Coconut Rice with Lemon-Agave Stir-Fry

• Ingredients
  • 150g brown rice
  • 3/4 C vegetable stock
  • 1/2 C coconut milk
  • 250g sweet potato, cut into chips + 1 tbsp oil
  • 125g broccoli heads
  • 100g courgette, cut into batons
  • 1/2 medium sized red onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 inch ginger, grated
  • oil for wok
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
  • 1-2 tbsp quality soy sauce

• Directions/Method
  1. First preheat the oven to 200C (400F) and then start the rice. Be sure to follow the instructions given for the rice you’re using. For a basic brown rice, the cooking time should be about 30 minutes and the quantities provided above will be accurate. Adjust liquid content as needed, using a similar ratio of stock to coconut milk. To cook add to saucepan and simmer, covered, on low.
  2. Cut the sweet potato into thick chips and toss in the tablespoon of oil. Once the oven is pre-heated, bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is just browning around the edges.
  3. While the sweet potato is cooking, prepare the vegetables for the stir fry. Cut the broccoli heads into small-ish pieces, the courgette into 2-3 inch batons, and the onion into 1/4 inch slices.
  4. In a small bowl mix the lemon juice, agave, soy sauce, and chili (if using). If you don’t have agave you can also use regular sugar, but be sure it dissolves evenly in the lemon juice.
  5. Heat your wok until near smoking and add a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the broccoli and stir-fry about one minute before adding the courgette and onion. Fry for another 3-4 minutes before turning the heat down a little and adding the garlic and ginger. Stir fry a further 20-30 seconds and finally add the lemon-agave sauce.
  6. Serve the stir-fry on a bed of the coconut rice, arranged with the roasted sweet potato chips, and enjoy while steaming hot!

Creamy Risotto with Roast Asparagus

• Risotto ingredients
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 225g risotto rice
  • 1.5 litres homemade vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • vegan butter
  • Avocado, diced (optional)

• Roasted Asparagus ingredients
  • 125g asparagus
  • olive oil
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • sea salt
  • pepper (optional)

• Directions/Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C. In an oven proof dish drizzle the asparagus generously with olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
  2. While the asparagus is roasting, you can make the risotto. Begin by frying the onion and garlic in olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan until soft. Add the risotto rice and fry for a minute.
  3. Turn down the heat to a medium simmer. Add the stock 1 cup at a time, stirring often, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15-20 minutes. How will you know if/when it’s done? Taste it! It’s like pasta in that you need to sample the goods to check the texture and consistency to see if it’s ready.
  4. Remove from heat and split the risotto between two dishes. Add thin slices of non dairy butter on top of the rice (I used about 1 tablespoon each).
  5. Remove the asparagus from the oven and place on top of the risotto. Sprinkle lemon juice over the asparagus.
  6. If using, add avocado cubes.
  7. Serve and enjoy!