Mange Tout and Pak Choi Stir Fry

July 19, 2017 / thuddirect / Leave a comment

This is a quick, easy and tasty stir fry, perfect for a busy mid-week evening, packed with Pak choi, mange tout and daikon radish (also known as mouli), along with fresh herbs, a touch of soy sauce and a nutty addition of cashews.

Ingredients: 2 Shallots, 1 garlic cloves, 10g ginger, 1 pak choi, large handful of mange tout, 100g daikon radish, a few coriander stems.

From the larder: 175g noodles, 3 tsp sunflower or sesame oil, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, (optional: handful of cashews, prawns or chicken).

Instructions:

Prepare all the veg: peel and chop the shallot, garlic and ginger, thinly slice the daikon into batons, chop the pak choi, separating the leaves and stems.
If using meat, prepare by peeling prawns or chopping chicken into pieces.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil before starting to stir-fry the veg.
In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil on a high heat and if using, add meat, if using, and cook for a few minutes. Add shallots, and stir fry to soften. Add the ginger and garlic and then daikon, pak choi stems and mange tout. Stir-fry for around 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just reaching the right level of crunch and then stir in the pak choi leaves. Remove from the heat and add soy sauce.
While stir-frying the vegetables, cook the noodles for about 3-5 minutes in boiling water or according to packet instructions.
Drain the noodles and mix into the stir-fried veg. Serve immediately with coriander torn on top and an optional handful of cashews.

Baked Tortillas

July 6, 2017July 6, 2017 / thuddirect / Leave a comment

If we could, we’d eat tortillas for almost every meal! We love the combination of jalapeños, borlotti beans, tomatoes, paprika, melted cheese and fresh coriander all wrapped up in tortillas for this scrumptious supper time treat.

Serves 2

Ingredients: Shallots, garlic, peppers, plum tomato, borlotti beans, jalepeño pepper, coriander.

Larder: 4 tortilla wraps, 40g cheddar cheese, 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1tsp paprika, 50ml water, lime juice (optional: sour cream).

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Dice garlic, shallots and jalapeño and sauté in a glug of oil for 5 minutes until soft. Deseed and slice the peppers into thin strips and chop the tomato. Add to the pan and sauté for a few minutes while you shell the borlotti beans.
Add the beans to the pan along with a tin of chopped tomatoes, 50ml water, cumin powder and paprika. Season and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes and then remove from the heat. Keep the beans submerged and if needed, add a splash more water to do so.

Place a tortilla on a baking tray or small casserole dish. Spoon just under a ¼ of the tomato mix onto the tortilla, grate over a little cheese and then roll up the tortilla. Place a second tortilla next to the first, fill and roll up. Repeat until you have 4-6 tortillas neatly lined up on the tray right next to each other so they are touching. Add any extra tomato mix on top of the wraps along with the last bit of grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and the tortillas are just crisping at the edges.

Serve the tortillas with torn coriander, a squeeze of lime and optional dollop of sour cream.

Kale and Sweet Potato Tacos

March 17, 2017March 28, 2017 / thuddirect / 2 Comments

Kale, sweet potato and black bean tacos are a fun communal meal and great as a mid-week meat-free option, topped with coriander and a squeeze of lime. They are delicious as is, but if you want to go crazy, add a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, salsa, guacamole… the list goes on!

Ingredients: 1/2 a sweet potato, 2 shallots, 60g kale, 50g baby corn, ½ a chilli, small bunch of coriander.

Larder: 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tin of black or kidney beans, juice of 1 lime, 4 tortillas, oil (optional: 50g cashews and chicken or steak).

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Chop the sweet potato into 1cm chunks, place in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, toss in cumin powder and roast for 25 mins or until soft.
Chop the shallots, chilli (to taste) and chicken or steak strips if using. Fry for a few minutes until shallots soft and meat is cooked.
Roughly shred the kale and chop the corn. Add along with drained and rinsed black beans to the frying pan. Season and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently until kale and corn are soft.

Meanwhile heat tortillas in a microwave or in the oven wrapped in tin foil.
When sweet potatos are soft, remove from the oven and serve tacos layered with the veggie mix, sweet potatoes, finely chopped coriander, optional chopped cashews and a generous squeeze of lime. It should make 4 soft tacos depending on how big your tortillas are and how full you fill them.
*If you have time or inclination make a coriander cashew sauce: Using a mortar and pestle/stick blender or food processor; whizz together cashews, ¾ of the coriander, lime juice and a decent splash of water to make a sauce for the tacos. Add more water or lime juice to make a creamy consistency-serve with the tacos.

Kale and Sweet Potato Tacos

October 11, 2016September 14, 2017 / thuddirect / Leave a comment

These are some yummy veggie tacos. Warming cumin roasted sweet potatoes, kale and black beans topped off with a cashew coriander cream.

Serves 2

Ingredients: 1/2 a sweet potato, 2 shallots, 6 baby corn, 2 handfuls of kale, 1 red chilli, a small bunch of coriander.

Larder: 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tin of black or kidney beans, juice of 1 lime, 50g cashews, 4 tortillas, oil (optional: chicken or steak strips).

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Chop the sweet potato into 1cm chunks, place in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, toss in cumin powder and roast for 25 mins or until soft.
Using a mortar and pestle/stick blender or food processor; whizz together cashews, 2/3 of the coriander, lime juice and a decent splash of water to make a sauce for the tacos. Add more water or lime juice to make a creamy consistency.
Chop the shallots, chilli (to taste) and chicken or steak strips if using. Fry for a few minutes until shallots soft and meat is cooked.
Roughly shred the kale and chop baby corn into 1cm chunks. Add along with drained and rinsed black beans to the frying pan. Season and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently until corn is soft, but still has a crunch.
Heat tortillas in a microwave or in the oven wrapped in tin foil.
When sweet potatoes are soft, remove from the oven and serve tacos layered with the veggie mix, sweet potatoes, cashew sauce and remaining coriander. It should make 4 soft tacos depending on how big your tortillas are and how full you fill them.

Green Bean Curry with Damson Chutney

August 30, 2016August 30, 2017 / thuddirect / Leave a comment

Serves 2

Ingredients: 125g potatoes, 1 green chilli, 1 spring onion, 4-5 chantenay carrot, 1 clove garlic, a handful of green beans, small bunch of coriander, 12g turmeric, 10 damson plums, 2 shallots.

Larder: 200g rice, 1 tin of coconut milk, oil, 2-3tsp sugar, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

Start cooking the rice according to packet instructions.
Place the damson plums in a small pan with ¼ of the chopped spring onion and a garlic clove. Place all in a small pan; add 10ml water, 2 tsp sugar. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes, until it has a runny jam consistency. Add more sugar if needed and set aside. You can scoop out the stones or just avoid them when eating.
Peel and mince 1 clove of garlic and the turmeric, and finely slice the rest of the spring onion. Deseed and thinly slice the chilli, chop the shallots. Halve the carrots lengthways and top and tail the green beans.
Heat a glug of oil in a pan. Fry the spring onion along with the garlic, turmeric, shallots and chilli for 2-3 minutes.
Quarter the potatoes and add to the pan, fry for 2 minutes and then add the coconut milk. Cook for 8-10 minutes and then add the carrots, and green beans. Cook until the carrots and beans are al denté. If the curry reduces too much, add a little bit of water.
Serve the curry with rice and a dollop of plum chutney, garnished with the chopped coriander.