Inspired by Thailand – Vegan Mushroom, Peanut, Beansprouts and Lime Lettuce Cups

Looking for some easy healthy entertaining ideas for the weekend? Then try these super easy, super tasty Thai inspired Vegan cups.

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Pack of mushrooms (chestnut, button etc are fine), 2 garlic cloves, 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, 1 whole lime, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, handful of natural peanuts, bag of beansprouts, 1 head of iceberg lettuce carefully separated into individual leafs,1 small red onion and bunch of coriander to serve.

Method:

1.Start by thinly chopping a packet of mushrooms then cooking on a low heat in a little oil to remove all the excess water

2.Remove from the pan and set aside

3. Add a little more oil and gently fry some garlic and ginger for a few minutes, add your mushrooms back to the pan with the juice of a whole lime, soy sauce, a good handful of peanuts and the beansprouts

4. Mix well and warm through (don’t over cook though as you want to keep the peanut crunch)

5. Serve with lettuce cups, shredded red onion and coriander

Enjoy!

Advertisement

Date, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Flapjacks

Treat yourself to a yummy tea break this week with these moreish little bites…with just a little hint of that naughty snickers bar taste!

Makes: 12 squares

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 300g porridge oats, 150g of butter (or vegan alternative), 150g of golden syrup, 135g of brown sugar, 80g of pitted chopped dates, 2 tbsps. of peanut butter, 50g of dark salted chocolate (or vegan alternative).

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C fan
2. Weigh out your butter, sugar and golden syrup and melt gently in a pan until runny and all ingredient combined
3. Pour the wet ingredients over your oats and dates and mix well until the oats are completely coated in the buttery mixture
4. Swirl in your peanut butter and pour into a lined baking tray so that the flapjack mixture lays an inch thick
5. Pop in the oven for 30mins
6. Allow to cool
7. Melt your chocolate and drizzle over the flapjacks, leave to set or cut into 12 squares and eat straight away…
8. Enjoy!

Easy Baba Ganoush

Possibly my favourite dip ever…after hummus of course!  Have a go at recreating this recipe at home and let me know what you think.

Serves: 4 as a side dip or more as part of a bigger Mezze Platter, (check out the links below for more ideas).

Cook: 40 mins
Prep: 10 mins

Ingredients: 1 large aubergine, 4 tbsps. of olive oil, juice of one lemon, 2 tbsp. of tahini, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. of powdered cumin, 1/2 tsp. of salt, your choice of nuts and a little more olive oil to serve.

Method: 

1. Preheat your grill to high
2. Prick the aubergine all over and place under the hot grill for 15 minutes each side, until the aubergine skin becomes sunken
3. Allow to cool slightly and scoop out all the flesh and add to a blender or a bowl if using a hand blender
4. Chop the garlic and add to a pestle and mortar with the cumin and salt and pepper, mix to a smooth paste then add the olive oil
5. Add this mix to the aubergine and add the lemon juice and tahini and mix until smooth
6. Add a little more olive oil if the mixture needs loosening
7. Serve in a bowl with your choice of nuts for a garnish, (I used linseeds, walnuts, pine nuts and black sesame seeds), drizzle over some olive oil and serve with crudités or pitta or both!
8. Enjoy!

Click on the links below to see my other Aubergine, Dips and Mezze Ideas x

Store Cupboard Vegan Green Lentil Hummus…

Hummus…we have a problem!

Inspired by Iraq – Cucumber, Dill and Yogurt Soup

Vegan Oven Roasted Spicy Aubergines with Spicy Green Lentils

Grilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Inspired by Syria – Garlicky Roasted Courgette and Carrot, Honey, Cumin and Pine Nut Dips

Inspired by Egypt – Courgette and Chickpea Salad with DukkahGrilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Inspired by the Lebanon – Whole Roast Lebanese Chicken with A Cauliflower, Bulgar Wheat Tabbouleh

Vegan Oven Roasted Spicy Aubergines with Spicy Green Lentils

Friday night is a good excuse for a curry night right? Check out this delicious vegan recipe for some healthy inspiration.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 – 60 mins

Ingredients: 1 white or brown onion, 2 large aubergines or 4 baby aubergines, 1 cup of green lentils, 2 cups of coconut milk, 1 veggie stock cube, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1 chopped red chilli and 1/2 tsp of dried ginger, 4 tbsp of oil, 1 tsp. of masala paste.

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 200F
2. Chop your onion and garlic and fry in a pan with 1 tbsp of oil for a few minutes until softened
3. Add all of your dried spices and chilli and coat the onions and garlic well
4. Add the lentils with 2 cups of coconut milk and 3 cups of veggie stock and give it a good stir
5. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer until the lentils are soft, you may need to add some more liquid and give it the occasional stir
6. While the lentils are cooking, mix the masala paste with 3 tbsp. of oil
7. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, criss cross the flesh and place on a baking tray flesh side up
8. Brush the masala oil all over the flesh and pop in the oven for 30 – 45 mins until soft
9. Once the aubergines and lentils are cooked serve up on a fluffy bed of basmati rice, lentils first then the aubergines on top
10. Enjoy!

Tip: I used the same cup to measure the lentils and liquids to make sure I get the right measurements. 

Vegan Miso Brown Rice Salad Bowls

Looking for a filling but healthy meat free lunch? Then try my super easy, super delicious vegan rice bowl, if you omit the chilli even kids will love it! 

Serves 4

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins

Ingredients: 1 cup of dried brown rice, 1 large avocado, 1 small can of sweetcorn, small bunch of spring onions, 2 tsp. brown miso paste, 1 tbsp. of sesame seeds (black, brown or white is fine), 1 tbsp. soy sauce, sprinkling of chilli flakes.

Method:

1. Pop the brown rice in a saucepan and add the miso paste, cook as per packet instructions
2. Once cooked, allow the rice to cool (this can be cooked the day before, or even in the morning if you have time)
3.  Drain the sweetcorn and mix in with the rice along with the spring onions
4. Chop the avocado into slices and arrange on top
5. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and chilli flakes and a little drizzle of the soy sauce
6. Enjoy!

 

Grilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Looking for a healthy vegan BBQ side this weekend? Then try this…

Serves: 6

Prep: 20mins
Cook: 15 – 20

Ingredients: 4 small of 2 large aubergines cut into thin slices, 4 small or 2 large courgettes cut into thin slices, a jar of red peppers cut into thin strips, large handful of mixed herbs, (basil, mint and parsley all work well), 1 tbsp. of tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon 4 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tbsp. of pine nuts,  1 tsp. of paprika and a little more olive oil for grilling the aubergine and courgette.

Method:

1. Brush the aubergine and courgettes with a little oil and grill on each side for around 6 – 8 minutes until they start to brown but not burn
2. Allow to cool
3. To make the dressing mix the tahini, oil and lemon juice together
4. Brown the pine nuts in a pan to bring out their flavour
5. Now construct your salad by placing layers of the aubergine, courgette and red peppers on a large plate, pour your dressing over the top and scatter the pine nuts and herbs over the salad and sprinkle over the paprika
6. Enjoy.

Eat Your Greens Super Speedy Stir Fry

• 

Make sure you eat your greens this week with this super speedy vegan stir fry that you can add to anything, rice, pasta, noodles etc, the sprinkling of brown sugar right at the end really adds something to the greens!

Serves: 2 – 4 depending on what you are serving it with

Prep: 2mins

Cook: 6mins

Ingredients: A bag or bunch of greens such as chard, kale, spinach, watercress, pak choi, (some types of cabbage might work too), 1 garlic clove, 1 red chilli (you can used dried chilli and frozen or pureed garlic), tbsp of oil, sprinkling of brown sugar and sesame seeds.

Method:

1. Chop up your garlic and chilli and heat in the oil for a few minutes

2. Chop or tear your greens and add to the pan, stir well to coat in the oil

3. Stir fry for a minutes more then sprinkle with brown sugar and sesame seeds

4. Enjoy!

The Lockdown Larder – Vegan Chickpea and Coconut Curry with Pea Raita

Friday nights can still be curry night with a few store cupboard ingredients!

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 20mins

Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 large can of chickpeas (drained weight around 500g), 100ml of passata, can of coconut milk, 1 – 2 tsp of curry paste, depending on how hot you like it, a little oil for frying.

For Pea Raita which uses frozen peas, please click here Inspired by India – Potato and Sweetcorn Samosas with Pea Raita

Method:

1. Chop your garlic and onion and gently fry in a pan with the oil until softened
2.  Add your curry paste and mix well
3.  Pour in the coconut milk and passata, give it all a good stir
4. Add your chickpeas and bring to a simmer and cook for 20mins or until the chickpeas have softened slightly and taken on all of the curry flavour
5. And that’s it…serve with rice and the pea raita if you wish
6. Enjoy!

Store Cupboard Vegan Green Lentil Hummus…

Looking for ways to stay healthy with ingredients you already have in your cupboards?Then lentils are your new best friend, cheap, filling and full of protein and fibre, have a go at whipping up this lentil style hummus…

Makes – As much as you want by adjusting quantities.

Cook – 5 -20mins if cooking lentils from dried.

Ingredients, (based on two cups of cooked green lentils), 2 cups of cooked green lentils, 1 tbsp. chilli oil, 2 tbsp of garlic infused oil, 2 tbsps of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds, seasoning to taste.

Method:

1. Blend all your ingredients together, except the sesame seeds, using hand mixer or blender

2. Add more of the oils and lemon juice to suit your tastebuds and the consistency you want

3. Season

4. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds

5. Enjoy served on toast, with wraps, crudites, tortilla chips and more!

Have a look below at some of my other recipes using lentils and pulses:

How do you Dahl? With my Chickpea, Lentil and Coconut Dahl…

Inspired by Sri Lanka – Prawn and Yellow Lentil Curry with Cheats Pol Sambola

Indian Inspired – Chickpea Dahl with Eggs and Homemade Raiti

Inspired By Ecuador – Slow Cooked Pork and Bean Stew with Cheesy Potato

CakesInspired by Ethiopia – Berber Style Peas and Broad Beans on Toast with Feta

 

How do you Dahl? With my Chickpea, Lentil and Coconut Dahl…

 

I absolutely love dahl, it is one of my favourite comfort foods and I like to mix it up sometimes so please see recipe below for my latest version, using chickpeas, bay leaf and fennel seeds.

Serves: 4 with rice or Indian style bread

Cook: 1 hour

Prep: 10mins

Ingredients: 1 can of drained chickpeas, 400ml of coconut milk, 2 small cans of cooked lentils, (I used green), 1 onion finely chopped, 2 cloves of garlic finely sliced, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and finely sliced, 1 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp. of tomato puree, 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of tumeric, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 cardamon pod, 4 dried chillies crushed, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 bay leaf, salt to taste.

Method:

1. Start by frying your spices in the oil until they start to pop
2. Add your onion, ginger and garlic and allow to soften for a few minutes
3. Add your chickpeas and lentils to the pan and coat well in the mixture
4. Add your coconut milk, bay leaf and cardamon pod, bring to the boil
5. Allow to simmer for at least an hour, using a potato masher to break down the chickpeas, top up with a little water if it’s getting too sticky
6. Season with salt to your liking and serve with rice or indian style bread
7. Enjoy!

If you are looking for some further inspiration then, check out my other spicy dishes below…

Inspired by Bangladesh: Carrot Bhajis with Raita (also included extra recipes for homemade Lime Pickle and Spicy Tomato Chutney)

Spicy Oven Cooked Aubergines with my Bangladeshi Inspired Spicy Tomato Chutney!

Inspired by Yemen – Scrambled Eggs with Green Beans and Hot Spiced Yogurt, Served with Clove and Cardamon Black Tea

Inspired by Indonesia: Slow Cooked Beef Noodles, with Spinach, Fried Egg and Peanut Sambal

Inspired by Vietnam – Aubergine Buns with Veggie Pickles and Spiced Mayo

Inspired by India – Potato and Sweetcorn Samosas with Pea Raita

Inspired by Sri Lanka – Prawn and Yellow Lentil Curry with Cheats Pol Sambola

Thanks x