Quick & easy vegan dinners

By Zora Hamaidia, POM Kitchen

This is a really easy one-pot dinner which just happens to be vegan. 

Serves 3 or 4 

Takes 15 minutes 

Ingredients

· 400g dried spaghetti

· 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes cut into halves

· 100ml olive oil

· 100ml boiling water

· 2tsp of rock salt or 1 ½ tsps of table salt

· Around 250g spinach or any other leafy green veg

· Zest of two lemons

· Black pepper 

Method

Put all the ingredients except the lemon zest and spinach in a large pot. Boil for 6 minutes turning the pasta every now and again with tongs. Add the spinach and lemon zest and cook for a further 2 minutes. The tomatoes should have broken down & the liquid should have thickened into a creamy consistency. The spaghetti should be nice and al dente. Cook for a few minutes more before adding the spinach if you prefer your pasta softer. Serve in bowls with some freshly ground black pepper.

By Zora Hamaidia, POM Kitchen

No chickpeas in this daal-like dish but the quinoa gives it lots of protein; a perfect healthy but warming vegan dish for a cold winter’s day.

Serves 3 to 4 

Takes 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

· 300g quinoa

· Double the volume of water

· 1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely chopped

· 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

· 1 tbsp olive oil

· 4 spring onions, chopped

· 1 clove of garlic, chopped or grated

· 1 tsp mustard seed

· Half a block of creamed coconut (around 100g)

· 400ml water

· Veggie stock cube

· Some leafy greens if you have any 

Method

Pop the quinoa in a pan with double the volume of water, bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. Once the grains turn into small spirals they’re done. Take of the heat.

In another pan heat the oil then add the spring onions. Cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic. Cook for another minute. Then add the mustard seeds. Cook for another minute. Add the creamed coconut and melt.

Once melted add the carrot and sweet potato. Cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the quinoa, water and crumbling in the stock cube, and simmer until the sweet potato & carrot pieces are soft.

Add leafy greens to the pot if you have any to hand and serve.