Easy baked potatoes with lentil baked beans

I have to admit, I do genuinely enjoy cooking and if I have visitors coming for food, I could spend hours pouring over recipes, trying to create the perfect menu to suit everyone, and then lose a day in the kitchen literally cooking up a storm.  But on an average weekday evening, when everyone is tired from school and work, all I want is simple, nutritious, easy to prepare dinners, that don’t have an encyclopaedia of ingredients needed. 

I know there’s many wonderful ideas out there for how to have a “batch cook” day so you just have to move prepared food from freezer to oven, or slow cooker recipes that turn from a bag of ingredients into a dish worthy of Michelin standards whilst you are at work.  But neither do I have a slow cooker, nor do I want to spend half my weekend preparing meals for during the week.

Today was one of those day’s ridiculously busy days where I hardly had time to think.  By the time I got home it was late, I was tired and my son wanted affection and some Mammy time.  I needed something that took very little preparation time, but I also needed some comfort food.  The first thing I found were some lovely white organic potatoes (I emphasise the organic part as I tend not to eat the skin if they’re not, but tuck in greedily when they are).  I gave them a quick rise, wrapped in tin foil, and popped in the oven.  I then went to change into some loungewear and helped my son do the same.  We played some hide and seek and after half an hour, I went back to the kitchen.  Looking aimlessly through the fridge and cupboard, I then decided to try to make some sort of “lentil baked beans” to go with my comfort-inducing baked potato. 

I quickly chopped up one glove of garlic and added to a pot with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and left to simmer for a minute whilst I chopped a white onion.  I added that to the pan and sautéed until soft and fragrant.  I then added in about 100g split red lentils to pan, and stirred to mix all the ingredients together.  I poured in 300ml of vegetable stock and added 2 tbsp. of tomato puree and left to simmer for 20 minutes whilst I returned my attention to my son. 

At that stage I gave everything a stir and added in a tbsp. of soy sauce for that extra saltiness. I took the potato out, sliced down the middle and filled with my lentil “beans”.  I always feel guilty if I don’t have something green on my plate, so I quickly chopped a handful of baby spinach and put this on top.  Once it was mixed through the lentils, the heat wilted it and it was actually a nice accompaniment. 

Not the prettiest of dishes but so comforting, wholesome and filling! And the icing on the cake – there was plenty of leftovers for another day.

Avocado - Delicious, nutritious and versatile!

There are many health benefits of consuming avocados, including reducing risk factors in cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and cancer.  Avocados have substantial health benefits due to their abundance of different amino acids, which essentially means they are a great source of protein.  Although the protein content is relatively low per 100g, being only 2g of protein, these 2g contain 18 different amino acids. Avocados are technically a fruit, but the carbohydrates that they contain are either the easy to digest simple monosaccharides, or fibre, which is necessary for normal digestive processes.  They are also rich in fatty acids, the majority of which are the unsaturated fats oleic and palmitic.  The type of fat they contain are actually heart-healthy fats, which also provide energy for your brain to function.

Avocados are also extremely versatile and are a great addition to any child’s diet.  Sliced avocado and banana sandwiches, on wholegrain bread or in wholemeal pitta bread make for a healthy lunch for young children, and they can be combined with endless other fruits and vegetables to ensure there is lots of variety.  Here’s just a few simple and easy options, suitable for young and old:

-          Hummus, sliced avocado, sliced tomato and rocket on wholegrain toast

-          Guacamole

-          Half and avocado baked with an egg

-          Hummus, sliced avocado and cranberries on oat cakes

-          Avocado, spinach and red pepper in a wrap

-          Spinach, diced avocado, walnut and roast butternut squash salad with balsamic dressing

-          Toasted slices of sweet potato with avocado and radishes

-          Potato hash with sliced avocado and tomato and a tahini dressing

The combinations are only limited by your imagination!