Go Veggie

Last year, I watched a programme that changed the way I viewed meat.

I am not a vegetarian, nor am I going to write a lecture on how eating meat is bad. I love meat, and I will eat it. But now I've learnt that I don't have to eat it every day.

I have never liked the thought of cheap meat, but Britain's Really Disgusting Food made me make up my mind 100% that it was not something I would eat ever again. The thought of Mechanically Reclaimed Meat and other equally gross animal parts in foods made me want to be sick a little, and still does. I cannot go anyway near processed meats and bottom of the range choices.

That said, I can't afford to eat organic meat so I can't quite go to the other end of the scale. All I can do for now is say that now I won't buy the cheapest. But that still isn't financially viable. Chicken to make a korma costs me just under a fiver for four portions which makes meat the most expensive thing on my shopping list.

So how was I to go about this? Have a few veggie days a week. This didn't go down particular well with my other half who, despite being a tiny creature, eats a lot of food. And if meat isn't part of a meal, he doesn't really class it as a full meal. A bit of a challenge, then!

Cheesy Chickpea Enchiladas is my current favourite vegetarian dish, and one which doesn't leave him eating some toast later in the evening.

Fry up a red onion and garlic until softened. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin of drained chickpeas, a teaspoon of cumin and a pinch of dried chili flakes. You can add a finely chopped chilli if you so wish, but I'm not very good with spicy food.

Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes or so until thick. Lay four tortilla wraps curled up next to each other in a baking dish and spoon the mixture in. Wrap over the sides to make 4 individual wraps (but try and make sure the ends of the wraps aren't higher than the baking dish or they'll burn) and cover with grated cheese. Grill until the cheese bubbles.

I can eat two of these because they're yummy - but one really is enough if you have a small stomach. Serve with a salad.

If this were a meat dish, it would be made with mince or chicken. But by substituting it with chickpeas it saves a good £2-3. Which doesn't really seem a lot, but it can reduce your shopping bill if you don't eat meat a couple of times a week.

As tortillas come in a pack of 8, I use the remaining ones for lunch. I also buy pre-grated cheese so I can take whatever I have left to work with me, and eat it with a jacket potato and some beans. Uses up leftovers and saves me time having to think up lunch ideas. Win-win!