Asian Noodle Soup
This is one of my favourite soups. You can make it in so many different ways with just the simplest of ingredients you have at home. It’s extremely nutritious and quick to prepare. Either you can enjoy it as a light soup with the mushrooms and cucumber only or make it a lunch/dinner main dish by adding other goodies to it (as mentioned below)! We have made a few different versions of it; overall I prefer it with edamame (for texture) and mock chicken to maximize protein intake.
Serves 4/Prep time: 5-10 mins; Cook time: 10 mins
5 oz of mushrooms
1/2 cucumber
2 springs onions
few sprigs coriander
3 garlic cloves
1 pint water/650 ml
1 oz (handful) of chinese noodles
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
optional
1 cup mix of sweet corn, mixed beans, 1 diced chili, mock chicken, edamame, or other vegetables
1. Thinly slice mushrooms or other vegetables of your choice.
2. Cut cucumber in half, scoop out seeds with teaspoon and slice thinly.
3. Chop garlic, spring onion and coriander.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add spring onions and garlic and sautee for about a minute. Add mushrooms/other additions and stir fry for 2-3 mins.
5. Stir in water and break the noodles in half and add to the soup. Bring to boil
6. Add cucumber slices, salt, pepper and soy sauce and simmer for 2-3 mins.
7. Garnish with coriander and Enjoy!!!
Here is another version with the addition of green beans and broccolli….
Stuffed Peppers
One of my favourite vegetables and a very versatile one is the (bell) pepper or capsicum. As usual with my meal ideas, I had a few ingredients at home and wanted to create a healthy warm side dish. I stuffed these peppers with a basic filling but you can add rice and your favourite veggies. If you are going to make the effort, you might as well just add a few more nutrients by combining some sort of protein such as beans, lentils, or mock meat in your filling.
In this recipe, I personally do not like to use green bell peppers. Compared to green peppers, red, yellow and orange peppers have more vitamins and nutrients (twice the vitamin C content). That said, I just personally think they are just more flavourful.
Serves 2-3/Total time: 25 minutes
2 medium to large bell peppers (capsicum), sliced in half and remove inners
50 g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 spring onions stalks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
1/4 cup sweetcorn
3/4 cup mock meat mince
4-6 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
1 cup vegetable stock
sprinkle of fresh coriander, chopped
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp of salt or salt to taste
dash of black pepper
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic. Sautee for a few minutes. Add sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, pepper, minced mock meat and stock. Cover with lid and cook for 5-7 minutes or until water is absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, boil the peppers in salted water. After 5 minutes, drain the excess water. This will make them tender and reduce the time it will need in the oven. I am always looking to save time without compromising quality! 🙂
3. Now add spinach and coriander to the cooked mince mix and stir. Take it off the heat. Scoop 1/4 of the mince and fill the half the pepper, sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Repeat for the other 3 halves.
4. Place the stuffed peppers in a baking tray and place under the grill for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
If you are preparing the dish in advance, let’s say for a dinner party, instead of grilling, place them in the oven for 15-20mins so that the filling heats through.
VegDelights 