Don’t Janu-worry about a thing! Beat the budget blues by stocking up on canned food and stretching it into delicious dinners all month long. 

Chicken burrito rice bowls 

Serves 4 

The delicious fillings inside a burrito, without the hassle of wrapping it up! These zingy bowls can be prepared in advance and simply reheated (or even eaten cold) after a long workday.  

Ingredients 

400g chicken breast fillets 
Olive oil, for grilling and dressing 
1 tsp each ground cumin and paprika 
Salt and milled pepper 
1 can corn kernels, drained and patted dry 
200g medley tomatoes 
250g snacking peppers (or 1 large pepper, cubed) 
1 can black beans or red kidney beans, drained 
20g fresh coriander, chopped 
3 limes, halved (or 2 quartered lemons) 
3 cups cooked brown or white long-grain rice  

Method 

1. Drizzle chicken with oil and rub with spices, salt and pepper. 
2. Heat a griddle pan until almost smoking-hot. 
3. Grill chicken until tender, cooked through and well charred, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and slice. 
4. Wipe griddle pan clean, then toss corn on the grill until charred. 
5. Combine charred corn with tomatoes, peppers, beans and half the coriander in a bowl. 
6. Dress with olive oil and juice of 1 lime. Season. 
7. Flavour rice with remaining coriander and juice and grated peel of 2 limes. Season well. 
8. Serve chicken, rice and salad all together in serving bowls.

 Also read: 5 yummy food bowls you must try 

Pork sausages with spiced chickpeas 

Serves 4 

Paired with harissa yoghurt that’s so good, you’ll want to slather it on everything! 

Ingredients

2 cans chickpeas, drained 
1 Tbsp cumin 
1 tsp each allspice and smoked paprika (or cayenne pepper works too)
Salt and milled pepper 
Glug olive oil 
500g pork sausages 
¾ cup double cream yoghurt 
3-4 Tbsp harissa paste (or use 2 Tbsp chilli paste) 
1 cucumber, finely chopped 
Juice of ½ lemon 
Parsley and toasted pita, for serving  

Method 

1. Preheat the oven grill on high, or the air fryer at 180°C. 
2. Toss chickpeas, spices, seasoning and oil together and place in a roasting pan. 
3. Arrange sausages on top and grill for 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally, until cooked through. 
4. Spread yoghurt in serving bowls and swirl through harissa paste. 
5. Scatter over crispy chickpeas and place sausages on top. 
6. Spoon over the cucumber and drizzle with lemon juice. 
7. Garnish with parsley and serve with pita on the side.

Harissa & chickpea samoosas 

Makes about 15 

Ditch the deep-frying for oven-baked crispiness. 

Ingredients 

2 tsp canola oil 
1 onion, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
2 Tbsp harissa paste 
1 can chickpeas, roughly mashed 
150g Swiss chard 
500g phyllo pastry, defrosted 
Low fat milk, for brushing 
Crushed cumin seeds, coriander seeds and sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional) 
Handful fresh coriander, for serving 
Tomato and red onion sambal (optional) 

Method 

1. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until golden. 
2. Add garlic and fry for another minute.
3. Stir in the harissa and cook slightly. 
4. Toss in chickpeas and spinach and stir until wilted. Set aside to cool. 
5. Unroll pastry and cover with a damp tea towel. 
6. Cut the pastry into 6-8cm strips. 
7. Stack three strips on top of each other, brushing lightly with milk to help them stick together. 
8. Place a tablespoon of filling at the base of a pastry strip. 
9. Starting from the bottom, diagonally fold over one corner of pastry to create a triangle. 10. Repeat folding in opposite directions until you have a samoosa. 
10. Repeat with remaining pastry strips and filling. 
11. Place on a baking tray, brush with milk and sprinkle lightly with seeds. 
12. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 180˚C or until golden. 14. Garnish with coriander and serve with sambal (if using).

 

Italian chicken and bean traybake 

Serves 4 

Spend less time cooking with this one-pan wonder. 

Ingredients 

Salt and milled pepper 
3-4 frozen chicken leg quarters, defrosted 
Glug olive oil 
1 onion, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
½ cup red wine (optional) 
1 can tomato purée 
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock 
2 Tbsp sugar 
1 tsp dried herbs (like basil, rosemary or Italian herbs) 
2 cans (400g each) kidney beans, drained 
3 salad tomatoes, quartered 
Fresh basil, for serving 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. 
2. Season chicken and place in an ovenproof dish. 
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it starts to brown. 
4. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion for 5 minutes or until golden. 
5. Add garlic and fry for another minute. 
6. Add wine, if using, and cook until reduced. 
7. Add tomato purée, stock, sugar and herbs, then cook for about 3 minutes. 
8. Remove chicken and pour sauce around it. 
9. Add beans and tomatoes and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Garnish with basil just before serving.

 

Pilchard pâté on toast 

Serves 4 

A dressed-up take on a budget classic. If you’re feeling fancy, swap out the pilchards for smoked mackerel. 

Ingredients 

1 crusty bread loaf (we used ciabatta), cut into thick slices 
1 clove garlic, halved 
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil 
1 Tbsp (15ml) chopped fresh thyme (or use ½ tsp dried thyme) 
Tomato and onion salsa, for serving   

For the pâté  

1 can pilchards in chilli sauce, drained and bones removed 
½ cup amasi or double cream yoghurt 
Zest of 1 lemon 
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 
1 Tbsp peri-peri sauce 
Salt and milled pepper  

Method 

1. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. 
2. Rub ciabatta with garlic. 
3. Combine oil and thyme and brush over bread. Toast in hot pan and until well charred on both sides. 
4. Blitz pâté ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste. 
5. Serve pâté with grilled ciabatta and salsa.

Words by: Liezl Vermeulen 
Recipes And Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine