Watermelon Mint Salad

This is far less a recipe than it is an amazing combination of tastes. 

The next time you have fresh watermelon, try adding some finely chopped mint leaves and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I like to leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the flavour of the mint really skinks in, but in all honesty, this is entirely optional - serving it as soon as you make it is also delicious.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes in Fresh Basil and Oregano

This sauce is so delicious and full of flavour. My friend Chris makes me prepare it every time we see each other :) 

12 tomatoes

4 onions

5 large cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of dried basil

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

A heaping handful of fresh basil

2 stems of fresh oregano

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 a cup of coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Salt and [epper to taste

 olive oil

1. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters, lay them in a baking pan face up
2. Remove the peel on the garlic cloves and disperse them throughout the pan
3. Pour the olive oil over the tomatoes
4. Sprinkle the sugar over the tomatoes so they don't get bitter and add the dry oregano and basil
5. Add the salt and pepper
6. Finely chop the basil and oregano and lay half of it over your dish
7. Mix everything in the baking pan well so the flavours begin to blend
8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius
9. While the tomatoes are baking, chop the onions in chunks and fry them in a pan with some olive oil until they are cooked. Once they are golden, toss in the coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
10. Make sure you stir the contents of the baking pan every 10 or so minutes
11. Once everything is cooked, add the onions to the baking pan and serve with pasta or as a dip for bread.

Might you have leftovers? 

Summer Rucola & Sundried Tomato Pasta with Crumbled Feta

Pasta

3/4 of a cup of coarsely chopped sundried tomatoes 

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 Garlic cloves

A handful of crumbled feta (you can do without it if you are vegan!)

Rucola (arugula/rocket) - a large handful

I cup of halved cherry tomatoes

Oregano to taste

A handful of fresh basil

Salt & pepper to taste

Red onion - one large

1. Finely chop the onions and saute them in some olive oil. As they become golden, add some minced garlic. 
2. As the pasta cooks, toss the sundried tomatoes in the pan along with the dried oregano. 
3. Just before draining the pasta, toss in the cherry tomatoes, salt & pepper. 
4. Mix the pasta in the pan with the sauce and turn the heat off. Toss the pasta in the fresh basil, rucola and crumbled feta. 
5. Serve!

Baked Ginger Tofu & Mushroom Bok Choy Stir Fry

Brown Rice

Tofu 

Mushrooms (2 cups, sliced)

Bok Choy (1 pound) 

2 onions

3 garlic cloves

2 and a half teaspoons of minced ginger

2 teaspoons of chili sauce

3 teaspoons of sesame oil

3 table spoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of cornstarch 

2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce

1. Chop the bok choy and mushrooms and onions, mince the garlic and begin cooking the rice. 
2. In a bowl, combine 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1/2 a teaspoon of minced ginger and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and brush the sliced tofu before baking it in the oven until it is crispy on the outside. 
3. Meanwhile, combine the remaining sesame oil, olive oil, chili sauce, minced ginger and soy sauce in a bowl and mix them - this will be your sauce. 
4. Saute the chopped onions in a wok in some olive oil until they are golden and add the chopped bok choy and mushrooms and add the sauce.
5. Whisk together water with the corn starch and slowly pour it in to thicken the sauce. 
6. Once the mushrooms and bok choy are cooked, serve!

Mushroom Risotto

A recipe adapted from one by Diane, A Broad.

1 1/2 cups of risotto rice

1 finely chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic

4 tablespoons of butter (optional for vegans)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

6 cups of veggie stock (chicken or beef if you prefer)

2-3 cups of the mushrooms of your choice (I used a mix of dry porcini mushrooms and Swiss brown mushrooms)

3/4 of a cup of dry white wine

1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese (optional for vegans)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Begin by heating the stock in a pot while you wash and chop your mushrooms, mince the onion and garlic
2. If you are using dried mushrooms, place them in boiling water and cover them for about 10 minutes and then add the leftover broth to the stock and place the no longer dehydrated mushrooms with your other mushrooms
3. Pour the olive oil into a pan and cook the onions and garlic. 
4. In a separate pan, add the mushrooms and let them get golden, then season them with salt, pepper and some finely chopped parsley.
5. Place your rice in the pan with the onions, pour in the stock (I usually don't put it all in at once), wine and butter before covering it with a lid.
6. Be sure to keep stirring your risotto, you never want it burnt or so sticky and hard it barely moves. Keep it hydrated by adding stock as you go and keep tasting it. 
7. Once it is about 3/4 of the way done, toss in the mushrooms and some parmesan & parsley (leaving the rest for garnish)
8. Serve!

Spanish Rice

• 2 cups of rice (rinse first)
• 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 of a cup of sundried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons of sundried tomato oil (from the jar of sundried tomatoes)
• 1 onion
• Salt & pepper

1. While you cook your rice, wash your peppers, take half of each and dice finely along with the onions
2. Cook the peppers & onions in a saucepan with sundried tomato oil

3. Mix with tomato paste, rosemary, finely chopped sundried tomatoes and salt and pepper
4. When the rice is cooked, mix it all together, ohm nom nom

Dolma

• 22-25 fresh vine leaves (spray-free), or 400g jar of preserved vine leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (100g) medium grain rice, washed and drained
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons currants
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup water 

For Garnish:

• 1 cup water, extra
• the juice of 1 large lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra
• lemon wedges, to serve

1. After trimming the stalks of the leaves, cook them in boiling water for 5 minutes and then drain and rinse them in cold water
2. Cook the onions in olive oil until golden and mix them with the rice in the pan. Add the pine nuts, parsley, mint, salt and pepper
3. Cover with 3/4 of a cup of water and cover, leaving it to cook until the rice has absorbed the water and is cooked.
4. Put the filling in the centre of each leaf, then tightly wrap the filling in the leaf. 
5. Use any extra leaves and line the bottom of a pan with them. Place the dolmas very close together so they don't unravel. Pour in water, olive oil and lemon juice over them, Cover the dish and leave them to simmer on a low heat for about an hour. 
6. Leave them to cool and then serve :)

Falafel

•  2 cups of dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Oil for frying 

1.  Leave the chickpeas in a large bowl of water in the fridge overnight and then drain them the following day.
2. Combine the chickpeas/garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, salt, cumin, flour, coriander, pepper, cayenne and cardamom in food processor and blend. Be sure to keep the mixture bitty so the consistency is right.
3. Set the mixture aside and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours
4. Roll it into balls and heat oil to fry the falafel in, making sure it is not too hot that the outside browns quickly and the inside doesn't cook. Ideally, each side will get golden in about 2-3 minutes.

My favourite way to have falafel is wrapped in a galette with minced lettuce, onions, carrot and either tzatziki or garlic sauce! Enjoy :)

Vegetable Biryani

A favourite

A delicious recipe from Cooking Thumb

For the rice:

• 1 cup of Basmati rice
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 black cardamom & 2 green cardamoms
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves 

For the vegetables:

• 1/2 a cup of green beans (chopped in one inch pieces)
• 1/2 a cup carrots (sliced in pieces)
• 1/4 a cup of peas
• 1 tomato (chopped in slices)
• 1 cup of thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 a tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1/2 a tablespoon of garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 a teaspoon of tumeric powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 a cup of yogurt
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of coriander leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon of saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm milk

1. Heat up some oil in a pan and add cumin, cinnamon, cloves green cardamoms and bay leaf and saute for 10 seconds before adding the ginger and garlic paste and cooking for another 20 seconds
2. Toss in all the vegetables (except tomatoes) and add salt, cover & cook for 2 minutes
3. Add the tumeric, cayenne, lemon juice and tomatoes then lower the heat
4. Add the yogurt and coriander
5. Add the cooked rice and put it over the vegetables and before mixing it, pour the safron and milk mixture over the dish. Cover the pan still without stirring it and leave it on a low heat to cook for 30 minutes
6. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes before stirring it and serving. 
7. Garnish with coriander, tomato and lemon

Vegetable Soup

 This recipe is one based of of a delicious soup my mother would make. The nice thing about it is you can toss in any vegetables you like and that are in season.

• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 medium sized yellow onions
• 1 head of broccoli 
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2-3 fist sized potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 2 cubes of vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 litres of water (approximately)
• 1 large tin of tomatoes
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Some sugar (if you find the tomatoes have made the soup bitter)
• Mild paprika to taste
• Cumin to taste
• Coriander powder to taste
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

While these were the veggies I used, feel free to be creative with this recipe and use whatever you like - peas, squash, anything

1. Finely chop the onions and mince the garlic. Let them simmer in the olive oil in your pot for a few minutes until the onions are translucent
2. Pour in the hot water mixed with the stock cubes, slice the tinned tomatoes and pour them in as well
3. Since I am truly lazy, I like to prepare all my vegetables (peel and chop the potatoes and carrots in large pieces, chop the celery and brocoli) and then... I just throw them all in together. I add a bit of spices and salt and pepper, cover up the soup and let it cook on a medium heat.
4. Once your veggies are cooked, use a hand mixer to blend some of your soup to make the broth thicker. (You could also use a blender too!)
5. Continue to taste and season your soup until it is how you like it and enjoy!

Edamame

A delicious snack, commonly served in Japan with a cold beer.

You will need:

• 1 pound of fresh edamame (soy beans)
• 2 tablespoons of salt and more for garnish depending on how much salt you like

1. Wash the pods and remove the stems
2. In a pot of water, boil the edamame with the 2 tablespoons of salt and let them cook for about 4 minutes
3. Drain them and garnish with salt
4. When eating them, suck the pods and eat the beans inside, leaving the pods aside

Avocado Maki

You will need:

1. A ripe avocado
2. Nori sheets
3. Rice
4. Japanese rice vinegar
5. Ginger, wasabi and soy sauce for garnish

Steps:

1. Wash and cook the rice either in a pot or rice cooker
2. When the rice is cooked, mix the rice vinegar throughout it and leave the rice in the fridge to cool
3. While it cools, finely slice the avocado
4. Once the rice has cooled, lay  down the rolling mat and place the nori over it
5. Spread the rice all over of the way over the nori, leaving half an ich on either edge without rice
6. Place your avocado slices on the rice near to the edge of the mat
7. Lift the mat and tightly roll it up, shaping it into a square if you would like to
8. Brush water with your finger over the outside edge of the nori without rice and press it against the roll so it sticks
9. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into pieces and serve with wasabi, ginger and soy sauce

Miso Soup

• 4 cups of water
• Just over 3/4 of a cup of clean tofu
• 1/4 of a cup of miso paste
• 1/3 of a cup of minced spring onions
• 1/3 of a cup of sliced mushrooms
• 25 grams of kelp (seaweed)

1. Wash the mushrooms and spring onion and finely chop them
2. In a pot, place the water and add the mushrooms, cook on a high heat until the mushrooms are nearly cooked
3. Add the miso paste, spring onions, kelp and tofu and let the soup cook for another 10 minutes

Spring Rolls

You will need:

• A cup of grated carrots
• A cup of grated white cabbage
• A cup of bean sprouts
• 200 grams of glass noodles
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
• Spring roll sheets
• Oil

1. Grate the carrots and cabbage
2. Cook the noodles and cut them so they are about 3 cm in length
3. In a bowl, combine the carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts and season them in soy sauce 
4. Heat the oil
5. On a sheet of spring roll pastry, place some of the seasoned filling and place the noodles in the centre
6. Fold the pastry and fry the spring rolls for about 4 minutes or until they are golden

Tabouleh Inspired Quinoa Salad

Once again, I fail terribly at providing actual measurements. Just taste as you go ;)

You will need:

Quinoa (I used about a cup and a half)
Plenty of fresh parsley (a large handful)
Tomatoes (2)
A spring onion stalk
Some fresh mint leaves
Olive oil (2 teaspoons)
Lemon juice (1 and a half lemons)
Sea salt to taste

1. Cook the quinoa and let it cool
2. Wash the herbs and vegetables
3. Finely chop the cucumber, spring onion, tomatoes and herbs
4. Toss them in with the quinoa, add the olive oil, squeezed lemon juice and sea salt and mix well!

Vegetarian Tagine

Tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish usually served with couscous. I actually had mine with quinoa, but to each their own :)

Sadly, I dont have a tagine pot so I just used a deep pan with a lid.

You will need: 

3 small - medium sized onions

3 medium sized carrots

1 large zucchini

2 tomatoes

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley (finely chopped) 

1 tablespoon of fresh coriander (finely chopped) 

1/3 of a cup of canned chickpeas

A pinch of stevia (or a teaspoon of sugar)

2 tablespoons of rasins

Olive Oil

Seasoning:

1/2 a cup of water

1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 a teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of coriander powder

1/2 a teaspoon of saffron

1 teaspoon of ras el hanout

1/2 a teaspoon of ground ginger powder

Salt to taste

1. Place the pan or pot on a medium heat and drizzle olive oil in it while it heats

2. Chop the onions and place them in first (Put only 1 onion in and keep the other two aside)

3. Then the peeled and chopped carrots, the chopped zucchini and the diced tomatoes last

4. Mix together all your seasonings except for the cinnamon in a bowl with the water and mix it before pouring it over the vegetables.

5. Place a lit on the pot and let it cook slowly (you may need to add more water, so check frequently)

6. In another pan, fry the remainder of the onions in some olive oil until they are golden and cooked before adding the raisins, cinnamon and stevia (or sugar if preferred) to caramelize them

7. Mix well and let the onions and raisins sit until the tagine vegetables are soft

8. Add the chickpeas, onions and raisins and chopped parsley and coriander and put the lid back on and let the tagine cook for another 5-10 minutes on a low heat.

9. Serve with couscous or quinoa

Some classic Buddha Bar

Chilled Pomegranate Rice Noodles

You will need:

• Rice noodles (I used brown)
• Pomegranate
• Baby spinach
• 1 carrot
• Cucumber
• Radish
• Spring onion
• Fresh coriander 

For the sauce: 

Shallots

Olive oil

Chinese chives

Balsamic vinegar

Magi 

Aromat

Garlic

Any dried herbs you like

Lemon

Dijon Mustard

1. Ideally, prepare the sauce and leave it overnight in the fridge
2. Cook the noodles, leaving them still al dente
3. Run them under cold water and leave them in ice water to chill
4. Wash the cucumber, spinach, radish, onion and coriander
5. Peel the carrot and slice it into thin strips along with the cucumber 
6. Slice the spinach, radish and onion
7. Toss the cold noodles in the sauce and mix them with the vegetables, pomegranate and coriander 

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Woe is me... yes, it is a Martha Stewart recipe... what has become of me...

You will need:

• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 18 ounces of canned chickpeas (2 1/3 cups)
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 3 tablespoons of tahini (sesame)
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 of a up of chives (minced)
• Salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
2. Peel the garlic and place it in a foil pouch and drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil over it
3. Roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the garlic is soft
4. In a food processor, mix together all the ingredients until it is very fine and smooth

Annnd some bossa nova :)

Lentil Kale Soup with Moroccan Spices

On his recent trip to Morocco, my uncle was kind enough to bring me ras el hanout - a traditional blend of Moroccan spices. I hope to use it for some delicious tajine (soon to come!)

I didn't use vegetable stock because I was out, but I actually felt that I didn't need it in the end.

You will need:

• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/2  cup of lentils 
• 1 potato (optional)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 small cloves of garlic
• 4 large kale leaves
• A pinch of cumin
• A pinch of paprika
• 1-2 teaspoons of ras el hanout 
• Salt and pepper to taste

The simplicity of this recipe is wonderful.

1. Peel the carrot and potato, chop them finely along with the celery and onion
2. Crush the garlic
3. Wash and slice the kale
4. In a pot, combine all your ingredients along with seasonings on a medium high heat - stirring occasionally until the lentils are soft. As it cooks, cover it and let the spices sink in. 
5. With a hand mixer, I blended part of the soup to give it a thicker base, but that is up to you :)

Baby Asparagus with Roasted Pine Nuts

• 1 big bunch of asparagus
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
• Freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 tablespoon of roasted pine nuts
• Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the asparagus in a saucepan on medium-high heat with olive oil and a shot of water
2. In another saucepan, roast your pine nuts
3. In a bowl, mix together olive oil, mustard and vinegar, salt and pepper
4. Once the asparagus is soft, remove the liquid from the pan (if there is any) and turn the burner to a high heat to give the asparagus a slightly charred taste
5. When serving, garnish with the dressing you have made, the pine nuts and squeeze lemon over them