A delicious, nutritious dinner is the goal but it’s not always easy in among the busyness of family life - Amelia Freer’s The Organised Cook makes light work of planning meal times that tick all the flavour and health boxes. Here we sample a few examples...
Best black bean burger
(VEGETARIAN) / (GF) / KIDS
Makes 6
This is definitely the best bean burger I have made and I've made a lot! Serve them with all the normal burger accompaniments and you'll never look back. It's also a family-friendly and economical option to have in the freezer to pull out whenever, so do make a few spare if possible.
2 × 400g tins of black beans, drained and rinsed 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling ½ red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped 1 shallot or small onion, roughly chopped 220g mushrooms, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika ½ tsp dried mixed herbs 65g breadcrumbs (use gluten-free, if necessary) 80g feta, crumbled 1 large free-range egg 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or a vegetarian alternative)
1. Preheat the oven to 150C fan.
2. Spread the drained beans on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until slightly dried out. (This is important, as a lower water content helps the beans to stick together better, and really improves the texture of the burger.)
3. Add the oil to a medium-large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the pepper, shallot or onion, mushrooms, garlic, cumin, paprika and mixed herbs and sauté for around 8 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
4. Place the sautéed vegetables and all the remaining ingredients, including a good pinch of salt and grind of pepper, in a large food processor and pulse until combined, leaving some larger chunks. You don’t want to end up with a paste, so go carefully.
5. Using wet hands (as it helps prevent the mixture sticking), shape the mixture into 6 patties (each roughly 8–10cm). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the patties on top. Put the tray in the fridge for a couple of hours, to help the patties stick together.
6. Preheat the grill to a medium heat or the oven to 190C fan. If grilling, drizzle a little olive oil over the patties and place them under the grill for 8 minutes. Turn them over, then grill for 4 minutes on the other side, checking every few minutes as every grill is different. They should look a little golden. If baking, drizzle a little olive oil over the patties, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip them over and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Comforting and light but deep in flavour, this is an easy, nourishing dish for any night of the week. It's a nutritionally balanced meal, too, delivering on fibre from the vegetables and protein thanks to the beans and chicken. If you'd like to freeze it, strip the chicken meat from the bones first and it'll be fine for up to 3 months.
2 Tbsp olive oil 8 chicken drumsticks or thighs 1 small onion, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, finely sliced 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced Splash of white wine 1 Tbsp tarragon leaves 1 × 400g tin of white beans, drained and rinsed (I use butter beans or cannellini) 2 medium courgettes, cut into 1cm discs 250ml chicken stock 1 lemon, to serve (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan.
2. Place a casserole or ovenproof pan over a high heat. Add the oil and gently brown the chicken pieces until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan, reduce the heat and fry gently for 10 minutes, adding a little more olive oil, if needed.
4. Once the onion and garlic are translucent and soft, return the chicken to the pan, add the wine, tarragon, beans, courgettes and chicken stock. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until bubbling all over and the chicken is browned and cooked through. Serve in bowls with lots of the juices and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if using.
Chicken, courgette and white bean stew. Photo / Clare Winfield
Persian herb frittata
VEGETARIAN / GF / (DF)
Serves 4
Inspired by the Persian recipe kuku sabzi, a wonderfully herby omelette traditionally served at Persian New Year, this abridged version cuts down on the ingredients list while making use of any leftover herbs in the fridge and adding feta for a salty hit. It works for any meal.
6 free-range eggs Large handful of mixed fresh green herbs (I used parsley, dill and coriander) ½ onion, diced 2 Tbsp olive oil 50g feta, crumbled (optional) Pomegranate seeds, to serve (optional)
1. Place the eggs and herbs in a blender and blitz until the herbs look very finely chopped.
3. Place the onion and olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and sauté for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
4. Pour the herb and egg mixture over the onion and cook for 2 minutes, keeping the pan moving by gently swirling and shaking it to stop the egg from sticking too much. Crumble over the feta and place the pan under the grill for 2 minutes until golden brown and the eggs are set.
Persian herb frittata. Photo / Clare Winfield
Chocolate courgette cake with rich chocolate icing
VEGETARIAN / (GF) / (DF) /KIDS
Serves 8–10
This is a showstopper of a cake and perfect for a celebration. Courgette cake isn't a new idea, but it pairs so well with chocolate, and really helps to stop the cake drying out. Plus, I'm always keen for original ways to use up my summer courgette glut.
100g dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa solids, dairy free if necessary) 200g courgette, grated 80ml mild olive oil 2 large free-range eggs 50g plain yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt, if dairy-free) 70g caster sugar 150g self-raising flour (use gluten- free, if necessary) ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt 30g dark chocolate chips (optional) For the icing 100g dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa solids, dairy free if necessary) 4 Tbsp cream cheese (or coconut yoghurt, if dairy-free) 1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan and line a 18cm round cake tin with parchment paper.
2. Melt the dark chocolate for the cake in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (or in a microwave if you have one), making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
3. In a large bowl, mix the grated courgette, oil, eggs, yoghurt, melted chocolate and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the courgette mix until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
4. Pour into the tin and bake for about 30–35 minutes (until a skewer comes out clean). Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin.
5. Meanwhile, to make the icing, melt the dark chocolate as before and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese (or yoghurt), syrup or honey and salt until smooth. When the cake is completely cool, spread the icing over the top and sides and serve.
