Author Archives: Sade

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

Some days, mushrooms is the way to go. Today was one of those days.

Mushroom pie

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 380 gr mushrooms, sliced
• 10 gr dry mixed mushrooms
• 1 pinch each dry sage, rosemary & thyme
• 1 tsp marmite
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 150 gr quorn “chicken” style pieces
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 320 gr peeled potatoes, cut in pieces
• 60 ml semi skimmed milk
• salt & pepper
• (freshly) grated nutmeg
• 80 gr goat cheese roll (1/2 roll), in slices 5 mm thick

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180-190°C.
2. Boil some water, put the dry mushrooms in a heat resistant bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for at least 10 minutes.
3. In a pot, cover the potatoes with water, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on taste. Drain, mash, add milk, salt, pepper & nutmeg to taste and mix well. Reserve.
4. In a big pot, heat the oil. Add the shallot & garlic and cook until golden. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook until the volume has more than halved and mushrooms are tender. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Drain the soaking mushrooms and reserve the liquid. Chop the mushrooms and add them to the other mushrooms, add the soaking liquid and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the marmite & mustard and stir. Add the quorn pieces and cook for another couple of minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1-2 tbsp of water and add to thicken the sauce.
6. Put the mushroom-quorn filling in an oven dish. Spread the potato mash on top. Place the goat cheese slices on top. Put in the oven and bake at 180-190°C for 25-30 minutes, until mash & cheese are golden.
7. Serve warm.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional info:

Calories: 478
Protein: 33 gr
Fat: 18 gr
Carbs: 47 gr

Back a while I showed what we did to our freezer to make it easier to see what we have (and don’t), and how long it’s been in there. There are several meals we like to eat that are quite work intensive and freeze well. So when I make them, I make a big amount and freeze the rest in containers with enough for two people, so that when we’re in a hurry or I don’t feel like cooking, we have something healthy and easy to eat.

So today I wasn’t feeling too well, and reached into the freezer for some braised red cabbage, boiled some potatoes, and heated up a carrot burger (store bought, sorry, no recipe for it) for lunch. Easy, quick and healthy.

Braised red cabbage, boiled potatoes & carrot burger

Ingredients:

• 2 1/1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red cabbage
• 1 big onion
• 3-4 cooking apples
• 1-2 tbsp sugar
• 90-120 ml (red or white) wine vinegar
• 2 cloves
• 2 laurel leaves
• pinch cinnamon
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Prep work: Cut the cabbage in quarters, remove the white core, and shred in 1 cm strips. Peel the apples and cut in slices. Peel the onion and chop it.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot that can accommodate all the cabbage. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes, until golden, stirring regularly.
3. Add the cabbage and stir to cover in the oil. Add the vinegar (start with 90 ml and adjust as needed). Add the apples and cook for 3 minutes, stirring.
4. Add the cloves and laurel leaves. Bring it to a low simmer and cover. Let it cool gently for 1.5-2 hours, until the cabbage is soft. Stir regularly and check that it’s not dry. Add 1 tbsp of water as needed. When the cabbage is cooked there should be close to no liquid in the pot.
5. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add the cinnamon and sugar and cook for 3 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
6. The dish has to have a good balance between sour and sweet, so adjust sugar and/or vinegar until this is achieved. Remove cloves and laurel leaves and serve warm.

Servings: 6-8 servings

Two controversial foods tonight: tofu and quinoa.

Tofu is bland, has a weird texture and is gross. Or that’s what some people think. Well, yeah, tofu doesn’t have much flavour of its own, it’s coagulated soy milk after all! But if you prepare it right, it will be delicious (in my opinion). The good thing about tofu is that you can make it absorb any flavour you want. Press it, slice it, marinate it, and then cook it.

Quinoa has been on the news lately. Ok, not as much as horse meat, but then, not eating meat, that doesn’t really affect me. But why has been quinoa on the news? Apparently it is exported so much, that the indigenous farmers that had quinoa as a staple in their diets can’t afford it any more. (Read more on The Guardian, the “first” to write about this). I don’t doubt them. I am not going to stop buying it, since we don’t eat it that often. And try to make sure it’s fair trade (probably another can of worms, but allow me to have some faith in fair trade, please).

Today I bring these two foods together, and I let them marry in a home made sweet and sour sauce, with a punch. Don’t expect your neon orange MSG laden sauce though!

Sweet and sour tofu with quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 block (250 gr) tofu
• 100 gr (dry weight, about 1/2 cup) quinoa
• 230 ml (1 cup minus 1 tbsp or so) veggie broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion (or 1/2 big), sliced in quarter moons
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced in half moons
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1 x 2 cm pieces
• 1/2 courgette, in quarter moons
• 90 ml (1/3 cup) orange juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar)
• 20 gr (2 tbsp I’m guessing) ketchup (I like Heinz Balanz, more veggies & less sugar)
• 1 1/2 tsp sambal oelek (or to taste)
• pinch of sugar
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder

Instructions:

1. Press your tofu. Do not skip this step!  Drain the tofu, wrap it in a couple of paper towels and then in a kitchen towel. Put it between two dishes or cutting boards and place some weight on top (about 2 kg or so). Press the tofu for at the very least 30 minutes. The more the better. I aim for 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, soak your quinoa in some water. After about an hour, drain the quinoa and rinse the hell out of it under running water. Bring vegetable broth (it’s fine if it’s from a cube or granules) to the boil. Add the quinoa and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. At this point the quinoa won’t have absorbed all liquid. Turn off the heat and let rest for 7-10 minutes. Then the quinoa is ready.
3. Unwrap the tofu and cut it in 5mm thick slices. Heat an anti stick pan (important) and put your slices in the pan. Cook, undisturbed, for several minutes, until tofu turns golden. Flip the slices and cook again until golden. Reserve.
4. Mix your sauce: in a bowl mix orange juice, ketchup, sambal, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic & ginger. Keep ready.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet / pot / a wok. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper  and courgette and stir fry until everything starts to color. Then add the pineapple and cook for a couple of minutes until some pieces start to have some brown spots.
6. Add the sauce to the vegetables and cook, stirring, until thickened. If you want more sauce, make a slurry with 2 tsp of cornstarch and 3-4 tbsp of water or broth and pour over vegetables & sauce to make more.
7. Add the tofu to the sweet & sour vegetables and warm up. Serve over the quinoa.

Servings: 2 servings

Nutritional info:

Calories: 496
Protein: 27 gr
Fat: 17 gr
Carbs: 58 gr