Vegan Chickpea, Aubergine and Spinach Curry

Vegan Chickpea, Aubergine and Spinach Curry

We hope you’ve been enjoying these tasty #KentWellbeingIdeas to get you through lockdown. Today we give you our fourth and final recipe in our Veganuary series – chickpea, aubergine, and spinach curry!

This delicious veggie curry’s a sure-fire winter winner. With golden aubergine, earthy chickpeas, fresh spinach, and a fragrant coconut sauce, this dish is packed with flavour and texture. Plus, it’s really quick and easy to make!

If you’d like to see more recipes from us, please drop us an email at catering@kent.ac.uk. Kent has some brilliant chefs on hand to help create tasty, budget-friendly recipes. Just let us know what you want covered and we’ll get working on it.

In the meantime, keep safe and healthy!

Vegan Chickpea, Aubergine and Spinach Curry

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
• 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 5cm piece root ginger, very finely chopped
• 1 aubergine, chopped into roughly 2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 400g can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• ½ tbsp ground turmeric
• 400ml coconut milk
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 115g baby spinach
• ½ lemon, juice
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds (optional)
• crushed chilli flakes (optional)
• naan bread (optional)

Recipe:
1. Prepare the ingredients and have them ready in front of you – it will make cooking much easier.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat until hot. Add the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Add the aubergine and soy sauce and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. Add 5 tbsp water and cook for a further 5 minutes. The aubergine should be soft; if it isn’t, cook for a little longer.
4. Add the chickpeas, curry powder, turmeric, coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, spinach, lemon juice and black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Divide between 4 bowls and garnish with the toasted flaked almonds and chilli flakes, if using. Serve with naan bread or rice.

Top tip: You can easily toast flaked almonds in the oven. Heat the oven to 190 C / 170 C fan. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a large baking tray. Toast them for five to 10 minutes, shaking the baking tray a few times to redistribute the almonds so they brown evenly. Pull them from the oven just as they turn golden brown and aromatic. Leave the toasted almonds to fully cool on the tray before transferring to a container.

Did you have a go at this recipe? If yes, high five! Well done you! Why not share your attempt on Instagram and tag us @unikentfood?

And finally, don’t forget the Student Support and Wellbeing team are on hand to support you if you’re experiencing distress arising from psychological, emotional or mental health issues. Visit their website for more information and advice. Alternatively, follow @UniKentSSW on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for bitesize guidance and information to help you keep calm during lockdown.

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Are you in need of more #KentWellbeingIdeas to get you through lockdown? Well, how about this rich, hearty vegan shepherd’s pie, topped with fluffy sweet potato and herby breadcrumbs?

Not only is this pie veg-packed and delicious, but it’s also full of plant-based protein thanks to the lentils and beans. Legumes are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre, they’re also full of B vitamins and many other important vitamins and minerals.

For this recipe you’re going to need two very large saucepans and one large oven-proof casserole dish (it serves a lot of people!) – it’s a great dish to cook and share with your housemates. Alternatively, you can cook it for yourself and store any leftovers in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 600g Maris Piper potatoes, cut into rough 3cm chunks
• 600g sweet potatoes, cut into rough 3cm, chunks
• 40g dairy-free margarine
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ a bunch of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from tthe stalks
• 350g mushrooms (button or chestnut work well)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
• vegan red wine (optional)
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 1 x 400g tin of lentils
• 1 x 400g tin of flageolet beans (or chickpeas)
• 1 tsp marmite
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped
• 30 g fresh breadcrumbs

Recipe:

1. Prepare the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and potatoes and have them ready in front of you – it will make cooking much easier.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil (large enough to fit 1.2kg of potatoes). Add the Maris Piper potatoes and boil for about 15 minutes or until tender, adding the sweet potatoes after 5 minutes.
4. Drain and leave to steam dry, then return to the pan (off the heat) with the margarine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash until smooth, then set aside.
5. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring regularly.
6. Add the chopped mushrooms, ground coriander, thyme leaves and balsamic vinegar (if using) to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Add a splash of wine (roughly 120ml, if using), turn up the heat, and allow to bubble for a few minutes.
8. Add the stock, lentils, flageolet beans (juice and all) and marmite, and allow to bubble for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced. You might want to add extra stock if you didn’t add the wine.
9. Season to taste, then transfer to a baking dish (roughly 25cm x 30cm).
10. Spread the mash potato over the top, scuffing it up with the back of a fork.
11. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and chopped rosemary over the mash, then place in the hot oven for around 10 minutes, or until piping hot through.
12. Place under the grill for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.

Top tip: You can make fresh breadcrumbs using toast or very stale bread. Simply grate the dry bread using a cheese grater or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Just remember to let the bread fully cool if you’re using toast.

Did you have a go at this recipe? If yes, high five! Well done you! Why not share your attempt on Instagram and tag us @unikentfood?

And finally, don’t forget the Student Support and Wellbeing team are on hand to support you if you’re experiencing distress arising from psychological, emotional or mental health issues. Visit their website for more information and advice. Alternatively, follow @UniKentSSW on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for bitesize guidance and information to help you keep calm during lockdown.

Vegan Greek-Style Aubergine Stew

Vegan Greek-Style Aubergine Stew

We’re back with another tasty wellbeing idea to get you through lockdown. This time we have a recipe for a delicious veg-packed aubergine stew. Topped with a dollop of vegan yogurt and served with some crusty bread, this stew makes a healthy and nutritious vegan meal – perfect for Veganuary!

This is one of those glorious recipes that gets better with time, so if you have any leftover, stick it in the fridge and enjoy for lunch the next day. You can serve this dish with rice or couscous, but it also goes well with a hunk of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Vegan Greek-Style Aubergine Stew

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine (roughly 350g), cut into 1.5cm cubes
• salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ¼ black pepper
• 2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 400g can chickpeas (reserve the canning liquid)
• flat leaf parsley to serve (optional)
• vegan yogurt to serve (optional)
• crusty bread to serve (optional)

Recipe:

1. Prepare all the ingredients and have them ready in front of you – again, it always makes cooking much easier.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / 180 degrees C (fan).
3. Place the aubergine cubes in a colander (or large sieve) over a large bowl or directly over the sink, and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes and allow the aubergine to “sweat out” any bitterness. Rinse with water and pat dry.
4. In a large oven-proof casserole dish or stock pot, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions, peppers, and chopped carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Add the garlic, bay leaf (if using), spices, and a dash of salt. Cook for another minute, stirring until fragrant.
6. Now add the aubergine, chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, and reserved chickpea liquid. Stir to combine.
7. Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid (or some foil) and transfer to the oven.
8. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes until the aubergine is fully cooked through to very tender. (While the aubergine is cooking, be sure to check on it once or twice to see if it needs more liquid. If so, remove from the oven briefly and stir in about 100ml of water at a time.) If you feel the stew is too wet, leave it uncovered in the oven for a little longer.
9. When the aubergine is ready, remove it from the oven and garnish with some freshly chopped parsley (optional).
10. Serve it hot with a side of vegan yogurt, or vegan tzatziki, and some bread (again, optional).

Top tip: This dish would go exceptionally well with couscous or rice. You could also use the left-over bell pepper for crudites with hummus.

Did you have a go at this recipe? If yes, high five! Well done you! Why not share your attempt on Instagram and tag us @unikentfood?

And finally, don’t forget the Student Support and Wellbeing team are on hand to support you if you’re experiencing distress arising from psychological, emotional or mental health issues. Visit their website for more information and advice. Alternatively, follow @UniKentSSW on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for bitesize guidance and information to help you keep calm during lockdown.

Vegan Spanish Paella

Vegan Spanish Paella

Lockdown can be a time of uncertainty, isolation, and boredom; but it can also be an opportunity to have fun, experiment, and practice self-care. It’s important to get involved in activities that help boost your mood and make you feel good.

This January, we’re teaming up with Student Support and Wellbeing to provide you with some tasty #KentWellbeingIdeas. We’ll be bringing you some delicious vegan recipes to get you through lockdown and Veganuary.

Cooking can have a great impact on your wellbeing. The actual act of making sustenance for yourself and taking the time to feed your body is significant. It not only nourishes you, but it sends yourself a message that you are important. If you’re cooking good food for yourself, cooking can be very nourishing to yourself, and that’s very important!

Now, before we anger some Spaniards, this dish is not an authentic paella. Instead, it’s an easy, healthy, budget-friendly version of the popular rice dish – no big paella pans, no expensive saffron, and no fiddly seafood. This dish is not only suitable for vegans but, if you use gluten free stock, it’s gluten free too!

Vegan Spanish Paella

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped into roughly 1.5cm squares
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsps dried marjoram
• 200g arborio (risotto) rice
• 850ml vegetable stock
• 125g frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to season

Recipe:
1. Prepare all the ingredients and have them ready in front of you – it always makes cooking much easier.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When quite hot, sauté the onion and peppers for about 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Keep moving the ingredients around the pan so the garlic doesn’t stick and burn.
4. Add the spices, marjoram and rice. Cook for 1 minute. Again, keep moving the ingredients around the pan so the spices don’t stick and burn.
5. Pour in all the stock and bring to the boil, stirring well. It will look very wet, but don’t worry – risotto rice absorbs a lot of liquid. Add seasoning to taste and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes. Halfway through cooking, stir of shake the pan only once.
6. Add the frozen peas and return to cook for another 3 minutes.
7. Allow to stand, covered and off the heat, for 5 minutes.
8. Dish up and serve with lemon wedges, a sprinkle of flat leaf parsley, and some crusty bread if desired.

Top tip: For an extra hit of protein, why not add some vegan “chicken” pieces, or some slices of vegan “chorizo”.

Did you have a go at this recipe? If yes, high five! Well done you! Why not share your attempt on Instagram and tag us @unikentfood?

And finally, if you’re finding these uncertain times particularly challenging, please know that you are not alone and there are people to help you. The Student Support and Wellbeing team are on hand to support students with mental health issues, long term or temporary disabilities, and specific learning difficulties. Visit the Student Support and Wellbeing homepage for more information and advice. Alternatively, follow @UniKentSSW on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for bitesize guidance and information to help you keep calm during lockdown.