Student meals. They can either be fabulous, or not so great- or downright grim. Don't get me wrong, some nights I just open some soup, or have baked beans and a jacket potato with scrambled eggs. And that's fine- but the days I want a quick meal that also has a little more...pzazz? Enter this take on a meal which is popular with one of my flatmates and myself...
Two of us in the flat are very much into mushrooms. Lucy once bought 2lbs of them, because they were 50p per lb. and "too good to resist", though she didn't quite realise how much 1lb was. Which meant we lived off of mushrooms for a little while (I didn't get the frantic text telling me not to buy mushrooms until it was too late). And the easiest dish (other than stir frys, soup, and pasta sauces) was garlic mushrooms and spinach on toast. Which is fine for a light meal, but I am starving by the time I get in on an evening.
This meal is quick, simple, takes under 10 minutes, contains vegetarian protein sources (yes, I've combined two LBV sources so that we get everything we need- look this up if you didn't do A-Level Food Tech/ are a biology nerd), and it uses cheap ingredients. Spring greens work as a more flavoursome alternative to spinach, and at the moment they're coming into season, so make the most of them while they're cheap...
Ingredients
- 2 slices wholegrain bread (I opted for a sourdough, as the texture is the best you'll find in the Waitrose bargain bin- which is where I head when I'm feeling fancy)
- 5-6 mushrooms
- 1/2 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (approx. 120g: you can use the others in a salad, or mash with 1/2 avocado and curry powder before dolloping onto a jacket potato)
- 1 good handful of spring greens (supermarkets sell them with the spinach, kale, and salad leaves usually)
- Black and white pepper, to taste
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- OPTIONAL: 1 good pinch of mixed herbs; 1 heaped tsp. wholegrain mustard (use whatever you like, but I do recommend adding this, and I prefer wholegrain for flavour), 1/4 lemon to dress
Method
- First things first: slice the garlic cloves thinly (use a press if you have one; I don't), and add to the pan, with a little cooking spray or oil. Turn the pan to a medium heat, and cook gently.
- Now slice the mushrooms in to thick slices, and add them to the pan too. Once beginning to soften, add the spring greens, and a little splash of water in order to steam them. Throw in the black and white pepper, and the herbs if using.
- Add in the chickpeas, and stir. Leave over a low heat while you toast the bread.
- Once your bread is transformed into toast, spread each slice with a little mustard, and then whack the chickpea mixture on top. Add more pepper and a bit of lemon if desired.
- Dig in...
Labels: bread, chickpeas, easy, Food, garlic, garlic mushroom, healthy, healthy student meal, mushrooms, quick meal, sourdough, student, student food, toast
