Tuesday 11-05-2021 - 10:00

It's assessment season and you're super busy - cooking for yourself might be the last thing you want to do after a long shift at the library! But don't worry - our Biko's cafe team have put together some quick and easy recipes to help you eat well this exam season.

 

Chilli con carne  

This chilli con carne is perfect for an evening dish or batch meal prepping! If you’re looking for a hearty meal, or even just something that reminds you of home, this one's for you! Put your feet up and share with your housemates! 

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 x onions 
• 2 x carrots  
• 2 x cloves of garlic 
• 2 x sticks of celery  
• 2 x red peppers (any colour will do really) 
• 1 x red chilli (seeds in, out – its your choice dependant on what heat you like) 
• 400g tin chickpeas 
• 400g tin kidney beans 
• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes/plum tomatoes 
• 500g low fat beef mince/veggie mince/other choice of beans  
• 1 tsp chilli powder 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp smoked paprika 
• Fresh coriander (not essential) 
• Balsamic vinegar 
• Lime 

 

Method: 

• Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Half the peppers & chilli - remove the seeds and roughly chop. Put a large pan on the heat in a 2 loads of olive oil and all the chopped veg. 
• Add the chilli powder, cinnamon and cumin with a pinch of salt and pepper stir until the vegetables become soft. Add the drain chickpeas, kidney beans and tomatoes. 
• Add the mince and fill one of the empty tins of water and add that. Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and season. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer for an hour at the chopped coriander once off the heat. 
• Serve with rice and squeeze of lime juice.

 

 

Hummus 

Love a falafel? Ever fancy giving your own hummus a go? It’s not as hard as you think! This hummus recipe is quick and super cheap to make, with only a few essential ingredients.Try this recipe for a snack, or as part of a main dish!

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 can chickpeas 
• 120ml water 
• 120ml olive oil 
• 120ml tahini 
• 1.5 lemons – juiced (substitute options: 1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar) 
• 3 cloves garlic (substitute: 1tsp dried garlic) 
• ¾ tsp sea salt 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 

 

Method:

• Start by draining and drying 1 can of chickpeas.  Keep the liquid as this can be used in other recipes. Place the chickpeas into a food processor along with the water, olive oil and tahini. 
• Squeeze in the juice of the lemons and crush in the garlic, Adding the salt and the ground cumin. 
• Processing the food processor for about 30 seconds until completely smooth at this point would be the best time to add any flavourings like roasted red peppers, extra garlic or anything like that.  
• Transfer to a bowl cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before tucking in. 

 

 

Chocolate Cookies 

If you’ve never opened any type of flour before, this is a great place to start. Making good cookies is the easiest, least messy thing you could bake and its super rewarding. This recipe uses dark chocolate but let your imagination go wild. Try out chopped up double decker’s, kit Kats, mars bars, Terry’s chocolate orange. Your only limit is your imagination. 

Makes around 20 cookies, depending how big you want your cookies to be 

 

Ingredients 

• 100g unsalted butter, slightly softened 
• 125g golden caster sugar 
• 1 large free-range egg 
• ½ tsp vanilla extract/paste (never essence – might as well just put air freshener liquid in them) 
• 200g self-raising flour 
• 1 pinch fine sea salt 
• 100g quality chocolate 

 

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper or brush them with a thin layer of unsalted butter. 
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Crack in the egg, add the vanilla and mix well. Sift in and fold through the flour and salt. Roughly chop and stir in the chocolate. 
• Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls and place onto the lined trays. Cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. 
• Flatten the balls slightly with your fingers, then place in the hot oven for 10/12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Don’t overdo them, the chewier the better! Leave to cool completely and do your best cookie monster impression. 

 

 

Chana Masala

This Chana Masala is perfect but a simple lunch with a bit of bread on the side. Whether it’s to share or just for yourself, this recipe won’t leave you teary eyed. 

 

Ingredients 

• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 small onion 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• ½ tsp ground ginger 
• ½ tsp ground turmeric 
• ½ tsp ground cardamom 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp tomato puree 
• 60g green chillies - diced 
• 1 tbsp ground garam masala  
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes 
• 1 tin chickpeas 
• Sea salt 
• Fresh ground pepper 
• Long grain white rice, for serving 

 

Method

• In a wide saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat until shimmering. Add a small, chopped onion and sweat for around 2 minutes before adding two cloves of crushed garlic. 
• Add the spices – ginger, turmeric, cardamom, coriander and the tomato paste. Cook together in the pan until everybody knows each other and is smelling very fragrant. 
• Then add the green chillies, the garam masala, chopped tomatoes and the chickpeas. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the chickpeas are tender and the gravy has thickened to a Stew. Season with the sea salt and the freshly ground pepper. 
• Once seasoned to your liking, serve over the long grain rice and top with some fresh coriander.