5 Healthy Recipes Under £5

Struggling to stay healthy on a student budget? Find yourself stocking up on cheap, unhealthy ready meals? There are actually plenty of healthy meals you can make from scratch without blowing your budget. Her Campus has come up with 5 healthy recipes you can try out with your flatmates…and all for under £5!

Chicken and vegetable stir fry:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• Diced chicken breast
• 150g beansprouts
• 150g baby corn, halved lengthways
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 150g green beans
• Bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
• 150g wok noodles
• Soy sauce

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
2. Add the vegetables and beansprouts to the chicken and fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add the soy sauce and noodles and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve immediately

[pagebreak]

Vegetable Tagine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 carrots, cut into chunks
• 4 small parsnips, cut into chunks
• 3 red onions, chopped
• 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ground cumin, paprika, cinnamon and mild chilli powder
• 400g canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 small handfuls of soft dried apricots
• 2 tsp clear honey
• Cous cous

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C/180 fan/ gas 6. Scatter the vegetables over a couple of baking sheets, drizzle with half the oil, season, then, rub the oil over the vegetables to coat.
2. Roast for 30 minutes until tender and beginning to brown.
3. In a  frying pan, cook the spices in the remaining oil for 1 minute
4. Tip in the tomatoes, apricots, honey and a can of water. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced and the apricots plump, then stir in the veg and some seasoning.
5. Serve with cous cous

[pagebreak]

Chorizo chicken with chilli wedges:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 12 thin chorizo slices
• 4 chicken breasts
• A few thyme sprigs

Method:

1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet, then coat in the oil and chilli flakes, and season.
2. Roast for 10 minutes, then remove and reduce the oven temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
3. Lay 3 slices of chorizo over each chicken breast, and secure with a cocktail stick. Put the chicken onto the baking sheet with the potato wedges. Scatter the wedges with thyme leaves, then roast for another 20 minutes until the chicken begins to turn golden. (Turn half way through cooking).

[pagebreak]

Lemon fish with basil bean mash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 small bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 × 150g frozen chunks of white fish fillet
• Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of ½ 
• 480g pack of frozen soya beans
• 2 garlic cloves
• Basil
• 200ml chicken or vegetable stock

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet, rub with a little of the oil and some seasoning, then roast for 5 minutes until the skins are starting to split.
2. Add the fish, top with most of the lemon zest and some more seasoning, then drizzle with a little more oil. Roast for 8-10 minutes until the fish flakes easily
3. Meanwhile, cook the beans in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes until just tender. Drain, then tip into a food processor with the remaining oil, garlic, basil, lemon juice and stock. Pulse to a thick, slightly rough puree. Season to taste.
4. Divide the tomatoes and bean mash among four of your flat mates plates, then scatter with basil leaves and the remaining lemon zest to serve.

[pagebreak]

Aubergine cous cous salad

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine, sliced into 1cm rounds
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 140g cous cous
• 225ml hot vegetable stock
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
• A handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 100g log firm goat’s cheese, cubed
• Juice of ½ lemon

Method:

1. Heat grill to high. Put the aubergine on a baking sheet, brush with a little of the oil and season. Grill for about 15 minutes until browned and softened, turning and brushing with more oil halfway through.
2. Tip the cous cous into a large bowl, pour over the stock, then cover and leave for 10 minutes.
3. Mix together the tomatoes, mint, goat’s cheese and remaining oil. Fluff up the cous cous with a fork, then stir in the aubergine, tomato mixture and lemon juice, and serve.

Picture credits: www.pinterest.com, www.bbcgoodfood.com