Healthy budget family meals

Eat well and feel great with our nutritious, budget-friendly family meals, which are full of goodness and make the most of lower-cost ingredients

- KERRY TORRENS

Chole with cumin rice & raita

Make this flavour-packed chickpea curry for a satisfying meat-free supper that also provides two of your five-a-day. It’s great if you haven’t got time to go shopping, as it uses up storecupboard basics such as canned chickpeas, dried rice and spices. You can easily dial down the spice levels for youngsters, too. Beans and pulses, like chickpeas, are rich in protein, resistant starch and soluble fibre, all of which slow the speed of digestion and help lower blood sugar levels. This means they have a low glycaemic index (GI) and release their energy more steadily, which is great if you have an energetic family.

SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 20 mins EASY V

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 x 400g cans chickpeas
• 100g tomato purée
• 30g coriander, chopped
• 300g basmati rice

For the raita

• ¼ cucumber
• 200g Greek-style yogurt
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
• small handful of mint, chopped
• handful of pomegranate seeds, to serve (optional)

1 Heat the oil in a large pan over a low heat and fry the onion for 10 mins until starting to brown. Add 3 tsp of the cumin, the ginger, garlic and curry powder. Stir for a minute to keep the spices from burning.