Another Lunch: Green Curry Creamed Potatoes, Beans, Peanuts with Spinach, Peas and Onions

Die deutsche Übersetzung findet ihr unter dem englischen Rezept!

Would I even consider this a real recipe? No. It's just the panic-y "I don't want to go grocery shopping - what's left in pantry and freezer?" meal. But you never know if anyone can is it as inspiration! After all, it's a quick and easy lunch.

Thai Noodle Soup

Die deutsche Übersetzung findet ihr unter dem englischen Rezept!

Okay, okay, I call it Thai, but this is not an "authentic" (whatever that may mean) Thai recipe. But there is a deli near my work where I go once a week with my colleagues and one of the two (vegan) things that I like there is their "Thai soup". So I tried to recreate the recipe and added a thing or two.

Filled curry bell peppers with quinoa

Die deutsche Übersetzung findet ihr unter dem englischen Rezept!

I had a request for a "not boring" recipe of filled bell peppers on my facebook page a while ago... and here is my take on "not boring filled bell peppers." :)

I was making up the recipe as I cooked, so these ingredients are all in the dish,
but, for example, not the whole cauliflower. 

Easy: Creamy Spinach with Chickpeas and Peanuts

Deutsche Übersetzung unter dem englischen Rezept!

So, I am not in my usual kitchen environment. Instead of enjoying the beautiful Ruhrgebiet, I am in New York City! Only temporarily, though. I am still settling in and finding my way around, particularly in the supermarkets, but I am glad to have access to a kitchen in the apartment in which I'm subletting a room. I had originally intended to make something along the lines of my world famous (ok, it's not... yet!) Sesame Spinach, but since I couldn't find any sesame seeds, I had to come up with something else. And I like what happened as I threw together my very, very limited selection of food items. Getting set up in a kitchen without having anything in the pantry or fridge whatsoever is quite the challenge. But it worked! :D

Thai Pasta Salad

Die deutsche Übersetzung steht unter dem englischen Rezept!

Mondays are always a bit of a challenge: I always prepare a lunch for work for my colleague and myself... but I want to vary what I bring. So I keep my eyes open for new ideas and suggestions. Today, the Vegan Food Nerd came to my rescue. Their dish inspired me to pick up some of the basic ingredients they used and to come up with something new myself. :)

This is not actually a Thai recipe. But the nice noodles, coconut milk, and red Thai curry paste made me call it that! :D

Ingredients for 6 generous portions:

• 400g of rice noodles (the type that looks like fettuccine, about 4mm, ca. 1/6 in)
• 300g of soy sprouts
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, green)
• 1 large zucchini
• 250g of snowpeas
• 1l of coconut milk
• some oil (for example sunflower)
• 2 tablespoons of red Thai curry paste - if you like it hotter, use more (double check the ingredients! Curry pastes are not always vegan/vegetarian!)
• some soy sauce
• some salt
• 2 limes
• 100g of (unsalted) peanuts 
• 400g of tofu (it's the squishy type which I buy at the Asian supermarket, not the firm stuff)

You will also need: A big pot, a deep-fryer. If you don't have a deep-fryer, I suppose you can also fry the tofu in a pan, but it won't be quite as nice.

Curry Coconut Milk Potatoes with Spinach and Cauliflower

Yet another Tuesday work lunch! Monday nights are always a bit of a challenge because I want to cook something nice for my colleague and myself. Something that can easily be taken to work, heated up, and then eaten. And since my friend - unlike me - does not appreciate the taste of meat (and never has), I always want to make sure I make a wholesome, nice meal without making it seem like I'm just bringing side dishes. Curries and chilis are the obvious choice... and for today I did another curry based dish, but a little different from the green Thai curry or the regular tomato based curry. I have something similar every time we are at the Indian restaurant with my boyfriend's parents, ... except they put much more garlic in there. Which I like. But I don't really consider that a great idea for work lunches. So, if you eat this in the privacy of your home or do not care if your breath wreaks havoc on humanity: Don't forget to throw in as much garlic as you like!

Die deutsche Übersetzung findet ihr unter dem englischen Rezept!

Ingredients for 5-6 servings:

• 1kg of potatoes
• 1 cauliflower
• 500g of spinach
• 1l coconut milk
• 3 onions
• massaman curry paste
• some coconut oil 
• salt - if necessary. I didn't use any because I was happy with the salt content of my curry paste
• optional: fresh garlic (preferably chopped finely and added to the pot along with the onions)