The important thing to remember when cooking with noodles is to fully drain the noodles after cooking them. The worse thing to do is serve a meal that tastes almost watered down because the noodles weren’t properly drained.

 
Ingredients
 
·        ½ tbsp coarse salt
·        ½ eight-ounce package soba or other thin wheat noodles
·        ½ cup Coconut Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)
·        1 package firm silken tofu
·        ⅛ cup soy sauce
·        ⅛ cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
·        1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
·        6 radishes, sliced paper thin
·        4 ounces jícama, peeled, cut into 1-inch-long matchsticks
·        ½ cup sprouts
 
1.     Fill a large pot with water and salt; bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, add soba noodles and cook until ready. Remove noodles into a large sieve and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Drain well.
2.     Take a large bowl and place noodles inside. Drizzle on peanut sauce until noodles are fully coated. Set aside.
3.     Cut tofu into 8 pieces and put two slices on each serving plate. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, and ginger. With a large spoon, drizzle soy mixture over tofu. Evenly place noodles on plates and top with radishes, jícama and sprouts.
 
Serves 4

Mustard seeds are used throughout India and are very popular in vegetarian cooking. To bring out the mustard seeds flavour they are fried in oil first before adding in with other ingredients.

 
Ingredients
 
·        6 tbsp vegetable oil
·        1 tsp mustard seeds
·        1 tsp ground cumin
·        1 tsp garam masala
·        1 tsp turmeric
·        2 garlic cloves, crushed
·        1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
·        1 green chili, seeded, membranes removed and sliced
·        1 medium cauliflower, rinsed and drained
·        1 pound spinach, rinsed and drained
·        6 tbsp vegetable stock
·        1 tbsp chopped cilantro
·        Salt and pepper, to taste
·        Cilantro sprigs, to garnish
 
1.     Place a large pot over medium-high heat; pour in vegetable oil. Once oil is heated, sprinkle in mustard seeds and fry until they begin to pop.
2.     Sprinkle in cumin, garam masala, turmeric, garlic cloves and sliced onion. Stir until well mixed and sauté for 3 minutes.
3.     Using a sharp knife, cut cauliflower into small florets and stir in with spices along with spinach, vegetable stock, cilantro and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, which shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes.
4.     Once tender, remove lid bring heat up to medium-high. Allow to boil until juices thicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
5.     Divide onto small serving dishes and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.
 
Serves 4

Stored in a dry place or fridge in a sealed container, it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

 
Ingredients
 
·        ½ cup raw almonds
·        ½ cup raw hazelnuts
·        ½ cup dried, pitted cherries
·        ½ cup raisins
·        ½ cup raw Brazil nuts
·        ¼ cup lightly salted sunflower seeds
·        ¼ cup lightly salted pumpkin seeds
·        ¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
·        ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)
·        Cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
 
1.     Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place almonds, hazelnuts, cherries, raisins and Brazil nuts into a container that has a lid.
2.     Spread sunflower and pumpkin seeds across a rimmed baking sheet and place into the oven. Toast for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Pour into the container along with dried apricots, chocolate chips, if using, and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, if using. 
3.     Place lid onto the container tightly and shake mixture together well.
 
Makes approximately 3 ½ cups

 

After cutting the potatoes into slices and shaping them into fries, rinse them under cold water to remove starch and to prevent them from sticking together. Another amazing tip that will make your fries taste even better is to soak them for 20 minutes in cold salted water, before cooking, which will make the fries crisper when they are cooked. Remember to drain them well and pat dry with paper towel. Want more flavour? Sprinkle cumin seeds over the fries right before serving for that extra zip.
 
Ingredients
 
·        4 large potatoes
·        2 sweet potatoes
·        4 tbsp butter
·        ½ tsp chili powder
·        1 tsp garam masala
·        Salt, to taste
 
1.     Scrub potatoes and sweet potatoes with a rough brush under warm water. Leaving the skins on, cut into slices about ½ inch thick, then shape them into fries.
2.     Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small pan over high heat, melt the butter and pour onto a cookie sheet. Spread out fries onto the butter coated cookie sheet. Making sure to turn the fries so all sides get coated, sprinkle on chilli powder and garam masala.
3.     Place baking sheet into the oven and cook for about 40 minutes, turning frequently.
4.     Once fries have browned and are crispy, place the fries on paper towels and dab them to remove the excess oil. Divide onto individual serving plates and serve immediately.
 
Serves 4

These chips are easy and quick to make and taste amazing with black bean dip. Kept in a warm oven on a baking sheet, the chips will keep for up to 2 hours before serving.

 
Ingredients
 
·        6 flour tortillas (each 7 ½ inches)
·        Cooking spray
·        Olive oil
 
1.     Place tortillas onto a cutting board and cut each tortilla into eight wedges.
2.     Working in batches or on several baking sheets, coat baking sheet(s) with cooking spray and arrange on tortilla slices, making sure they don’t overlap. Drizzle on a small amount of olive oil, barely enough to coat.
3.     Place into the oven, under a broiler. Bake until both sides are a golden brown colour and crisp, which shouldn’t take longer than 2 minutes per side. Transfer onto a cooling rack.
4.     Once cool, divide onto a platter or into bowls and serve with dip.
 
Makes 80 chips

Once you try this salad, you will wonder how you ever lived without it!

 
Stored in the fridge in an airtight container, it will keep for up to 1 day.
 
Ingredients
 
·        1 clove garlic, finely minced
·        1 small Thai Chili, finely chopped
·        1 cup long beans, cut into ½ inch pieces
·        4 cups green papaya, cut into short thin strips
·        8 cherry tomatoes, halved

·        2 limes, juiced
·        2 tbsp white sugar
·        ¼ cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
 
1.     In a medium bowl combine garlic, Thai chilli, beans, papaya and tomatoes together. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
2.     In a small bowl pour lime juice and sugar. Stir gently until the sugar has completely dissolved, be patient this could take a few minutes.
3.     Once sugar is dissolved drizzle mixture over salad and toss until dressing covers all fruit and vegetables. Divide into separate salad bowls or onto a large platter. Sprinkle unsalted peanuts over salad as garnish.
 
Serves 8