recipe: Soy & Star Anise Braised Chicken

This is one of the best chicken recipes I know, and one of the easiest as well.

Serves 4: 4 lean chicken breasts, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp black peppercorns lightly crushed, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup white wine (you can use sake, or red wine instead- red is better but i just used what I had at hand), 1 star anise, 1 tsp honey, basmati rice to serve

1. In a bowl mix soy, wine, honey, crushed peppercorns and star anise. Reserve;
2. In a frypan heat oil. Add garlic and ginger and cook for a couple of minutes;
3. Add chicken breasts to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes each side until slightly golden. Add soy mixture, cover and braise for about 20 minutes;
4. Cook basmati rice in boiling salted water.

That's it...honestly, it can't get much easier that that...and its a yumm dish you should try!

week 18

If anybody noticed, we have reached the 100th post last week, which is really nice, although it doesn't mean yet 100 recipes, we will get there pretty soon though...for this week it goes as follows:

Sunday:
_dinner: Soy & Star Anise Braised Chicken

Monday:
_lunch: Soy & Star Anise Braised Chicken
_dinner: Vegetarian Chili with Cornbread Topping

Tuesday:
_lunch: Vegetarian Chili with Cornbread Topping
_dinner: Pea & Basil Fettuccine

Wednesday:
_lunch: Pea & Basil Fettuccine
_dinner: Sumac Spiced Fish with Avocado and Burghul Salad

Thursday:
_lunch: Sumac Spiced Fish with Avocado and Burghul Salad
_dinner: Mexican Inspired Beans

Friday:
_lunch: Mexican Inspired Beans

recipe: Spicy Lentil Patties with Rosemary potatoes

We had people over for this recipe and it got a lot of complements! I loved the fact that I didn't have to get my hands 'dirty' and do a lot of cooking preparation, you just have to mix stuff together...

Serves 4:
1 red chili chopped, 6 green onions chopped, 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed, 1 can lentils drained & rinsed, 2 tbsp chopped coriander, salt & pepper, 8 baby potatoes, chopped rosemary and 1 tsp olive oil

1. In a fry pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil, add chili, onions, ginger and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until fragrant. remove from heat, add coriander and place in a food processor to form a paste. Add to a large bowl and reserve;
2. In the same food processor, whiz lentils and chickpeas in portions and add to the chili mixture. Mix everything together well, season with salt and pepper and form 4 patties with your hands. Reserve.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 190C. Heat water in a sauce pan and boil potatoes for about 10-15 minutes; 4. Drain potatoes and let cool for a bit. Place them in a baking dish, brush with some olive oil, season well with salt, rosemary and pepper and bake until golden. (abut 20-25 minutes). Place the patties in a line baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes.
5. Place 2 potatoes in each dish, crush slightly with a potato masher, top with one patty and serve with some tomato salsa and greek yoghurt.
Perfect!

recipe: Potato & Caper Salad

This salad is really delicious and you can serve it as a side dish or a main like we did.

Serves 4 (as a main): 500g small potatoes, 1 red capsicum chopped, 1 yellow capsicum chopped, 2 onions thinly sliced, 3 tomatoes chopped, 1 cup baby spinach, 2 tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs chopped baby capers, 1 tbs chopped parsley, 1 tbs chopped coriander

1. Heat water in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil, add potatoes with the skin, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve;
2. Pre-heat your oven to 190C.
3. In a large baking dish place onion rings, top with red and yellow capsicum and brush with a bit of olive oil. Cut your potatoes in half and add them cut side down to the baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, brush with olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes to the baking dish, season with salt and bake for another 15 minutes or until soft;
5. In a small bowl add olive oil, lemon juice, capers and herbs. Reserve;
6. Place vegetables in a large bowl, add spinach and caper dressing.Check if you need more salt and serve.
Its a very filling meal for a vegetarian dish.

recipe: Mushroom & Thyme Quiche

Oh what a lovely and quick recipe for a week night... I am still so happy for having a proper oven....5 years living in Tokyo with nothing but a crappy little stove made me appreciate the art of the oven. Quiche, pies, roasts, hummmm, bear with me, and try this recipe, you barely have to cook anything...

Serves 4:
1 puff pastry sheet, about 10 white mushrooms thinly sliced, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 small red onions chopped, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp thyme

1. Pre heat your oven to 180C. Brush a pie/ quiche plate with a bit of olive oil and tuck the pastry in it;
2. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add onion and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until they are soft. Season with salt and pepper and place the mixture on top of the pastry;
3. In a small bowl mix egg, milk, thyme and season with salt & pepper. Pour this over mushrooms and bake for about 25 minutes.

Serve with some salad or simple white rice and enjoy.

recipe: Grilled Chicken with Sautéed Silverbeet and Chickpea

This meal is one of the most filling meals I have made recently. And its full of healthy stuff: silverbeet, Chickpeas, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar..humm, believe me, you will love this dish!

Serves 4: 500g chicken breast, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp sumac, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 bunch silverbeet stalks removed thinly sliced, 3 garlic cloves crushed, 1x 400g can chickpeas drained & rinsed, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 200g cherry tomatoes halved, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp pine nuts, 1 tsp olive oil

1. In a small bowl mix minced garlic, ginger, sumac, paprika, salt and lemon juice. Score your chicken breasts (halfway down the breast) and rub this mixture. Cover with some cling film and let marinate for at least half an hour.
2. Pre heat your oven grill and line a baking tray with baking paper. Grill the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes each side, or until cook and golden; Remove from oven and let cool;
3.Change the oven to 190C. In a baking dish brushed with a bit of olive oil, place your tomatoes, cut side up, season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar and and bake for about 15 minutes. Add pine nuts, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until nuts are golden and tomatoes break. remove from oven, add chives and reserve;
4. In a shallow fry pan heat live oil. add silver beet and cook until wilted. Add chickpeas and stir to coat. Finally add lemon juice and season with salt;
5. Divide silver beet mixture among plates, top with chicken breast and cherry tomatoes. Serve.

Enjoy!

week 17

17 weeks, and I am getting more and more late with posting the recipes, for whoever actually cares about them, I apologize.
This week goes as follows:

Monday:
_dinner: Grilled Chicken with Sautéed Silver beet and Chickpeas

Tuesday:
_lunch: Grilled Chicken with Sautéed Silver beet and Chickpes
_dinner: Mushroom & Thyme Quiche

Wednesday:
_lunch: Mushroom & Thyme Quiche
_dinner: Potato & Caper Salad

Thursday:
_lunch: Potato & Caper Salad
_dinner: Chickpea patties with Rosemary potatoes

Friday:
_lunch: Chickpea patties with Rosemary potatoes

recipe:Grilled Eggplant with Couscous

This is a really light dish but you have to be careful not to screw up with a couple of things: 1. grilling the eggplant long enough so the skin isn't tough, but not too much that it burns, and 2. making sure the couscous doesn't stick...I managed to do the first one right and unfortunately destroyed our couscous and it looked more like mash potatoes than anything else...flavour was there but no texture.....ah well, that's cooking for you, sometimes, the easiest things (i guess the ones you take for granted) are the ones you screw up easier...and then regret the most... i'm getting all sentimental here about couscous, so next time i'll do it better, promise. The recipe is nevertheless quite good and here it goes, serving 4:

4 small eggplants halved lengthways, 1 tsp olive oil, sumac, salt & pepper, 1 cup couscous, 1 garlic clove crushed, lemon juice, chopped parsley, natural greek yoghurt to serve

1. Pre heat your oven grill. Line a tray with baking paper, place the eggplant halves, cut side down on the tray and grill for about 1o-15 minutes (or until the skin starts to soften). Flip them cut side up, brush with oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of sumac and grill for another 5 minutes or until the upper side is slightly charred (please keep your eyes in them or they can just burn!);
2. Boil some water and place your couscous in a bowl. Top with the boiling water and stir gently until couscous is cooked (I think I stirred too much and it ended up all sticky...not sure the rules for this, have to research!);
3. Add to the couscous garlic, lemon juice, a splash of olive oil and the parsley. Divide it among plates;
4. Cut the eggplant halves in half and serve 2 on each place. Top with some greek yoghurt and enjoy.

Gook luck with the couscous!
*and if anyone knows the secret to it, let me know!

recipe: Basmati Tomato & Ginger Rice

I think I used too much ginger on this recipe, so if you are not as keen on it as I am, refrain!! It was quite spicy, good for me, and for whoever loves this little root, but maybe you can use less of it... Anyway, its a good easy recipe, that would work great for a cold winter night.

Serves 4:
1 cup basmati rice, 3 garlic cloves crushed, 4 cm piece ginger grated (refrain people, refrain), 1 onion chopped, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 tomatoes, 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes, 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper and some coriander sprigs to top with

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add onion, garlic and ginger and cook stirring for about 5 minutes;
2. Add ground coriander, tomatoes and chili and cook for another 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until rice has cooked through;
3. Season with salt, divide among plates, top with some coriander sprigs and serve.

recipe: Gnocchi with Herbs

This is what you can call a 'no-cooking recipe' really, you just have to chop up some stuff, boil some water, and that's it really...and the result is amazing..I was very impressed with the flavours and will definitely repeat this one!

Serves 4 (as a side or small meal):
500g fresh gnocchi, 3 garlic cloves crushed and thinly chopped, 4 tbsp chopped parsley, 3 tbsp chopped coriander, 1 tbsp chopped basil, 2 tbsp pine nuts, 1 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper

1. In a bowl (or mortar and pestle), mix chopped herbs, garlic, pine nuts, oil and lemon juice. Crush everything well and set aside; (you can use a food processor as well)
2. In a sauce pan, heat some water and bring to a boil, add gnocchi and cook until water comes back to a boil. Drain and set aside;
3. Add another tsp olive oil to the same pan, in low heat, add herb mixture, gnocchi and stir to coat. Serve as a side, or as main with some green salad.

Although its full of starch and carbs, it was soooo good I'm salivating just thinking about it. Enjoy!

recipe: Caramelised Onion Fritatta

I loved this dish, it was quick to prepare with very few ingredients, healthy and full of flavour. You have to give it a go!

Serves 4: 6 tomatoes halved, 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced, 4 tsp olive oil, salt & pepper, 2 onions thinly sliced, 1 tsp raw sugar, 6 eggs lightly beaten, 1 small tub natural Greek yoghurt, 1 bunch of chives finely chopped, lemon juice, 1 1/2 cup rocket leaves, balsamic vinegar

1. Pre heat your oven to 200C, line a baking tray with bakin paper and place the tomatoes, cut side up on the tray. Top with garlic slices, brush with a bit of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes;
2. Mix yoghurt, chives, lemon juice, in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside;
3. Pre heat your oven grill;
4. Heat the remaining oil in an oven-proof fry pan, add onion and cook in medium-low heat until the onion is soft. Add sugar and let caramelise. Add eggs and shake the pan to cook evenly;
5. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes or until the top is slightly charred and crispy (cooking time depends on the oven). Remove from the oven, divide into four slices and let cool for a moment;
6. Divide rocket leaves and tomatoes around plates, add the fritatta, top with yoghurt sauce and some balsamic vinegar.

Voilla, very verry goood!

recipe: Eggplant & Tuna Pasta Rolls

This recipe is a bit of a breakthrough for me, first because I made it up as I was going, second, because I have introduce some cheese in it...i know, first time ever!, light cream cheese, but, nevertheless the thing that puts me off in most dishes in restaurants. I must say, I was very happy with it, and as you can see from the picture, the excitement was obvious from mr, husband!

Serves 4:
2 large eggplants thinly sliced lengthways, 3 small cans of tuna drained, 1 red onion finely chopped, 1 green capsicum finely chopped, 2 tbsp light cream cheese, 2 tsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced, 1x400g can crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup white wine, 1/4 cup water, chopped basil, 3 fresh lasagne sheets, salt and pepper


1. Pre heat the grill in your oven and line a baking tray with baking paper. Slice your eggplants lengthways really thin, place them in the baking tray, spray or brush some oil and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side. (time depends on your oven, so keep an eye on it). Set aside;

2. In a small bowl mix tuna, 1/4 chopped onion, 1/4 chopped capsicum, cream cheese and reserve;

3. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add remaining onion, garlic and capsicum and cook until soft. Add wine, crushed tomatoes, water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and then blend with a mixer (optional). Add basil and reserve;

4. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Start filling the eggplant - place the filling in the middle of each slice and just roll;

5. Place 1/5 of your sauce on the bottom of a deep baking plate and add eggplant roolls makin some space between them. Top with the lasagne sheets adjusting them to the shape of the eggplant and finally pour sauce over the pasta;

6. Bake for about 20 minutes uncovered and serve with some green salad.


Perfect!

week16

WEEKLY MENUUUU!!
come and check people!

Sunday:
_dinner: Eggplant & Tuna Pasta Rolls

Monday:
_lunch: Eggplant & Tuna Pasta Rolls
_dinner: Caramelised Onion Fritatta

Tuesday:
_lunch: Caramelised Onion Fritatta
_dinner: Gnocchi with lemon and herbs

Wednesday:
_lunch: Gnocchi with Lemon and herbs
_dinner: OUT

Thursday:
_lunch: Basmati Tomato & Ginger Rice
_dinner: Eggplant & Couscous Salad

Friday:
_lunch: Basmati Tomato & Ginger Rice
_dinner: Eggplant & Couscous Salad

recipe: Chicken & Tomato Rice Soup

Ok, so i said the lentil & silverbeet soupd was one of my favourites....this one has joined the group, its quick, cheap and truly delicious. I am sure it will warm your bones if you try it!

serves4: 2 chicken breasts (350 - 400g), 1 garlic clove crushed, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 L water, 2x400g can crushed tomatoes, 1 chicken stock cube, 1 onion chopped, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 garlic clove crushed, 1/4 cup basmati rice, 1 cup chopped fresh coriander, salt & pepper

1. Heat water in a sauce pan, add garlic and ginger. When it starts boiling, add chicken breasts to poach simmering until cooked. Set aside to cool, drain and shred; (save water)
2. In another sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion and cook stirring frequently;
3. Add tomatoes, reserved water and simmer in medium heat. Add rice and cook for about 10 minutes (stir occasionally not to burn rice);
4. Add chicken, chopped coriander and stir well. Season to taste and serve;

Yuummmm!!

recipe: Cinnamon Lamb with Fragrant Rice

This recipe is very easy, and it seemed to please our guests, so I can only assume it was good. I personally really like lamb and this spice mix worked really well.

Serves 4: 4 lamb steaks, 1 lemon - juice and zest, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp olive oil, salt & pepper, 1 cup basmati rice, 2 cups baby spinach, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves crushed, 1 chicken stock cube, 600 ml water, 1 long red chili finelly chopped, salt & pepper

1. In a bowl mix lemon zest, 1 tsp olive oil and the cinnamon. Rub the lamb steaks and let marinate for at least half an hour.
2. Pre heat your oven grill.
3. Heat another tsp olive oil in a sauce pan, add onion and cook until soft, add 1 garlic clove, rice, spinach, stock cube and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Season and set aside;
4. Place lamb steaks on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes each side (it depends on your oven, so beware of cooking times);
5. In a fry pan, heat the remaining olive oil, add the remaining garlic cloves, chili and lemon juice. Cook until it gets a bit syrupy;
6. Divide rice among plates, top with lamb steaks and drizzle with the chili/lemon sauce;

I thought the rice was divine with the topping!

recipe: vegetarian 'cheat' pad thai

So, this recipe is not supposed to be the real pad thai, but its really easy, quick and throws a real punch with the spices (you can add more or less depending on your own taste)

Serves 4: 200g rice noodles, 1 bunch choy sum, 1 red capsicum, 1 long green chili, 1 onion, 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, (I used peas, carrots and corn mix, but you can use whatever vegetables you like) 2 garlic cloves, 2 tsp olive oil, 1/4 cup pasta sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce, salt & peper, 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander, lime juice (optional)

1. Cover noodles with boiling water and separate them with a fork until they are soft;
2. Chop the red capsicum and onion in thin slice, crush garlic and chop coy sum in small pieces;
3. In a bowl mix soy sauce and pasta sauce;
4. Heat oil in a wok, add onion and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add capsicum and choy sum stalks and keep stirring frequently;
5. Add the remaining choy sum, noodles and soy/pasta sauce. Finally throw in the coriander, season with salt and pepper, and serve with some lime wedges.

Really quick, healthy meal.

recipe: Lentil and Silverbeet Soup

This is one of my favourite soups, I have just discovered it recently, but its on my top list. Goes perfect with some garlic bread....yummmm

Serves 4: 1 bunch Silverbeet - leaves thinly sliced, 1 1/2 cups green lentils, 1 chicken stock cube, 2 tbs olive oil, 1 onion finely chopped, 4 cloves of garlic crushed, 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves, 1/3 cup lemon juice

1. Place lentils in a sauce pan, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer covered for about half an hour (or until they are soft);
2. In a large fry pan, heat the oil. Add garlic and onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft;
3. Add silverbeet to the fry pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until wilted;
4. Add the silverbeet mixture to the lentils a bit more water to cover and chicken stock cube. Simmer for
5 minutes, add coriander, lemon, salt and pepper.

Done, so easy. Serve with some garlic bread, cracked black pepper and extra olive oil. Perfect!

recipe: Curried Chicken Pot Pies

Honestly, after a month of eating mainly vegetables, these pies tasted like heaven...now you go and cook them, cause they were dead easy as well, and make your own decisions!

Serving 4:
2 sheets puff pastry just thawed, 500 g chicken breast, 1 onion finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tomato chopped, 1x 400g can chopped tomatoes, 300g mixed frozen vegetables (like peas, corn, carrot mix), 2 cups baby spinach leaves, 3 tsp curry powder, 125 ml coconut milk, 1 tbs olive oil

1. Turn on your oven grill, line the tray with some baking paper and place your chicken breasts to grill for about 10 minutes each side, or until coked. Remove them and chop coarsely;
2. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add onion, garlic and curry powder stirring often;
3. Add tomato, chicken, tomato sauce and coconut milk and bring to a boil;
4. Reduce heat, let simmer adding frozen vegetables and finally spinach. Correct flavours;
5. Grease four ramekins with a bit of oil, divide the chicken mixture amongst ramekins (you might end up with some extra - freeze.);
6. Cut your puff pastry into triangles and top the ramekins with the pastry.
7. Place in your oven at 200C and bake for about 20-25 minutes;

Serve with some nice tomato and cucumber salad, they are truly delicious. (maybe a bit tricky to eat off the ramekins, but...who cares, they were so pretty!)

week 15

So, last week I got pretty busy but still managed to cook a whole lot, this week we have friends staying over so lunch was already taken care of (that huge batch of calzones, hell yeah!) and I am only going to worry about dinner, besides, we have decided to include some non vegetarian dishes, which is really exciting after a month!

Here it goes:

Sunday:
_dinner: Chicken curried pot pies

Monday:
_dinner: Lentil and Silverbeet Soup

Tuesday:
_dinner: Vegetarian 'Cheat' Pad Thai

Wednesday:
_dinner: Tomato & Chicken Soup

Thursday: dinner OUT

Friday:
_ Cinnamon Lamb with Fragrant rice

recipe: Fish & Chips (with a twist)

So normal fish and chips can get quite boring... and the deep frying, plus starchy potatoes can put you in a fat coma, and this was a really delicious alternative with sweet potatoes and lemon-caper yoghurt dressing, I'm sure it'll be a hit.

For 4 serves: 4 Hoki fillets (or any white fish you like), 700g sweet potato cut into chunky matchsticks, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper, 1 x 175g natural Greek yoghurt tub, 1 tsp baby capers rinsed, juice of one lemon, chopped parsley

1. Heat some water in a large sauce pan. When it gets to a boil, place the sweet potato and boil for about 5 minutes. Drain, place in a bowl and season with the paprika, lemon zest, salt pepper and olive oil;
2. Heat your oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the sweet potato in one layer. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and slightly crispy;
3. Place the fish in the bowl you used to marinate the potatoes and drizzle some lemon juice and black pepper. Grill them in a skillet until they are cooked to your liking;
4. In a small bowl combine yoghurt, baby capers, lemon juice, parsley. Season to taste.

Serve each fillet with 1/2 of potato chips, drizzled with the yoghurt dressing.
We added some steamed snow peas for extra crunchiness. Perfect!

recipe: Spicy Vegetable Stew with Dhal

You will need a big pot for this one, its full of veggie goodness and its perfect with couscous.

Serves 4: 3/4 cup red lentils, 1 tsp grated ginger, 3 garlic cloves crushed, 2 tsp red chili flakes, 3 tomatoes, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds, 1 tsp ground cumin seeds, 3 cardamom pods bruised, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 red onion cut into wedges, 3 small eggplants cut into cubes, 2 carrots cut into 2 cm slices, 1/4 cauliflower cut into florets, 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, 2 small zuchinni cut into 2 cm slices, 1/2 cup frozen peas, 1/2 cup coriander

1. Place lentils in a sauce pan, add ginger, garlic chili and cover with water. Let it boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Set aside;
2. Score a cross on the bottom of each tomato, place in a bowl with boiling water for 2 minutes, remove and place in a bowl with col water. Peel them from the bottom and chop them coarsely;
3. In a large sauce pan heat oil, add spices and stir to coat. Add onion and cook until soft.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, eggplant carrots, dhal mixture and stock. Bring to a boil.
5. Add zuchinni, cauliflower and simmer for about half an hour or until veggies are cooked through;
6. Add peas, chopped coriander, season with salt and pepper and simmer for a further 10 minutes;

Serve by itself like a hearty soup or with some couscous.

recipe: Veggie Noodle Salad

This recipe has almost no cooking to be done actually, its really easy, crunchy and delicious for a summer night.

Serves 4:
200g hokkien egg noodles, 1 lebanese cucumber, 1 carrot, 200g bean sprouts, 200g baby spinach, 150g snow peas trimmed, 6 tbsp soy sauce, 2 garlic cloves crushed, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp dried chili flakes

1. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar chili and sesame oil. Taste and correct flavours (you want the vinegar to stand out a bit since you are going to used this to dress the noodles). Set aside.
2. Prepare noodles according to packet directions, drain and place in a large bowl. Add 1/3 of the dressing and toss to coat;
3. Boil some water and cook the snow peas for about 2 minutes (you still want them a bit crunchy);
4. Add the spinach and bean sprouts to noodles and mix;
5. Grate the carrot or cut it into thin matchsticks and add to the bowl;
6. Slice the cucumber lengthwise very thinly (use a mandolin if you have one), and add to the bowl. Add your snow peas and the remaining dressing. Mix everything well and taste (you might need some more vinegar or soy at this stage, just follow your instinct).

Let me know if you liked it!

recipe: White Chili

I don't know why this is called white chili, I guess its because of the lack of meet in it, but, it is quite tasty, best enjoyed by yourself, if you know what I mean...

serves 4:
2 cans of kidney or canellini beans, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 onions chopped, 2 small zuchinnis chopped, 1 fennel bulb chopped(I used leek instead cause I couldn't fine any...) 1 celery stick chopped, 1 red chili finely chopped, 4 cups water, 1 vegetable stock cube, 2 small carrots chopped, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 tbsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp chili flakes,

1. Drain and rinse the beans.
2. In a deep sauce pan heat the oil and cook the onions for a couple of minutes or until soft;
3. Add carrots, celery, fennel, zuchinni. Cook stirring to coat for a couple of minutes. Add water and stock cube and bring to a boil.
4. Add chili, parsley, thyme, cumin, soy and chili flakes and simmer for about 25 minutes or until your vegetables are tender. 5. With a potato masher, mash about 1/5 of the mixture so you get a thicker sauce, season with salt and pepper and voilà.

Serve just like that or with some white rice or even some nice toasted sour dough with a bit of olive oil and crushed pepper.