ideas for evening meals please

[supersonic]

Since watching JD I have been trying to think of new evening meals - more to the point more healthy meals although I don't thinkw eeat to badly its just the fact that most of the meals I cook i.e spag bol, S & S chicken, lasagne, curry involve cooking sauces from jars and none of them are homemade. We do have roast dinners, shepherds pie, casserole but the pasta dishes are a favourite of ours I just don't know know how to make any of the sauces. I would really appreicate some different ideas for evening meals and some recipes for sauces - hope you can help!

Here's a typical week's evening meals for DS (3) and DD (21m).
Lamb cutlet, grilled, with vegetables
Salmon fishcakes, v easy and quick to make, with vege's
Salmon or cod pie - basically white sauce with cod/salmon added along with some veg's such as peas, small broc florets mixed in and topped with mashed potato
Chicken coated in breadcrumbs or Mango chicken (Annabel Karmel recipe) - both easy - with veg
Meatballs in tom sauce with rice or cous cous
Lamb burgers (minced lamb with chopped dried apricot and mint) with vege's
I make all of the above and keep in freezer so they can be defrosted on the day.
Other ideas
Good quality sausages
Baked potatoes with fillings
Re Pasta - fave's here include cheese sauce, cheese and tuna sauce, tomato sauce, pesto (bought).
Hope that's useful.

Well, we've just had liver & onions with mash for tea. Yum.

One of our fave pasta sauces is to fry a small onion and garlic clove, add thawed, drained spinach (or fresh, it's just you need bags of it!), then cream cheese, double cream and a bit of nutmeg.

Another really easy one is to mash up 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, and heat in a pan with a tub of creme fraiche. It's probably supposed to have dill in it too. Top with little pieces of smoked salmon.

Dd (4) and ds (2) eat both of these with gusto.

pork chops (grilled), mashed/boiled potatoes, garden peas.

tuna & sweetcorn pasta with salad or fried courgettes and bacon.

risotto using aborio rice, ham, mushrooms, cheese

will have a think for some more.

an easy peasy pasta sauce would be just melting some philadelphia on the pasta, add some fresh/dried herbs and maybe some garlic - goes well with mushrooms/salmon

ooohh yeah salmon - I love it.

How about grilled salmon steaks with hollondaise sauce, broccolli and new potatoes?

I have just bought 2 new cookery books Good Food Magazine Cheap Eats and Quick and Easy They have some great recipes that don't take long inlcuding honey and lemon chicken, spicy sausage pasta, chilli tortillas all very yummy and easy to do

My favourite pasta sauce is: one chopped onion, two or three cloves garlic, two sliced courgettes, ten or so sliced mushrooms, one chopped red or orange pepper (roasted under the grill if you have time but I always forget until it's too late), two tins of chopped tomatoes, spinach and basil.

Fry the veg gently in olive oil with the squeezed garlic. When its softened add the two tins of tomatoes, spinach and basil and simmer for 5-10 mins. Miss out the spinach if you want a bright red sauce as the spinach makes it a bit on the brown side.
You can either tip it straight onto your pasta, or you can puree it if you want it like jar pasta.
This recipe makes enough for 2 adults and 2 small children, with a bit left over to go in the freezer. AND it's ready in about 20 mins (though obviously longer if you faff about roasting the pepper).
Oh, and it's very tomatoey and very, very yummy.

Bum, I've just made myself really hungry.

Last night we had pasta with chicken, onion, mushrooms, red pepper, sweetcorn, oregano, a pinch of chilli powder and a sauce made out of creme fraiche with parmesan and cheddar melted in (ie added it all to pan in that order and just cooked pasta seperately).

sweet and sour sauce

small oinion, chopped
green pepper, diced
1oz plain flour
1 Tbsp mango chutney
2 Tbsp malt vinegar
2 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1 Tbasp tomato puree
2 tsp worcester sauce
8oz can of pineapple pieces
½ pint stock

fry onion and pepper for 5 mins or until almost tender
stir in flour and cook for a minute
add chutney, vinegar, sugar, tomato puree, worcester sauce, pineapple, stock and stir
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10-15 mins

This is what we are having tonight - easy peasy and yummy!

Serves 4
4 Chicken breasts
300ml passata
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 red chilli finely chopped
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
fresh parsley

Put Chicken in an ovenproof dish. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and spoon over chicken.
Put Chicken in the oven (190c, 375f - Gas Mark 5)
for about 30 mins (till juices run clear.

Serve with new potatoes and veggies .

Tonight I made a very quick and easy Mushroom stroganoff and rice:

• thinly dice onion and garlic; soften in a pan.
• when soften add a big chunk of butter and melt
• tear up plenty of mixed mushrooms and stir into butter, onion and garlic, cook for about 15 minutes
• add pot of soured cream (if for 2-3; two puts if for more), some paprika, salt and ground nutmeg; stir in; if you have it - add a couple of tablespoons of dry sherry
• cook for a further 5 minutes
• just before serving throw in some fresh parsley (if using dried, add a bit ealrier to soften it up)

Yummy

Very easy to make it a beef stroganoff. Right the start - brown some beef; take out of pan; do oinions and garlic, then re-add beef. Then at the end, along with cream, etc. add a teaspoon of french mustard to the sauce.

Last night I also made two meals to use later this week:

aubergine lasagne

• lightly fry off some thinly sliced aubergines in a bit of egg/flour

• soften diced onion and garlic in a pan

• add large (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes, 2tbsp tomato puree, 1/4pint water and seasoning; simmer for 5 minutes

• take off heat and stir in some basil

• in a pan gently heat 350g mascarpone until liquid

• have 50g grated parmesan ready

• in lasagne dish = lay down one layer of lasgne sheets, then add a layer (1/3)of the tomato sauce, a layer (1/2) of aubergine and 1/3 of the parmesan;; add another layer of lasgne sheets, add another layer of tomatoes, (1/3) of the mascarpone, 1/2 the aubergines and 1/3 of the parmesan; final layer of lasgne sheets, final layer of tomatoes, rest of mascarpone and sprinkle with rest of the parmesan.

• cook for 35-40 minues.

I can tell you what it tastes like tomorrow evening

I also made two casseroles last night as well - a beef one and a veggie one - lots of root vegetables and stock. Will served it with bug wedge of Yorkshire pudding on Thursday night.