the food hat blog

Welcome to Foodhat. Here I share fresh, quick, simple family meals. I'm mum to two children, 7 year old Little SS and 4 year old Little BB. Eating and cooking are my two favourite things (mainly eating) but I can't afford to spend all my spare...

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Carrot, red lentil and coconut soup. 

I love the wholesomeness of this soup and it’s so quick and easy. Plus the kids devour it and I know they’re getting some good nutrients inside of them.

Pan fry for about 10 minutes the following: one chopped onion, two cloves of garlic, 600g of chopped up carrots and a handful of red lentils. 

Add a pinch of ground cumin and ground coriander and some fresh ginger, grated. 

Then add about 500ml of vegetable stock or enough to cover everything. Bring to boil then simmer. 

When everything is cooked thoroughly, blitz with a hand blender then add a can of coconut milk and reheat through. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve with fresh bread. How easy is that?

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Quinoa cauliflower patties

I was inspired by a recipe I came across in a magazine from my local supermarket. It was written in Dutch and I understood about 70% of it so I tweaked it to what I thought would taste good. I was also inspired by my mother’s meatballs where she adds lemon zest and parmesan - so good! This is a great alternative to meat and a clever way to get veggies in those little bellies.

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower, use florets only

2 spring onions

3 cloves of garlic

150g of cheese (any of the following will work: parmesan, old Dutch cheese, cheddar)

1/3 cup of wholemeal flour

4 eggs

Handful of breadcrumbs

1 cup of quinoa, cooked 

Few sprigs of mint and coriander 

Zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

Cook the quinoa as per the instructions (remember to rinse it before cooking.)

In a food processor, blitz the garlic, spring onion, cauliflower and herbs until it resembles a rice-like mixture.

In a mixing bowl, using a fork mix together the cauliflower mixture with the cheese, eggs and breadcrumbs.

Add salt, pepper and the lemon zest.

Add the cooked quinoa and mix.

Using two spoons, try this technique (technically called ‘quenelling’) to form a cone-like shape. Spoon up some of the mixture with one of the spoons and with the other spoon next to it, carefully transfer it back and forth. You can find lots of how-to videos on how to do this and it sounds more complicated than it really is.

When your oil is hot, place the cone-shaped mixture in the pan and flatten slightly. Fry on both sides for about 4-5 minutes or until golden. 

Serve with salad or some steam veggies.

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Pearl couscous with white asparagus, courgette, spinach, rocket and shrimp. Finished with some lemon zest. #couscous #shrimp

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Broccoli Pasta

This is quick and easy and a good way to get some veggies in your diet. It also uses only one pot so less washing up which we all like the sound of. The only downside is that you’re cooking the broccoli for quite a while and throwing out the water it’s cooked in so some of the nutrients may be lost but it makes up for it in deliciousness. 

Chop up a large head of broccoli into small pieces and bring to a boil in salted water.

Once the water is boiling add enough pasta (I use just over half a pack for 2 adults and little one).

Cook both the broccoli and the pasta until the pasta is al dente (or if you prefer it softer you can cook for longer).

Before you drain the pot, save a mug full of the pasta water.

Then drain the pasta and broccoli and put it all back into your pot.

Add lots of grated parmesan, a little of the pasta water to loosen it up and get it all creamy, finish off with some ground pepper and serve. 

Some optional additions: creme fraiche or cream (slagroom) to make it even more creamy, crushed garlic, chili oil or ground chilis (after you’ve taken out a portion for the little one). 

Shopping list:

Pasta (I like orrechiete for this dish. You can find this in Italian delis like Feduzzi on Scheldestraat in Rivierenbuurt or in some cheese shops). 

Broccoli 

Parmesan 

Creme fraiche or cream (optional)

Garlic (optional)

Chili (optional)

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This is a great meatless recipe and for added fibre you can use wholewheat pasta. You can make this super creamy or just enjoy the natural creaminess from the parmesan and mashed up broccoli. 

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the food hat blog turned 6 today! Thanks for reading my recipes! Keep coming back for more yumminess. 

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Sweet potato and black bean chili. Spice this up with cumin,cinnamon and cocoa. Serve with rice, guacamole, sour cream - on tacos 🌮 or without. This will make you feel all warm and cosy inside #vegetarianfood #vegetarian #meatlessrecipes #foodhatblog

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What are you going to have today for Meatless Monday? This creamy mushroom soup is delish and a great one for all the family. And if it's cold where you are then this is a good way to get some extra nutrients, especially B vitamins and many minerals. This recipe is from the fabulous JO and super easy to make. https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/soup-recipes/creamy-mushroom-soup/ #soup #vegetarian #foodhatblog

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Breadcrumbed Halloumi. Crispy deliciousness on a plate and meat-free. Coat halloumi in flour, then egg and finish with Panko breadcrumbs. Pan fry for a few minutes each side until crisp and golden. Sooo good. #foodhatblog #vegetarian #meatfreemeal

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Vegetarian Mexican soup with black beans, sweet corn, sweet potato and peppers. Garnished with sour cream and coriander.

Love this soup. It just makes me feel all cosy inside.

Here’s the link to the recipe - just ignore the meat and you’re good to go:

http://foodhatblog.tumblr.com/post/22641159440/mexican-black-bean-soup

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Who doesn’t like tacos🌮 They can be topped with anything and kids love putting them together. Bet you get more veggies in them. I’m still on a no-meat adventure so this week I made them with tofu, black beans coconut and lime tacos. Toppings include Mexican rice, avocado,sour cream, coriander and hot sauce #taconight #vegetarian #foodhatblog

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Sweet potato and chickpea stew

I came across this Deliciously Ella recipe and thought I would share as it was super tasty, healthy and easy. 

I’ve embarked on a new non-meat eating adventure and am cutting back all meat for the rest of the family. So far it’s going well but I do have to put a bit more thought into meal times as my 4 year old is not a vegetable lover - yet! I’m enjoying experimenting with new combinations of vegetables and new spices and side dishes. For this stew I served cauliflower rice. It’s quite easy to load up on the carbs when you’re not eating meat (pasta, bread, pizza). I blitzed a whole cauliflower and ended up with 7-8 portions of cauliflower rice which I popped into the freezer for future use.

Hope you enjoy this dish too. Recipe can be found here: https://deliciouslyella.com/2015/09/26/sweet-potato-and-chickpea-stew/

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Stuffed pepper. Some with basil, mozzarella and tomato and some with quinoa and mushroom mix.

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Noodle salad with rice noodles, sliced cabbage, bean sprouts, spiraled cucumber, grated carrots, mint, coriander, fried onion topping, garlic chili prawns.

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Chicken burger and courgette salad

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Ground chicken over rice noodles

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Veggie burger made with black beans, sweet potato and quinoa.

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Fish taco on beetroot tortilla topped with avocado, pickled onions and kohlrabi.