A Modern Way to Eat: Over 200 satisfying, everyday vegetarian recipes

2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup

1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce or tamari

a splash of white wine vinegar

FOR THE BROTH

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

a thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into matchsticks

1 veg stock cube, or 1 tablespoon veg stock powder

1 head of spring greens, destalked and shredded

a handful of shimeji mushrooms (about 150g)

a handful of enoki mushrooms (about 150g)

250g dried udon noodles

Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.

Put the walnuts on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 5–10 minutes, until just browned and smelling great. Take out and leave to one side to cool.

Now get the broth going. Put the spring onions, ginger and veg stock cube or powder into a pan with 2 litres of water, place on the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the greens and mushrooms and turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, bring another pan of water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook for 6–8 minutes (or follow the instructions on the packet).

Pulse the toasted walnuts in a food processor until they resemble very coarse breadcrumbs. Mix with the other walnut miso paste ingredients.

Once the noodles are cooked, drain and divide them between two bowls. Ladle over the hot broth (about 2 ladles for each bowl) and pop a generous spoonful of walnut miso in the middle of each and stir in.

Restorative coconut broth

There are some evenings when I feel like I’ve absorbed the day. When all the frenetic activity around me has somehow seeped in. Whenever I am feeling off centre and need some calming, this is what I have for dinner. The clean white of this broth is like a blanket on a cold night and whispers away the hustle and bustle. The coconut milk calms and soothes, the chilli boosts and wakens, the lime leaves and lemongrass cleanse, and veg add fuel and freshness.

I pick up bundles of lemongrass and lime leaves whenever I see them. If you haven’t used them before you will be amazed at the powerful citrus depth they impart in minutes. If you use them frequently you can keep them in the fridge, where they will last about a month. If you are less likely to use them up that fast, pop them into the freezer – they keep well and can be used from frozen.

SERVES 4

2 × 400g tins of coconut milk

1 veg stock cube, or 1 tablespoon veg stock powder

4 sticks of lemongrass

optional: 4 lime leaves

1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

1 red chilli, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons coconut sugar (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) or golden caster sugar

a bunch of fresh coriander

4 generous handfuls (about 250g) of green leaves, shredded (spring greens, pak choi, cavolo nero)

2 handfuls (about 120g) of mushrooms (enoki, shitake, oyster or sliced chestnut would do well)

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

juice of 2 limes

Pour the coconut milk into a large pan and add a canful of water and the stock cube or powder. Bash the lemongrass with a rolling pin until it’s smashed, to help release the flavours more quickly. Add to the pan with the lime leaves (if using), shallot, garlic, chilli and sugar. Cut the roots off the coriander and add these too.

Push all the aromatics into the liquid so they are covered and turn the heat on under the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then allow to bubble for 15 minutes, until you have an intensely flavoured coconut broth.

Take the pan off the heat and sieve the broth into a bowl, discarding all the aromatics (they have done their work now). Then pour the broth back into the pan. Add the shredded greens and mushrooms, and warm through for 2–3 minutes. Then take off the heat and add the soy sauce and lime juice.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the roughly chopped coriander leaves. I like the neatness of this simple, soothing soup on its own, but if you are hungry, try adding some cooked soba noodles.

Sweet tomato and black bean tortilla bowls

I love Mexican food for its attention to different textures and its layers of flavour, crunch, softness, creaminess, citrus punch and chilli heat, and that’s what I like about this bowl.

The soupy-stew is great on its own, but when you top it with popping roasted tomatoes, buttery avocado and even a perfectly poached egg it becomes a serious team of flavours in a bowl. Don’t be fooled by the title – this is not one of those sketchy bowls made from a baked tortilla that you see in dodgy Mexican restaurants.

Smoked paprika is a good friend – if I can find any excuse to shake some of the sweet smoky stuff on to my food, I will. Last year I visited my holy grail: the chilli fields of La Vera in Spain. Over the years I have been lucky enough to tour a bunch of different artisans and producers, but this was my favourite one of all – fields and fields of brave red chillies, picked by hand and carted to huge kilns in a beautiful old smokery in the middle of the fields, where fires were lit below ceilings made of wire racks holding thousands of chillies, to smoke them and get that wonderful taste.

SERVES 4

1 medium sweet potato, washed and chopped into little pieces

20 cherry tomatoes, halved

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive or rapeseed oil

a bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika