Monday Meal Plans with Bella
Looking to get a little healthier and refresh your diet? Well, BRITA Ireland teamed up with food blogger and photographer Bella Supiana, to put together a series of 10 simple recipes that will get you right on track. Easy to make, full of nutrients and most important, full of flavour you’ll find a variety of dishes below to suit any of your moods!
Make one of these on each Monday, for 10 weeks, and make sure to keep your hydration levels up with BRITA and you’ll feel your system clear right up!
Beetroot and Feta Salad
This beetroot and feta salad is a classic and such a simple little gem to knock together. Yes… I have cheated with the precooked beetroots, but there are some fantastic cooked packs of beets out there and even the likes of Aldi are stocking organic cooked ones nowadays. Beets can take forever to cook so I think this cheat will come in handy to get your week off to the right start!
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total: 10 mins
Ingredients
100 g rocket
1 kg precooked beetroot, cut into quarters
200 g feta, crumbled
1 small pomegranate
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 pinches salt and pepper
1 – Divide the rocket, beets and feta between 4 plates. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.
2 – Halve the pomegranate and break each half into halves. Remove the seeds and then scatter over the salad.
3 – In a small jar or glass, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper together until emulsified and combined. Drizzle over the salad and serve up straight away.
Broccoli and Spinach Soup
To get the ball rolling I give you my brilliant broccoli and spinach soup. I think it’s simplicity will have you dancing into the kitchen and have you and your family fed within 40 minutes! Packed with lots of green goodness, this is a little gem of a health packed recipe to stash in your archive!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total: 35 mins
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
2 medium Celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 large Broccoli head, florets only
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into chunks
850 ml Brita filtered water, boiled
1 vegetable stock cube
200 g spinach
2 pinches salt and pepper
1 – In a medium size saucepan, bring the BRITA filtered water to a boil. Carefully add in the vegetable stock cube and give it a good stir until it dissolves. Leave to the side until needed later.
2 – Place a large pot onto a medium heat. Add in the olive oil along with the garlic and onion, gently fry for about 2 minutes. Add the celery and allow fry until soft and translucent and the kitchen fills with their smells – yum!
3 – Pop in the broccoli, potato and vegetable stock and give a good stir. Make sure to give the bottom of the pan a good stir with the wooden spoon. If anything has stuck to the pan and caramelised we want to make sure we mix it into the soup and stop the bottom from catching.
4 – Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or until the broccoli and potato are tender when pierced with a knife.
At this stage add in the spinach and allow to wilt for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth (if the soup is a little thick simply add some more hot water until it loosens up.) and serve up straight away with some toasted sourdough.
Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Baked potatoes are the bees knees and sweet potatoes are stellar! I just love them… I’ve gone to Mexico with some gorgeous toppings like avocado and sweet corn salsa. They are super simple to make and you’ve loads of time to do other stuff while they are baking in the oven. Packed full of vibrant veggies, these guys are a winner!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total: 1 hour
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 avocados, halved and stone removed
1 can sweetcorn
250 g cherry tomatoes, diced
1 small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
4 big handfuls rocket
4 tbsp mixed seeds, toasted
2 pinches salt and pepper
1 – Preheat the oven to 180C.
2 – Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes. Throw them into an oven dish and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and drizzle over 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes or until soft when pierced with a knife.
3 – Meanwhile, scoop the avocado into a small bowl. Smash with the back of a fork and season with a little salt and pepper. Leave to one side and get on with the salsa.
4 – Throw the sweetcorn into another small bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, coriander, lime juice and zest ,1 tbsp olive oil and a little salt and pepper to season. Give it a good mix up and leave to the side until the sweet potatoes are baked.
5 – To assemble, simply slice the sweet potatoes open. Divide the smashed avocado and salsa between each one. Top with a good handful of rocket and 1 tbsp of toasted mixed seeds per each sweet potato.
Carrot, Ginger and Coconut Soup
This carrot, ginger and coconut soup is also know as sunshine soup… It’s my own take on one of my best mates carrot and ginger soup. I never appreciated how good soup can taste until I tasted Marias – thank you! It is vibrantly orange and packed full of flavor. It’s another simple recipe that can be made from start to finish in under 40 minutes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total: 25 hour
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
25 g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
800 g carrots, grated (keep skins on if organic)
1 l Brita filtered water
1 vegetable stock cube
200 ml coconut milk
1 Small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
2 pinches salt and pepper
1 – In a medium size saucepan, bring the Brita filtered water to a boil. Carefully add in the vegetable stock cube and give a good stir until it dissolves. Leave to the side until needed later.
2 – Place a large pot onto a medium heat. Add in the olive oil along with the garlic, ginger and onion, gently fry until softened and the kitchen fills with their smells – mmmh!
3 – Throw in the grated carrot, vegetable stock and coconut milk and give it a good stir. Make sure to give the bottom of the pan a good stir with the wooden spoon. If anything has stuck to the pan and caramelised we want to make sure we mix it into the soup and stop the bottom from catching.
4 – Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrot is soft. Season with salt, pepper and add in the coriander. Take off the heat and blend until smooth. If the soup is a little thick simply add enough hot water to loosen it up. Serve up straight away with some toasted sourdough.
Sweet Corn Fritters with Greens
Sweetcorn fritters are one of my favorite things to eat! I love the sweetness that the sweetcorn brings balanced with all the other lovely flavors you can mix into it – yum! This again is a very simple dish to knock together and requires minimal cooking skills. Enjoy guys!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Ingredients
4 cans sweetcorn, drained
1 large egg
100 g self raising flour, you can use gluten free too
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
10 g ginger
3 tbsp olive oil
250 g spinach
1 garlic, finely chopped
2 avocado, halved and stone removed
2 pinches salt and pepper
1 – Throw 3 cans of sweetcorn, 1 large egg, self raising flour, spring onions, ginger and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper into a food processor. Whizz until everything comes together and is of a puree consistency.
2 – Pour the mixture into a medium sized bowl. Stir in the remaining can of sweetcorn and give it a good mix.
3 – Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and spoon 2 heaped tbsp of batter per fritter into the pan. Fry in batches of 2. Fry for 2 minutes on either side or until lovely and golden brown on each side. Leave on kitchen paper to drain off excess oil. Don’t be tempted to squish the fritter with the back of the fish slice as this will stop them from being light and fluffy.
4 – Place the frying pan back on medium heat and drizzle in a little oil followed by the chopped garlic. Fry for about 30 seconds and then add in the spinach. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and fry until just wilted.
5 – Divide the greens on to 4 serving plates along with 3 fritters each. Scoop ½ of an avocado per plate and sprinkle over with a little salt and pepper.
Baked Chicken Caesar Salad
I love a good Caesar salad so I came up with my beautiful baked chicken and easy homemade Caesar dressing variation. If you are a veggie you could definitely substitute the chicken for some tofu or tempeh. This is such a simple salad and can be ready within 25 minutes. The dressing is so moreish and them croutons are wicked, enjoy!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Ingredients
4 medium chicken breasts
4 slices wholemeal sliced pan, crusts removed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches salt and pepper
100 g mixed leaf salad
Caesar Dressing
5 tbsp mayonnaise
1 medium garlic, finely grated
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
60 g Parmesan, finely grated
½ lemon, zest and juice
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp Brita filtered water
2 pinches salt and pepper
1 – Preheat the oven to 200C. Rip the bread into medium size croutons and throw onto a baking tray along with the chicken breasts. Drizzle over the olive oil, salt and pepper. Give it all a good rub.
2 – Bake croutons for about 10 minutes or until golden brown, then remove from the oven. Continue to bake the chicken for a further 5-8 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked all the way through. Once cooked allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes then slice.
3 – While the chicken is baking, mix all the dressing ingredients together in a medium size bowl. You could replace the Worcestershire sauce with 2 to 3 anchovies if you’d prefer. Taste for seasoning and leave to the side.
4 – Scatter the mixed leaf and chicken between 4 plates. Throw the croutons on top and drizzle over with the dressing. Serve up straight away.
Pesto Pasta Perfection
Pesto pasta is an absolute classic and one of my favorites! Traditionally, pesto pasta consists very simply of well pesto and pasta and some of the more adventurous cooks might add olives, tomato, mozzarella or salad leafs. Here you’ll find a pesto pasta that brings it up a notch with some smoky bacon and a whole load of veggies combined into a quick yet delicious sauce that wraps around the pasta! Yum…
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total: 30 mins
Ingredients
150 g wholegrain brown rice or spelt pasta
1 tsp olive oil
3 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, sliced
150 g chestnut or button mushrooms
½ medium size red pepper
½ head of broccoli
2 tbsp heaped, tomato puree
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
3 tbsp heaped basil pesto
50 g rocket
Keep about half a cup of pasta cooking water
1 – Cook the pasta in salted boiling water as per packet instructions. When you are draining out the pasta make sure to keep about half a cup of the starchy cooking water as this will thin out the sauce.
2 – Place a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil and the smoked bacon. Fry until the bacon starts to brown.
3 – Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms and red pepper. Finely chop the broccoli florets and discard the stalks. Add all the vegetables to the bacon and fry until softened.
4 – Make a hole in the center of the pan and add in the tomato puree and smoked paprika. Cook out the rawness of the tomato puree and get the smoked paprika toasty by smooshing it against the pan for a minute or so.
5 – Add in the pesto, black pepper and starchy pasta cooking water. Give everything a good stir and taste for seasoning.
6 – Mix the pasta with the rocket and divide between two plates. Pour the pesto-y bacon and vegetable sauce on top and eat straight away!
Butternut Squash Salad
I absolutely love a good salad – it’s packed full of lovely good stuff and tastes so fresh and delish! This is such an easy one to make with maximum flavor. You get nuttiness from the bacon, toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds, jammy goodness from the roasted butternut squash, a good old citrus kick from the dressing and smooth creaminess from the avocado! A taste of heaven with every bite…
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total: 50 mins
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch salt and pepper
Citrus Dressing
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
1 pinch salt
½ lemon, juice of
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salad Bits
4 smoky rashers, sliced
1 handful pecans, toasted
1 handful pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 big handfuls spinach
1 avocado, halved, stoned and sliced
1 – Preheat oven to 200C. Throw the butternut squash on to a baking tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and bake for about 40 minutes or until soft and browned.
Scatter the pecans and pumpkin seeds on to a small baking tray, leave to the side and about 5 minutes before the butternut squash is baked, pop them into the oven to toast up.
2 – Meanwhile, mix all the citrus dressing ingredients together in a bowl until it all comes together. Heat a medium frying pan on medium heat and fry the bacon until crisp.
3 – To assemble the salad simply divide the spinach between 2 plates. Scatter over the butternut squash, bacon, pecans and pumpkin seeds. Arrange the slices of avocado around the salad and drizzle the citrus dressing all over.
Get it into you asap! PS…. If pepper is your thing, a crackle of it would be brillo on top!
The Ultimate Vegan Dinner
This ultimate vegan dinner was inspired by my partner Enya as she leans towards a vegan / vegetarian diet. We also have loads of vegan mates so this is my go to when we have them over or when we want something really tasty and healthy, quick! It’s rich and satisfying, you definitely won’t miss the meat!
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total: 1 hour
Ingredients
Roasted Veg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup water
500 g baby potatoes, halved
1 red pepper, slice into large strips
1 courgette, sliced into large strips
2 pinches salt
2 pinches pepper
Pan Fried Tofu & Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
225 g tofu, sliced into 4 triangles
500 g fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp tomato puree
150 ml white wine
80 g basil pesto
50 ml filtered Brita water
4 drops lemon, juice of
1 tsp agave
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 handful fresh basil, sliced
2 pinches salt
2 pinches pepper
1 – Preheat the oven to 225C. Throw the baby potatoes on to a baking tray with the water, drizzle over 1 tbsp of the olive oil along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss and bake for 15 minutes ahead of all other veg.
2 – After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 180C. Throw the red pepper and courgette on to the tray with the potatoes. Toss with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for a further 20 – 25 minutes or until all the veg is soft and browned.
3 – Meanwhile, place a large frying pan on to a medium heat. Drizzle in the olive oil and place the tofu gently into the pan. Fry until golden on one side and then flip.
Add in the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until they soften. Now add the tomato puree and cook out the rawness for a further minute.
4 – Add in the remaining ingredients and mix with the tomatoes. A beautiful sauce will start to come together after a few minutes. Cook out until reduced and slightly thick.
To serve, simply divide the tofu and sauce between 2 plates and place the roasted veg alongside.
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry
So this curry is as usual, very simple to make but super tasty. Don’t be discourages by the amount of ingredients – there are no shortcuts here with pastes and the likes but it takes literally 5 minutes to whip together and the remaining cooking takes place in the pan! Yum!
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total: 50 mins
Ingredients
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 big thumb size piece ginger, finely choppped
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 lime, zest & juice of 1/2 – keep other half to serve with curry
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 can plum tomatoes
½ can water, swirled in the tomato can to get all the tomato juice!
1 can coconut milk
1 pinch salt and pepper
2 medium sweet potato, peeled & cubed
1 can chickpea, drained & rinsed
2 big handfuls spinach
2 naan breads, heated & rubbed with butter
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
1 – Heat a medium sized sauce pan on a medium to low heat. Add the coconut oil along with the onions, garlic, ginger and spices. Cook until the onions soften and become translucent.
2 – Add the tomato puree and cook the rawness out for a minute or so. Throw in the coriander, lime zest and juice, honey, salt and pepper, tomatoes and coconut milk. Give a good stir and then add the sweet potato. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
3 – Half way through add the chickpeas and finish cooking. Add the spinach, mix through and cover with a lid. Leave to wilt for a few minutes and serve straight away with naan or brown rice if you prefer.
4 – Spoon over the plain yogurt. With the remaining half of lime, slice into wedges and serve a wedge alongside the curry.