TVSCB // Chicken and Couscous

I didn't post a recipe last week, and in all honesty that's because I've not really made much lately! I've been living on super noodles, pizzas and not much else (sorry mum) because I've been feeling pretty stressed. But last night I made one of my favourite meals, which is also ridiculously easy to make, so I thought I'd share it with you!

Ingredients:

Chicken - I used the frozen pre-cooked chicken breast strips that you can pick up in ASDA, Aldi or Iceland.

Cous Cous - My mum brought me back this really lush couscous from Italy when she was there over Summer, but you can buy it in the pasta aisle of most supermarkets.

Vegetables - Literally whichever veggies you want. Most of these recipes are pretty adaptable!

Let's get cooking…

I start off by cooking the chicken, which you can do in whatever way you want. I stir fry it with some of that low-cal fry-lite spray with loads of mixed herbs and a sprinkle of black pepper, purely because I love the way it tastes when it's cooked this way! Because the chicken is frozen, I always cook it before I start everything else as it takes longer.

I chop my vegetables: my favourites for this meal are peppers and courgettes, as they both taste really nice when stir fried alongside the seasoned chicken. Be careful not to put them in too early otherwise they'll just end up burnt to a crisp…

While the chicken and veg are cooking the kettle has been boiling away, and I cook the couscous which is SO easy to do. You literally only need a tiny bit because it quadruples in density when it's cooked I swear. I put some in a jug along with a tiny bit of the mixed herbs, some salt and pepper and a bit of butter, then pour the boiling water over it. Leave it for a minute while you check the chicken and veg, then stir the couscous to make sure it doesn't all stick together.

When everything's cooked, that's it!

And you're done!

It's such an easy-to-make meal, and it's relatively healthy but it tastes AMAZING. Plus the ingredients are cheap as chips, which is a bonus for every student and much cheaper than a takeaway. Let me know if you make this or anything else I've posted as part of #TVSCB.

Ps, I know I never post photos of the cooking process or the meals I make for this feature - I'd love to, but living in a student house where 4 people make 4 separate meals every meal-time means our kitchen is always a mess, plus the lighting is absolutely dire. Sorry!

TVSCB // Sausage Casserole

It's time for another instalment in the Virtual Student Cook Book - and today it's sausage casserole. I'm drooling just writing this.

Ingredients:

Sausages - They're just sausages aren't they; I personally like to use the really thick ones but you an use whichever ones you want.

Vegetables - A bit like the last recipe, you can use whatever veg you want in your casserole. I normally include peppers, onions, sweetcorn and peas - but you could also add mushrooms and anything else!

Carbs - It's up to you whether you use pasta or potatoes or curly fries, anything goes for a bit of stodge.

Casserole Mix - I usually get a packet mix from Colmans or Schwartz, but I recently discovered that Aldi and Lidl both do their own ones which are super cheap and taste just as good.

Let's get cooking...

I start off with frying the sausages in oil and herbs, but you could grill them if you're after the healthy option! You don't need to cook them for too long, as the casserole goes in the oven afterwards so they'll definitely be safe to eat! I also fry the peppers and onions to give them a bit of flavour.

I then follow the instructions on the packet mix (which is usually just mixing it with water) and pour the liquid into a casserole dish along with the sausages and all the veg. I cover the dish with foil, or the lid if I can find it, then whack it in the oven for a few hours! This means the sausages go really soft and there's plenty of flavour locked in.

When I'm almost ready to eat, I cook the pasta. I then take the dish out of the oven and mix the pasta in and bob's your uncle!

And you're done!

Honestly, that's it! Any fool could do it, I promise you. It tastes amazingggggg as well. Again, I'm really sorry for the lack of photos on this post; I'm picking my camera up TONIGHT so there should be some decent photos coming soon. Also, sorry that this is the second non-beauty related post in a row; I usually like to mix it up, but I'm at my family home right now rather than my uni house which is where all my products are, oops!

TVSCB - Chicken in Black Bean // Recipe

I recently introduced a new feature on my blog: The Virtual Student Cook Book, or TVSCB for short. The aim is to share the recipes I've picked up through my first year-and-a-bit of university, that are quick and easy as well as actually being nice. Today it's a chicken in black bean sauce stir-fry, which is my ultimate favourite.

Ingredients:

Chicken - I buy bags of frozen, ready-cooked chicken as it means you don't need to defrost it, and as it's already cooked there's no chance of food poisoning! It's also pretty cheap and can be picked up in the likes of Asda and Tesco, as well as Aldi.

Black Bean Sauce - You can buy this in jars or sachets: one sachet is enough for one person and you can grab them for 29p each in Home Bargains.

Vegetables - It's up to you what veg you put in; I like to have peppers, onions and courgettes, all of which can be found in Aldi or at fruit & veg shops for really cheap. You could add mushrooms, carrots or celery too.

Dried Noodles - These are also available in Home Bargains for around 60p, which gets you 4 'nests' - one nest is enough for one person, and once you've opened the packet they last forever: they're essentially the same as pasta! (you can get them in all the supermarkets too)

Let's get cooking...

I take a frying pan or wok and put some oil in, and some herbs/seasoning if I fancy a bit of extra flavour, although this isn't necessary. The chicken goes in first, as being frozen it needs a bit longer to cook.

While that's cooking, I chop my vegetables and boil the kettle ready for the noodles, which only take a few minutes to cook.

When the chicken has been sizzling for a while I add the vegetables, stirring them to make sure nothing gets stuck to the pan.

After a while I put the noodles on to cook, and once they're done I add them to the wok/frying pan so that they can 'stir fry'. I add the sauce too so it can heat through - and voila.

And you're done...

It's literally as easy as it - and it tastes amazing, although it looks pretty gross which is why I haven't included a photo. Naughty blogger. Don't shoot me. You might want to open the kitchen door or the windows when you're cooking to avoid the smoke alarm going off, and don't put the heat on too high as this can lead to burning the food while simultaneously leaving it uncooked. Hope you enjoy!