One Pot Pasta

My first word was spaghetti, after the classic mum and dad. Actually, my first word was ghetti. Yes, my love of pasta runs deep and it is one of the true lasting relationships of my life.

Similarly, my hatred of washing up also runs deep so the idea of one pot pasta is one I am very much on board with. One pot? Dinner ready in less than 15 minutes? A creamy sauce without cream or any weird vegan substitute? Yes, yes, and yes.

When I first gave this a try I used a recipe I saw on pinterest (my food board on pinterest is one of my happy places) but I personally found it a little tasteless - maybe because my tastebuds are deadened after 23 years of adding 4 cloves of garlic to everything I eat. 

So, here's the recipe I've landed on after a few tries...

What you need:

• Wholewheat spaghetti (however much based on however hungry you are)
• Onion x 1
• Olive oil x 1 tbsp
• Tomatoes x 400g (I like a mixture of baby plum and cherry tomatoes)
• Garlic x 3 cloves 
• Tomato puree x 3 tbsp
• Basil x a handful of leaves shredded
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried oregano x 2 tsp
• Water

What you do:

Finely dice the onion and chop the tomatoes roughly in half.

Add everything to the pan, putting a few leaves of basil to the side.

Add water until it covers everything.

Put the pan on a roiling boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick.

Keep an eye on the pan - you may need to top up the water bit by bit.

Finally, add the extra basil, serve, and eat until you feel a bit sick because you've had so many carbs.

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

I love to cook. I don't love to wash up the million utensils, pans, and whatever else I use during my cooking sessions (it's a skill to be able to use so much stuff so unnecessarily). 

I also happen to be a vegan (for a few reasons: animal welfare, environmental concerns, and health reasons) and, as such, I'm often asked that age old question: "BUT WHAT DO YOU EAT?" 

So, I thought I would share a recipe for mushroom stroganoff - a fairly easy weekday meal that's filling, tasty, and you can make it in bulk and freeze it or pop it in the fridge. I do apologise in advance for the fact that stroganoff is not the most appealing of dishes to photograph, but you should forgive me because it tastes delicious. 

What you need:

• Onion x 1
• Mushrooms (mixed): 500g
• Vegetable stock: 2 cups
• Soy cream: 3/4 cup (or substitute 1 cup almond milk)
• Garlic clove x 2 (or 3 if you're me)
• Smoked paprika: 2 tsp
• Thyme: 2 tsp
• Parsley: 3 tsp
• Salt and Pepper to season

What you do:

Dice and cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic (minced) and mushrooms (sliced, not too small).

Cook until the mushrooms are soft then add the smoked paprika.

Add the vegetable stock and simmer until it has reduced (about 10 minutes). 

Blend about 1/2 the mixture with the cream or milk, leaving the rest in the pan (if you prefer it chunkier, blend about 1/3 of the mixture).

Add this sauce to the pan.

Add salt, pepper, the thyme and parsley.

Simmer this for another 10 minutes (or 5 if you're really, really hungry - but 10 gives you time to cook rice to serve with the stroganoff.)

Top chef tip: if you're feeling fancy, add a sprig of fresh parsley to make it look more instagram worthy than mine does.