Beans!

Beans can be beautiful. I have always thought they were boring and kinda gross but here are some cheap ways to flavor up your beans. All recipes serve 1

Lemon beans:

• 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove - use less or none if you don't like garlic
• 1 cup of beans
• salt and pepper.
• 1 tsp of oil

1. Place your beans in a bowl and add 1cm of water. Microwave for 2 mins covered.
2. Meanwhile zest and juice lemon. 
3. Drain Cooked beans.
4. Pour 1 tsp of oil over cooked beans along with 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of zest. Salt and pepper beans. Toss beans and taste. Add more lemon juice/zest if need be. 

Minted green beans:

• 1-2 tsp of butter
• 1 cups of beans.
• a couple of mint leaves.
• salt and pepper
• Garlic - 1 clove if you love it. - half if you enjoy it or none if you hate it.

1. Place beans in bowl and add 1cm of water. Cover and cook on high for 1min in microwave.
2. Chop garlic and add to peas. 
3. Return peas to microwave for 1min.
4. Meanwhile chop mint. 
5. Drain cooked beans.
6. Stir the butter, mint and salt and pepper. 

Garlic green beans - Yum!

• 2-3 garlic cloves (depending on size.)
• 1 tsp - butter or oil.
• salt and pepper.

1. Place beans in bowl and add 1cm of water. Cover and cook on high for 1min in microwave.
2. Chop garlic and add to peas. 
3. Return peas to microwave for 1.5min.
4. Drain cooked beans.
5. Stir the butter and salt and pepper. 

Lemony

Lemon zest. It;s something that I don't use often and I don't want to go buy a whole lemon just for the zest. So I started freezing the lemon zest. If I buy a lemon before I use it I just peal all of the zest off. Then pop that into a zip lock bag and grab it when I need it.

Mashed Potatoes

I don't know about you, but as as a student mashed potatoes are on the menu wayyy to often. I get sick of them fast. This is a cheap way to liven up your mash.
Feel free to make this vegan.

Serves one:

• Potato - 1 large
• 1 peel of lemon zest. - see here for a tip.
• Rosemary 1 small fresh sprig or about 1/2 a tsp dried - depends how much you like it.
• 1 piece of stale bread
• 1/3 garlic clove
• teaspoon of oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Chop potatoes into 1.5cm cubes and place in boiling water. 
2. Meanwhile if your bread is stale enough or just not stale pop in the oven and grill until golden brown on both sides.
3. When you can stab the potatoes and the knife enters easily then they are cooked. Drain them and leave them in the pot - this will remove excess water and keep them warm till serving. 
4. Add 1 teaspoon of butter to the potatoes and mash continue to milk until potatoes are combined.
5. Turn grill onto high.
6. Combine bread, lemon zest and rosemary in blender or whatever you have (I have a bullet). Blend until combined and then add oil. 
7. Place mashed potatoes on oven proof dish. - If I think my plate will survive then I just chuck it on that. 
8. Cover potatoes with bread crumbs and place in the oven. It's done when crumb is crispy.