Zesty Fish with Crushed Potatoes and Peas

Zesty Fish with Crushed Potatoes and Peas, Spinach and Capers

I really really enjoyed this dish! It was light, full of flavour and I used ingredients I wouldn't normally cook with. The main difference with this recipe is the sauce: it's super thin and made up of only a few ingredients, much easier and saves on time. Adapted from recipe here on BBC Good Food.

Things you'll need:

(Serves 1)

• 1 x White Fish Fillet*
• 1 x Potato
• 3 x Tbsp Frozen Peas
• 2 x Tsp Capers
• 1/2 a Lemon (juice)
• 1/2 bag Fresh Spinach or blocks Frozen Spinach**
• 1 x Tbsp Olive Oil

* I used Trout but any white fish fillet will do. As I've mentioned on My Top 10 Money Saving Tips you can buy these fresh in frozen packs for much cheaper.

** Similarly to above, Frozen Spinach is cheaper and still locks in all the flavour. All that's required is heating the blocks in a saucepan to break them down.

Price per portion: £1.24

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix together the Olive Oil, 1/2 Lemon juice and Capers.
2. Peel and slice the Potatoes and put them in boiling water for 15 minutes (approx) until tender. 
3. With about 8 minutes to go, fry the White Fish, turning half way through until both sides are golden brown and the fillet is cooked through. Pore in the sauce mix at the last minute just to heat through.
4. Meanwhile, wilt the Spinach in frying pan with a little oil until it breaks down.
5. Mash the Potatoes and Peas together and serve with the wilted Spinach and pan-fried Fish.

Affordable, quick and super delicious! Try not to worry too much about timings, if your mash is ready before your fish, you can always have it ready to serve and cover it with tin foil whilst you cook the rest. I wish I could eat this all over again - give it a go!

Italian Steak Supper

Italian Steak Supper with Garlic Flatbread

Lets be honest, steak isn't something which you would expect to appear on a healthy student cooking blog: it's delicious but high in saturated fat, and it's commonly thought of as being an expensive luxury. However I've thought of a way of getting around it, inspired by a recipe in Ideal Home Magazine. This dish is light, summery and full of fresh vegetables - the Garlic flatbread is completely optional, as the dish stands well on it's own as well.

Things you'll need:

Serves 2

• 2 x Frying Steaks*
• 2 x small Red Onion
• 1/2 Courgette
• 10 x Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 x Handful of Rocket
• 1 x Flatbread**

* Because you end up cutting the steak into slices, you don't need to worry too much about thickness, and standard frying steak will do (and is the cheapest option). Try Tesco's option, which can work out under £1 a steak!

** If you would like to have some carbohydrates with the meal, try one of these which we split between 3 people.

Price overall: £3.17 (£3.50 with Flatbread)

Per portion: £1.59 (£1.75 with Flatbread)

Cooking Instructions:

(If cooking a flatbread, preheat the oven before you start and cook according to packet guidelines.)

1. If you have one, use a griddle pan. Otherwise a regular frying pan will do. Heat some oil in the pan. Cut the small Red Onions in two and place in the pan. (If you have some skewers they will help hold the onions together if you slide them along it, if not then don't worry.) Turn the halved Onions every 1-2 minutes to brown all sides.
2. Slice the courgettes thinly and lengthways (as in the picture above) and add them to the pan alongside the onions. Cook for around 3 minutes on each side until they have that nice charcoaled effect. 
3. As the pan fills up, remove the slices of Courgette, place on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Once you have space, add the cherry tomatoes. Keep moving everything around so each item is browned all over. 
4. Once your Tomatoes are cooked and removed from the pan (under the foil) add your Steaks. Cooking time is dependent on how you like your steak cooked, but stick to this as a guideline: 1 1/2 minutes each side - Rare. 2 minutes each side - Med Rare. 2 1/2 minutes each side - Medium. 3 minutes each side - Well done. 
5. Take everything off the heat and slice the cooked Steaks into strips. Place a handful of Rocket on each plate and top with your Courgettes, Tomatoes, Red Onions and Steak.

There you go! This is a real throw-together salad, with a nice mixture of hot and cold ingredients which work really well. And at this affordable price, it makes Steak student-friendly!

Smoky Beans with Basil & Bacon

Posh beans on toast, in other words.

Popped home for lunch? Feeling lethargic and need to conjure up some energy to get to a lecture or meeting? This 'posh beans on toast' lunch idea is high in fibre, which means energy is slowly released over the hours following lunchtime. You'll be feeling energetic in no time! Why not just grab a can of heinz baked beans, I hear you ask? Beans are low fat, that's for sure. But Heinz baked beans contain 10g of sugar which is 11% of your daily amount (see here), whereas this recipe contains 0g of sugar (see here). Plus with this, you get to add a whole variety of other flavours which are fresh and delicious. Easy choice, if you ask me!

Things you'll need:

1 portion

• 1-2 x Wholemeal Bread (depending on how hungry you are!)
• 1/2 can Cannelloni Beans
• 1 x Rasher of Bacon (Cut using scissors)
• 1 x Large Tomato
• 1/2 small Onion (Chopped)
• Handful of Basil (Optional)*

* The Basil I used was fresh, but this isn't always convenient for students as it goes off very quickly. It tastes great in this dish, and goes well with any tomato-based recipe (such as Somerset Stew or Spicy Meatball Ratatouille). So if you plan your weekly meals out, you'll use up your fresh basil without it going off.

Price per portion: 86p

*with Basil: 96p

Cooking Instructions:

1. Toast 1-2 slices of Wholemeal Bread
2. Meanwhile, heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and gently fry the Onion and Bacon until golden brown.
3. Then drain the Cannelloni Beans and add to the pan with the Tomato, roughly chopped. Mix together for approx 2 minutes.
4. If using Basil, tear bits of the leaves into the pan and stir with the other ingredients. Serve immediately on your toast.

Heinz baked beans are known as a staple student cupboard ingredient, but give this one a go - lower in sugar, more flavours, and another great cheap eat at under a pound a portion! 

Chicken, Pesto and Pinenut Wrap

A tasty lunch option

This is an easy, delicious lunch wrap which can be taken anywhere. With a few cupboard ingredients, tons more flavour can be added to the standard chicken wrap. Plus, this meal works out far cheaper than buying from a shop when you're out and about. Take 5 minutes out of your morning (or night before), put it in a container and have it when you like. No hassle, no stress, no money wasted.

Things you'll need:

Makes 1 wrap

• 1/3 Roast Chicken Pack*
• 1 x tsp Pesto
• 1 x Wholemeal Wrap
• Handful of Rocket Leaves
• Handful of Pine Nuts (optional)

* You have many options here. All major supermarkets sell ready made roast chicken pieces ready to throw in sandwiches/wraps like this. The cheapest way to do this lunch would be to use leftover chicken from a roast dinner. Plan ahead and save the pennies! However, for convenience purposes, pricing is based on the ready made packs provided by supermarkets.

Price per wrap: £1.07

Cooking Instructions:

1. Lay the Wholemeal Wrap down on the surface and spread 1 tbsp of Pesto over the base.
2. Lay the chicken in a line down the middle of the wrap and scatter Pine Nuts (optional) on and around the chicken.
3. Bunch the handful of Rocket Leaves on top of the chicken
4. Fold up the bottom of the wrap (so no fillings fall out) and tuck in the sides. 

A similar Tesco sandwich here is priced at £2, so it's definitely worth making you're own, especially given how easy it is! On the go, cheap tasty chicken pesto pine nut wrap!