Tag: vegetarian recipe

Pasta with broccoli

Sustainability tips:

This is a very quick and sustainable recipe with only two ingredients: pasta and broccoli. For those who like whole wheat, the short pasta used in this recipe is available also in a whole wheat version which I have tried and is pretty good. Any type of short pasta will work. Below are some additional tips to go more sustainable for those who have the time and availability .

Ingredient
More Sustainable
Less Sustainable

Broccoli

Fresh/Organic

Frozen/Regular

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • Enough broccoli for 3-4 portions
  • 250-320 g of short pasta-regular or whole wheat-adjust based on personal preferences
  • One table spoon of olive oil
  • Half teaspoon of red chili pepper (optional)

Procedure

  1. Remove the hard part and wash the broccoli
  2. Transfer broccoli into a pot and cover them with lightly salted water
  3. Boil until broccoli are tender, they need to be well cooked
  • Heat the oil in a pan
  • Add red chili (optional)
  • Add boiled broccoli and cook for a few minutes smashing them, I use a hand-held blender at the end to make the sauce more creamy
  • Add salt if necessary
  • Cook the pasta in salty water
  • When ready toss the pasta in the pan with the broccoli for one minute

Enjoy!

Yellow lentils with spinach (dal palak)

Sustainability tips:

This recipe requires a few ingredients such as yellow lentils (toor dal), garam masala, and hing that can be found in Indian grocery stores. Yellow lentils can also be found at regular grocery stores depending on where you live. Hing (asafoetida) and garam masala can be skipped if they are not available where you live and replaced with available spices. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Spinach usually require a lot of pesticides, choosing organic spinach helps reducing the use of pesticides in agriculture. It is also better to avoid produce packaged in plastic bags.

I’ll be happy to send you entirely upcycled produce and grocery bags. Check them out here and let me know if you need any.

Useful things to have ready
  • I suggest to rinse and soak the yellow lentil for about 8 hours before boiling, however is not required. After soaking them they can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two before cooking.
  • Washed and chopped spinach (click here to see how to wash fresh spinach)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • Yellow lentils (toor dal, 1 fistful/person + 1 more)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
  • Ginger (fresh or powder)
  • 1 green chili (optional)
  • red chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida-hing (optional)
  • One bunch of spinach or half bag of frozen spinach
  • Salt
  • One table spoon of vegetable oil

Procedure

  1. Drain and rinse the lentils
  2. Boil for 15-20 minute in little water, just enough to cover them
  3. Chop the spinach
  4. Smash the garlic clove
  5. In a wok heat the oil
  6. When the oil is hot add the cumin seeds
  7. Add red chili powder, ginger, garlic, green chili, hing
  • Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add garam masala and turmeric powder
  • Add yellow lentils with some of the water
  • Add salt
  • Simmer for 10 minutes until it reaches desired consistency

This is usually accompanied to rice (white or brown), or whole wheat bread