Chickpea & Paneer Curry

This is a family-friendly vegetarian curry with a mild flavour; it's an easy store-cupboard dish that can be thrown together in under 30 minutes.

If you are following Slimming World and use your 40g Paneer as part of your Healthy Option A then this is also completely syn-free, even when served as I have here with some boiled basmati rice, a spoonful of fat free yoghurt (which when stirred through gives a creamy consistency to the curry) and some coriander leaves.

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

The below serves four; here's how:

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3cm piece of ginger root
• 1.5 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 courgette
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 3 tomatoes (or 1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 1 Vegetable Stock Pot
• 150ml water
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 160g paneer cheese
• 150g spinach leaves
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Fry Light

To garnish:

• Fat free yoghurt
• Coriander leaves

Firstly in a large pan or wok, add a few sprays of Fry Light and place onto a low heat.

Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and finely chop the ginger and add to the pan.

Once beginning to soften add the curry powder and all of the dried spices and continue to cook for a minute or so.

In the meantime, roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan.

Cut the courgette into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan. Drain the chickpeas of any liquid and add to the curry along with a pinch of salt and black pepper. 

Add 150ml water, the tomato puree and the vegetable stock pot, give a good stir and allow to cook for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are beginning to soften and the sauce to thicken.

In the meantime, wash the spinach leaves and set aside and cut the paneer cheese into small bite-sized pieces.

Add the paneer cheese and again stir through so the cheese is immersed in the curry sauce and allow to cook for a further five minutes. Add the spinach at the very last minute before serving and simply stir through, the heat of the curry will immediately cook and wilt the spinach. 

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

Garnish with fat free yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice for a syn-free meal. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Peanut Noodles

This is an utterly delicious vegetarian friendly family meal and you can use absolutely any vegetables you have to hand for it - and especially your family's favourites. 

If you like a satay style dish, this is for you and it is super versatile so use whatever you have to hand to make it work.

We are in worrying times right now, and a lot of ingredients are either not available or have become like gold dust but the heart of this dish is in just x4 store cupboard ingredients; peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce and noodles or long, thin pasta as I have used here. You can honestly use any vegetables you like and if you're a fan of spicy food, add a red chilli (chilli oil, or a chilli flakes) to crank up the heat, but this is very much kid-friendly for my household. 

This dish could also be improved with a few coriander leaves or even snipped chives - but in my haste to eat today, I forgot to add these. 

We have to be adaptable to what we have and so I will try to share a few store cupboard recipes in the hope it might help someone that is fridge foraging and wondering what to make with the contents on their cupboards. Where you see an ingredient that you don't have and you're not sure what you could replace it with, please contact me and I'll make a suggestion.

Vegetarian Peanut Noodles

Here's how:

• 300g egg noodles (spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle would also work!)
• 1 garlic clove (Very Easy Garlic, Garlic Infused Oil or a pinch of Garlic Salt)
• 2cm piece of fresh ginger (use ground if you can't get fresh)
• 1 large carrot
• 1 courgette
• Half a head of broccoli
• 1 pepper 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (if you don't stock this as a last resort you could use Worcestershire sauce, just reduce slightly)
• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice (you could use a pinch each of Cayenne Pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves if you don't stock Five Spice)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (any vegetable or nut oil would suffice)
• 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 tin of coconut milk (you could use a cream, creme fraiche or an almond milk)
• 1 tsp Sriracha 
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 lime (use a lemon if you can't get a lime, or even a drop of a Jif Lemon)

Firstly put a pot of salted water on to boil. Once brought up to boil, cook the noodles.

In the meantime, place the sesame oil into a wok on a medium heat.

Mince the garlic and finely chop the ginger and add to the wok with the soy sauce. 

Cut or break the broccoli into florets and add to the wok.

Peel and then cut the carrot into thin matchsticks, slice the pepper and add both to the wok.

Cut the courgette in half, and then cut into small slices and add to the pan. 

Once all of the vegetables have cooked for a moment, add the peanut butter and a drop of sriracha and use a wooden spatula to move around and break down a little. 

Now add the coconut milk and give a good stir.

Once the noodles or pasta are cooked, use tongs or a spaghetti server to lift into the peanutty vegetables and give a good stir to ensure the noodles get a good coating. 

Dish up onto a big bowl or a platter, squeeze over the juice of a lime and scatter over the sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Homemade mushroom soup is one of my absolute favourites, and when you can make it with wild mushrooms there is nothing better.  There's currently a green grocer stall in the outside section of Borough Market selling about 300g of woodland wild mushrooms for £3.50 so this week I took full advantage and have enjoyed this glorious soup for three days solid.

You can make it with any mushrooms though and it'll still be tasty so if you can't get the wild mushrooms, just use a mixture of what you can get hold of locally.

This is a completely vegetarian meal and if you wanted to adapt it to make it vegan, you could just omit from using the cream, or use a plant-based variety such as Elmlea Plant Double.

The below makes enough for x4 full portions.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Here's how:

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 400g wild or mixed mushrooms
• x1 leek
• x1 red onion
• x1 clove of garlic
• x3 celery sticks
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Pinch black pepper
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp single cream

Firstly drizzle the oil into a heavy bottomed saucepan and place on a low heat. 

Now peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic, slice the leek finely and the celery and place into the pan to gently soften - this is your soup base. 

Now roughly chop the mushrooms and once everything is softened in the pan, add the mushrooms and allow them to get a good coating of the olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper now.

Add the dried thyme, which really complements mushrooms, and pour over the stock and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

Now blitz the soup - I use my Nutribullet so I always allow the soup to cool a little first to avoid any explosions! 

Once blended, return to the heat and once warmed through remove from the heat and stir through the single cream. Add a tiny drizzle to each bowl once dished up as a pretty garnish.Enjoy!

If you're also making the most of soup season; here are a few other soup recipes you might like:
Restorative Green Soup
Alphabet and Hidden Veg Soup
Winter Vegetable Soup
Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Vegetarian Chilli - Meat Free Monday

This vegetarian chilli is a delicious family meal taking its' substance from sweet potatoes, red kidney beans and red split lentils. 

It's packed with goodness, flavour and sustenance and is a great Meat Free Monday meal - that is also vegan (so long as you omit from serving with any cheese or yoghurt). 

I made this at the weekend for a lovely Saturday lunch with my two daughters, and a few packed lunches for this week to keep the cold at dawn - it is mostly made from store cupboard essentials, so I didn't even need to leave the house. 

I served with some wholegrain rice, avocado, a cucumber and carrot ribbon salad, a little fat free natural yoghurt and a grating of cheese and it was very well received. 

You could add other vegetables to the mix or different beans; black beans, chickpeas or butter beans would all work here too.

Vegetarian Chilli

Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red jalapeno chilli
• 300g sweet potato (peeled)
• 1 orange pepper
• x2 roasted red peppers (I used jarred, but you could char your own and remove the skin)
• 1x tin red kidney beans
• 1x tin of chopped tomatoes
• Vegetable stock
• 100g red split lentils
• 100g sultanas 
• 1 tbsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp chipotle paste
• Drizzle olive oil

Firstly drizzle the olive oil into a large pan or wok and place on a low heat.

Now peel and finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the chilli and add to the pan to saute.

Whilst this is softening in the pan, peel and roughly chop the sweet potato to about 1cm pieces and add to the pan. 

Chop the orange pepper into small pieces and add to the pan. 

Now add all of the spices - the cumin, cinnamon, caynenne pepper, paprika and season with a little salt and pepper too.

Mix around with a wooden spatula to ensure all of the sweet potato gets a good spice coating and allow to cook out for a minute or so and then add the drained red kidney beans and the chopped tomatoes.

Rinse the lentils and add to the pan with the chopped roasted peppers, the sultanas, the chipotle, oregano and thyme.

Using one of the empty tins, make up a vegetable stock cube in one of these - fill it up and add to the chilli and give a good stir.

Allow to cook on a low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring every so often. Serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

If you're looking for further Meat Free Monday inspiration here are a few other recipes I've posted on the matter:

• Squash and Goat's Cheese Pot Pie
• Spinach, Ricotta and Courgette Pasta Lasagne
• Mexican Veggie Burgers
• Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
• Truffled Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
• Squash Mac and Cheese
• Creamy Mushroom and Danish Blue Cheese Risotto

Roasted Celeriac Soup

As it's January and we are enjoying plenty of lighter dishes; including soups.  I made this as an experiment for the first time today and it was absolutely delicious and I'll 100% be making it again soon.

It's completely vegetarian and vegan; so ideal if you are doing Veganuary or generally following a plant-based diet; but it's equally good for those who still enjoy a bit of everything too.

Celeriacs' can be a bit of a faff to prepare, but this recipe is well worth the initial effort and the rest of it is completely low maintenance too. The end result is a thick and creamy tasting soup - really hearty but super healthy too.

The below serves x4 portions with each portion approximately 200 calories.

Roasted Celeriac Soup

Here's how:

• x1 celeriac (approx 600g)
• x2 large garlic cloves
• x1 large white onion
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Firstly whack the oven onto 180 degrees. 

Now to prepare the celeriac, firstly use a vegetable peeler to remove the outside, dark, gnarly bits of skin. There may be a slightly green tinge underneath, as a posed to the white and creamy depths of the celeriac - it's fine to leave these green bits so you don't lose too much of the celeriac.

Once peeled, carefully slice into 3-4 large slices, and then chop into about 2cm pieces and place into a roasting tin.

Now peel the onion and remove the ends then roughly chop, again into about 2cm sized pieces.

Peel the garlic cloves and throw into the roasting tin with the onion.

Drizzle with the vegetable oil and then season and place into the oven for 35 minutes.

When you remove from the oven, the onion should be charred and have a lovely, smokey flavour which will add to the soup, and the celeriac should have bits that are slightly browning.

Now remove everything and place into a large saucepan and pour over the vegetable stock. 

Use a blender to blitz till thick, smooth and creamy. 

Now gently heat on the hob until warmed through. Enjoy!

Curried Lentil Soup

This warming, comforting soup is the perfect pick-me-up when returning from work on a cold day.

It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly too so good if you are practising Meat Free Monday.

It relies on things you would mostly find in the stock cupboard too - so can be made at the last minute at very little cost, win, win.

The gentle spicing makes this almost a liquid curry soup and it’s great for warming you right through.

Curried Lentil Soup

The below serves four.

Here's how:
200g red split lentils
1 onion
2cm piece of ginger, peeled
1 large garlic clove
2 carrots
1.5 pints vegetable stock
1 drizzle olive oil or a Fry Light Spray
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala

Firstly drizzle the oil into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

Peel and roughly chop the onion and place in the pan.

Peel and mince or roughly chop the garlic and do the same with the ginger add to the pan.

Now allow these to soften a little before going in with the curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric and garam masala.

While these soften a little, rinse the lentils through with a sieve until the waters run clear.

Now place these into the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move around a little and get a good coating of the spiced garlic, onion and ginger base.

Now pour over the soup and allow to slowly simmer for around 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.

Remove from the heat and once cooled a little, blitz. I use a Nutribullet so I allow the soup to cool right down.

Once blended return to the pan and bring back to the heat and once warmed through dish up. Enjoy with crusty bread or naan.

Here are a few other vegetarian friendly soup recipes you might like:

Restorative Green Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Red Pepper Soup

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

These ‘gemistes’ are an updated version of my previously posted Stuffed Tomatoes from way back in 2015.

This version is a closer substitute to those you might enjoy whilst holidaying in various Greek Isles. But I’ve added a bit of a cheat to make it slightly more accessible and quicker to get to the table, an ideal midweek meal when work, school and extra-curricular commitments can make cooking a bit of a last priority.

These ones are enriched with a quick Greek tomato sauce - but unlike the original recipe (or 100’s of recipes I found) I have used ready-cooked Microwave rice, to speed things up. So instead of the sauce cooking the rice from scratch, it merely enriches and flavours.

The result is stunning. This is a fabulous vegetarian and vegan option and we have enjoyed as a Meatfree Monday meal a few times recently. If you’re making a meze of different dishes you can also make with smaller tomatoes so they’re not quite as filling.

I’ve just used mint as that’s the closest flavouring to those from my beloved Kerkyra (Corfu) and I think it adds a lovely freshness, but you can try dill or parsley too. Also for the sauce, this is a very basic one but if you want to play around and add any further flavourings that would work too - adding celery, olives or dried chilli to the base for example, or a glug of balsamic or red wine vinegar.

I like to serve with just salad.

The below serves 4 adults but if there are just the two, believe me they make a great lunchbox for the following day - hot or cold.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Here’s how;

• X4 beef tomatoes
• 1 packet microwave rice
• 1 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 courgette
• 1 red pepper 
• 1 yellow pepper
• Handful mint leaves
• Olive oil 

For the sauce;

• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch salt
• Pinch sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato puree 
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Now slice off the top off each of the beef tomatoes carefully, as you want this to act as the ‘lid’.

Now carefully use a knife to cut free the internal flesh of the tomato, then use a tablespoon to carefully scoop it all out and set aside in a bowl. Once you are left with four tomato ‘shells’. Add a little salt to help remove some of the retained moisture and turn upside down to drain further while you prepare everything else.

Firstly dice the two onions and add to two separate pans on a medium heat with generous glugs of olive oil.

Mince the garlic cloves and divide between the two pans.

For the tomato sauce, add to one of the pans the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, pinch of salt and sugar, oregano and some black pepper to taste. Allow to cook away for ten minutes then take off of the heat.

In the meantime, dice the courgette and chop the peppers and add to the other pan. Now roughly chop the leftover tomato flesh and also add to the pan. Don’t let this combination dry out - if needed add a little extra olive oil to keep the contents moist - the rice will soak up any oil so don’t worry about it being too wet. Season well at this point.

Give a good stir and then add the microwave rice direct from the packet. Give it a good stir to ensure the rice gets a good coating. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce too and stir well.

Now remove from the heat and turn the tomatoes back up the right way and place into an oven-proof dish.

Load the rice and vegetable mixture into each of the tomatoes until they are quite full.

Now add a generously heaped tablespoon full of the sauce to the top of each of the tomatoes and then place the ‘lid’ on top.

Drizzle each of the tomatoes with a little olive oil on the outside and then finally place a large sheet of foil loosely over the tomatoes and place into the oven for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and if you require the tomatoes to be slightly more well done, remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Otherwise allow to stand for a couple of minutes and then serve with your choice of salad. Enjoy!

Patatas Bravas - Roast Potato with Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is a tapas staple and relies on a fiery heat in the sauce and I can guarantee once you try it, you'll want to make it again. 

I've experimented with a few variations but this is the best received and is mostly based on the recipe from Rick Stein's Spain book but with the addition of roasted red peppers which also gives a sweetness to balance out the heat. It's incredibly moreish.

As part of a group of tapas dishes, the below will serve 4-6 people. The sauce freezes well so make a big batch and keep it as a stand by dish.

After our recent trip to Madrid, we have a hankering for Spanish food so expect a few more Spanish inspired recipes coming up. This is a completely vegetarian recipe and just omit the aioli or garlic mayonnaise to keep it vegan. 

Patatas Bravas

Here's how:

For the roast potatoes

• 1/2kg white potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 white onion
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 tbsp water

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into approximately 1.5-2 cm cubes and ensure you dry them off. 

Now pour the olive oil into a baking tin or dish and throw into the oven to heat through for a few minutes. 

Now pour in the potatoes, scatter about to cover in the oil, season generously and throw in the garlic cloves and cook for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

While the potatoes roast, this is plenty of time to make the sauce.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, drizzle in the oil and add the dried chilli and paprika first.

Now finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to gently saute. 

Roughly chop the pepper and add to the pan with the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, water and bay leaf. 

Stir well and season to taste, with a pinch of sugar too. 

Allow to cook for at least fifteen minutes, until it's bubbling away. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before blitzing it with whatever tool you have (I use a Nutribullet so always have to cool a bit). 

Now once the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce is blended, return the sauce to the pan to gently back through and arrange the potatoes in a ceramic tapas dish, or your choice of serving dish. Then spoon over the sauce - this doesn't need to look precise, it's a very rustic dish. Finish with a spoonful of aioli and serve. 

Tip: If you haven't time to make aioli and are unable to buy any; simply mince a garlic clove and stir through 3 tbsp of mayonnaise with 1/3 tsp paprika instead.