3 Easy Lockdown Recipes
One of the fantastic side effects of this lockdown period is our community embracing home cooking – alongside the occasional takeaway, of course! We’re all finding ourselves at home with a lot more time on our hands than we’re used to, so a lot of people – myself included – are spending some extra time in the kitchen.
This extended period of time at home is a great opportunity to get a little more creative in the kitchen, testing out some new recipes, embracing the ingredients we have available and cooking up something truly delicious.
Whether you’re cooking a filling dinner for two, a fakeaway meal or something a little lighter, I’ve compiled three of my favourite recipes to inspire your lockdown cooking. Hopefully, you can find a new favourite amongst these!
Asian Crispy Beef with Egg Fried Rice & Cauliflower
This is one of our favourite go-to recipes, and a perfect choice if you are in the mood for a Chinese meal but don’t want to order a takeaway.
To make enough for 2 portions, you will need:
Approx 350g – 400g beef frying steak (or any steak you can get)
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
1 mug long grain rice (or basmati)
1 egg, whisked
1 tbsp soy sauce (light or dark)
Cauliflower, half a head
1 tsp Chilli flakes
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
Sesame oil, if available
Sliced spring onions, to serve
Sesame seeds (optional)
Method:
1. Put the kettle on to boil and heat your vegetable oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat.
2. Cut your cauliflower into small florets, add to a baking tray and add chilli flakes, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, mix to coat and cook in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (fan) for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden & crisp.
3. Cook your rice, using a ratio of 1 mug rice to 2 mugs boiling water. Cover and cook according to packet instructions.
4. Slice up your steak very thinly, approximately 1/2 cm thick. Coat the steak slices in your cornflour and Chinese 5 spice, ensuring an even coverage.
5. Carefully add the steak to your hot vegetable oil, using a pair of metal tongs. Cook for 6-10 minutes, until crisp, separating the strips with your tongs throughout. When cooked, carefully transfer the crispy beef to a plate covered with paper towel to drain.
6. Add a drizzle of oil (sesame oil, if you have it) to a frying pan and add your egg. Quickly scramble the egg and add the cooked rice. Add your soy sauce and fry for 3 mins until crisp, and mix in your sliced spring onions.
7. Time to serve! Pile up your egg fried rice, crispy beef and cauliflower and sprinkle with spring onions & sesame seeds (if you have them). Add extra soy sauce to taste.
TIP – You can reuse your vegetable oil 2 or 3 times for deep frying – leave it to cool completely and then carefully pour it back into the bottle.
Roasted Chicken Legs with Greek Salad
Recently this has become one of our favourite alternative Sunday roast recipes, now that the weather is a little warmer! Rather than cooking an entire Sunday roast and spending hours in a hot kitchen, I’ve been opting for a lighter version – serving roasted chicken legs with a fresh, crunchy greek salad. It’s a fantastic combination, and I hope you love it.
This simple recipe is very quick to prepare and easy to make – the chicken will take around 45 minutes to cook, making it much faster than a traditional roast.
To make enough for 2 portions, you will need:
4 chicken legs
1 tsp dried rosemary (or a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, if you have it)
1 tsp garlic powder (or a few cloves of fresh garlic, skin on & crushed)
Salt & pepper
1/2 a cucumber
150g baby plum tomatoes (or any tomatoes you have)
5 or 6 kalamata olives, stone in
100g feta cheese
1/2 a red onion (or more, if you like)
Olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
Method:
1. Add your chicken legs to a large baking tray and season with your rosemary, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (fan) for around 45 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the juices run clear.
2. Make your Greek salad! Chop your cucumber into 1cm chunks, slice your tomatoes in half, thinly slice the red onion and add it all to a large bowl. Remove the stones from your olives and roughly chop them, then add to the bowl. Cut the feta into 1cm chunks and add to the bowl. Drizzle the salad with olive oil, then add your oregano. Give it a good mix, and you’re ready to serve!
3. Serve your chicken legs with a helping of Greek salad on the side – enjoy.
Rainbow Beef Fajita Bowl
Another easy one, and a very satisfying meal! A colourful bowl full of goodness that is a great alternative to fajitas. If you don’t have beef mince, swap for chicken breast.
To make enough for 2 portions, you will need:
500g lean beef mince
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 tbsp fajita seasoning (or if you don’t have any, use 1 tbsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 red onion
100g cherry tomatoes (or any tomatoes you have)
Soured cream
1 avocado
Cheddar cheese (or any cheese you have)
Fresh coriander
1 mug long grain rice (or basmati)
Method:
1. Pop the kettle on for your rice. Cook your rice, using a ratio of 1 mug rice to 2 mugs boiling water. Cover and cook according to packet instructions.
2. Add your beef mince to a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry until lightly brown.
3. Slice your peppers & half an onion and add to your mince. Add your fajita seasoning and keep frying, moving the ingredients around to stop them from sticking.
4. Meanwhile, chop up your tomatoes and the rest of your onion, into small 1cm pieces.
5. Slice your avocado into 1cm chunks.
6. Once the mince mixture is cooked & slightly crisp and the rice is cooked, serve.
7. Serve your rice and mince mixture in your bowl, then top with your tomato & onion mix and chopped avocado. Grate over some cheddar cheese (as much as you like) and add some dollops of soured cream. Sprinkle over a handful of chopped fresh coriander and dig in!
I hope you enjoy these recipes and give them a go over the next few weeks.
Find out more about me and my blog here
By Kat from Kat Got Your Tongue Blog.
