5 easy family dinners for £25 - Cheat's paella, soy-glazed fish, Greek chicken with salad...

Monday: Cheat's summer veg paella

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
250g frozen sliced peppers
1 courgette, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp smoked paprika
300g long-grain rice, washed
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 800ml
100g baby spinach
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Heat the oil in a large, wide frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the onion and peppers for 8 mins or until soft. Add the courgette, fry for 5 mins, then stir in the garlic, oregano, and paprika; fry for another 2 mins. Stir in the rice, coating the grains in the spices.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, mix briefy, then bring to a simmer. Once simmering, turn down the heat to mediumlow, add a lid or a fat baking sheet to cover the pan and cook for 15 mins undisturbed. Remove the lid; the liquid should all be absorbed, and the rice tender. Simmer uncovered for 5 mins if any liquid remains; or if the rice isn’t cooked, add 150ml more water, return the lid and cook for 5 mins more.

3. Remove from the heat, scatter in the spinach, return the lid and leave for 2-3 mins to wilt. Stir to incorporate, then serve with the lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Wednesday: Sticky soy-glazed fish

300g long-grain rice, washed
4 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
15g fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp caster or granulated sugar
½ Savoy cabbage, cored and finely shredded
½ small red onion, finely sliced
1 carrot, peeled and finely shredded or grated
1 lime, juiced
2 tsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp for brushing
520g pack frozen fish fillets

1. Cook the rice to pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the soy sauce, ginger and sugar in a small pan and simmer over a medium-low heat for 5 mins until it resembles a thin syrup and is reduced by half.

2. Put the cabbage, onion and carrot in a bowl, add the lime juice, drizzle in 2 tsp olive oil and add a pinch of salt; toss well and set aside.

3. Heat the grill to high. Brush a shallow baking tray or grill tray with a little oil, add the fish and grill for 6-8 mins until defrosted but not cooked through. Drain any water from the tray and remove tails from the fish. Brush over the soy glaze. Grill for 3-4 mins until the fish is cooked, flaking when pressed gently, and the glaze is sticky.

4. Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve with the lime slaw and the fish, spooning any glaze over the rice.

Friday: Mushroom fajitas

2 tbsp olive oil
400g closed-cup mushrooms, sliced
2 red onions, 1 finely sliced, 1 finely chopped
250g frozen sliced peppers
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30g sachet fajita seasoning
325g tin sweetcorn, drained
150g cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ lemon, juiced
8 wholemeal tortillas
100g Greek-style salad cheese, crumbled
50g baby spinach leaves, washed

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat; fry the mushrooms and sliced onions for 8-10 mins until lightly golden. Add the frozen peppers, fry for 5 mins until softened and the water has evaporated, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the spice mix and cook for 1-2 mins until the veg is well coated. Add 2 tbsp water if the spices stick to the pan or the mixture looks slightly dry.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a separate frying pan over a medium-high heat. Tip in the sweetcorn and fry for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until golden and lightly charred in places. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cherry tomatoes, finely chopped onion and lemon juice. Allow to cool for a few mins.

3. Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 5 secs each side, or microwave as a stack for 30-60 secs until warm. Just before serving, stir the crumbled salad cheese into the corn salsa. Serve everything in the middle of the table and let people help themselves to the fajita mushroom mix, salsa and spinach.