Recipe: Kale and Courgette Soup within 35 minutes

This creation is healthy, doesn't take long and it went down a treat when I served it as a dinner party recently. :)

This recipe serves 4 - 6 people. 

Ingredients for vegan kale and courgette soup

•    200g of kale
•    1 tablespoon of olive oil
•    1 small courgette – cut into medium sized cubes
•    1 cube of stock – dissolved in 500 ml of water
•    1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
•    1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
•    1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
•    2 handfuls of broccoli florets
•    freshly ground salt
•    freshly ground pepper
•    lime juice

How to make vegan kale and courgette soup

1.    Warm the oil in a large pan and when it’s hot, add the caraway seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds
2.    After 2 minutes, add the courgette, kale and stock
3.    Cook for 20 minutes and then liquidise using a hand blender
4.    Season with salt, pepper & lime juice
5.    Add finely sliced broccoli florets 5 minutes before serving

Serving suggestion

Serve with vegan wholegrain bread. 

If kale is not readily available spinach can be used instead.

Did you know that there are 23 science-backed health benefits of kale? Find out more from this article by Helen Nichols

Recipe: Spaghetti with vegan mince and vegetables within 25 minutes

I fancied some spaghetti and I wanted t make my own sauce so here's what I did. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients for spaghetti with vegan mince and vegetables

• 2 handfuls of spaghetti
• 1/2 a small bunch of broccoli
• 3/4 of a small courgette
• Olive oil
• 5 cherry tomatoes
• Tomato Purée
• Salt
• Pepper
• A handful of vegan mince

How to make spaghetti with vegan mince and vegetables

1. Put some spaghetti on the boil 
   1. Put some boiling water in a pan and hold the spaghetti
   2. Within about 20 seconds, it will begin to soften, so you can bend the spaghetti around the pan, which means you don't have to break it into pieces
   3. Give it a stir now and again
   4. Chop the broccoli and the courgette 
   5. Put some olive oil in a pan
   6. Add the broccoli and courgette when the oil is hot
   7. After 5 minutes add some whole cherry tomatoes
   8. Add a little tomato purée
   9. Add salt and pepper to taste
   10. Add the mince and stir
   11. Put the lid on the pan and let it cook
   12. When the spaghetti is ready, drain it, add some vegan margarine and mix it up

Serving suggestion

When I served it,  I made a circular shape with the spaghetti leaving a hole in the middle for the vegetables.

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Recipe: Mixed vegetables in a wrap within 30 minutes

This meal is becoming an all time favourite! It's quick, healthy, versatile, full of different vegetables and most  of all, delicious!

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients for the mixed vegetable filling

•    1/2 a teaspoon of oil – I usually use olive oil
•    1 fresh chilli – finely chopped - decide whether to use all, more or less, of the chilli, based on how spicy it is, also considering how spicy you like your food to be
•    1 small carrot – chopped into small bite-size pieces
•    a handful of olives – I prefer black olives because they’re not sharp
•    1 small (200g) can of sweetcorn
•    1/2 a courgette – chopped into small cubes
•    1/3 of a yellow pepper – chopped into thin 2 cm strips
•    1/3 of an orange pepper – chopped into thin 2 cm strips
•    1/3 of a green/red pepper – chopped into thin 2 cm strips
•    vegan mince – use as much, or as little, as you would like - many supermarket own brands tend to be vegan
•    salt to taste
•    1/4 of a teaspoon of pepper
•    a pinch of cinnamon powder
•    a pinch of nutmeg powder
•    2 large wholemeal wraps

Method for the mixed vegetable filling

1.    Put the oil in a pan and heat it using a medium setting
2.    Once it's become hot, add the chilli
3.    After 20 seconds, add the carrots and cook for 7 minutes, after which they should be semi cooked
4.    Now add the olives, sweetcorn, courgette, peppers, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon
5.    Stir and let it cook with the lid on the pan
6.    After 1 minute, add the vegan mince and mix
7.    Cook until it's as soft as you like it to be – I usually turn the heat off after 5 minutes
8.    Warm the wraps
9.    Place the filling along the middle of the wrap, take the bottom of the wrap and fold it towards the centre, do the same with the sides, leaving the top open
10.    Put this on a plate and enjoy

Serving suggestions

Spread some Guacamole on to the wrap before adding the filling