are tender. Take off the heat and stir in the parsley. Ladle into bowls, and scatter with extra parsley leaves, if you like.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Spicy Quorn & avocado wraps Spicy avocado wraps

 Spicy Quorn & avocado wraps Spicy avocado wraps

Pan-fry vegetarian, chicken-style pieces with lime, chilli and garlic, then pile onto seeded tortilla wraps - cool before assembling if packing for lunch.

Ingredients

• ½ x 300g pack Quorn chicken-style pieces (or similar vegetarian product), sliced at an angle
• generous squeeze juice ½ lime
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 seeded wraps
• 1 avocado, halved and stoned
• 1 roasted red pepper, from a jar
• few sprigs coriander, chopped

Method

1. Mix the vegetarian, chicken-style pieces with the lime juice, chilli powder and garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan then fry the pieces for a couple of mins, while you warm the wraps following the pack instructions or if you have a gas hob, heat them over the flame to slightly char them. Do not let them dry out or they are difficult to roll.
3. Squash half an avocado onto each wrap, add the peppers to the pan to warm them through then pile onto the wraps with the chicken-style pieces, and sprinkle over the coriander. Roll up, cut in half and eat with your fingers.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Egg & rocket pizzas

Egg & rocket pizzas

Use seeded tortillas as pizza bases for a quick and healthy lunch - crack an egg in the centre and bake to boost protein intake.

Ingredients

• 2 seeded wraps
• a little olive oil, for brushing
• 1 roasted red pepper, from a jar
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 eggs
• 65g pack rocket
• ½ red onion, very thinly sliced

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lay the tortillas on two baking sheets, brush sparingly with the oil then bake for 3 mins. Meanwhile chop the pepper and tomatoes and mix with the tomato purée, seasoning and herbs. Turn the tortillas over and spread with the tomato mixture, leaving the centre free from any large pieces of pepper or tomato.
2. Break an egg into the centre then return to the oven for 10 mins or until the egg is just set and the tortilla is crispy round the edges. Serve scattered with the rocket and onion.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood

Honeycomb

Honeycomb

Making your own caramel requires care and attention, but the resulting bubbly crunchy cinder toffee is worth it.

Ingredients

• butter, for greasing
• 200g caster sugar
• 5 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Grease a 20cm square tin with the butter. Mix the caster sugar and syrup in a deep saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has melted. Try not to let the mixture bubble until the sugar grains have disappeared. Once completely melted, turn up the heat a little and simmer until you have an amber coloured caramel (this won’t take long), then as quickly as you can turn off the heat, tip in the bicarbonate and beat in with a wooden spoon until it has all disappeared and the mixture is foaming. Scrape into the tin immediately but be careful as the mixture will be very hot.
2. The mixture will continue bubbling in the tin, simply leave it and in about 1 hr- 1 hr 30mins the honeycomb will be hard and ready to crumble or snap into chunks.
   
   source: bbcgoodfood