Vegetable Noodles

This is a super doper quick but nutritious weekday meal that makes perfect cold leftovers for lunch the next day. Yum!

For 4-6 portions you need

1 packet fine egg noodles

1 onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced into strips

½ cup frozen sweetcorn

½ cup frozen peas

1 packet quorn chicken style chunks

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1” fresh ginger, grated

½ cup soya sauce

1 tsp sugar

¼ cup water

1 tbsp oil

Begin by frying the onion and carrots in the oil for 2-3 mins. Add the quorn and cook for a further 3 mins.

Whilst these are cooking add the noodles to boiling water and cook for 2 mins (or as directed on the packet). Drain and refresh with cold water to prevent them over cooking and sticking.

Add the remaining vegetables to the pan and cook for 2 mins. Add the drained noodles, soya sauce, water and sugar to the pan and toss thoroughly. Cook for 2 mins until everything is piping hot. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Easy Coleslaw (v)

Very quick and easy to make if you have a food processor, this coleslaw gets better with age so make it 1-2 days beforehand if you have time.

For 6-8 portions you need

1/2 white cabbage

1 onion

2 carrots

6 tbsp mayo

Shred the cabbage and onion then grate the carrot. Mix in the mayo. Told you it was simple. 

Moroccan Cous Cous Salad (v)

We had a BBQ last weekend. After a week of glorious, warm and sunny weather we picked the one day it was freezing cold and the guests had to borrow socks and jumpers and blankets! The food made us happy tho :) This salad is so simple to make but tastes great and goes with anything!

For 6-8 portions you need
1 cup cous cous
2 cups boiling veg stock
1/4 cup dried currants
1 finely chopped red onion
1 finely chopped small bunch fresh coriander
1/2 finely chopped small bunch mint
2 tsp moroccan spices e.g. ras el hanot
3 tsp pine nuts and sunflower seeds toasted in a frying pan
2 tbsp olive oil

Place everything about from the pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a large bowl and cover with clingfilm until the cous cous is rehydrated. Fluff up with a fork and then sprinkle over the seeds and pine nuts.

Ben and Jerry's French Vanilla Ice Cream

I used to have an ice cream maker but tbh it was a bit rubbish. I recently bought another, more expensive one and have been trying out new recipes that didn't need cooked egg custards as a base. This recipe is fabulous - it's so quick and easy to make but it tastes amazing. It uses American cups but don't let this put you off, it's easy to convert if you don't have any cups to measure with.

For 1 quart of delicious ice cream you need
2 large eggs
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups double cream
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy (about 3-4 mins). Slowly add the sugar and keep whisking. Mix in the milk, cream and vanilla. Transfer to a pre-chilled ice cream machine and churn for 30-40 mins. Finish the freezing process in the freezer.

Thai Spiced Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup (v)

This quick but oh-so-tasty soup is based on this recipe. I had butternut squash to use up, along with some yellow thai curry paste and only 150ml coconut milk. The results were delicious and nicely filling for a working week day dinner. We had home made garlic bread along side to bulk it out a bit more. And poor old me gets to eat the leftovers for lunch today. It’s hard life ;-)

For 4-6 portions you need

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 inch fresh ginger grated

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1cm chunks

½ cup red lentils

150ml coconut milk

1 litre vegan stock

2 tbsp thai yellow curry paste (this isn’t too spicy and uses turmeric to colour the paste yellow which also gives an earthy background note to the soup)

Sliced red chilli and chopped fresh coriander to serve

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp fresh lime juice or fish sauce if not vegan

24 hour risen garlic bread to serve

Begin by sweating the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the garlic, ginger, squash and curry paste and cook for a further 5 mins. Tip in the lentils then add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins until the lentils are cooked.

Blitz the soup until velvety and smooth. Add the soya sauce and lime juice or fish sauce. Serve in warmed bowls topped with the fresh zingy chilli slices and chopped coriander.

24 Hour Risen Garlic Bread (v)

I love baking bread, especially now I know that leaving it to rise slowly in the fridge not only makes it a lot easier to control and ensure it works, but it also tastes divine. The recipe below was supposed to make two meals worth of bread but, er, we ate most of it in one go because it was so tasty.

For 2 garlic breads that will feed 3-4 each you need

500g plain flour

7g dried yeast

½ tbsp. sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

300ml water

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Simply place everything in a bowl and mix till it forms dough (I use my kenwood). Tip into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to slowly rise in the fridge for 24 hours. Gently shape into ovals and top with olive oil and crushed garlic. Bake in a hot oven for 20 mins and then scoff. Feel utterly smug you have home made bread on a weekday work night. 

'Chicken' Noodle Soup (v)

An unbelievably quick and easy recipe, perfect for warming and cheering you up after a long working day.

For 3-4 people you need

3 nests noodles (egg if not vegan, rice or soba otherwise)

Veggies of your choice: I usually use 1-2 carrots, thinly sliced, ½ cup frozen peas, ½ cup frozen sweetcorn, chinese leaf shredded

1 onion, sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated

Fresh coriander, roughly chopped

50ml soya sauce

1.5 litres veggie stock

Either some quorn chicken chunks, tofu cubes, marinated tofu strips etc

To serve: hot chili sauce (Econa is my fave!); sesame oil, soya sauce

Place everything in a large pan and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 mins until the protein element is hot, the noodles are cooked and the veggies are al dente. Serve topped with the chilli sauce, chili flakes, chopped coriander and anything else you fancy J

Tropical Fruit with Butterscotch Sauce

Who says that eating fruit has to be puritanical all the time ;-) This simple butterscotch sauce is great for dipping your fruit in when you’re fed up with being a saint all the time.

For 4 portions you need

50g butter

75g soft brown sugar

100ml double cream

Tropical fruit of your choice, we used mango, papaya and pineapple.

Put the butter, sugar and cream in a pan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Allow to boil gently to reduce slightly, but take care not to let the sauce catch or burn. Serve on the side as a dipping sauce or just tip the whole lot over your bowl and enjoy J

Vegetable Chow Mein

This is a cheat recipe really seeing as it uses ready made sauce and pre-cooked noodles. But we all need a 5 min dinner some nights of the week don't we..

For 3-4 portions you need
1/2 pack quorn chicken style chunks
2 packs ready cooked egg noodles
1 pack stir fry veg
2 packs plum sauce or any other chinese style sauce
1 onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Yes, this really does involve you having to prepare an onion to begin with. Sorry.

Slice the onion and add to the wok with any harder veggies e.g. broccoli or carrot. Stir fry for 2-3 mins and then add the quorn chunks and the rest of the veggies. Stir fry for a minute then add the noodles and the sauce. Cover with a lid and toss about to ensure everything gets covered in the sauce. Tada, serve and scoff. A speedy and filling but good for you supper.

Double Bean Burgers with Mango Chilli Salsa (v)

I really fancied a bean burger for dinner last night. Not like the horrid mushy ones you get in Burger King, but a nice, solid and healthy treat with a zingy salsa on the side. The recipe I came up with was inspired by this Jamie Oliver one. It's a doddle to make with a food processor and we managed to get sat down and eating within 30 mins, a win for a working week day eve.

For 4-6 burgers you need
1 can drained black eyed beans
1 can drained chickpeas (tbh you can use whatever beans or lentils you have to hand)
1 onion
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, oregano
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper
about 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I always keep some in the freezer from the scrag ends of bread we haven't eaten)
1 egg or 1/4 cup water with 2 tbsp veg oil if you're vegan
Large handful of fresh coriander
Zest of a lemon
Oil for shallow frying
Barms for eating the burgers in and whatever condiments you fancy (ketchup, mustard, mayo etc)

Mango Chilli Salsa
1 ripe mango, diced
1 thai chilli finely sliced
2 tbsp each fresh mint and coriander, roughly chopped
Juice of a lemon
4 spring onions, finely sliced

Put everything apart from the breadcrumbs into a food processor and blitz until half pureed and half chunky. Tip into a bowl and mix in the breadcrumbs. You should have a mix that is able to be formed into burgers. if it's too wet add a little flour. If it's too dry add a little water. Form into 4-6 patties and leave in the fridge to chill for 5 mins.

Make the salsa by mixing everything together.

When you're ready to cook the burgers, put a little oil into a pan and then fry the burgers on a medium heat for 10 mins on each side until nicely browned. Serve in a barm with some home made sweet potato wedges and the mango chilli salsa.

Quorn and Lentil 'Beef' in Ale Stew

Autumn is for eating hearty stews that warm you to the cockles of yer tum. And one of the things I miss most about not eating meat is a rich, warming beefy stew that's been cooked for hours and hours. But despair not, if, like me, you're a bad meat craving veggie, this stew will satisfy the most beefy of cravings and leave you with a warming internal hug. The dumplings are the crowning glory for warm doughy loveliness and soak up the yummy juices as it all cooks away. Simple and quick to prepare, it's also ready in less than an hour.

For 4-6 portions you need
For the stew
1 pack quorn steak strips
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 bottle good stout (about 500ml)
500ml veg stock
1 onion chopped
2 field mushrooms, diced
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oil
3-4 carrots, cut into large chunks

For the dumplings
100g self raising flour
50g veg suet
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
cold water to mix

Begin by frying the onions, carrots and mushrooms in the oil for about 10 mins until the onions are softened and the juices have run from the mushrooms.

Add the lentils, quorn, beer and stock and bring to the boil. Season and add the ketchup. Cook for about 20 mins until the lentils are cooked.

Mix the dumpling ingredients together and form into 8 balls. Place on top of the bubbling stew mixture and cook for 20 mins. Serve with mash and curl up in front of the fire!

Thai Style Courgette Fritters with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Beetroot and Carrot Salad

I've been meaning to blog this for ages as someone asked for the recipe (sorry!) but just hadn't got round to it... Well better late then never eh ;-) You can make this dish as spicy or not as you wish. I like mine ferociously hot.

For 4 people you need
Fritters
1 large courgette, grated coarsely
1 large carrot, grated coarsely
1 large onion, likewise grated
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 egg
1/2 cup plain flour (about 100-150g)
vegetable oil for shallow frying

Sauce
4 tbsp crunch peanut butter
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp red curry paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-6 red chillies, sliced

Salad
2 beetroot, peeled and grated
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 onion, finely sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
4 thai chillies, finely sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce or mushroom soy sauce if you're veggie
2 tbsp soya sauce
2/3 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Plain boiled jasmine rice, Raw peanuts, lightly pan roasted and fresh coriander to serve.

Begin by making the salad. Using a food processor if you have one, grate everything and place in a bowl with the dressing ingredients. Mix thoroughly and leave to one side while you prepare everything else.

Make the sauce by placing everything in a pan and bringing to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2-3 mins then leave to one side.

Make the fritters by mixing everything together in a bowl. Heat about 1cm of oil in a large frying pan and fry spoonfuls of the mix for 3-4 mins on each side until lightly browned and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.

Serve garnished with peanuts and coriander and with plenty of plain rice to cool your mouth down on!

Singapore Rice

Rice cos we'd run out of noodles, d'oh but actually it worked really well. We had this hot for tea and then I took it to work the following day and had it cold. Both were equally yummy. A good dish to use up the veg lurking in the bottom of your fridge.

For 4-6 portions you need
1 cup rice
1 onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, grated
Assorted veggies - we used diced carrots, shredded savoy cabbage, a head of broccoli
2 red chillies, sliced
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, tumeric, curry powder
100ml veg stock
4 eggs
Soya sauce, chopped fresh coriander and fiery encona chilli sauce to serve

Begin by cooking the rice and then draining and rinsing with cold water.

Meanwhile, scramble the eggs in a wok until lightly done and scrape out onto a plate.

Re-heat the wok and fry the onion, ginger and garlic for a few mins. Add the chilli and whatever vegetables you are going to use. Fry for 1-2 mins then cover with the stock and a lid to allow them to steam to al dente. Add the spices and return the rice and eggs to the wok. Cook through thoroughly and serve garnished with the soya sauce, coriander and enough chilli sauce to make your eyes water.

Cheesy Carrot and Butterbean Burgers

I'm 21 days into my #vegpledge now and am really enjoying eating without meat. It's made me go back and reassess the books on my shelf and rediscover forgotten recipes from my veggie past! This one was brilliant for hitting the "I NEED A BURGER NOWWWWWW!" spot when we only had 40 mins to cook tea and couldn't go out to get any ingredients aside from burger buns cos it was 5pm on a Sunday... They took me 25 mins from start to finish and everyone loved them. Make double and freeze if you want to save even more time when the next burger craving hits!

For 4 burgers you need
For the burgers
1-2 carrots, coarsely grated
1 onion, grated
1 can drained butter beans
100g mature cheddar, grated
100g fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp dried mixed herbs

4 burger buns
Cucumber, red onion, tomato, mayo, mustard, ketchup etc to dress the burger
Chips and salad to serve
Oil for shallow frying

I use my food processor to make these and it makes them even speedier. Begin by using the blade to make the breadcrumbs, then place these in a large mixing bowl. Then puree the beans with the blade and add to the bowl. Switch to a grating disc and grate the carrot, onion and finally the cheese.

Mix everything you need for the burger together until combined and then shape into 4 patties. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook for 3-4 mins each side, flipping over once.

Load the burger into the dressed buns and scoff. Feel smug the craving has been sated sans dead animal.

Cumin Roasted Caulifloer (v)

This is a great way to use up any leftover cooked cauliflower you may have hiding in the back of your fridge, but is also a yummy way to jazz up a sometimes overlooked veggie.

For one person you need
1/2 cup prepared cauliflower florets (lightly steam for 2-3 mins if not using up leftovers)
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Toss the cauli in the oil, cumin and seasoning and then roast for 15-20 mins until lightly browned and starting to crisp. Delicious on its own or with anything you fancy!

Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Herb Crust

A simple lunch dish to use up some field mushrooms we didn't eat for breakfast... And a good way to use up some of the cheese mountain left over from Christmas along with some bread that was going stale. Oh I am full of good intentions me.

For two people you need
3-4 field mushrooms
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated cheddar
4 tbsp cream cheese
salt and pepper
fresh herbs of you choice (I used sage)

Peel the mushrooms and place in a baking dish. Cut out the stalk and chop leaving to one side for the moment. Spread 1 tbsp cream cheese inside each mushroom and then top with the reserved chopped stalk and some salt and pepper.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese and herbs (I just blitzed all mine in a food processor for speed). Top each mushroom with some crumbs and then bake in a hot oven for 15-20 mins until the topping is golden brown and crispy and the mushrooms are tender and juice. Serve with a salad. An attempt at healthy(ier) eating in the new year...

Pasta with Cabbage and Chickpeas (v)

A really tasty and satisfying yet very quick supper dish, and one where the pasta doesn't get cold even tho there's no 'wet' sauce covering it. Everyone loved this, even the boy who porports to "hate cabbage". I think the garlicky oil, flecked with spicy chilli heat, is what made him over come his cabbage consternation... This is another from River Cottage Veg Everyday.

For three portions you need

225g pasta, we used rigatoni 

1 can chickpeas, don't bother to drain them

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped

1 onion, finely sliced

5 tbsp olove oil

4-5 cavolo nero cabbage leaves, tough stems removed and finely shredded.

Cook the pasta. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion over a medium heat until lightly golden. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for a few mins longer.

3 mins before the pasta is done, lob in the chickpeas (juice an' all) and the cabbage. Heat for 3 mins then drain. Toss into the onion pan and mix thoroughly. Serve in warmed bowls and add some cheese if you're not vegan. Delicious. 

Carrot and Potato Soup with Ginger and Chilli (v)

A lovely friend made us a delicious bowl of soup to replenish our bellies after a walk round the Holmfirth countryside a few weeks ago, so I decided to recreate the flavours and use up some limp carrots from the bottom of the fridge. You can flavour this soup with whatever you like, but the warming ginger and chilli work well with the sweet carrot.

For 3-4 portions you need

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3-4 carrots, roughly chopped, no need to peel

2-3 potatoes, roughly chopped, no need to peel

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 small chilli, destalked and cut into a couple of sections.

1.5 litres vegetable stock

Fresh parsley and coriander to serve

Heat the oil in a pan and sautee the veggies for a few mins. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and then top up with the stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 15 mins until the potatoes are cooked.

Blitz to a smooth consistency, adding more water if necessary and then serve topped with chopped fresh herbs. Yummy.

Broccoli with Rice Noodles (v)

It's the start of a new term and I am on a new regime again. To blog again, now the horror of being really ill is behind me, and to revive my go-to recipes again and cook more interesting things with vegetables. The River Cottage Veg Everyday book gave me inspiration for broccoli.

For 2-3 people you need
One large head broccoli
Handful rice noodles
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp soya sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
freshly ground pepper
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Cook the broccoli and noodles in boiling water for about 5 mins. Drain and leave to steam for a few minutes to get rid of any excess water.

Gently toast the sesame seeds until lightly golden.

Place everything in a large bowl and toss to mix. Scoff.

Mock Duck Noodle Soup (v)

There was a bit of a shopping fail this week, as I'd planned to make fake chicken noodle soup for lunch on Sunday but upon opening the freezer realised that we had no quorn chunks left, d'oh. I did however remember that there was a tin of mock duck languishing in the cupboard where it had lain for months. It made for an excellent and very tasty soup. So now I need to buy another tin to replace the one I used!

For three portions you need
1 tin mock duck (available from larger supermarkets or Asian/Chinese grocers), gluten sliced into bite sized pieces
3 nests noodles
1 litre vegetable stock plus the sauce/liquid from the mock duck tin
1 onion, halved and then sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
125g closed cup mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 cup frozen sweetcorn
1 inch ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp soya sauce

To garnish
3 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
chilli flakes, tabasco sauce and soya sauce to serve

Place the stock into a large pan and add the noodles, onion, garlic and ginger. Season with soya sauce and the chinese five spice powder. Add all the other ingredients, apart from the pepper and mushrooms, and cook for 3-5 minutes until the noodles are done. Add the mushrooms and pepper and heat through for a further two minutes. Serve in large bowls garnished with the coriander and chillies to taste. Delicious.