Moroccan Lentil and Aubergine Soup

/in , /by

This Moroccan Lentil and Aubergine Soup is a current favourite: mildly spicy, incredibly fragrant, and singing with coriander and parsley.

Ingredients: 
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2cm piece ginger, grated
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 aubergine, small dice
800ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans brown sugar
1 red chilli, halved lengthways and de-seeded
100g red lentils, rinsed and picked over
Suitable-for-vegans plain yoghurt (I used soy)
Coriander and parsley, minced 
Paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 
1. Heat a deep skillet over a medium low heat. Spray with a little cooking spray, and sauté the onions until they start to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices for about 30 seconds. Stir in the aubergine, stock, tomatoes, and mix through the brown sugar. Add the red chilli, and sprinkle the lentils over the top, mixing in very gently. 
2. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until the aubergine is soft. 
3. Top with suitable-for-vegans plain yoghurt, minced herbs, a shake or two of paprika, and salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you find coriander soapy, remove as much of the stem as possible from the leaf, and discard the stem before mincing the leaf.

Mushroom Noodle Soup

/in , , , /by

This Mushroom Noodle Soup from is quick, easy, full of flavour, and very filling.

Ingredients: 
30g shiitake mushrooms
250g white or brown mushrooms, sliced 
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
1l vegetable broth
2-4 tbsp soy sauce (or to taste)
200g suitable-for-vegans noodles of choice (we used black bean noodles)
Bunch spring onions (green onions), sliced
Block smoked tofu, cubed (exact measurements don’t matter here)
Jar or can beansprouts, drained
Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Directions: 
1. Cover the shiitake mushrooms with plenty of boiling water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes or so. 
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium low. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their juices. Add the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute until fragrant. 
3. Add the broth, soy sauce, tofu, noodles, and spring onions, and cook for the time recommended on the back of the pack of noodles. 
4. Add the tofu and bean sprouts to heat through. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

Ras-el-Hanout Stew

/in , , , , /by

A warming and very flavoursome stew that’s made in the Instant Pot in about 10 minutes, but you can cook it on the stovetop too; it will just take longer to make the squash tender. This serves 4.

Ingredients: 

2 red onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced 
1 inch ginger, grated
1 butternut squash
1 can chickpeas
1 can white beans of choice (alternatively, you can use another can chickpeas)
12 dried apricots, quartered
12 plum tomatoes, halved
500ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp ras-el-hanout
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. Prick the butternut squash, put it on a plate, and microwave for 5 minutes to soften. Allow to cool.
2. Meanwhile, sauté the onions until softened. Add the garlic and ginger for about a minute more, and then stir in the squash, beans, apricots, tomatoes, stock, purée, and spices. 
3. Cover, set the Instant Pot to Manual on high pressure for 3 minutes. When cooked, carefully release the steam. Alternatively, if cooking on the stovetop, cover the pot with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is cooked. 
4. Stir through the lemon juice, and season to taste before serving.

Sweet Tomato Soup

/in , , , /by

If you want a really simple lunch, this Sweet Tomato Soup will remind you of those comforting canned tomato soups that you were served as a child–but with fewer heavily refined ingredients. This makes 2 large bowls.

Ingredients:
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
400 ml vegetable broth
2 cans (400g each) tomatoes in juice
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat a large stainless steel pan over a medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions and sauté until lightly coloured. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of the broth. Then add the tomatoes and the rest of the broth.
4. Stir in the sugar, and crumble in the dried herbs between your finger and thumb.
5. Allow to simmer, uncovered, on a very low heat for about 10 minutes. Season to taste, and serve.

Lemony Cauliflower Soup

/in , , , , , /by

Creamy and chunky, creating wonderful textural contrasts, and with subtle undertones of lemon balanced out by the herbs and pepper, this soup is a real winner and would be perfect for entertaining. This recipe serves 4-6 depending on whether it’s being eaten as a starter or a main.

Ingredients:
2 white onions, finely chopped
650g white mushrooms, quartered
1.5 litres vegetable broth
1 large potato, peeled and in bite-size dice
1 tsp dried thyme*
1 tsp dried basil*
1 head cauliflower, in small florets
1 lemon, rind and zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red chilli flakes and parsley (optional)

*Crumbling dried herbs between your fingers before adding them to a dish will help to release more of their aromatic oils.

Directions:
1. Preheat a large soup pot over a medium low heat. Add the onion and mushroom, and sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid.
2. Add the vegetable broth, potato, and herbs. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the cauliflower, cover the soup once again, and simmer for 7 minutes more.
4. Stir through the lemon zest and juice.
5. Transfer half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (optional). Return to the pot to reheat, and season to taste.
6. Serve garnished with red chilli flakes and parsley, and a little extra lemon zest, if desired.

Two-Tone Pepper Soup

/in , , , /by

This fun talking-point for guests is simple to make, and great fun to eat. It serves 4, and you can choose whatever colour peppers you like. We’ve chosen green and yellow for the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 green bell peppers, roughly chopped
4 yellow bell peppers, roughly chopped
1.2-1.6l vegetable broth

Directions:
1. Preheat two saucepans over medium-low heat. Divide the onions and celery between the two and sauté until the onion starts to become translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté for 15 seconds.
2. Add the green peppers to one saucepan and the yellow peppers to the other. Add enough broth to cover, and bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the ingredients of the saucepan containing the yellow peppers to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a jug. Repeat with the saucepan containing the green peppers, and transfer to a separate jug.
4. Pour from both jugs into a bowl at the same time and at the same speed to keep the colours of the soup separate. Season to taste, and enjoy.

Waste-Not Want-Not Soup

/in , , /by

Don’t throw those vegetable scraps away. You can slow-simmer them for a flavourful vegetable broth, or you can turn them into a hearty soup that’s very easy on the budget.
Ingredients:
2 medium onions, medium chopped
3 parsnips, medium dice
3 carrots, medium dice
1 small turnip or swede, medium dice
Stems from a bunch kale, chopped
Cauliflower leaves, chopped
Outer leaves of a savoy cabbage, finely shredded
Stem of 1 broccoli head, chopped
Inner stalks and leaves of celery, chopped
2 potatoes, medium dice
2 l vegetable broth
2 tsp turmeric
1.5 cups soup mix
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) Sauté the onion in a large soup pot until lightly coloured.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
3) Serve.

Creamy Polenta with Red Wine Mushrooms

/in , , , /by

A comforting and rich dish, this Creamy Polenta with Red Wine Mushrooms is great for entertaining, but easy enough for a decadent-tasting meal for two.

Ingredients:
For the Polenta:
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups soy milk
1 tbsp herbes de provence, crumbled
1 cup polenta (or cornmeal)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Mushrooms:
1 red onion, finely sliced
350g mushrooms, sliced (I used 250g chestnut and 100g shiitake)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup suitable-for-vegans red wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1 heaped tsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed to a smooth paste with a little cold water
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Add the vegetable broth and soy milk to a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the herbes de provence. Sprinkle in the polenta, whisking vigorously as you go (there’s no need for the water to be boiling or even warm to start polenta).
2. As soon as the polenta starts to spit, reduce the heat to low. Stir occasionally until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Add the nutritional yeast, if using, and season to taste.
3. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and the onion until the liquid released from the mushrooms is reabsorbed. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds before stirring in the wine. Mix in the tomato purée and thyme and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture and allow to thicken. Season with black pepper.
4. Serve the mushrooms on top of the polenta, garnished with a little parsley if desired.

Carrot and Red Lentil Soup: Budget Recipe

/in , , , /by
This soup costs €0.18 per portion and takes about 20 minutes to prepare. The recipe is very easy, but we’ve written it out in lots of detail in case you’re new to cooking. We’ve used a blender to make it smooth, but it’s equally delicious chunky.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 l vegetable broth*
2 carrots, washed, topped and tailed, and sliced (no need to peel!)
80g red lentils, picked over to make sure there’s no grit
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:
1. Heat a stainless steel saucepan over a medium low heat until hot. Reduce the heat slightly, add the onions and keep stirring until the onions start to take on a little colour and release their aroma (about 2 minutes). Turn the heat right down to low before adding the garlic for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the broth, carrots, and red lentils. Crumble the herbs between your finger and thumb, if desired, so that they release more of their fragrance.
3. Raise the heat to high until bubbles start appearing around the sides of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes to make sure the lentils aren’t sticking.
4. Add the smoked paprika, and stir.
5. At this point, you can blend the soup with an immersion (stick) blender or in a jug blender, following the instructions that came with your blender.
6. Serve, and enjoy.

Coconut-Molasses Chickpeas and Cauliflower

/in , , , , , /by

The flavour profile of this dish is inspired by Indonesian cuisine, where molasses or brown sugar are frequently used in ketjap manis. Molasses is quite high in iron and other minerals, which makes it a much healthier choice than many other sweeteners.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp red chilli paste
1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp lime pickle
2 cups cauliflower, in small florets (mine were pre-roasted, but the recipe below is a quicker version)
1 head pak choy, chopped
1 can chickpeas
4 spring onions, chopped

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan over a low heat, whisk together the coconut milk, red chilli paste, garlic-ginger paste, molasses, turmeric, soy sauce, and lime pickle.
  2. Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, and the hard ends of the pak choy. Allow to simmer over a low heat for 7 minutes.
  3. Add the green leafy parts of the pak choy and the spring onions. Cover and simmer again for another 3 minutes, or until the cauliflower is the desired tenderness.
  4. Serve.