Planet Veggie

I picked up a bargain three vegan and vegetarian cookbooks from The Works in the Designer Outlet last week for under a tenner. One of them was Vegan – 100 Everyday Recipes which has 100 vegan recipes, each accompanied by a colour photo – and all for only £1.99. Today I made the spicy courgette & rice soup for lunch and I’m planning to make the smoky bean chimichangas for dinner from the same book if not tonight, then one day this week, as I want to eat less dairy and eat more vegan food but, sshh, don’t tell The Meat Eater.

Spicy courgette & rice soup (serves 4)

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1.5 litres vegan stock
2 courgettes, cut into bite-sized chunks
4 tbsp rice
salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the chilli powder and cumin and cook over a medium-low heat for 1 minute.
2. Stir in the stock, courgettes and rice, then cook over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until the courgettes are just tender and the rice is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.