5 Best Lockdown Meals

As some of you may have seen on my food Instagram account, one of the things getting me through lockdown is cooking! I have always enjoyed it, and that's because of my mamma!

Lockdown is the perfect time to rediscover the fun of cooking, or to start if you are new to it.

I am going to give you 5 of my favourite recipes I've been making. They are all easy, healthy (kind of) and most of all, TASTY!

1. Veggie Chilli Con Carne

An absolute staple for me, a big hearty chilli can last you through the week! It can be paired with rice (brown or basmati), potatoes (I like jacket potatoes most!) and leafy salad.

The best thing about a chilli is that you can whack in any veg you have, fresh, tinned, or leftovers!

Method:

• Chop up all the veg you can find.

• Fry onions, garlic with salt and black pepper in some oil.

• Once they have browned a bit, add in the rest of your veg and fry. I like to add a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce at this point.

• Add in some smoked paprika, cumin and chilli flakes (as much as you desire), I use about two tablespoons of each spice. Then allow to fry for a few minutes.

• Plop in some tinned tomatoes and some hot water/stock, then add some more spices if you want!This is where you add your tinned beans if you're using them, and lentils are good at this stage, they give a nice consistency of real mince meat.

• Add in tomato puree if you fancy, to thicken up the sauce, then allow to simmer for a while, until all the veg is cooked together nicely.

• Fresh coriander goes SO well with this, and I also like to cook a few green lentils in with my white rice, it turns the rice pink!

• Sprinkle with some paprika and serve with your chosen carb!

2. Courgette and Potato Fritters

This was a childhood staple. A super, SUPER tasty snack/light lunch/side to a meal. It is healthy, but tastes so naughty...

Method:

• Grate some potato and courgette

• Squeeze out the juices (you can put in a clean tea towel and rinse it through, but I just get messy and use your hands)

• Mix in some flour and onion/spring onion if you're fancy

• OPTIONAL: You can mix an egg into the mixture for taste or to help it stick together better, but they work just as good without!

• Use your hands to make into little golf balls and flatten them into patties

• Get your frying pan super hot with some oil and whack them in!

• Season with salt and pepper! They are very nice dipped into ketchup or sweet chilli sauce.

3. Baked Camembert

Ok, so this one isn't healthy, but by golly is it tasty. I should probably say to share this with another person, but I am not judging you if you eat a whole Camembert to yourself. We have all done it....

Method:

• Slice the top of the Camembert off and set aside.

• Chop up a garlic clove and insert in the cheese

• Put some sprigs of rosemary in the cheese (it helps to stab little holes in the cheese with a knife if the cheese is a bit hard), sink them in real good.

• Season with pepper, some salt if you're nasty.

• Put the Camembert lid back on, and put the whole thing in an oven proof dish.

• BAKE! I usually put it in for about 20 mins on 170 degrees C, or until all these cheese is thoroughly melted

• Whilst it is in the oven, chop up some carrot, cucumber and pepper into sticks to dip. As well as some lovely fresh crusty bread (sourdough is the one).

• Take out the cheese and dip to your hearts extent!

4. Risotto

For ages, I heard the word 'risotto' and thought "hm, that sounds too complicated." But then I made one just using basic range long grain rice and it changed my life. As long as you've got a few staple ingredients in your cupboard, it is a super easy dish to make, and use with whatever vegetables/meat you have in!

Method:

• Chop up onion, garlic, and any other veg/meat you fancy

• Fry in salt and pepper until soft

• Pour in some risotto rice (although I have found it pretty much works out with any white rice), and let the rice fry for a little bit with the veg.

• Pour in a long splash of white wine and cook until evaporated, leaving the lovely taste.

• Pour in a little bit of stock, and repeat every time all the stock is absorbed by the rice. Keep stirring for ultimate risotto creaminess, tasting now and then to check the rice is cooked.

• Mix in some cheese, preferably Parmesan but again, any cheese will work.

• Add a knob of butter and stir. DONE!

5. Homemade Gravy (plus sausages and veg)

That fateful day I had made a whole dinner and realised...i was out of bisto...AGHHH.

But, being the resourceful Bear Grylls of the kitchen that I think I am, I made my own gravy!

Here's how:

• Fry onions (I love an onion-y gravy) in some oil, I like to season them with some rosemary but that's not necessary.

• Crumble up a stock cube or two and mix into the frying onions. Add boiling water, along with any veg you want to add. Leek is a good addition.

• Boil for a while to reduce the water. Then add in some flour, bit by bit, mixing it into the sauce. This will thicken it up, who wants runny gravy?!

• Add salt and pepper at your pleasure!

Bon Appetit!