Mains
Beef
Beef Taco Filling
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb ground beef
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cornflour
- 1/2 tsp oregano
Method
- Mix all together.
- Fry.
- Serve with taco shells, corn, lettuce, cheese, et cetera.
Notes
Fills 12-15 hard-shell tacos.
Black Bean Noodles (짜장면)
Ingredients
- 3-4 servings of udon (wudong) noodles
- 300g / 10oz ground beef or crumbled tofu
- 1 cup beef or vegetable stock
- 5 tbsp black bean paste
- 1/4 head of cabbage
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine (mirin)
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- sesame oil
Method
- Mix ground beef or crumbled tofu with mirin, ginger, salt and pepper to marinade, and put a pot of water to boil.
- Finely chop onion, roughly chop cabbage, and quarter and slice zucchini.
- Sauté beef (or tofu) until browned, adding soy sauce halfway through.
- Add finely chopped onion and cook until soft.
- Push onion and beef to one side and add black bean paste and sugar. Heat while stirring for 2-3 minutes.
- Add vegetables and stock, and simmer until vegetables are soft.
- Cook noodles according to package directions; usually this is add to water when boiling, cook for 3-4 minutes, drain and run through cold water.
- Thicken the sauce and add the noodles, stir together and then serve.
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb beef (minced or thinly-sliced)
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 10 snow peas, thin-sliced
- 1/2 red capsicum, diced
- 3 spring onions, thin-sliced
- 1/4 cup beef stock
- 2 tbsp rice syrup
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- cornflour
Method
- Mix beef with 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tbsp cornflour, and marinade at least 1 hour.
- Mix stock, rice syrup, and 4 tbsp soy sauce.
- Heat wok with oil on high heat and sear each side of the meat.
- Push the meat to one side, briefly sauté ginger and garlic in oil, and then add sauce and simmer.
- Thicken with cornflour and add vegetables, and mix well.
Notes
Serve over rice or wudong noodles.
Serves 2.
Royal Rice Cakes (궁중먹볶이)
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb rice cakes (tteok 떡), sliced
- 150g / 4oz thinly-sliced beef
- 1 zucchini
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin (rice wine)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Method
- Mix together soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and pepper and use a tablespoon of it to marinate the beef.
- Bring water to boil in a saucepan and then add the rice cake pieces until they all float. Drain and coat them with a tablespoon of the sauce.
- Thinly-slice all the vegetables.
- Cook the beef in a frying pan, and then add the vegetables.
- Add the rice cakes, pine nuts, and sauce.
Chicken
Black Bean Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken thigh fillets
- 1 large onion
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the sauce:
- 3 tbsp black bean paste
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Method
- Dice chicken fillets and toss with 1 tbsp wine, 2 tsp corn starch, and a pinch of salt, and set aside for 1-2 hours.
- Stir-fry the chicken in sesame oil until the edges are cooked.
- Finely dice onion and capsicum, and add to chicken pan with ginger and garlic.
- Mix together all the sauce ingredients and add to the pan once the onion is soft.
- Serve over rice once the sauce thickens.
Notes
Makes 3-4 serves.
Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken fillets, sliced
- 2-3 capsicums, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method
- Mix all ingredients together in tupperware and shake.
- Fry until cooked and serve in tortillas with salsa, spinach, et cetera.
Spring Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken thigh fillets, diced
- 250g / 1/2lb small pasta
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups chopped spinach and basil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- olive oil
- Greek seasoning
Method
- Fry chicken cubes in oil and Greek seasoning until just cooked through, then remove from pot and set aside.
- Fill the same pot with water and boil the pasta, carrots, and peas.
- Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot along with chicken, garlic, chopped greens, and lemon juice.
- Stir together and serve warm or cold.
Notes
Makes 4 servings.
Chicken Risone Salad
Ingredients
- 3 chicken fillets
- 2 cups risone (orzo)
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 red capsicum
- 6oz / 200g sugar snap or snow peas
- 2 spring onions
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1/2 tsp honey
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Method
- Season chicken with 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
- Finely dice the red onion and capsicum, and fry it with the chicken and garlic.
- Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, cut the sugar snap peas and spring onions on the diagonal, and finely chop the dill.
- Cook and drain the risone.
- Make a dressing from 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp honey, salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix everything together.
Fish and Egg
Egg Curry
Ingredients
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 onion
- 5 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
Or substitute all spices for 4 tsp baharat seasoning.
Method
- Soft-boil eggs, drain, run under cold water, and refrigerate until ready to add.
- Finely slice onion and sauté with garlic until translucent.
- Add coconut milk.
- Mix spices and flour and add to pot. Stir well.
- Add diced tomatoes and eggs.
- Simmer until it thickens.
Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 700g / 1.5lb fish (4-5 whiting or tilapia fillets
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 capsicum, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced thin
- 1 zucchini, sliced thin
- any other vegetables, e.g. spinach
- 2 cups coconut milk or unsweetened yoghourt
- 2 tbsp yellow or red curry paste
Method
- Sauté onion and capsicum until soft.
- Add carrot and zucchini and fry for several minutes.
- Add coconut milk and curry paste and mix well.
- Add fish and any soft vegetables like spinach or peas.
- Simmer until cooked.
Notes
Serve with rice.
Makes 4 serves.
Curried Sausages
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb sausages
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 cup peas
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp gravy powder
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp cornflour
Method
- Peel and thinly-slice the onions, then brown the onions and sausages.
- Chop the sausages into bite-size pieces and dice the carrots, then put in crock pot with peas and onion.
- Stir gravy powder, curry powder, and cornflour into chicken stock, and pour over sausages and vegetables.
- Cover and cook for 3-4 hours.
Notes
Serve over pasta or mashed mpotato.
Makes 4 serves.
Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients
- spaghetti or linguine
- 6-8 rashers bacon
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk (or soy or almond milk)
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (or 1/2 cup cheese)
Method
- Set pasta to boil until al dente.
- Finely chop bacon and sauté with garlic until crispy.
- Drain pasta and add it to the bacon.
- Mix the egg, milk, and nutritional yeast or cheese in a cup and add it slowly to the pan, stirring as you do.
- Stir on low heat until the egg is cooked, and then serve.
Notes
Makes 4 serves.
Meat-Free
Aloo Gobi
Ingredients
- 2-3 potatoes
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 onions
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Method
- Peel and dice potato, and immerse in boiling water.
- Sauté ginger, garlic and cumin seeds.
- Finely chop 1 onion and add to pan until onions turn translucent.
- Drain and add the potatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add a little water, cover, and cook until fork-tender.
- Chop cauliflower head into bite-size florets and finely slice the second onion, and add to pan along with the remaining spices.
- Stir for a few minutes to mix well and then cover and simmer until vegetables are cooked.
Chickpea Red Curry
Ingredients
- 1/2 butternut pumpkin
- 1/2 head of cauliflower
- 1 onion
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 can stewed tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
Method
- Peel and roughly chop the pumpkin, then steam and blend to make purée.
- Finely chop onion and capsicum and sauté with garlic until soft.
- Add tomatoes, curry paste, cumin and paprika, and sauté for several minutes.
- Cut cauliflower into small florets and add along with coconut milk and pumpkin purée, then simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
- Add the drained chickpeas, chopped spinach, and lemon juice, and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Notes
Makes 6 servings as a main over rice.
Chickpea Tortilla Filling
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1/2 cup green split peas, soaked
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 capsicum, finely chopped
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Method
- Mix all together, can store in fridge before cooking.
- Fry until warm and soft.
- Line a tortilla with spinach, top with chickpea mix, wrap and eat.
Glass Noodles (콩나물 잠채)
Ingredients
- 250g / 8oz bean sprouts
- 125g / 4oz sweet potato starch noodles
- 2-3 scallions, chopped diagonally
- 1/2 red capsicum, julienned
- 1/2 yellow capsicum, julienned
- 1/2 carrot, julienned
- 1/2 zucchini, julienned
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Method
- Bring a pan of water to boil, then cook the bean sprouts covered for 2 minutes.
- Remove the bean sprouts and use their water to cook the noodles for 6-7 minutes, then drain and cut to shorter lengths (use scissors and snip randomly at the colander).
- Mix soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil and seeds, and pepper together until sugar is dissolved.
- Add julienned vegetables and noodles to pan with a small amount of the sauce, and stir-fry until slightly wilted.
- Add the bean sprouts and the rest of the sauce, and toss until well combined.
Notes
Makes 2 servings.
Green Lasagne
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb box of lasagne noodles
- 4 zucchinis
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 onions
- 2 tsp parsley
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup pesto
- 3 cups white sauce
Method
- Finely chop or gently blend broccoli and finely dice zucchini, then sauté in a pan with finely chopped onion, salt, pepper, parsley, and oregano.
- Cook lasagne noodles and drain.
- Mix the broccoli mix with the pesto.
- In a baking dish, layer: pesto/broccoli mix, noodles, white sauce and repeat until all are used up, with the final layer being noodles and white sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180C / 350F.
Potato Dill Stew
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 cup peas
- 1 onion
- 4-5 stalks of fresh dill
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Method
- Finely chop onion and sauté with olive oil until translucent.
- Add finely-chopped dill, salt, pepper, diced carrots, and peas, and sauté for several more minutes.
- Dissolve tomato paste in 1/2 cup of hot water, and add to pan.
- Peel potatoes and dice to 1" cubes, and add to pan with 3 cups of water.
- Bring to boil and simmer for 40 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Turn off heat and rest for 1-48 hours before serving.
Notes
For freezer meal prep, stop after adding the potatoes in Step 4 BEFORE adding water. Stir all ingredients together and transfer to freezer bags. When ready to use, defrost and add to crock pot in the morning along with 3 cups of water.
Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, diced to 1"
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp cumin
Method
- Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, and cumin.
- Add to crock pot with all other ingredients except spinach.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Add spinach half an hour before serving.
- Serve over quinoa.
Notes
Makes 4 serves.
Spring Veg Stew
Ingredients
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 3 leeks, sliced
- 2 zucchinis, sliced
- 3 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 2 cups / 500mL vegetable stock
- 200g peas
- large handful of spinach
- 1/2 cup / 150g unsweetened yoghourt
- 1/4 cup cornflour
Method
- Sauté leeks and garlic, and then stir through the cornflour.
- Add leeks, stock, carrots, and zucchini to crock pot and cook for 2-4 hours.
- Add the yoghourt, mustard, peas, and spinach, and cook for another 1-2 hours.
- Serve with bread.
Vegan Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 10-12 button mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 4 carrots
- 1 zucchini
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 2 tbsp basil
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 can stewed tomatoes
Method
- Blend walnuts and mushrooms until coarse.
- Sauté walnut-mushroom mixture, diced onion, and garlic until browned.
- Add grated carrots and zucchini and continue sautéing.
- Add spices and herbs, then tomatoes; break up tomato pieces with spoon.
- Simmer until ready to serve over pasta.
Vegetable Bake / Greek Ratatouille (Μπριάμ)
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis
- 2 yellow squash
- 1 eggplant
- 2 onions
- 2 dozen grape or cherry tomatoes
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 600g / 24oz jar pasta sauce
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C / 400F.
- Quarter the eggplant lengthways and slice to about 1cm, then sauté with chopped onion and garlic until the onion turns translucent.
- Halve the zucchinis and squash lengthways and slice to about 1cm, then add to frying pan, continuing to stir occasionally until the begin to soften.
- Slice tomatoes in half and add to frying pan with pasta sauce.
- Place frying pan in oven and bake for 1 hour.
Notes
Makes 6 servings as a main over rice.
Also very good with fish.
Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 250g / 8oz dry risone (orzo)
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 cup grape or cherry omatoes
- 1/2 cup sliced kalamata or black olives
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Method
- Cook the risone.
- Finely chop the spinach, quarter the tomatoes, and drain the chickpeas, and then place all in the bottom of a colaner.
- Drain the risone through the vegetables.
- Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Toss all ingredients together to combine.
Notes
Makes 4 servings as a side.
Palak Tofu (Palak Paneer)
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb tofu (or paneer, halloumi, cheese curds, etc)
- 1kg / 2lb fresh spinach
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1/4 cup garam masala
- coconut milk (or milk, or Greek yoghourt)
Method
- Wash spinach and then sauté until wilted. You may need to do this in batches. Set aside in a large bowl.
- Sauté onions with garlic, ginger, and garam masala.
- Add tomatoes and a little water and cover until the onion is soft.
- During Step 3, cut tofu (or cheese) into cubes.
- Transfer onion/tomato/spice mix into the bowl and blend. Add milk gradually as you do this until you reach your preferred sauce consistency.
- During Step 5, sauté tofu (or cheese).
- Add sauce back to tofu and cook on low until it begins to bubble.
Notes
Serve over rice.
Makes 10-12 servings as a main over rice. To meal prep, freeze after Step 5. When ready to eat, defrost, sauté tofu, and complete Step 7.