Personally, during lockdown I’ve found myself going through a lot of fresh fruit and veg but no matter how much I cook, the lifecycle of my fresh food always tends to run out before I’ve cooked it all. I’ll be completely honest, I’ve definitely used my fresh produce after the used by date but as long as it doesn’t have that tangy, off, vegetable smell and doesn’t look like it has any obvious signs of mould, you’re not going to die. For some reason our fridge is so cold that it seems to give our fresh fruit & veg another few days of life. Anyways, that’s not hugely relevant and what I really wanted to share was the 7 easy dishes I make when I have a lot of vegetables to use up, I’m hungry and I just can’t be bothered to have to think to hard.
Most of these recipes will be vegetarian but of course please throw in whatever meat you fancy and use these as inspo.
All super quick and simple for days when you’re just hungry and need to be fed pronto.
*some dishes contain fish oil
Pesto Stacked Bagel
Because who doesn’t love a bagel. Here’s a very quick recipe to whip up for a light lunch ready in a few minutes.
You will need:
- Bagel
- Green Pesto
- Garlic
- Ready-to-use chickpeas
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Chilli flakes (if you want a kick)
Simple recipe:
- Cut your bagel in half and toast
- Put some oil in the pan with garlic and then add Mushrooms and Onions
- Once these have softened, add in chickpeas and spinach
- Once everything is mixed, stir in a generous amount of pesto
- Slice an avocado and spread across your bagel and sprinkle some chilli flakes now if you want to add
- Add the mix in the pan on top and enjoy!
Special Fried Rice
A Thai staple. I never really used to understand why my mum was so obsessed with it but when I need something quick, easy and tasty (which is most of the time), I’ve be known to whip up a fair few of these during lockdown. You can use fresh veg or even frozen to clear up space in the freezer!
You will need:
- 1 cup of rice
- Fish sauce
- 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
- Your choice of vegetables (chopped)
- 1 egg
- Lemon or Lime
- Chilli flakes (if you like a kick)
- Salt & pepper
- White vinegar
- Soy sauce (thick and thin if you can) and Maggi seasoning sauce – if you have it
(I also like to add a meatfree “meat” such as quorn chicken or Linda McCartney’s hoisin duck)
Simple recipe:
- Add some oil and garlic to the pan and cook all the vegetables you wish to use (anything goes really)
- Crack one egg into the middle and scramble a bit before you let this cook nearly all the way through
- Add 1cup of cooked rice and mix the rice, egg and vegetables all together
- For seasoning add: 1tbsp fish oil, 1tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp this soy seasoning (if you have it), 1tsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of white vinegar, salt and pepper and mix until the whole pan is covered.
- Squeeze in a quarter wedge of lemon or lime and add chilli flakes
- Serve and enjoy hot!
Pasta Salad
I made this very simple, very green pasta salad last week when it was sunny and I could enjoy it in the garden but it tastes just as good indoors.
You will need:
- Pasta
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Peppers
- Onions
- Spring onions
- Olive oil
- Vegan mayonnaise (any mayonnaise is fine)
- Salt, pepper and chilli flakes for seasoning
Simple recipe:
- Cook the pasta
- Add mayonnaise, onions, spring onions, peppers, avocado, salt, pepper, lemon and chilli (basically any veggies you want to use)
- Line your plate with spinach and pile the pasta on top
- Squeeze some lemon and sprinkle with chilli flakes
- Drizzle olive oil over and enjoy!
Scrambled Thai Omlette
This is another family favourite. Is it scrambled egg? Not quite. Is it an omelette? Not quite. Hence, scrambled omelette. Best enjoyed with fluffy white rice and a little pot of sriracha will do nicely!
You will need:
- 2 eggs
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Aubergine
- Fish Oil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Sugar
If you have any butternut squash, this is a great dish for that.
Simple recipe:
- Add 1 tbsp of oil in the pan with a clove of garlicand once hot add vegetables with a pinch of salt and cook until soft on medium heat
- Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and then add to pan
- Let the egg cook for a bit and then mix
- Add fish sauce and sugar
- Serve with rice and chilli sauce
Classic Stir Fry
I mean the go to for leftover vegetables is of course a stir fry and my favourite is a stir fry is with chilli, ginger and basil. Like most stir-fry, it’s crazy easy to make.
You will need:
- Mixed vegetables (again anything goes)
- Fresh basil
- Ginger
- Chilli flakes or fresh chillis
- Garlic
- Salt
- Sugar
If you have oyster sauce I recommend adding this too but you can do it without.
Simple recipe:
- Heat up oil, garlic and chilli in a pan then add vegetables then cook until soft on medium heat
- Add just under half a cup of water and add oyster sauce now if you have it (2tbsp)
- Add 1tsp salt and 1tsp sugar for flavour
- Add the fresh basil last and stir into the vegetables, once all mixed and wilted serve
- Enjoy with plain boiled rice
Buddha Bowl
I mean, I’m unsure I can write a recipe for this because its basically going to be a bowl of anything you can find plus rice or couscous but here are my favourite things I like to throw in:
- Oven baked, garlic vegetables; courgette, aubergine, sweet potato
- Avocado tossed in olive oil with chilli, lemon, salt & pepper
- Spinach
- Chickpeas
- Peppers
- Homemade coleslaw: sliced carrots, purple cabbage (both shredded), mayonnaise
- Rice or couscous
- Broccoli or baked paprika cauliflower
- Hummus
Any Veg Chilli
Chilli is definitely one of my go to meals, granted it tastes much better when I follow a recipe (my favourite is Jamie Oliver’s one here) but sometimes, you’re just hungry and you can’t be arsed with the faff so here is the very simple recipe for my 15 minute chilli.
You will need:
- Tin of mix beans
- Tin of chopped plum tomatoes
- Peppers
- Onions
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp of paprika
- Tortilla chips (not compulsory)
- Avocado (not compulsory)
We had some leftover spinach and leeks so I threw this in as well.
Simple recipe:
- Put Oil and garlic in a pan, then add peppers, onions and cook for 5 minutes
- Add seasoning and then stir until all of the mix is covered
- Then add your tin of mixed beans and tinned tomatoes, stir again until mixed making sure there are not large chunks of tomatoes
- Bring to boil them let simmer for 5 minutes on a low heat
- Serve in a bowl with or without rice, I like to include crushed tortilla chips and half an avocado but sometimes I find the avocado is enough
Don’t forget to tag me if you decide to try any of these and I hope they ave given you some inspiration in the kitchen.
Wear Juti Eats 