Pepper and Red Onion Melt

Lunch Option: Pepper and Red Onion Melt

Another lunch option which is vegetarian as well as low on calories and saturated fat! Most things that are smothered with cheese are high in saturated fat, but lighter choices like Mozzarella thinly sliced is much better than melting cheddar. Plus you're adding some tasty vegetables and accompanying it with a side salad - who knew cheese toasties could be healthy! I took this recipe from a new app by the NHS called 'Be Food Smart' (more info here) - I'd really recommend it!

Things you'll need:
This amount will get you 3 lunches worth.

• 3 x Slices of wholemeal bread
• 1 x Mozzarella Ball
• 1 x Pepper
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1 x Mixed Salad Bag

Price overall: £2.29 (Approx)

Per Lunch: 76p

Cooking Instructions:

1. Slice the Pepper and Red Onion and put in a baking tray with a splash of Olive Oil. Place under a hot grill for 3/4 minutes until it's just starting to brown.
2. Meanwhile, toast your slice of Wholemeal Bread in a toaster. Then thinly slice your Mozzarella and place on top of the toasted Bread.
3. Remove the grilled Pepper and Red Onion from the grill and spread on top of the Mozzarella, then place under the grill for a further 3 minutes until the cheese has melted over the Bread. Serve with side salad.

My cheapest meal option to date! If you're feeling particularly hungry then toast two piece of Bread instead of one and make it a proper sandwich! But if you want a light lunch, this is perfect!

Beef and Vegetable Casserole

This recipe takes some time to make, so perfect if you have some extra time on your hands (which most students do, let's be honest!) The actual preparation takes no time at all, but the slow cooking makes the beef really tender and tasty. I took this recipe from BBC Good Food (here) and didn't need to alter it too much as it's really simple and packed full of goodness (5 of your 5 a day!)

Things you'll need:

Serves 2-3*

• 1 x Pack of Casserole Beef (Steak or Diced)
• 1 x Onion 
• 1 x Carrot
• 1 x Leek
• 1 x Garlic Clove
• 2 x Celery Sticks
• 75g Mushrooms
• 500ml Beef Stock
• 2 x tbsp Tomato Puree

* This may seem like too much, but to save the awkwardness of only using half a carrot (etc), make a big Casserole and Freeze the other portions for a later date!

Price Overall: £5.71 (Approx)

Per Serving: £1.90 (3 Servings) 

Cooking Instructions:

1. Add a splash of Olive Oil and Fry the chopped Onion, Leek, Carrot, Celery and Garlic in a large saucepan and cooking gently for 5 minutes. Add the Mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes until transparent but not browned. Remove all vegetables from the pan and set aside.
2. Add a splash of Olive Oil and gently fry the diced Casserole Beef and then brown all over. Then return the vegetables to the pan and add the Beef Stock and Tomato Puree. Simmer on a low heat for 1 1/2 hours until tender.

Ensure that you check on the Casserole every 20 minutes or so, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan and keep everything moving - the last thing you want to do is burn it! Feel free to leave it to cook for longer if you want the beef to be more tender. Serve with Mash Potato! A super cheap student dish and a great replacement for those Sunday Roasts you might be missing!