Veggie packed masala chickpea pilaff: Dairy free & vegan

This veggie packed chickpea pilaff feels a little like the answer to the unachievable - a quick, healthy, easy, and non sandwich based lunch that will keep me going until supper without raiding the biscuit tin!

One thing I have learned though, is that the key to said lunch, be it a pilaff, soup, noodles or pasta is to make it the night before - much like I do with M's packed lunch. That way, as soon as Harry's settled to his nap I can get on with sustaining myself for the afternoon's activities - be it a play date at the choo choo park, swimming lesson, nursery visit or just our errands.

This recipe mainly came about because of a really horrid cough, cold and sinusy virus (that's a medical term) that we've been stuck with for the last few weeks. It's hit Harry hardest and the poor love has been sofa bound with a rocketing temperature - thank heavens for Calpol. I really felt the need to put a stop to it via a nourishing bowl of something with a good kick of chilli and garlic.

There is so little faff with this recipe - the cooking can happen in one pan, and even the chopping is minimal, although I don't apologise for double podding the broad beans. Nearly all the veggies are from my freezer (sweetcorn, peas and broad beans being entirely out of season right now!) and I always have tinned chickpeas in.

Veggie packed masala chickpea pilaff
Serves 3 - 4 depending on portion size

Good spray fry light, or 2 tablespoons flavourless oil
60g bulghur wheat
300ml freshly boiled water
60g mushrooms, roughly chopped
60g peas
60g sweetcorn
60g broad beans
60g brocolli - broken into florets
1 tin chickpeas  2 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 red onion, diced

2 tablespoons curry paste - I used a tikka masala one that we had open in the fridge, but you could use any you like.
1/4 pint of water

Pop the bulghur wheat in a bowl and cover in freshly boiled water - I use 60g of bulghur wheat and 300ml of  water - leave to stand for about 10 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed then drain in a seive (not a colander)


Put the peas, sweetcorn and broad beans into a microwaveable bowl, cover with boiling water and ping for a minute at a time until the broad beans are cooked (2 and half minutes in ours) then drain- I always take these out of their wrinkled white pods so that you just have the vibrant, soft green beans


Add the drained chickpeas, and veggies to the pan and stir the mushrooms and brocolli through. Put all of this into a large bowl and add the drained bulghur wheat

Put the pan back on the heat again (add more oil or fry light if necessary)and add the chilli, garlic and diced red onion. Cook these over a low heat for a good 10 minutes. Sorry, but this time you do want to keep stirring as the garlic and onion go horribly bitter if they catch and you want them to be sweetly softened.

To this add your curry paste and 1/4 pint of water. Bring this up to a simmer and let it cook for somewhere between 3 and five minutes(ish)

Pour this into the chickpea and veg bowl and stir so that everything is coated in the curry mix

If you're doing this the night before then split into 3 medium tupperware tubs and once cool put in the fridge. It keeps easily for the next three days and you can either warm it through or have it cold.

Spring vegetable orzotto - Slimming world lighter lunches (dairy free, soya free)

I've not done much in the way of Slimming World posts of late, and to be honest my weight loss is all the worse for it. So last week I bit the bullet and returned to my planningy ways, making a big batch of this to keep in the fridge. Eaten while Harry napped it made me realise just how much easier it is to stay on plan when I actually eat a lunch as opposed to grazing and picking.

My problem with Slimming World is still that all treaty, low syn things are chock full of sweeteners that prompt my migraines, or dairy, soya or eggs which are all on our allergy list. Last week I was very honest (and nearly tearful) in group about just how hard I'm finding it and was hugely grateful for the support there.

I found this recipe online, but had to change it up to first off make it dairy free, and secondly to give it a bit more flavour - I've made it twice since the adaptation and am happy with it. According to the app, it works out as 1 syn per 4 portions.

You could use any combination of green veggies - I've used mange tout, brocolli, asparagus, broad beans, spinach and anything else we've had to hand. It's a great fridge bottom dish to use up those odds and ends languishing in the vegetable drawer.

Spring vegetable orzotto - dairy free, egg free, soya free (adapted from the Slimming World website)
Serves 4

Fry light
300g orzo
100g spinach, leaves picked
1 head brocolli, chopped
100g frozen peas
300 ml vegetable stock
500g broad beans
Big handful asparagus/ french beans
1 Red onion, finely chopped
2 tins anchovies in olive oil (entirely optional, I know some people abhor them)
2 chillis, deseeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Cook the orzo in a ban of boiling, salted water. Once cooked (about 9 minutes) drain and set aside
At the same time, cook the spinach, brocolli, peas - and if you're using asparagus, the bottom of the stems in 300ml of veg stock (I use Marigold bouillon) for 5 minutes
Allow to cool - don't drain. Once cool pour the lot into a food processor or blender and whizz up. Put this to one side
Drain both tins of anchovies of oil, and chop the anchovies finely - put one tins worth to one side.
Spray a big frying pan liberally with fry light and over a medium heat soften the onion, garlic, chilli and one tin of chopped anchovies for about 10 minutes
Add the orzo to the pan, and then pour in the blended vegetable puree and stir to warm everything through
Stir in the second tin of anchovies, add pepper. Taste, and add salt if necessary - oddly I find it does need salt in addition.

I have this as is, eaten off my knees while Harry naps. It's also lovely at room temperature as a pasta salad, and if you're having it cold it goes really nicely with chopped tomatoes.

I'm linking this up with Pasta Please - hosted this month by Slice Off Me and Tinned Tomatoes  

Have you made anything from the Slimming World website? What are your favourites?

Slimming World lighter lunches - syn free beans

This post continues on my lighter lunches themes - so meals I can either pack up and take out, or eat at home that I know are dairy free, soya free and syn free.

Baked beans from a tin are syn free, but to be honest, unless they're heavily doused in cheese and on a baked potato or I'm using them to eke out a cottage pie they're not something I typically choose to eat. My beans, cooked in the slow cooker are low faff, make loads and taste amazing. Although the dried chillis I'm currently using are hotter than hell and not to be recommended unless that suits your tastebuds. 

Slow cooker baked beans

2 red onions, diced

2 large carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 peppers - I used red and yellow, diced

Handful of mushrooms, diced

1 red chilli - fresh or dried (I leave dried chillis whole, and chop fresh ones)

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 jar passata

Big splodge tomato puree

2 tins mixed beans

Put the vegetables, garlic, chilli, tomatoes, passata, tomato puree and beans in the slow cooker

Cook on high for 4 hours

Remove the lid and allow to cook for another hour

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can do these on the hob or in the oven on low. Get a casserole dish with a lid (Or fashion one out of a double layer of tin foil).

Spray your casserole with fry light, and soften your onion, fresh chilli if using and garlic for 10 minutes over a low heat

Add the other veggies and cook for another 5-10 minutes until softened

Add the tomatoes, passata, beans, tomato puree and dried chilli

Put the lid on and cook on a very low heat on the hob for an hour, or in the oven on 120 degrees for 2 hours (if you're doing it in the oven why not put some baked potatoes in too)

Serve as they are, or as an accompaniment for Slimming World sausages or meatballs, or on wholemeal toast (Healthy Extra B). If I weren't dairy free, I'd top them with some grated cheese as my Healthy Extra A stirred in so it goes all melty.