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Healthy recipes using your frozen food

Is your freezer full of lockdown food? Us too. So, we have been busy cooking up some delicious meals that are low cost and healthy.

Super simple frozen veg soup

This really is the easiest soup to make. You can use whatever you have in your freezer or pantry and you’re bound to end up with a delicious, comforting and healthy soup.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 600g frozen vegetables
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 potato
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 750 ml vegetable stock
  • 50ml single cream
  • Rosemary, thyme or any other dried herbs you have
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Sprinkling of fresh herbs (basil or parsley are best) and/or toasted pine nuts, for topping

 

Method

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Chop the onion and garlic roughly and add to the oil on a medium heat. While the onion and garlic sweat, add your frozen vegetables to another pan of boiling water. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes and drain.
  • Chop your potatoes roughly and add to the onions and garlic, alongside the par-boiled frozen vegetables. Once coated in oil, add your dried herbs and seasoning, and mix together for 1-2 minutes. 
  • Add the vegetable stock to the vegetables and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Finally, add the cream and mix. 
  • Transfer this into a blender and blend until smooth and silky. If the soup has lost a little heat, add it back into the pan and heat softly.
  • Meanwhile, prepare your toppings; chop your herbs or fry your pine nuts gently.
  • Serve in a bowl with crusty bread on the side.

 

Vegetarian puff pastry pizza

A life without pizza is not worth our thoughts. So, while getting our pizza fix might be a little harder these days, we bring you a simple and delicious recipe. As novices in the kitchen, we use pre-made shop bought puff pastry as the base, but feel free to make your own. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add any vegetables to make the pizza sauce and as many toppings as you want (even add meat if you have some). Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of pre-made shop bought puff pastry
  • 200g frozen vegetables (we prefer peas, spinach and broccoli)
  • 2 tbsp pesto
  • ½ lemon
  • 200g cheese of choice 
  • Handful basil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 egg yolk

 

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan assisted) 425ºF/Gas Mark 7, and line an oven tray with greaseproof paper.
  • In a pan of boiling water, add your frozen vegetables and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes until fully cooked (it’s best to look at the instructions for each vegetable with this). Drain the vegetables and transfer into a blender. Add the pesto, lemon juice and seasoning, and blend until fully smooth; it should be a thick texture.
  • Unroll the puff pastry on the greaseproof paper-lined tray and score lines with the end of a knife to make your crust. The lines should be one inch from the edge to make a rectangle and should not go through the pastry. 
  • Next, spread the sauce inside the lines to form your pizza base. Make sure you don’t put too much on, as you will get a soggy bottom. Once it’s around ½ – 1 cm thick, layer on your cheese and your basil leaves. 
  • Finally, paint the egg yolk onto the edges so that they become the crusts we all love.
  • Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the crusts have risen and are golden, and the toppings are bubbling.
  • Serve with a side salad of your choice.

 

Very berry smoothie

Delicious and nutritious, this frozen berry smoothie is your one-stop shop for an energy filled day. 

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen berries
  • 2 cups almond/oat milk
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter

 

Method

Add the ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.