Budget Bites: Three light recipes that sing of summer
Make the most of all the season has to offer by chowing down on bell peppers, courgettes, cauliflower and asparagus across three wonderfully, light dishes that sing summer. As part of our Budget Bites column – where we’ve teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month – we’ve brought you three seasonal dishes that make the most of your staple ingredients while keeping your fresh shopping list minimal. We’ve also provided a handy shopping list for the ingredients (though hopefully most of it will be knocking about already), which are used across all recipes to ensure minimal food waste. You just need to decide where to shop, whether it’s locally or online. Shopping list 9 cloves garlic 20g fresh ginger 30g fresh basil 4 red bell pepper 2 courgette 5 spring onions 200g asparagus 1 lemon 1 cauliflower 1 red chilli 5 spring onion 40g unsalted butter 150g mozzarella ball 300g crème fraîche 1 x 250g ciabatta 1 vegetable stock cube 2 tbsp miso paste ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander seed 1 tbsp mild chilli powder 2 tbsp sesame seeds 10g pine nuts 400g tinned chopped tomatoes 400g tinned butter beans 250g microwave Puy lentils Olive oil Vegetable oil Sesame oil Red pepper soup with basil salsa If you can get your hands on Romano red peppers, give them a go – they will provide a little more sweetness. Serves: 2 Ingredients: 4 red bell pepper 4 cloves garlic 6 tbsp olive oil ½ ciabatta (1x 250g) 20g fresh basil 10g pine nuts 400g tinned chopped tomatoes 150g mozzarella ball Method: 1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 180C. 2. Prep the peppers: Deseed and thinly slice 4 bell peppers, then peel and thinly slice 3 cloves of the garlic – we will use the other clove of garlic later. 3. Preheat the pan: Add 2 tbsp of the oil to a large saucepan and place it over a medium heat. 4. Fry the peppers and garlic: Once the oil begins to shimmer and loosen, tip in the peppers, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Fry for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and jammy. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 5. Prep the bread: Cut 1 ciabatta in half and wrap half in clingfilm – we will use this for another recipe in the pack if you haven’t used it already. Cut some of what remains into small 0.5cm cubes and rip the rest into bite-sized chunks. 6. Get ready to bake: Toss the small cubes with 1 tbsp of oil and a generous pinch of salt on a small baking tray. Spread everything out into an even layer on the tray. 7. Bake: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 8. Assemble the salsa: Add the leaves from 20g of basil to a measuring jug, along with 10g of pine nuts, 3 tbsp of oil, and a generous pinch of salt. 9. Blend the salsa: Blend until smooth and pesto-like, then give the hand blender a rinse – we will need it later. 10. Add the tomatoes: Once the peppers are ready, add 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. 11. Add the bread and simmer: Add the ripped up chunks of bread from earlier (not the small cubes), and 150ml of water. Simmer for a further 5-7 minutes, until the bread starts to break up – this will thicken the soup. 12. Wash up: While you wait for the bread to break down, crack on with a bit of washing up. 13. Blend: Once the bread has broken down a bit, take the pan off the heat and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 14. Serve: Divide 1 x 150g ball of mozzarella between 2 serving bowls, then ladle over the soup. Spoon over the basil salsa, scatter over the crispy ciabatta, and dive in! Summer stew with dukkah croutons We use ground spices but if time is on your side, try toasting whole spices and then blending them to amp up the flavours! Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 courgette 5 spring onions 200g asparagus 2 cloves garlic 400g tinned butter beans 1 vegetable stock cube 1 tbsp miso paste 40g unsalted butter ½ ciabatta (1x 250g) ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander seed 2 tbsp sesame seeds 3 tbsp vegetable oil 100g crème fraîche 10g fresh basil 1 lemon Method: 1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 180C, this will be for the bread later. 2. Prep the veg: Cut 2 courgettes in half lengthways, then cut them crossways at 1cm intervals. Cut 5 spring onions in quarters crossways, then repeat with 200g of asparagus. Peel and finely grate 2 cloves of garlic. 3. Assemble the stew: Add the courgettes, spring onions, and garlic to a medium saucepan along with 1 undrained 400g tin of butter beans, 1 stock cube, 1 tbsp of miso, and 40g of butter. 4. Get the stew on: Add 400ml of water, then place the pan over a high heat. 5. Simmer: Once the stew comes up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the courgettes soften slightly. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 6. Prep the bread: Cut 1 ciabatta in half and wrap half in clingfilm – we will use this for another recipe in the pack if you haven’t used it already. Rip what remains into bite-sized chunks and add them to a medium baking tray. 7. Get ready to roast: Toss the bread with ½ tsp of cumin, ½ tsp of ground coriander seed, 2 tbsp of sesame seeds, 3 tbsp of oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Spread everything out into 1 even layer. 8. Bake: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 9. Add the asparagus: Once the courgettes have softened slightly, add the asparagus and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, until the asparagus is soft but still has a slight bite. Crack on with a bit of washing up while you wait. 10. Season: Once the stew is ready, finely grate over the zest from 1 lemon, then season to taste with its juice and salt. 11. Serve: Divide the stew between bowls and spoon over 100g of crème fraîche. Finish with the leaves from 10g of basil and tuck in! Chilli roast cauliflower with ‘holy trinity’ lentils The “holy trinity” in this dish refers to a wonderful combination of spring onion, ginger and garlic that is often used throughout Chinese cookery. Serves: 2 Ingredients: 1 cauliflower 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp mild chilli powder 200g crème fraîche 1 tbsp miso paste 5 spring onion 3 cloves garlic 20g fresh ginger 2 tbsp sesame oil 250g microwave Puy lentils 1 red chilli Method: 1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 180C – this will be for the cauliflower later. 2. Prep the cauliflower: Cut the green leaves from 1 cauliflower, then use a small knife to cut small florets from the woody stalk in the centre. We won’t be using the stalk or the leaves for this recipe, but they work well in soups! 3. Get ready to roast: Toss the florets with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of mild chilli powder, and a generous pinch of salt on a large baking tray. Ensure the florets are fully coated, then spread everything out into 1 even layer. 4. Roast: Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden in places and soft throughout. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 5. Mix the creme fraiche and miso: Beat 200g of creme fraiche with 1 tbsp of miso paste in a small bowl and set aside – we will use this for garnish later. 6. Chop chop: Finely chop 5 spring onions, then peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic and 20g of ginger. 7. Preheat the pan: Add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to a large frying pan and place it over a medium-high heat. 8. Fry: Once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, add the spring onions, garlic and ginger. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant and golden in places. 9. Add the lentils: Add 1 250g pouch of lentils to the pan and fry for a further 4-5 minutes, tossing regularly, until piping hot. Crack on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 10. Prep the chilli: Thinly slice 1 red chilli – we will use this for garnish later. If you are still waiting for the lentils, now would be a great time to do a bit of washing up! 11. Serve: Spoon the miso creme fraiche onto plates and spread it out into large discs. Divide the lentils between the plates and add the roast cauliflower. Scatter over the red chilli and serve! In response to the rising cost of living, we have teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month. 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Halloween is here, but many A-list celebrities kicked off the spooky celebrations early over the weekend. While this year’s Halloween falls on a Tuesday, several famous faces stepped out in some extravagant costumes all “Halloweekend” long. Some celebrities paid homage to fellow pop culture icons, while others tried their best to follow new costume guidelines issued by SAG-AFTRA. Last week, the guild prohibited members from dressing up as popular characters from major studio content. Instead, they were encouraged to wear costumes inspired by generalised characters, like ghosts, zombies, or witches. This meant that celebrities needed to put their creative costume skills to the test, and many succeeded - apart from Megan Fox, who defiantly hit out at SAG-AFTRA when she dressed up as Gogo Yubari from Kill Bill. From Paris Hilton to Kourtney Kardashian Barker, here are the best celebrity Halloween costumes of 2023. Adele The Grammy winner celebrated the spooky holiday with a performance at her Las Vegas residency, “Weekends with Adele”. She dressed up as Morticia Addams from The Addams Family for the occasion, complete with a long black wig, a floor-length black dress, and dramatic smokey eye makeup. Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies Longtime friends Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies continued their Halloween tradition of acting out scenes from their favourite movies. This year the pair dressed up as characters from the 1995 film, Showgirls. Grande played Elizabeth Berkley’s character, Nomi Malone/Polly Ann Costello, while Gillies was Gina Gershon’s Cristal Connors. Last year, the Victorious co-stars reenacted scenes from Christopher Guest’s 2000 mockumentary, Best in Show. Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber Elvis star Austin Butler and his girlfriend, Kaia Gerber, went all out as Andy Warhol and 1960’s model Edie Sedgwick for Halloween. The celebrity couple, who have been dating since late 2021, attended the 2023 Casamigos Halloween party hosted by Gerber’s parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. Chloe Bailey Singer Chloe Bailey pulled out all the stops as Daenerys Targaryen, aka Mother of Dragons, from HBO’s Game of Thrones. The 25-year-old shared photos of her medieval costume to Instagram, where she posed in a gold-plated dress with Khlaeesi’s signature long blonde hair. Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch, and Lili Reinhart The Riverdale co-stars reunited this Halloween to become characters from the DC comic, Gotham City Sirens. Mendes appeared as Catwoman, Petsch was dressed as Poison Ivy, and Reinhart opted for Harley Quinn. Demi Lovato Camp Rock alum Demi Lovato went back to her Disney roots when she dressed up as Snow White for Halloween. The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer channelled the Disney princess with her signature blue, white, and yellow mini dress. Lovato made the look her own by adding a low-cut, leather corset top over the bodice. Ice Spice Ice Spice turned heads this Halloween when she shared photos of herself as the cartoon character, Betty Boop. The 23-year-old rapper posted photos to Instagram wearing Betty Boop’s signature black curled hair, along with a red strapless mini dress. Justin and Hailey Bieber Justin and Hailey Bieber took couples costumes to a whole new level when they coordinated in matching looks from The Flintstones. The singer and model attended Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun’s Halloween Party in Los Angeles dressed as the characters Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm from the cartoon series. The Rhode Beauty founder also shared photos of her separate Halloween costume: a white, lace underwear set inspired by Carmen Electra’s from the 2000 parody film, Scary Movie. Keke Palmer Halloween was a mother-son affair for Keke Palmer and her nine-month-old son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton. The duo paid homage to Frankenstein, as the Nope star dressed up as the Bride of Frankenstein and her son as Dr Frankenstein. “He gave me LIFE,” she captioned her post on Instagram. For her second Halloween costume, Palmer dressed up as Tyra Banks’ character Eve in the 2000 movie Life-Size starring Lindsay Lohan, in which the doll Eve comes to life. Kendall Jenner Much like older sister Kim Kardashian did at the 2022 Met Gala, supermodel Kendall Jenner also channelled Marilyn Monroe with her Halloween costume this year. The 27-year-old wore a short, curled blonde wig and black turtleneck, as she dotted her left cheek with Monroe’s signature beauty mark. “Happy birthday mister president,” Jenner captioned her Instagram post. Kelsea Ballerini It was a Barbiecore Halloween this year, and country music singer Kelsea Ballerini went all out as Cowgirl Barbie from the Barbie movie. She shared photos to Instagram of her Halloween costume, which featured a hot pink vest and matching bell bottoms covered in stars. Ballerini completed the look with a pink paisley ascot around her neck and a white cowboy hat, straight from the summer blockbuster. Kim Kardashian and North West Famous mother-daughter duo Kim Kardashian and North West took a page out of the 1995 teen movie classic, Clueless, with their Halloween costumes. The Skims founder dressed up as Alicia Silverstone’s character of Cher Horowitz, complete with her iconic yellow plaid skirt and jacket, with a matching yellow vest and long blonde hair. Meanwhile, her 10-year-old daughter channelled Cher’s best friend, Dionne. Kourtney Kardashian For her Halloween costume this year, Kourtney Kardashian Barker took a page out of Kim Kardashian’s fashion archive. The Poosh founder recreated her sister’s floral-printed Givenchy gown she wore to the 2013 Met Gala when she was pregnant with her first child, North West. Now, Kardashian Barker is pregnant with her fourth child and first baby with husband Travis Barker. “Freaky Friday,” she wrote on Instagram. The soon-to-be mother of four also shared a photo of her couples costume with the Blink-182 drummer. Kardashian and Barker dressed up as actors Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder in the 1988 movie, Beetlejuice. Their elaborate outfits resembled the ones worn during the scene in which Beetlejuice (Keaton) convinces Lydia (Ryder) to marry him. “I’m the ghost with the most, babe,” Kardasian captioned her post, quoting a line straight from the horror film. Lizzo The “Truth Hurts” singer turned into fellow musician Tina Turner with her Halloween costume. In photos posted to Instagram, Lizzo wore a leather mini dress with sparkly fringe, along with a Turner-inspired blonde wig. “Honouring Tina Turner,” she captioned her post. The queen of rock ‘n’ roll died earlier this year at age 83. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly The Jennifer’s Body star hit out at SAG-AFTRA guidelines when she and her fiancé, Machine Gun Kelly, dressed up as characters from the 2001 film, Kill Bill. Fox wore a costume inspired by the schoolgirl assassin, Gogo Yubari, while MGK wore the iconic yellow jumpsuit Uma Thurman’s character wore in the film. Taking to Instagram, Fox tagged the official account for SAG-AFTRA in her caption, simply writing: “@sagaftra” Paris Hilton and Jessica Alba In honour of Britney Spears’ newly released memoir, The Woman in Me, Paris Hilton paid tribute to her longtime friend when she wore a replica of the blue flight attendant dress Spears donned in the “Toxic” music video. “Icons support icons,” Hilton wrote on Instagram, alongside photos of the iconic costume. Meanwhile, Jessica Alba also honoured the legendary pop star with her Halloween costume. She attended the star-studded Casamigos party in Los Angeles donning a blonde wig and nude, sparkly bodysuit - resembling another notable look Spears wore in the 2004 music video for “Toxic”. As for Heidi Klum, the queen of crazy Halloween costumes, she teased her upcoming look for her annual Halloween party. Taking to Instagram, the supermodel posed nude on a fluffy pink couch as she wrote in her caption: “The calm before the storm. “Three days to #heidihalloween2023,” she added. “My motto this Halloween: GO BIG OR GO HOME”. Last year, Klum broke the internet when she dressed up in a head-to-toe worm costume. Speaking to People, she explained that when it comes to Halloween costumes, Klum tries to “find things that people naturally wouldn’t do.” “Most people do nurses or police officers, but I was always looking for something that I hadn’t seen,” she said. While Klum is keeping this year’s costume close to her chest, she did previously describe it as “epic”. 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