Veggie delight

#Eat Plentiful 42

I knew I needed to ride the healthy wave whilst it was strong…last week I got completely wiped out. We went on our annual ski holiday to Austria with my school friends and their families, one of my favourite holidays but also one of the most tiring ones: alcohol, much later and bigger dinners than my quick 7pm just about sit down dinner with Woody. On top of that, the day before travelling home, I also got some kind of stomach bug, spent a full 24 hours not leaving my bed hoping to be well enough to travel the following day. The following day, we missed our flight home after spending 4 hours stuck in traffic and made it home a good 12 hours after leaving our start point. So here I am, returning from my holidays feeling tired and still not 100%, everything I had hoped for haha. The plus side, no need for a post holiday detox, the stomach bug took care of that.

Anyway, I must have been extremely unwell as for the first time since a very long time, I could not even bare to look at food. I’ve been slowly easing back into it one piece of toast at the time.

I also realised I do not eat that much meat anymore, and felt a different in my energy eating it almost everyday during the holidays. Unsurprisingly, when I got home, I craved veggies so that’s what I treated myself to.

First one was Tortang Talong (aka aubergine omelette), the name is to good not to use it. Apparently from the Philippines, I must have seen it somewhere in my feed and it stuck in my mind. It’s an easy lunch or dinner and depending on if you have a gas cooker or not it can be a quick one also.

Tortang Talong

Cooking time: 20 mins

For 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 x medium-size aubergines

• 3 x Eggs

• 1 tbsp soya sauce

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• Mint and coriander to garnish

• Chili oil

• Seed oil for frying

• Sesame oil

• Chinese vinegar

Instructions

1. Whole roast the aubergine directly over a gas flame for 10mins, until the skin is blackened and charred. Alternatively, you can do this in an oven grill (20-30mins)

2. Peel and flatten the aubergine. The skin should flake off easily. Then run a fork gently down the aubergine, flattening the flesh while keeping it all intact. 

3. Whisk up the egg mixture with eggs, minced garlic cloves, fish sauce (optional), soya sauce, salt and pepper

4. Dip the aubergine into the egg mixture making sure it’s absorbing most of the mixture.

5. Fry the tortang talong in oil until browned and crispy. 

6. Optional, serve with herb salad with quickly dressed with some sesame oil and Chinese vinegar and a spoonful or chilli oil.

Lemony parmesan spinach

Cooking time: 10 mins

For 2 people

Spinach holds a special place in my heart, I absolutely love it, especially the large rough type rather than store bought smaller leaves. Not only is it super versatile (smoothies, omelettes, blended in pasta sauce, simply fried), it’s one the best vegetables you can treat yourself to. This recipe is currently my favourite way of eating it, it’s so good. Have it as a side or simply as a light lunch.

Ingredients:

• a good spoonful of butter

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely width size

• 500gr fresh spinach leaves, washed (don’t worry about them being wet, it helps cook better)

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 150gr grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Spinach.Wash the spinach leaves under cold water and drain.

2. Heat butter in a frying pan over medium heat.

3. Sauté Garlic: Add garlic to the pan and sauté for about 1 minute until it becomes fragrant. Don’t let it brown too much.

4. Add Spinach: Gradually add the spinach leaves to the pan, stirring continuously. As the spinach begins to wilt, add more until all the spinach is in the pan. This process should take about 2-3 minutes.

5. Season with Lemon Zest and Juice: Once all the spinach is wilted, add the lemon zest and lemon juice to the skillet. Stir well to coat the spinach evenly with the lemon flavor.

6. Add Parmesan Cheese: Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the spinach and stir until the cheese is melted and distributed throughout the dish. Season with Salt and Pepper

7. Serve: Once the spinach is nicely wilted and coated with the lemony Parmesan flavor, remove the skillet from the heat. Serve the wilted spinach and enjoy.

Until next time, with a smile :)