Pasta Bake

This is easy and hearty and can be varied almost endlessly.

 

Ingredients:

about 200 g pasta (penne or spirals)

water

frozen vegetables (corn and peas are great)

1 onion or shallot

10-15 olives

1 block tofu (or, if you eat fish, 1 tin of tuna and/or 1 package of smoked salmon)

cheese sauce (I love Vegusto’s No-Moo Sauce, but you can make your own vegan or vegetarian cheese sauce)

black pepper

olive oil

 

Instructions:

1. Boil the pasta in the water. When it is about 2-3 minutes from being done, add the vegetables.

2. Dice the onion or shallot and chop the olives.

3. Drain the noodles and veg and in a big bowl, mix it with the onion or shallot, olives, and tofu or fish.

4. Add the cheese sauce and season with black pepper. Mix thoroughly.

5. Lightly oil an oven-safe dish. Pour in the noodle mixture.

6. Bake at 180 C for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice partway through.

Vegetable Korma

This seems somewhat involved, but it actually isn’t that complicated, and the results are lovely. The veg can be varied, and the sauce can also easily be varied – I added dried chilli flakes to spice it up for me.

 

Ingredients:

1 onion

water

50 g cashews

50 g almonds

2-3 dried apricots

1 tin coconut milk

rice (about 50 g per person, so 200 g would suit this amount of food)

1 pepper

1 head cauliflower

150 g other veg (frozen peas and beans are fine, but vary according to taste)

2-3 garlic cloves

1-3 tsp fresh or frozen ginger

1 tsp oil

1 tsp sugar

1-2 tsp tikka masala (or curry powder or garam masala or other spices)

1 tsp mint

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and quarter the onion. Simmer it in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Add the nuts and continue to simmer for 5-10 more minutes.

2. Drain the onion and nuts (save the water to boil the veg in, if you want). Remove any almond skins.

3. Mix the onion, nuts, apricots, and half a tin of coconut milk in a food processor until fairly smooth (though some pieces are fine).

4. Rinse the rice and cook according to directions. I usually add 1-2 tbsp coconut milk for extra flavour.

5. Meanwhile, wash, de-seed, and slice the pepper. Wash the cauliflower and break it into florets.

6. Boil the veg for 4-6 minutes in water, then add the frozen veg and boil for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Peel and dice the garlic and ginger and fry lightly in the oil. Add the sugar and spices and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add any leftover coconut milk.

8. Add the nut mixture to the spice mixture and warm through.

9. Serve the rice topped with vegetables and korma sauce.

Vegetable Udon Soup

When I had some dental work done, I wasn’t in the mood to have anything too hard to eat. Vegetable soup with udon noodles fit the bill. This can be adapted so you use whatever vegetables you have on hand. You can add miso paste if you want as well. You can also replace the udon noodles with other noodles or even dumplings.

 

Ingredients:

udon noodles

water

1 vegetable stock cube

1-2 carrots

½ cup mushrooms

½ cup sugar snap peas or regular peas

2 spring onions

black pepper, smoked paprika, other spices

 

Instructions:

1. Boil the udon noodles in water (this takes about 10 minutes), then drain and set aside.

2. Boil another 4 or so cups of water and add the vegetable stock cube.

3. Wash the carrots, slice, and add to the stock. Clean and slice the mushrooms, then add them.

4. After 5-10 minutes, wash and add the peas.

5. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.

6. Add the udon noodles and heat for 1-2 minutes.

7. Set out in bowls, then slice the spring onions and add on top.

8. Season as desired.

Spring Risotto

Risotto is actually very quick and easy to make, though people often think it is a lot of bother. Though it traditionally has cheese in it (usually parmesan), I make it vegan now for M, and it is still delicious.

I call this spring risotto because of the bright green veg I use.

Ingredients:

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 vegetable stock cube

150 g arborio rice

500 ml water

150 g vegetables (I used a combination of peas, asparagus, and dwarf beans)

1-3 tsp mint

Instructions:

1. Chop the onion and garlic and fry in oil in a big pot. Add the sugar after a few moments.

2. Add the stock cube and break it up. Add the rice and stir, so it gets coated by the oil and onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes, add some of the water and cover the pot. Let it cook for 10 or so minutes, adding more water as necessary, stirring occasionally.

3. Add any frozen vegetables you are using (such as peas or broad beans) and some more water and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, wash and chop the fresh vegetables. Add them, the mint, and some more water and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

5. Top with a dash of olive oil and serve.

Pasta Salad

This recipe can easily be varied according to what vegetables you have at home. You can add smoked salmon or tuna if you eat fish.

Ingredients:

about 50 g pasta per person (I used conchiglie because then bits of veg hid inside the shells)

frozen peas

water

¼ cucumber

1-2 spring onions

6-10 black olives

cream (I used oat cream but dairy cream or soy cream or yogurt would work well too; a touch of mayo could be nice as well)

black pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil the pasta and peas in the water for about 10 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Wash and chop the cucumber and onions. Chop the olives.

3. Mix the chopped veg with the pasta and stir in the cream.

4. Season to taste and serve.

Coconut Pasta Sauce

Stay with me here, because I know this sounds weird. But I had this ½ tin of coconut milk leftover from the rice pudding I posted in the last post and I was going to make a Thai red curry. But M’s tummy was being sensitive, so she suggested I use it to make a pasta sauce instead of something spicy. I lightly stir-fried some spring greens in sesame oil, added sugar snap peas, and then threw in the coconut milk. We had this with farfalle and it worked out really well. It was full of flavour and lightly sweet. You could also add smoked fish for an extra dimension, if you eat fish.

Peanut Tofu with Noodles

I love fast, healthy meals. This kind of recipe can be varied endlessly.

Ingredients:
1 container tofu (about 300 g)
tamari sauce (you can use soy)
oil
1 chilli pepper
1 red pepper
2-4 spring onions
1 package sugar snap peas (about 200 g)
5-7 tbsp peanut butter (I use crunchy to get nice peanut bits)
1 tsp lemon juice
noodles (Thai-style ribbon noodles work well with this, but any kind is fine)
1-2 eggs, as desired

Instructions:
1. Sprinkle the tofu with tamari sauce and marinate it for a few minutes. Bake it in the oven at 150 C for 10 or so minutes, so it gets a bit of colour.
2. Warm up the oil. Wash and dice the chilli and pepper and fry them in the oil.
3. Wash and chop the onions and wash and trim the sugar snap peas and add them. Remove the tofu from the oven, dice, and throw into the pan.
4. Add the peanut butter, lemon juice, and another dash each of oil and tamari. Cook over low heat for 5 or so minutes.
5. Put the noodles in, and the eggs if using them. If you use the eggs, stir them so they break into small ribbons. Cook for a few more minutes, then serve.

Pasta with Beans and Peas

This is a simple pasta dish that was great at the height of summer with fresh produce.

If you eat seafood, you can add in some prawns as well. My M likes prawns, so I add them in sometimes for her.

Ingredients:
½ red onion
olive oil
1 tsp sugar
200 g runner beans
200 g sugar snap peas
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp tomato purée/paste
cream, to taste
200 g multigrain tagliatelle
water to cook the pasta in

Instructions:
1. Dice the onion and fry it lightly in olive oil, then add the sugar to caramelise it.
2. Wash the runner beans and sugar snap peas and cut them as necessary. Add them to the onion, along with the coriander, tomato purée/paste and cream.
3. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in the water.
4. Serve the vegetable sauce over the pasta.

Aubergine Stir-Fry

Aubergine is not the typical ingredient in a stir-fry, but it works well as a base for other flavours. Here, for example, I give it a slightly Asian taste with miso paste and udon noodles.

And I like to eat a spoonful of peanut butter while cooking for an extra shot of protein.

Ingredients:
1 large aubergine
salt
oil
1 package sugar snap peas
5-6 radishes
other veg as desired
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp yogurt
1 package udon noodles
chilli flakes

Instructions:
1. Wash and chop the aubergine into small pieces. Salt the pieces lightly and then fry them in oil, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes.
2. Wash and add the sugar snap peas. Wash, slice, and add the radishes. Add any other veg. Stir-fry another 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the miso, peanut butter, and yogurt. Mix well.
4. Add the noodles and stir-fry for another 2 or 3 minutes. Season with chilli flakes.

Green and Red Couscous

Couscous is tiny pieces of semolina. It’s extremely fast to cook (you pour boiling water over it and leave it for 5-10 minutes) and it’s healthy and cheap. So I’ve been trying to make more dishes with couscous. Combine vegetables and protein and serve it over couscous, and you’ve got a meal in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
about 150 g couscous
boiling water to cover the couscous
1 red pepper
oil
frozen peas (about 75 g)
1 handful cherry tomatoes (5-10)
1 handful radishes (3-5)
black pepper
creamy cheese such as Boursin, if desired

Instructions:
1. Put the couscous in a pot and pour the water over it. Place the lid on the pot and set aside for about 5 or so minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wash and dice the pepper. Fry it in oil.
3. Add the peas so they defrost.
4. Wash and dice the tomatoes and radishes. Add them to the pan. Season with black pepper.
5. If desired, mix creamy cheese into the couscous. Top the couscous with the vegetables, then serve.

Spring Pasta

Now that the clocks have changed, the days are getting longer and brighter. People want to eat lighter, greener food. I love the look of a bunch of greens on top of rice or pasta; its very appearance feels fresh. For this recipe, I used lots of frozen veg, but in the next few weeks, I’ll able to replace the items with fresh veg (either using the same vegetables but in their fresh variants, or else using whatever the store has in stock, such as asparagus or sprouting broccoli). It’s an easy recipe to vary depending on what you have on hand. I used lime and parsley to give the pasta a little zest and the herbs, too, can be varied.

Ingredients:
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
oil
50 g soy beans
50 g peas
50 g broad beans
pasta (about 50-70 g per person)
water
1 tbsp parsley
a few lime leaves for a gentle kick
¼ cup cream (single is fine, but go for double if you’re in the mood for extra richness)

Instructions:
1. Chop the onions and garlic cloves and brown them lightly in oil.
2. Add the veg and stir. Cook for another 7 or so minutes, until the peas and beans are defrosted and warm. Meanwhile, starting boiling the pasta in the water.
3. Season the vegetables with parsley and lime and add the cream.
4. Cook another few minutes, then serve the vegetables over the pasta.

Veggie Crumble

Fruit crumbles are so easy to make and they’re a tasty, healthy end to a meal. So why not a veggie crumble? It’s the same concept. Lots of veg topped with a yummy crumble, perhaps with cheese and/or seeds in it. It’s really easy to vary both the filling and the crumble topping, so you could happily make many different veggie crumbles.

Ingredients:
900 g vegetables (I used a combination of potatoes, parsnips, peas, spring onions, and carrots, but any combination could work)
1 l vegetable stock (or milk, if you prefer that sort of taste)
parsley, tarragon, mustard, black pepper, or other spices
75 g flour (I used spelt flour)
50 g butter
2 tbsp seeds (I used poppy seeds)

Instructions:
1. Peel, wash, and chop the vegetables as needed.
2. Cook the vegetables in the liquid and season with the spices.
3. Blend the butter and flour, but leave some lumps. Mix in the seeds.
4. Pour the veg into a casserole dish, then top with the crumble.
5. Bake for 25 minutes at 200 C.

Noodle Casserole

A baked noodle casserole is simple and comforting. All you do is cook some noodles (ideally macaroni or penne) until just al dente. Then you mix the noodles with some vegetables, such as peas or spinach, add a protein, such as tofu and/or cheese, and bake it in the oven for 30 or so minutes. The noodles get chewy, with just a touch of crispiness on the top layer, and if you include a cheese sauce, as I do here, the whole dish gets a lovely melted cheesiness. And it’s so easy to vary according to your own tastes, such as by adding ground pepper or smoked paprika, or adding more vegetables. Many people will be familiar with a variation of this dish that includes tuna and either tinned or powdered soup, but I prefer not to use pre-made ingredients, such as tinned cream of mushroom or onion soup.

Ingredients:
about 150 g pasta (macaroni or penne)
100 g frozen peas
olive oil
1 package tofu and/or an additional vegetable
75 g cheddar cheese
¾ cup milk

Instructions:
1. Boil the past and peas until the pasta is al dente. Drain.
2. Lightly oil an oven-safe dish. Pour the pasta and peas into it.
3. Add the tofu and/or the other vegetable and mix with the pasta.
4. Grate the cheese and melt it slowly in the milk, stirring often.
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and vegetables.
6. Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes.