Black bean and mango stew

A simple lunch that packs a punch!  Oh dear, I think i’ll leave the rhymes behind in future...

As you read this I am fighting back the nerves as I get my gear in order and make last minute preparations for Tough Mudder…. In just a couple of hours time I'll be en-route to the army base in Winchester where the event takes place so there is no backing out now. I just hope I don’t let myself down, I’m my own worst enemy for setting the bar so high in my mind and then struggle to match it. The main thing is that I give it my best shot and come back on one piece… no doubt I’ll keep you updated on Facebook once I’m done (and maybe a post on here later today if I’m not totally exhausted!!)

Now, back to food….

This is the kind of lunch (and dinner) I’ve been eating recently off the back of my tropical fruit experiments. I‘ve made this ‘stew’ both with mango and pineapple and they were equally nice. The sauce is light and fruity and makes more of a glaze.

This would be great to make with some leftover pineapple after having made the tropical bake for breakfast...just a thought ;-)

It’s a bright and simple ‘stew’ and can be cooked up as a light meal or added on top of brown rice or quinoa (i've been easy so much quinoa these final few days!) for a more hearty main dish.  Use veggies of your choice sliced thinly to cook through evenly and you’re good to go in no time.

Recipe: Black bean and mango stew

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup black beans

2 cups veggies (I used an onion, sweetcorn, red pepper, mange tout and tomatoes)

½ cup fresh or pineapple mango chunks

Sauce:

1 tbs marmalade (sugar free if possible)

1 tbs lemon juice

1-2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbs fresh ginger

Method:

Saute onion for 5 mins until softened, add the remaining veggies and cook for another 5- 10 minutes (depending on size/type).

Add the cook black beans and continue to cook for a couple minutes until heated through.

Meanwhile mix the dressing ingredients and mix through with the mango/pineapple chunks. Add to the stew in the final minute of cooking to glaze and warm through.

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' 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.