Peanut butter stirfry

Very quick and tasty stirfry!

What you need (2 servings):
400g bag of pre-cut Asian-style veggies (or use your choice of cabbage, onion, leek, red pepper, sugar snaps, bean sprouts etc)
200g button mushrooms, sliced
100-120g rice noodles (I like Terrasana black rice noodles)
1tsp sambal oelek
1tsp garlic paste (or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced)
1tbsp peanut butter
1tbsp sweet red chili sauce
2tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2tbsp warm water
1/4tsp ground ginger
Oil
Roasted peanuts, cashews or fried onions, for serving (optional)

Cook the noodles al dente in a pot. Drain and set aside.
In a microwave-safe cup, mix together peanut butter, chili sauce, soy sauce, water and ginger (this will go easier if you heat the ingredients for a few seconds first). Set aside.
Heat a drop of oil in a wok and add sambal and garlic. Add the mushrooms and stirfry a few minutes. Add the other vegetables and cook until done to your liking. Stir in the peanut sauce and cooked noodles until everthing is coated in sauce. Serve warm, with some roasted nuts or fried onions sprinkled on top.


Based on this recipe

Easy vegan granola

Most granola available in stores contains honey (at least it does in my neck of the woods), so when my local supermarket decided to discontinue my preferred honey-free option, I thought: "Why not make my own granola?"
This recipe is so easy that I wonder why I never tried it before!

Makes 8-10 servings:
2c oats
1/2c almond flakes
1/2c maple syrup

Add-ins of choice, such as:
Sultanas or raisins
Dried cranberries
Freeze-dried strawberries
Shredded coconut or coconut flakes
Dried banana chips (not salted, obviously...)
Crumbled apple chips
Flax seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 200°C. Prepare a baking sheet with baking parchment.

In a bowl, mix oats, almonds and maple syrup. Spread mixture out thinly on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15mins until the oatmeal is lightly browned. Let the granola cool completely (it will crisp up), crumble and mix in add-ins of choice (I used raisins and shredded coconut). Store in an airtight container.
Enjoy with (non-dairy) yogurt for breakfast.


Based on a Happy Herbivore Mealplan recipe.

Stuffed peppers

What you need (2 servings):

- 2 pointed peppers (red or orange)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cloved op chopped garlic (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
- 200 g lean ground beef*
- 1 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
- salt & pepper to taste
- vegetable oil

Slice a part of the pepper off lengthways and remove the seeds inside the pepper. Chop the sliced off piece finely. Put both peppers in an oven dish.
Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and sauté onion, garlic, chopped pepper and sambal until the onion has softened. Add the ground beef and fry until browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180C fan oven). Fill the peppers with the meat mixture and cover the oven dish with aluminium foil. Cook the stuffed peppers for approx. 30 mins and remove the foil after 20 mins.
Serve with rice or fried potatoes.

Try this:
* use ca. 100g vegan mince to veganize this dish.
- use chopped leek or spring onion instead of onion.
- add (frozen) peas and/or corn kernels (canned and drained).
- add chopped carrot and/or chopped courgette.

Based on this recipe.

Chop Suey à la minute

A home-made version of a take-out classic, which only takes 15 minutes (at most) to cook.

What you need (1 serving):
- A selection of your favourite veggies such as sliced mushrooms; sliced bell pepper (whichever colour you prefer); piece of cucumber, sliced in half lengthways and deseeded, then finely sliced; sliced onion / leek / spring onion (whatever you have on hand); bean sprouts; canned bamboo strips, drained; chopped and rinsed bok choi; sliced courgette; sliced carrot; canned minicorn, drained etc etc. About 250g in total.
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
- 1 tsp sambal oelek
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (I prefer ketchap manis, which is sweet instead of salty)
- approx. 75g faux chicken pieces (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp corn starch
- vegetable oil
- boiled rice, to serve (I used a package of 1-minute microwave brown rice - superfast and easy!)

Heat some vegetable oil in a wok and sauté garlic, sambal and the veggies that need to cook a bit longer than the rest such as onion, carrot, pepper etc.
Once the onion has softened, scoop the veggies to the side of the pan and add the 'chicken'. Cook the 'chicken' till it's browned and crispy. Season with some salt and pepper.
Add the soy sauce and veggies that need little cooking such as bok choi and bean sprouts. Cook briefly, move everything to the side of the pan and add a splash of water to the pan. Mix the corn starch with a bit of water in a small bowl and add to the pan. Stir the corn starch mixture through the rest of the sauce and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Cook for about 1 more minute and serve hot with rice.

Chili con carne from scratch

Store-bought spice mixes often contain a lot of salt. Making a dish from scratch is ideal if you want to watch your salt-intake. And I bet it will taste better too!

What you need (3 servings):
200 g very lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp of tomato puree
1 large can of beans (such as pinto, kidney, black-eyed), rinsed and drained
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tbsp ketjap manis (optional, to counteract acidity of the tomatoes)
sour cream or guacamole to serve (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion and garlic, and chopped bell pepper, if using. Add the ground beef, and mash with a fork to break up the meat.
After the meat has browned slightly, add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the spices and ketjap manis, if using. Season with some salt and pepper. Add the beans and simmer for a few minutes.
Serve in a bowl with crackers, or use as filling for taco's or burrito's. Top with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole if you feel adventurous :).

Try this:
- add a small can of corn, drained, along with the beans.
- want a thicker chili? Drain the chopped tomatoes before adding to the pan.
- use ground chicken instead of beef for chili con pollo.

Veganize it!
Use a vegan mince or minced TVP (TSP) for chili sin carne.

Grandma's macaroni

This is how my grandma and my mom make macaroni. Really easy and yummy.
I more or less guessed the quantities, but it's enough to make a large pan: ideal for putting some portions in the freezer for days when you don't feel like cooking or don't have time to make dinner.

What you need:
300g lean ground beef
1 bag ready-chopped soup vegetables*
1 box of macaroni (approx. 500g)
salt & pepper for seasoning
tomato sauce of your choice

Heat a non stick frying pan (no need to add extra oil or butter), cook the beef with a little salt and pepper until it's brown. Drain most of the fat and set aside.
Cook the macaroni according to the instuctions on the box. Drain when done and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.
In another pan, cook the vegetables for about 15 mins in plenty of water with a pinch of salt. (I always test a piece of carrot to see if they're done, I like them soft and cooked instead of crunchy). Drain the vegetables and mix them, along with the beef, through the macaroni.
Serve with your choice of tomato sauce (my favourite is old-fashioned ketchup but you could use any type of pasta sauce).

* contents will vary depending on where you live. The type that I use contains finely chopped leek, carrot, broccoli, white cabbage, selery and cauliflower and is sold in bags of 200-300g depending on the brand.

Tip: don't throw out the water in which you cooked the veggies but use the stock as a base for soup or to cook rice in for some extra flavour. You can freeze it if you don't use it right away.

Spicy bean stir fry

What you need (4 servings):
250g chicken or turkey breast, in cubes
150g leek, in rings
150g finely sliced white cabbage
100g onion, in half rings
25g bean sprouts
1 red chili, finely chopped (or less if you prefer)
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 large can of kidney beans (ca. 700g nett weight), drained and rinsed
Oil
Salt, pepper

Heat some oil in a wok. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the wok until golden brown. Take the chicken out of the pan and put aside.
Heat some more oil en stir fry the onion, garlic, white cabbage, leek and chili in the wok. When the onion has softened, add the beans, bean sprouts and chicken and cook for a few minutes until everything is piping hot but the bean sprouts are still crispy. Serve immediately on its own or with rice.

Try this:
- use a mix of beans such as kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas etc
- replace the chicken with tofu for a vegetarian dish

[adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe]

Fish parcels

Another great recipe for people who don't like fish very much (i.e. ME). It doesn't taste 'fishy' at all, and is quite healthy too.

What you need (2 servings):
2 cod fillets of approx. 120g each (thawed when using frozen fish)
0,5 diced onion
4 tbsp canned tomato cubes, rinsed and drained
1 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven at 200C. Place each piece of fish on a piece of aluminium foil.
Sautée the onion in a bit of oil. Mix the onion with the tomato cubes, parsley, sambal oelek, lemon juice, rest of the olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl. Dived the mixture over the fish and make parcels of the aluminium foil. Bake for approx. 15mins in the oven. Serve with panfried potatoes or rice.

Try this:
Use tilapia, pangasius or bass fillets instead of cod.

Meatballs in tomato sauce

What you need (4 servings):

500g extra lean ground beef
1,5 tbsp dried parsley
1 clove of garlic, pressed
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 can of tomato cubes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
0,5 tbsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste

Mix the ground beef with the parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and breadcrumbs and roll into small meatballs. Pan fry the meatballs in heated butter until browned. Add the onion and sautée. Add the tomato cubes, puree, ketjap manis, basil and Tabasco to taste. Simmer for a few more minutes and serve with boiled rice or pasta.

[adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe]

Chicken and Bok Choi stir fry

What you need (2 servings):
1 Bok Choi, leaves and stalks cut into strips and rinsed
1 onion in half rings
200g chicken breast in strips
250g button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove of garlic, pressed
sambal oelek (chili paste) to taste
1 tbsp oil
15 ml sesame seed oil
2 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
1 tbsp cream sherry

Heat half of the the oil in a wok and sauté the onion, garlic, sambal oelek and mushrooms. In a separate pan, fry the chicken strips in the rest of the oil until golden brown. Add the bok choi and stir fry for approx 30secs on high heat. Add soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil and stir fry for a few mins. Add the chicken strips and serve with rice or noodles.

Try this:
- use sliced leeks, bamboo strips (canned and drained), mini corn cobs (canned and drained) etc.
- use tofu or faux chicken pieces for a vegan dish.

Mushroom risotto

What you need ( 2 servings)

90g risotto rice (e.g. Arborio)
1 tbsp (olive)oil
200g chicken breast in cubes
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 onion, finely diced
250g sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp grated Parmezan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
500ml hot chicken stock

Sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the oil. Add the chicken cubes and fry until golden brown. Add the rice and stir until coated with oil. Add approx. 300ml stock and bring to the boil. Let simmer for approx. 25 mins, stirring often. Add more stock is necessary, the risotto should be moist. Stir in the cheese and parsley before serving.

Try this: leave out the chicken and use vegetable stock for a vegetarian dish.

Leftovers? Try this for a lunchbox treat:
Spread the leftover risotto on a plate to cool completely and store in the fridge overnight (covered). In the morning, shape little burgers from the risotto with wet hands (so it won't stick to your hands too much), lightly dust them with flour and pan fry them in a bit of oil. When browned and crispy, take out of the pan, let cool completely and pack in a lunchbox.