Eat well for less recipes

The UK Eatwell guide is a useful overview of how the various food groups should make up our everyday diets, but in short, here are the guidelines to remember:

• Most of your diet should come from plant-based foods, including your five-a-day fruits and vegetables and starchy staples, like wholegrains and wholemeal varieties of pasta, rice, and bread.
• The remaining part of your diet should come from protein foods such as beans, pulses, lentils, eggs, meat and fish and, to a lesser degree, dairy (and alternatives) rich in calcium.
• Oils should be unsaturated and kept to a minimum.
• Sweet and savoury snacks should be viewed as a treat and eaten only occasionally.

Read more about eating well for less.

Serves 4

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 400g can red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
• 100g borlotti beans (drained and rinsed)
• 100g cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 6 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• 800ml vegetables stock
• 1 courgette, diced
• Salt
• Black pepper

1. Set a large saucepan over a high heat.
2. Add the oil and cook for 10 minutes until softened.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli powder and dried oregano, then add a splash of water and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the beans along with the carrot, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 90 minutes until the beans are soft but still intact.
5. Add the courgette, then stir and cook for a further 10 minutes and remove from the heat.
6. Season the soup to taste, then leave it to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 800g potato, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp mango chutney
• 125g pot low fat natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp mint sauce
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 8 small plain chapatis

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 8 minutes until soft.
2. Add 1 tbsp of curry powder and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and season. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the potatoes and 1 tbsp curry powder to a pan of boiling salted water. Cook until just tender. Drain, reserving 100ml of the liquid.
4. Add the drained potatoes and reserved liquid to the tomato sauce, along with the mango chutney. Heat through, then take off the heat.
5. Meanwhile, combine the yoghurt and mint sauce.
6. To serve, spoon some of the potatoes onto a chapati and drizzle with the mint yoghurt dressing.

Serves 4

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large chicken thighs, skinless
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 celery sticks, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 280g pearl barley
• 1,000ml vegetable stock
• Large handful flat leaf parsley
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp jar capers
• Salt
• Black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over a medium heat.
2. Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes, then add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add the pearl barley and stir, then add the stock. Cover and leave to simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While the risotto is cooking, place the parsley, lemon juice and capers in a small food processor (or pestle and mortar) and blitz or crush into a paste.
5. When the pearl barley is soft, but still with a little bite, remove it from the heat. Stir in the parsley paste, check for seasoning, then serve.

Serves 4

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 pinch chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
• 250g red lentils
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 80g frozen spinach, defrosted
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp frozen coriander
• Salt
• Black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Add the onion and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until softened.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes, then cook for 1 minute. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute.
4. Turn up the heat to medium, add the sweet potatoes and stir until fully coated.
5. Add the red lentils and vegetable stock, then season.
6. Bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes until the lentils and potato are tender.
7. Take the pan off the heat, stir through the spinach and coriander, then top with the spring onions before serving.

Serves 4

• 300g spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 pinch chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 425g can pilchards in tomato sauce
• 70g can black olives, roughly chopped
• Grated parmesan

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil, then add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the pack.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, then cook for 4 minutes until soft.
3. Add the chilli flakes and tomato purée then stir for 1 minute.
4. Add the pilchards in their sauce, breaking up the fish with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the olives and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with 2-3 tbsp of the cooking water. Toss everything together, then sprinkle with Parmesan.