Tag: vegetarian

Gochujang smoked tofu stir fry

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Spicy, savoury, tangy, complex and a deeply satisfying rust red in colour.

  • 1 block smoked tofu, cut into mouth-sized pieces
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • Pinch of Chinese five spice powder
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 red pepper, finely sliced
  • Handful of fine green beans, cut into short pieces
  • 5 spring onions, sliced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp gochujang chilli paste
  • 2 tbsp black vinegar
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  1. In a bowl, mix together the tofu pieces, cornflour, five spice, black pepper and salt
  2. In a separate small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, gochujang, black vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil
  3. In a wok or deep pan, heat the veg oil and, shaking off the excess cornflour as you pick them up, fry the tofu on both sides until golden. Then remove from the pan and set on one side
  4. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel and heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil over medium/high. Add the spring onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant
  5. Add the red pepper and green beans and stir fry for a couple of mins
  6. Give the sauce a stir and pour it into the pan, stir together and heat through until bubbling
  7. [If you want the sauce to be thicker, mix the cornflour left in the tofu bowl with a small amount of water and add to the pan, stir and cook until glossy and thickened]
  8. Add the cripsy tofu back into the pan, give it a stir together and serve immediately

Serve with coconut rice or thick noodles, sprinkled with fresh coriander leaves and toasted sesame seeds

Korean noodle salad

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Excellent quick lunch, when you want something spicy, crunchy and noodly.

  • 1 tsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp gochujang
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 250g soba noodles
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • ½ cucumber, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 6 leaves red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 60g kimchi, chopped
  • Handful toasted cashews
  • Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
  1. Mix the first 6 ingredients to create the sauce (tahini, gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, caster sugar, sesame oil)
  2. Cook the noodles, cool and toss with sesame oil
  3. Add all other ingredients and mix together well

Top with a soft boiled egg if you fancy it or just tuck in as is. Hugely flexible to use whatever you’ve got in the fridge

Orzo and swede

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Sounds basic, tastes incredible. The most comforting and kind (and cheap!) supper. Feeds 2

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 large swede, peeled and cubed into 1-2 cm pieces
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp pul biber
  • Black pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 225g orzo
  • 1 veg stock cube or stockpot
  • 950ml boiling water
  • 2 tsp sherry vinegar
  • Finely chopped dill
  • Grated parmesan/pecorino
  1. Put a deep saute pan or saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and butter and heat until the butter melts
  2. Add the swede cubes and season with salt
  3. Stir to coat in the butter and oil, then cook, stirring often, for 15-20 mins or until the swede starts to darken and soften.
  4. Stir in the nutmeg, pul biber, black pepper and garlic. Stir together and cook for a further 5-10 mins, squashing and slightly mashing the swede
  5. Add the orzo and veg stock and stir into the buttery swede until the orzo is well coated and the stock has dissolved
  6. Pour over the boiling water and add the sherry vinegar, turn the heat up and bring to a bubble
  7. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook with the lid off for 8-12 mins (until the orzo is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated), stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Taste to check seasoning
  8. Remove from the heat and stir in the dill and some grated parmesan
  9. Serve immediately with more grated parmesan on top

Chilli oil beef – or smoked tofu – noodles

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Rich, spicy, nutty, savoury – relieved by the fresh salad veg on top. The essential bit is the chilli oil

  • 3 tbsp chilli oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 400g minced beef/crumbled smoked tofu
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 200g cooked udon noodles
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • Coriander leaves, diced cucumber, sliced radishes, avocado, lime
  1. Heat chilli oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat
  2. Fry the minced garlic and sesame seeds
  3. When golden, add the minced beef/crumbled tofu and stir into the spicy garlicky oil
  4. In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, mirin, peanut butter, sesame oil and sugar
  5. Add this to the beef/tofu, rinsing out the bowl with some water and adding that too
  6. Add the udon noodles and spring onions, stir together gently while it bubbles and the noodles soften
  7. Serve immediately, topped with coriander, cucumber, radish and avocado – and a squeeze of lime over the top

Black rice salad

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This substantial salad is just The Absolute Best. Feeds 4

  • 300g black rice
  • 200g long stem broccoli, cut into thirds
  • 150g sugar snap peas
  • ¼ red cabbage, shredded
  • 150g radishes, trimmed and sliced
  • 150g edamame beans
  • 100g pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1 avocado, stone removed and cut into wedges at the last minute
  • 60g cashews
  • 100ml cold water
  • 1 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp white miso
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp salt
  1. Boil a pot of salted water, add the rice and simmer for 30 mins
  2. In the meantime, steam the broccoli and sugar snaps. Rinse under cold water when cooked.
  3. Mix the salad ingredients (everything from broccoli to pumpkin seeds) in a large bowl
  4. Make the dressing with a hand blender by whizzing together the cashews, water, ginger. miso, rapeseed oil, sheery vinegar, maple syrup and salt until smooth
  5. When the rice is done, drain and then rinse with cold water to cool
  6. Mix into the salad ingredients, add the avocado and dress just before serving

Serve with grilled halloumi, drizzled with hot honey

Miso butter roasted carrot pasta

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Silky, savoury and bright orange, this is just the thing when you want a comforting pile of pasta but you aren’t feeling like tomato- or cheese-based sauce (I know, when does that ever happen?!) This is really good though, especially if you can get carrots with the leaves still on and make carrot-top pesto too!

  • 500g carrots
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp salted butter
  • 2 tsp white miso
  • 3 cloves confit garlic
  • Freshly grated parmesan
  • Toasted flaked almonds
  • Carrot-top pesto (whizz up chopped carrot leaves, parsley, olive oil, confit garlic, parmesan, almonds, a pinch of salt)
  1. Slice the carrots, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
  2. Roast until soft and brown round the edges (oven at 180 for 40 mins or air fryer on roast for 20)
  3. When the carrots have about 10 mins left, cook the pasta in salted boiling water
  4. Tip the carrots into a bowl or blender jug and use a hand blender to puree with 200ml of past water, plus the butter, miso, garlic. Stir in more water if you’d like a looser texture
  5. Stir the silky orange sauce through the pasta and serve topped with drifts of grated parmesan, toasty flaked almonds and spots of the bright, herby carrot-top pesto

Smoky tomato bean casserole with double-corn polenta

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Sounds boring and worthy, tastes amazingly comforting and delicious. Best eaten sitting on the sofa after a long day

  • 1 tsp butter
  • 2 tsp veg oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 400g passata
  • 1 heaped tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 3 shakes worcestershire sauce
  • 1 heaped tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp pul biber (or a pinch of dried chilli flakes)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • ½ tsp brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tin of beans, drained (I like borlotti because they’re chunky and they look nice)
  • 1 tin (or pouch) of cooked black lentils or beluga lentils
  1. Put a saucepan on a medium heat and warm the oil and butter together
  2. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 7-8 mins until soft and golden
  3. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the beans and lentils. Stir thoroughly, bring to a bubble and then simmer for 30 mins
  4. Add the beans and lentils, stir in and cook for a further 15 mins
  5. Serve with polenta (or rice, or pasta or bread or whatever – it’s tasty with anything)

While the beans cook, make your polenta

  • 400ml vegetable stock, or water
  • 100g fine quick-cook polenta
  • 1 heaped tbsp butter
  • 80g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen and defrosted)
  • 20g parmesan, finely grated
  • Salt and pepper
  • Grated nutmeg
  1. Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan
  2. Pour in the polenta and whisk in to ensure it’s smooth. Cook for about 10 mins, stirring all the time
  3. Once cooked, add the corn, butter, cheese and nutmeg, season with salt and plenty of black pepper
  4. Taste for seasoning and serve in a deep bowl with your bean casserole and some green veg on the side

Kimchi fried rice

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

How has it taken me this long to discover kimchi fried rice? It’s SO GOOD. Just make it and pop a fried egg on top. You will not be sorry. Feeds 2

  • 250g cooked rice (either cook it yourself and cool it or use a cooked rice pouch)
  • 100g kimchi, cut into small pieces if it needs it
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1″ piece ginger, minced
  • 1 tbsp gochujang
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp veg oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 spring onion, finely chopped
  • Sesame seeds
  1. Melt the butter in a wok or large frying pan on a medium-low heat
  2. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry gently for 5 mins until soft
  3. Add the kimchi and a little of its juice, the gochujang and the rice
  4. Toss everything together until the rice is coated (without being over-enthusiastic and ending up with mush)
  5. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and stir in
  6. In a separate pan, heat a little veg oil and fry the eggs
  7. Serve the rice, topped with your perfectly fried egg and strewn with spring onion and sesame seeds

Tasty tofu

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

No, no stay with me! It’s good

  • 280g firm tofu, patted dry and crumbled into pieces
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 4 tbsp veg oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp pul biber (or other flavourings of your choice – you could go chipotle chilli flakes, cumin and cinnamon … cumin, coriander and allspice … garam masala, turmeric, cumin – so many choices!)
  1. Heat a big frying pan over medium heat
  2. Add all the ingredients except the tofu and fry gently, stirring, for 4-5 mins
  3. Add in the crumbled tofu and stir into the flavoured oil
  4. Cook for a couple of mins more, until the tofu absorbs all the delicious flavour

And that’s it. Use it to top salads, stir it into tomato sauce, mix with pasta, add an an ingredient to a curry or chilli. A quick and easy way to up the protein content without it feeling too tofu-y

Potato and sweet potato dauphinoise

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Savoury, creamy, mellow and marvellously adaptable. Make the same recipe with swede, parsnip, celeriac or a combination of all of them. (But maybe not beetroot on account of it ending up looking a bit like a crime scene.)

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 150ml single cream
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g floury potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  • 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  3. Stir in the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 7 or 8 mins until soft and golden
  4. Pour in the cream and milk and bring gently to a simmer. Season well
  5. Tip the sliced potatoes into the pan and simmer for 5 mins then add the sweet potatoes
  6. Stir everything together then tip into a 1.5l baking dish
  7. Bake for 1 hour until the top is golden and the vegetables tender. Allow to stand for 5 mins before serving, just so it’s not quite as volcanically hot and it holds together a little better.