Life Indoors: 5 Ingredients 5 Meals

Are you loving or loathing cooking these days? Many will be truly enjoying the extra time to focus on cooking new creations in the kitchen while others may find their patience running thin and wishing they could go to a restaurant. Whether you fall into the love or loathe category, everyone could use some help in the recipe department. On days when you’re looking for something simple and delicious but lack inspiration, here are 5 recipes that are quick and easy and only require 5 ingredients!  Let us know how you go!

1. Salmon and Spinach Gratin with Creamy Potatoes 

600 gms Irish Potatoes
800gm of Spinach
5 Smoked salmon fillets
300ml of Double Cream
15g Unsalted Butter

Peel and chop your potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt and potatoes into the water and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the potatoes and set aside. Add a tablespoon of butter to a frying pan at medium heat, then add the spinach, a pinch of salt and pepper and turn lightly until the spinach is wilted. Ensure that the the spinach does not get too wet.  Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius. Add the spinach, potatoes and salmon to a large baking dish, arranging them so that potatoes and spinach are on the base of the dish and the salmon is sitting on top. Heat the double cream in a saucepan adding salt and pepper. Stir well and then pour the all the contents over the salmon and potatoes. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and the cream has got a golden hue to it. Serve and enjoy.

2. Black Bean Broccoli and Chicken Stir fry

240 grams of chicken breast
3 tbsp black bean sauce
Half cup broccoli (You could also replace this with sweet peppers or chopped kale)
3 tbsp peanuts (roughly chopped)
200 grams egg noodles

Chop up the chicken breast into half an inch chunks. Do the same with your broccoli or other vegetable of choice. Boil a pot of water and when it comes to the boil, add the egg noodles to the pot for 2 minutes then drain and set aside. Add some oil to your wok or frying pan and lightly fry the chicken until cooked through, then set aside. Then lightly stir-fry the broccoli (or preferred vegetable) for 2 minutes before adding the chicken, noodles and 80% of the peanuts back into the wok. Pour in the black bean sauce and ensure you toss the noodles well so that they are well coated and the ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve the noodles with a sprinkling of peanuts on top as a garnish.

 3. Squash and Coconut Curry

500gm Squash
1 tin Coconut Milk
3 tbsp Curry Paste of your choice
1 tin of chickpeas
Small bunch of Coriander stalks

Chop the squash into half an inch chunks. Heat a frying pan with a 2 teaspoons of oil and then add your curry paste. Then add the squash and chickpeas to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the tin of coconut milk and once the milk is bubbling, cover the frying pan, turn down to low heat and cook for 20-25 minutes until the squash is thoroughly cooked and the coconut milk has thickened. Roughly chop the coriander and sprinkle on top then, serve on its own or with rice. Easy and delicious!

4. Sweet Potato & Beans Chilli

3 Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cut into half inch chunks)
1 tin of Kidney beans or black beans
1 large white onion
1 Tbsp Chilli Powder
Vegetable Stock cube

Finely chop the onion and then saute in a frying pan until soft. Mix vegetable stock cube with 3/4 of a cup of hot water and add the chilli powder. Add more or less chilli depending on how hot you like it. Add the sweet potatoes to the frying pan and then pour the vegetable stock over the dish. Cover and cook until the potatoes have softened, then add the tin of black beans. Let the ingredients summer and reduce down. Optional extras include a squeeze of lime and roughly chopped coriander to amp up the flavour. Either way, this is a tasty and filling dish that can be served on its own or with rice or tortilla chips.

5. Hummus
Tin of Chickpeas
3 tbsp Olive oil
3 tbsp Tahini (if unavailable you can also use 4 tbsp sesame oil or 3 tbsp natural smooth peanut butter)
3 Garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Making hummus is very simple. Chop the garlic finely or mince it in a garlic crusher. Add all the ingredients into a blender and whiz them all together until you have your desired consistency. Some people prefer their hummus very smooth while others want a bit more texture.  Serve as a side to your main meal or eat as a healthy snack alongside sliced raw vegetables or crackers.

This post is part of a Les 100 Ciels blog series titled, Life Indoors. Each week we will be posting on a range of topics to inspire you as you carry on your life from indoors. With the Covid-19 virus spreading around the world, the vast majority of us will be living vastly quieter lives and it is clear that now more than ever before, the importance of focusing on our shared humanity and community is integral. We are committed to continue to engage and support our community. If there is any topic you’d like us to write about, do get in touch and we’ll include it on our blog if we can. With love, The Les 100 Ciels Team