'5 minute' miso stew

Today I am off on a little holiday... to a cottage in the Derbyshire Dales with friends, and it's due to be very chilly and potentially snowy so I've packed all my thermals and waterproofs just in case!  Food was of course on my mind over the last few days- prepping lots of snacks and quick meals to take along with me.....so quick soups and granola bars it is then! Such that this post seemed quite appropriately timed.

A few days ago I needed a really quick fix lunch. I had no soup to hand (other than in the freezer) and I didn’t fancy a cold platter of salad or hummus and veg sticks. Hmmm?

What hot dish could I conjure up in a mere five minutes, that was full of veggies and wouldn’t weigh me down?

Then I remembered that I’d bought some instant miso soup sachets to try. I know what you’re thinking...instant miso soup? That’s not particularly healthy- you should make it yourself!  To a large extent I would agree with you, however I had not tried miso soup before (I know that might sound crazy) and so I wanted to get a feel for the flavours before attempting it on my own, plus this pack was organic and the ingredients list was not particularly bad, it was very similar to a vegetable stock really. I felt this would be a great base for some more substantial additions.

To that was the ‘soup base’ sorted, now to make a 5 minutes lunch!  So I grated up some veg to enable a quick cook and then added some brown rice noodles and some soy beans.  It was ready in 5 minutes flat....or there abouts...but who’s counting?

You can find more of my soup and stew recipes here.

P.S It's Chinese New Year this Friday and although this may be a Japanese inspired dish, it's still noodley and therefore I think it fits the bill. You could infuse Chinese spices will a sweet and sour style broth if you really wanted to play the part. :-)

P.P.S If I'm not able to respond to comments etc over the next few days it will be because I have no internet access. I will be back on Sunday... in the mean time I have a couple more posts lined up for you! :)

Recipe: '5 minute' miso stew

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 sachet miso soup mix

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp sesame oil

1 small onion or shallot thinly sliced

1 small carrot grated

½ cup cabbage thinly sliced (use Chinese cabbage if possible, or a white cabbage)

Handful of frozen soy beans

¼- ½ cup brown rice vermicelli (very thin) noodles

Sesame seeds to garnish

Method:

Add the onion, carrot and cabbage to a frying pan with the oil (you could use any veg that could be chopped finely). Fry for 5 minutes, using extra water to steam fry as necessary.

Meanwhile boil the kettle and add the miso soup mix to the cup of boiling water- stir to combine and set aside. Add the rice noodles to another cup of boiling water and add the frozen soy beans to another cup of boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes whilst the vegetables cook.

Drain the soy beans and noodles. And add to a serving bowl. Pour the miso soup into the bowl and then add the vegetables. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame if desired.

 

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

5 minute low-carb noodles

Do you remember my 5 min noodle lunch? That little dish went down a storm on Foodgawker....and so here's hoping this little treat will be right up your street (I promise that wasn't an accidental rhyme!)

This time the veggies are the noodles...making this little snack not only super speedy but also low carb, perfect when you want a light bite that wont weigh you down or a veggie side dish to accompany a gourmet spread!

This dish is dedicated to my julienne peeler. I have been having such fun with my new purchase this last few days! I had been meaning to buy one for some time ever since reading this post on Oh She Glows, however I didn't come across them in the shops....thank you Amazon my saviour!

The principle here is to simply grab a 'long' vegetable and peel it!  I had fun with carrots, courgettes and parnips, but I reckon aubergine could be good, and anything else that takes your fancy and is long enough to drag the peeler down without catching your fingers.

Once you have a nice big pile of long noodley vegetabley strands, you simple fire up a pan or wok on the stove, heat a little oil and stir fry the noodles for about 5 minutes (depending on how well cooked you like them). Season and serve.....so so simple!

Ok, so I have added a little recipe below for completeness, see here even my dressing was low key to allow the flavours of the veg to really shine. I threw in some soy beans and a generous dusting of sesame seeds to carry on the Asian influence and add an extra protein kick. The colour and flavour of the parsnip was so good and really makes it seem as though you have a bowl of actual noodles.

Recipe: Veggie noodles- low carb

serves 1-2 (for a main or side)

Ingredients:

splash of toasted sesame oil (or olive or coconut oil)

1 medium/large carrot

1 medium courgette

1  medium parsnip

1/3 cup frozen soy beans

1-2 tbs sesame seeds

2 tsp soy sauce* (tamari soy or liquid aminos for GF)

Method:

Peel the veg with a julienne peeler and then add to a large frying pan with a little oil. Stir for a minute to coat and then add the frozen soy beans if using. A couple of minutes prior to serving add the soy sauce and sesame seeds.

I cooked my veg for a total of 5-6 minutes and they had a slight crunch...just the way I like them!

* for further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Noodle comfort

Sometimes the simplest meals are the nicest purely for that reason. A quick, healthy, hot and comforting snack…made all the better with a quick 5 minute turnaround so no slaving over a hot stove. You can sink down into the sofa and relax after a long day when you most need it.

This was actually an accidental dinner that came about as I was prepping a batch of dried chickpeas (I’d soaked them overnight and was just finishing cooking them ready for freezing in small batches) when I realised the time was getting on and I needed to eat…and fast…before I had to head out of the door. I threw some ingredients together and this is what came out!

One of my favourite meals (yet to be featured on the blog) is a peanutty stir fry affair, and this is an even easier speedier version of that principle. Veggies, beans, PB and rice noodles all come together in a nice bowl of winter comfort…well not just winter, any time of the year will do!

To speed everything up I used rice noodles that take just 3-4 minutes to cook, along with some grated carrot, courgette and spinach- which literally took a couple of minutes to heat through, and I also threw in a handful of the chickpeas I’d just finished cooking but you could use any canned beans. Some nice drippy PB and a tad of soy milk if necessary to mix through and you are away. You could also sprinkle some chilli flakes or thai spice seasoning if you fancy…jazz it up any way you like.

Recipe: speedy veggie noodles

Serves 1 (easily multiplied)

Ingredients

1 portion of dried rice noodles

1 smallish carrot

½ medium courgette

Large handful of any beans

Large handful of spinach

1 tbs peanut butter

1-2 tbs soy milk (or any non-dairy milk or water) as necessary

Spicy seasoning to serve if desired

Method

Bring a smallish pan of water to the boil and cook rice noodles for 3-4 minutes (or according to packet instructions). Meanwhile grate carrot and courgette get the beans and spinach ready. Drain the noodles and place back in the pan on low heat, mix through the peanut butter and ‘milk’ if necessary. Once the 'sauce' is warm and drippy add all the veg and mix through for two minutes until just cooked through/wilted.

Serve in a bowl with some extra seasoning sprinkled over as necessary. If your PB has no added salt you may wish to add some soy sauce or a slightly salty seasoning to give a flavour boost.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Thai green noodle soup

Soups can tick all the boxes....

A hearty substantial meal  or  a light midday snack

A thick warming meal when it’s cold outside  or  a light refreshing dish when it’s too hot for comfort!

Either way, it’s easy to cater for all options and with a rich dish full of spices and veggies its always going to be a winner!

Today was a lovely warm and sunny October day (hang on a minute didn't this happen the last time I made soup!) Perfect autumn day for this soup which has the light creamy base of coconut milk but with a hot and spicy kick, so it’s a bit of a contradiction (a bit like today's weather for this time of year!) The addition of the noodles makes it a more substantial meal- but you could use more or less noodles depending on your preference.

­Feel free to vary the veg in this soup, just make sure you cut the chunks into small similar sized pieces. I haven’t yet tried freezing it, if I was to do so I’d cook it up without adding the noodles and then cook those in a wok separately before adding to the soup once it has been defrosted and warmed through.

Recipe: Thai green noodle soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable or coconut oil (not coconut butter)

1 small onion finely chopped

2 tbs thai green curry paste

1 red chilli finely chopped

300g vegetable stock

300ml coconut milk

150g mix of chopped veg suitable for stir frying (I used beansprouts, carrot, soy beans, and kale)

150g sachet rice noodles

Method

Heat oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Stir through the curry paste and half the chilli and fry for another minute. Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil.  Stir through the vegetables and rice noodles and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with the remaining chilli.