Yearly Archives: 2013

Once again, it’s curry. Follow the recipe. Or not.

Another curry

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 big carrot, in half moons
• 1 red bell pepper, in 1cm pieces
• 1/2 courgette, in quartered slices
• 160 gr quorn pieces
• 1 165 ml tin coconut milk (*)
• 50 gr Thai red curry paste (*)
• 150 ml water
• 320 gr (peeled) sweet potatoes, in pieces

(*) I like both from the brand Thai Heritage.

Instructions

1. Cook the sweet potato pieces in salted water for 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a casserole. Add the onion and carrot and cook 3-4 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Add the bell pepper and courgette and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Add the curry paste and half the water to the vegetables, stir to dissolve the paste, and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding quorn. Cook another couple of minutes, then add the coconut milk and the rest of the water. Bring to the simmer, and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes.
4. Add the sweet potatoes to the curry and reheat on low if needed before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional info

Calories: 488
Protein: 19 gr
Fat: 18 gr
Carbs: 61 gr

Really, here the only thing that has a recipe is the cauliflower and the yoghurt sauce. The falafel comes straight from the store (Delhaize Bio Falafel, if you’re interested), and boiling potatoes is not that hard, is it?

It’s yellow!

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

• 1 cauliflower (~700 gr) clean of all leaves and in florets
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 garlic cloves. minced (next time I might put more)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the yoghurt sauce

• 50 gr plain unsweetened yoghurt
• 1/4 tsp sweetener of choice (I used agave syrup)
• salt & pepper
• 1-2 tsp chopped chives

Instructions

1. For the sauce: mix all ingredients. (Not that hard, is it?)
2. Put the cauliflower florets, turmeric and salt in a big pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes. (Use a lid, saves energy)
3. Drain the cauliflower. Heat the oil in the same pot. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it starts to stick to the spoon. Add the cauliflower and stir through. You might want to add a couple tablespoons of water to get the garlic to cover the cauliflower.
4. Serve with the heated falafel, the boiled potatoes and yoghurt sauce.

Makes 2 servings

Nutritional info (this is with this precise falafel, your mileage might vary)

Calories: 540
Protein: 20 gr
Fat: 15 gr
Carbs: 67 gr

The other day I bought the wrong tetrapack of tomato pieces. I usually buy them plain, but they also have them with onion & basil, and one of the latter slipped into the former’s shelf and subsequently in the cart. And then I saw a Belgian cook making something similar to this and thought it’d be tasty. So I put this together for dinner.

Green beans & mushrooms in tomato sauce with quorn & potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 400 gr runner beans (the flat kind), topped & cut in 4 cm pieces
• 250 gr white mushrooms, cut in fourths
• 1 500 gr pack of tomato pieces with onion & basil (bio time for those in .be)
• 170 gr quorn pieces (or fillets)
• 300 gr peeled potatoes, in 3 cm pieces
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the potato pieces for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Drain and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a big saute pan, heat the oil. Add the shallot & garlic and cook on medium heat until slightly golden. Add the beans and saute for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook another couple of minutes. Add 100 ml of water, bring to a boil, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the quorn and the tomato to the beans and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper, bring to a simmer, cover it, and cook for 5-7 mins, until beans are al dente.
4. Serve the bean mix over the potatoes.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional info:

Calories: 455
Protein: 28 gr
Fat: 7 gr
Carbs: 66 gr

I’ve been meaning to try this recipe from Vega Gerechten for a while already, and tonight was the night. But then, I am me and I cannot follow a recipe to the t, so I had to add some extra seasoning and change the proportions and such. And what we got was a delicious dinner for two.

A half serving of pumpkin spinach lasagna

Ingredients:

• 6 sheets dry lasagna (~110 gr)
• 300 gr frozen spinach
• 250 gr ricotta
• 1 tbsp dry shallot
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 300 gr (frozen) pumpkin in cubes
• salt & ground pepper
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Boil some water and soak the lasagna sheets for 5 minutes. Drain and place on a clean kitchen towel.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, add the pumpkin and cook, stirring from time to time, until soft. Season with salt & pepper and keep aside.
4. Meanwhile, thaw the spinach in the microwave, and heat until warm. Add the ricotta and stir to combine. Season with the shallot, chives, garlic, nutmeg, salt & pepper.
5. Lightly oil the bottom of an oven safe dish. Place two lasagna sheets on the bottom. Cover with 1/3 of the spinach mix, then place 1/2 of the pumpkin on top. Put two more lasagna sheets on top, then 1/3 of the spinach and the rest of the pumpkin. Cover with the last two lasagna sheets and the rest of the spinach on top.
6. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 2 servings

Nutritional info

Calories: 500
Protein: 19 gr
Fat: 22 gr
Carbs: 50 gr

When I first came to Belgium I got asked if I liked spaghetti. Like that. No other description. Coming from somewhere where spaghetti means the pasta, it was a weird question, because pasta on it’s own doesn’t have much flavor. So I asked what did they mean. And they meant spaghetti bolognese, or similar. A meaty sauce with vegetables and tomato. Skip the meat, and I’ll eat it, I said. So our veggie bolognese was born. It’s far from what an Italian would call ragú a la bolognese, so please don’t kill me. We really call it spaghetti now.

Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow & green), finely diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• 500 gr tomato pieces (tin or brick)
• 140 gr tomato concentrate / paste (2 small tins)
• 350 gr minced quorn (or seitan or other tvp)
• 1 1/2 tbsp turmeric
• 2 tsp hot smoked paprika (sub sweet if not found of spicy, and double it)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tbsp basil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a big pot. Add onion and garlic and cook on medium until golden. Add the bell pepper and cook for a few minutes, then add the carrot and stir through. 
2. Add the tomato pieces, the tomato concentrate and the minced quorn. Stir to combine. Add enough water to barely cover. Add turmeric, paprika, oregano, basil, soy sauce, and salt & pepper to taste.
3. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring from time to time to make sure it doesn’t stick, for approximately 25 minutes.
4. Taste, adjust seasoning, serve warm with spaghetti and grated cheese.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional info: (only for the sauce)

Calories: 129
Protein: 9 gr
Fat: 3 gr
Carbs: 17 gr 

A comfort food for Jan, since it’s a recipe his mother makes often. I like it too, but I have to admit I wasn’t much of a soup person until I spent a couple of often-below-zero-temperatures winters here.

Red bell pepper soup

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 500 gr tomato pieces (tin or brick)
• 1 l veggie broth (from cubes / powder / granules is fine)
• 40 gr pre-cooked wheat (or bulgur)
• 2 tbsp (50 gr) goat cheese (the kind to spread on bread)
• 3 tbsp light cream
• salt & pepper
• chopped chives, for serving

Instructions:

1. In a soup pot, put the bell peppers, the onions, the tomato pieces and the broth. Bring everything to the boil, lower heat to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Mix the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a jug blender) until smooth. (Sieve if desired, but I never do).
3. Bring soup to a simmer, add the wheat and cook for 10-15 minutes (whatever it says on the package).
4. Remove soup from heat, add goat cheese and cream and stir to combine. Season to taste (salt might not be needed at all depending on broth and cheese).
5. Serve in bowls with chopped chives sprinkled on top.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional info:

Calories: 78
Protein: 3 gr
Fat: 2 gr
Carbs: 14 gr

Spinach – mushroom – cheese filled pancakes

Ingredients:

For the pancakes:

• 50 gr buckwheat flour
• 50 gr white wheat flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 250 ml half skim milk
• pinch of salt
• 10 gr butter, for cooking

For the filling:

• 500 gr frozen spinach
• 1 tin (115 gr drained weight) sliced mushrooms
• 60 gr no fat fromage frais
• 80 gr light grated emmental cheese
• salt, pepper
• nutmeg

Dessert bonus:

• 10 gr brown (muscovado) sugar

Instructions:

For the pancakes:

1. In a bowl, whisk flours and salt together. Add beaten egg and half the milk and mix well, then add the rest of the milk and mix. Let rest 30 mins before cooking pancakes.
2. Heat a pancake pan. Brush a small amount of butter. Spoon approximately 1/6 of the batter, spread evenly over the bottom of the pan and let cook undisturbed over medium heat until the top is completely dry. Flip and cook a couple more minutes until golden.
3. Remove pancake to a warm dish and repeat with the rest of the butter & batter, to make a total of 6 pancakes.

For the filling:

1. Put spinach in a lidded microwave safe bowl and microwave on high until completely thawed and heated through. Add the mushrooms, stir, and microwave a couple more minutes.
2. Add the cheeses and mix well. Season to taste with salt, pepper & ground nutmeg. Heat in the microwave until emmental is mostly melted.

Assembly:

1. Fill four pancakes with the spinach mushroom cheese filling and fold in half.
2. Pancakes 5 & 6 are the bonus dessert. Brush with whatever butter is left from cooking the pancakes, sprinkle with brown / muscovado sugar, roll up and enjoy warm. 

Makes: dinner and dessert for two.

Nutritional info:

Calories: 485
Protein: 29 gr
Fat: 15 gr
Carbs: 49 gr

A classic.

Stuffed bell peppers (sorry for the blurry picture)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small carrots, peeled & chopped
• 100 gr courgette, in 1 cm cubes
• 150 gr minced quorn (or other tvp)
• 1 small tin (70 gr) tomato concentrate
• 2 red bell peppers
• cooked wheat, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease an oven proof dish.
2. Cut the tops off the peppers, remove the seeds & white thin walls from the insides and reserve the peppers. Chop what was the tops and reserve.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add shallot & garlic and cook until golden. Add chopped pepper tops and cook for a couple of minutes, then add carrot and cook another couple of minutes, add courgette and cook another couple of minutes. Add quorn and stir through. Add the tomato paste and about 6 tbsp of water to dissolve the paste. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fill the peppers with the stuffing and put them in the prepared dish. Spoon whatever didn’t fit in the peppers into the dish as well. Bake for 30 minutes until peppers are cooked through.
5. Serve warm with cooked wheat (or any other carb).

Makes 2 servings.

Why yes, I can make a dinner out of that!

Pak choi, wok strips, black rice noodles, Thai red curry

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/2 pak choi (which apparently is what a napa cabbage is called in Belgium), chopped
• 40 gr (~ 2 tbsp) thai red curry paste
• 180 gr vegetarian wok strips of your choice (or tofu, or whatever)
• 85 gr black rice noodles

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and reserve.
2. Heat oil in a biggish pan, add garlic and shallot and cook until it begins to turn golden. Then add the chopped cabbage and cook until the thinner leaves have wilted. Add the curry paste, a few tablespoons of water and stir well.
3. Add the wok strips and cook until heated through. Add the rice noodles.
4. Serve warm.

Serves 2

Nutritional info:

Calories: 447
Protein: 25 gr
Carbs: 49 gr
Fat: 16 gr