If you have an hour spare at the weekend, you can make these five easy dishes, and guarantee you’ll be eating your 5-a-day during the week.
The portions of fruit and vegetables in each dish are listed below:
- Carrot and cabbage salad (6 portions)
- Tabbouleh (4 portions)
- Roast peppers (6 portions)
- Aubergine dip (6 portions)
- Lentil and feta salad (3 portions, if eaten on separate days)
The only equipment you will need is a knife, chopping board, vegetable peeler, parchment paper and mixing bowls.
You can use these dishes as the basis of your lunch each day, or add them to your evening meal.
Ingredient list
The ingredients you will need to make these dishes are:
- 4 carrots
- 1/2 a head of red cabbage
- Large bunch of parsley (around 100g)
- 21 cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion
- 250g cooked quinoa (pre-cooked pouches, or cook yourself)
- 3 peppers
- 3 aubergines
- 250g cooked lentils (pre-cooked pouches, or cook yourself)
- 100g feta
- 2 lemons
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
- sumac (optional)
Method (step-by-step)
Roast vegetables
1 – Start by heating your oven to 180 degrees C (fan). Wash the aubergines and peppers and place whole on a baking tray lined with parchment or a non-stick mat. Prick the vegetables with a fork before they go into the oven. Then the oven is hot, add the vegetables and cook for an hour.
Lentil and feta salad
2 – While the vegetables are cooking, cut the feta into small squares and mix with the pre-cooked lentils. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Carrot and cabbage salad
3 – Peel the carrots, then use the peeler to peel the carrots, avoiding the harder middle section. Place in a bowl. Next, chop the cabbage into small pieces and add to the shredded carrots. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well to combine. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Tabbouleh
4 – Place the pre-cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Chop the tomatoes, red onion and parsley into very small pieces. Add to the bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of olive oil (optional) and a teaspoon of salt. Mix well to combine and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
5 – When the aubergine and peppers are cooked take them out of the oven. Place the peppers in a sandwich bag and seal (this will help to remove the skin when they have cooled down). Put the aubergines on a plate and allow to cool.
Aubergine dip
6 – When the aubergines have cooled, cut them in half length ways, and scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Chop the flesh into small chunks and place in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of tahini. Top with a sprinkle of sumac if you are using. Stir well to combine and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Roast peppers
7 – When the peppers have cooled enough to handle, take them out of the sandwich bag and remove the skins and seeds. Cut into quarters and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
