5-Minute Veggie Noodle comfort

Sometimes the simplest meals are the nicest purely for that reason. A quick, healthy, hot and comforting snack…made all the better with a quick 5 minute turnaround so no slaving over a hot stove. You can sink down into the sofa and relax after a long day when you most need it.

This was actually an accidental dinner that came about as I was prepping a batch of dried chickpeas (I’d soaked them overnight and was just finishing cooking them ready for freezing in small batches) when I realised the time was getting on and I needed to eat…and fast…before I had to head out of the door. I threw some ingredients together and this is what came out!

One of my favourite meals (yet to be featured on the blog) is a peanutty stir fry affair, and this is an even easier speedier version of that principle. Veggies, beans, PB and rice noodles all come together in a nice bowl of winter comfort…well not just winter, any time of the year will do!

To speed everything up I used rice noodles that take just 3-4 minutes to cook, along with some grated carrot, courgette and spinach- which literally took a couple of minutes to heat through, and I also threw in a handful of the chickpeas I’d just finished cooking but you could use any canned beans. Some nice drippy PB and a touch of soy milk if necessary to mix through and you are away. You could also sprinkle some chilli flakes or thai spice seasoning if you fancy…jazz it up any way you like.

Recipe: 5-minute veggie noodles

Serves 1 (easily multiplied)

Ingredients

• 1 portion of dried rice noodles
• 1 smallish carrot
• ½ medium courgette
• Large handful of any beans
• Large handful of spinach
• 1 tbs peanut butter
• 1-2 tbs soy milk (or any non-dairy milk or water) as necessary
• Spicy seasoning to serve if desired

Method

Bring a smallish pan of water to the boil and cook rice noodles for 3-4 minutes (or according to packet instructions). Meanwhile grate carrot and courgette get the beans and spinach ready. Drain the noodles and place back in the pan on low heat, mix through the peanut butter and ‘milk’ if necessary. Once the 'sauce' is warm and drippy add all the veg and mix through for two minutes until just cooked through/wilted.

Serve in a bowl with some extra seasoning sprinkled over as necessary. If your PB has no added salt you may wish to add some soy sauce or a slightly salty seasoning to give a flavour boost.

Carrot & Citrus Bean Soup

For this week’s soup fix I wanted to bring on the lovely sweet and earthy flavours of the winter root veg but also a little citrus kick to perk things up on these cold winter days. Beans are (or should be) everyone’s best friend and are perfect way to get your protein, so a good mixture of beans also feature here for a nice variety. 

This recipe was based on a BBC Good Food recipe which used one can of mixed beans to serve 4, when I make this soup again I will definitely double this two cans to give extra body and oomph to the soup. My photos barely show any beans at all but I can promise you this soup had a lot more bulk than would appear- it sank to the bottom of the bowl!

I made this soup last Saturday as a quick lunch in between batches of baking, freezing the extra portions as I nearly always do. I actually had another portion for my lunch at work today and it was just as good.

My kitchen work top ends up full of ‘experiments’…this is what my typical weekend looks like! Note…this is what it looks like when I’ve already cleared up and wiped down and have tidied away all my ‘baking boxes’ full of goodies that end up being stacked on the floor around me. No creative cooks are tidy cooks…are they??

Here I have a pan of these granola bars to keep me going through the week, my trusty smooshbars for a colleague at work, some remaining scones- recipe to come (minus the two I’d eaten) and four leftover pots of this soup for freezing.

I do love being surrounded by warm, freshly cooked food...I want to nibble on it all…it’s a good job it is all so healthy then!

Recipe: Carrot and citrus bean soup  

Ingredients

• 2tbs olive oil
• 2 onions
• Approx. 450g carrots- roughly chopped
• 1tbs garam masala
• A thumb sized piece of ginger- grated
• Juice of 1 orange or ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 200ml coconut milk (full fat or light is fine)
• 410g can mixed beans- drained and rinsed (note- I would use two cans next time)
• 2 tbs chopped corriander

Method

Heat oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions and chopped carrotfor around 15 minutes until softening. Add the garam masala and ginger and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the orange juice and vegetable stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Once the carrots are tender, stir in the coconut milk. Using an electric hand blender (or pour into a blender) puree until fairly smooth (or as smooth as you like).

Add the beans to the pureed mixture in the pan, simmer for a few minutes. Add the coriander just before serving.

Note: if making this again I would use 2 cans of beans to make it even more substantial.

Left over portions can be frozen.

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Sweet Potato Curry

We've been in 'date mode' recently, with my new best friend the Date Syrup making an appearance. Don't worry he's not gone away for long- I have a couple more date inspired recipes for you next week...but for now I have a simple mid week winter warmer.

This dish is one of my go-to dishes and it never fails to please veggies and meaties alike.

I was one of the first meals I cooked for the Boy when I began to experiment with doing things the vegan way. I love it just as much today as I did back then. What’s not to love….it’s colourful, warm, creamy, comforting, lightly spiced and hints at the tropics. Close your eyes and maybe you’ll be taken to a far off land.

Ok, well maybe not that last sentence. But I guarantee this bowl of colourful curry will brighten your day.

It’s also a simple dish with few ingredients, easily adapted to other veggies/beans you may have, is thrown together in one pot and can be frozen for future speedy suppers.

Ok, so have I convinced you yet!  This would also work really well with my super simple flatbread as a healthy alternative to naan!

I also have another reason as to why this particular dish, or namely the photos, are making me happy. I’ve been trying to take decent ‘night shots’ of my meals for a while now, and up until recently I had been making slow progress. My research and investigations pointed me in the direction of two key props: a powerful light with good ‘white’ rendering (I’ve used a portable LED source) and a diffuser layer (I’ve used an old bed sheet over a wooden frame).

This shoot was a simple 5 minute experiment (before my dinner got cold), and I really wasn’t expecting much of an outcome. However, for such a quick first attempt I was really pleased with my efforts….well now to see if Food Gawker shared that same opinion!

Recipe: Sweet potato curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons madras curry paste

• 1 medium onion- diced

• 3 medium (fist sized) sweet potatoes- approx. 800g (peeled and chopped into chunks)

• 1 red pepper- sliced

• 1 tin of chickpeas (or other white beans)

• 200g bag of spinach

• 1 can of coconut milk

Method:

In a large frying pan or wok, fry the onion for few minutes in olive oil till soft. Add curry paste and fry for 1 min. Add the coconut milk, sweet potato, pepper and chickpeas and simmer for approx. 15 minutes until potato is cooked. Add spinach (fold spinach through the mixture in handfuls) simmer for a couple more minutes until spinach is wilted. If not liquidy enough add a little water. Serve immediately with rice or naan bread as desired.

Freeze left over portions in individual bags.

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Spicy Lentil & Chickpea Soup

Time for more soup… and more flatbread! I think this flatbread recipe will become my go-to soup accompaniment- made fresh it’s just so good! This time I made it using spelt flour plus baking powder (use 3 tsp baking powder per 200g spelt flour) and it was so soft and fluffy with an amazingly crisp crust.

This spiced lentil soup was lovely and warming helped along by a chilli kick! The lentils and chickpeas also made for a great protein packed meal. If you wanted to bulk it up a little more or didn’t have any bread to hand you could top it with some cous-cous instead.

Soups are so easy to make and I always make sure I cook up a big portion and freeze leftovers for work day lunches. I make all my soups in my Thermomix, as it’s perfect for the job as an all-in-one gadget, but I have given the more typical blender method below.

So, after such a virtuous first course….what is for dessert?  May be sticky toffee pudding or chocolate brownie torte?

Or if like me this will become lunch at the office, then keep your eyes peeled for my forthcoming granola bar experiments, the perfect fill-you-up, feel good snack to round things of just nicely!

Recipe: Spicy lentil and chickpea soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion (diced)
• 150g red lentils
• 900ml vegetable stock
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 200g cooked/canned chickpeas
• Small handful of coriander
• Dollop of or soy yoghurt or swirl of soy cream to serve

Method

Dry fry cumin and chilli flakes for 1-2 minutes. Add the oil and onion and fry for a further 5 minutes. Stir in lentils, vegetable stock and tomatoes then simmer for 15 minutes. Blend the soup with a hand blender to get a rough puree. Add the chickpeas and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Stir through the roughly chopped coriander and serve with a blob of yoghurt or a swirl or cream.

Left over portions can be frozen.

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‘Peanutty’ soup

I was a late starter with my ‘love for peanut butter’, actually make that a very late starter since it is only really in these last few months that I’ve begun to get on board with what all the fuss is about!

Growing up I just didn’t like the stuff. The ‘smoothness’ was too intense for me and the way it stuck to the roof of your mouth as you ate it – nope not for me! My perception of PB was also very limited…. a sandwich spread was all I knew… oh how wrong I was!

Moving to a largely vegan diet opened my eyes to the world of nuts and seeds in all forms and the idea of nut butters in all their many varieties came into view.  

Nuts have so much to offer, not just in terms of huge health benefits which I just hadn’t fully appreciated before, but in terms of their recipe potential. This revelation was kick started in part by the arrival of my Thermomix which made making your own nut butters a piece of cake (note- many other food processors can also be used!).  Strangely until these last few weeks I’d still not attempted to make my own PB even though I use PB in so many recipes. Along with cashew butter and coconut butter it is probably one of my key ingredients in many recipes… so I had to give it a go.

Not wanting to simply slather it on toast, I decided upon a recipe where it could take centre stage. This is based on a recipe by The Covent Garden Soup Co.

So here you have it… my little tribute to the good old faithful peanut butter.

Recipe: Peanut (and vegetable) soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large onion- finely chopped
• 100g crunchy peanut butter (or smooth PB but throw in extra nuts if you want some texture)
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 900ml vegetable stock
• 170g potatoes- peeled and chopped
• 1 red pepper           
• 175g carrots- chopped
• Small handful of chopped jalapenos (to taste!)
• 75ml soy milk
• ½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ½  - 1 tsp parika
• Fresh coriander- to garnish (optional)

Method

Fry the onion with the peanut butter and 1 tbs of water in a large saucepan (or TM) for 5 minutes until soft. Add remaining ingredients except the soy milk and spices. Bring to the boil and simmer for approx. 20 mins until vegetables are tender. Stir in the soy milk and spices. Blend (to break down larger chunks) if preferred or leave chunky. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander.

I also ate a second portion or this soup the next day and to change it up a little topped it with some chickpeas and sliced kale- plus some homemade potato wedges on the side!

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Thai green noodle soup

Soups can tick all the boxes....

A hearty substantial meal or a light midday snack

A thick warming meal when it’s cold outside or a light refreshing dish when it’s too hot for comfort!

Either way, it’s easy to cater for all options and with a rich dish full of spices and veggies it's always going to be a winner!

Today was a lovely warm and sunny October day (hang on a minute didn't this happen the last time I made soup!) Perfect autumn day for this soup which has the light creamy base of coconut milk but with a hot and spicy kick, so it’s a bit of a contradiction (a bit like today's weather for this time of year!) The addition of the noodles makes it a more substantial meal- but you could use more or less noodles depending on your preference.

­Feel free to vary the veg in this soup, just make sure you cut the chunks into small similar sized pieces. I haven’t yet tried freezing it, if I was to do so I’d cook it up without adding the noodles and then cook those in a wok separately before adding to the soup once it has been defrosted and warmed through.

Recipe: Thai green noodle soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tsp vegetable or coconut oil (not coconut butter)
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 tbs thai green curry paste
• 1 red chilli finely chopped
• 300g vegetable stock
• 300ml coconut milk
• 150g mix of chopped veg suitable for stir frying (I used beansprouts, carrot, soy beans, and kale)
• 150g sachet rice noodles

Method

Heat oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Stir through the curry paste and half the chilli and fry for another minute. Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil.  Stir through the vegetables and rice noodles and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with the remaining chilli.

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Crumble topping

Want to whip up a quick healthy dessert?

A bowl of fruit and crumble topped with a blob of soy yoghurt is your five minute answer!

I was reminded to put this post together when the boy grumbled that he was still hungry after the soup I served for lunch a couple of days ago. Five minutes later and we had a nice hot bowl of healthy apple crumble to finish off our meal.

This is a great simple recipe for getting all your fats, carbs and proteins, oh and did I mention it was made from oats…. You know how muchI love oats!  Any fruit can be used but I have used apple here. I also used this topping for the fried plantain recipe. So versatile.

Recipe: crumble topping

2 servings

Ingredients:

• 100g oats
• 1 to 2 tbs peanut butter
• 1 to 2 tsp agave nectar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Method:

Lightly toast oats in a dry frying pan for a minute or so. Add remaining ingredients and keep moving round pan until melted and the oats a fully coated and just beginning to brown in places. Spoon over dessert or fruit… or just eat them as they are (wait a couple of minutes for them to cool first!)

If you are making the apple crumble as pictured. Dice the apple and pan fry this first with a little coconut oil and some cinnamon. Once nearly cooked, add the ingredients as per the method above, or if you’d prefer to have the apple as a base with the crumble on top- keep the apple aside and top with the oats. Finish off with a blog of soy yoghurt or cream.

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Soup Glorious Soup - Courgette, Pea & Mint

I love soup, especially when teamed up with a warm home baked roll. This post is likely to be the first of many soup related recipes… now that the weather is beginning to turn autumnal and also since purchasing my Thermomix soup-making is so ridiculously easy (easy without one too I might add!)

But, as typical British weather has it, on the first day I sit down to lunch with a bowl of hot comforting soup- the sun is hot and shining outside! Oh well, that didn’t stop me.

Soups are good for the soul in so many ways and so endlessly versatile. I can’t imagine many better ways to enjoy a such a healthy boost that tastes so comforting, refreshing and moreish in one bowl. Bumped up with pasta, bread or rice and there you have a quick simple meal for all times of day (and all weathers!) As with many of my recipes, this soup is also a great freezer companion- so whip up a big batch!

This soup was a full on ‘veg patch lunch’ as I used one of the last of the courgettes from my vegetable patch (summer is more definitely coming to an end) and also some fresh veg patch peas (mixed with some frozen ones as I didn’t have enough fresh ones) and last but not least some fresh mint leaves that are trying their best to take over the whole area!

Recipe: Courgette, pea and mint soup

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 20g coconut oil
• 10g olive oil
• 1 medium onion- diced finely
• 300g courgette chopped finely
• 150g peas (fresh or frozen)
• 400g hot vegetable stock
• Handful of fresh mint leaves
• 150g soy yoghurt (soy milk or other milk alternatives could also work but be slightly runnier)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat coconut and olive oil in a large sauce pan and sauté onion until softened. Add the courgette and sauté for another 5 minutes before adding the stock, mint and peas. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the soy yoghurt/milk and stir through before pouring the soup into a blender or food processor and blitzing until smooth. (you could also use a hand blender but I haven’t tried this as I make the entire thing in my Thermomix)

Serve will a warm roll or two… and pretend its cold and windy outside whilst you’re all warm inside!

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