Quinoa & Bulgur Wheat Mixed Veg Stew

Serves: 4

Time: 45 minutes 

A warming stew on a chilly autumn day is just perfect and I love this meal for adding lots of plant points. The tomatoey flavour is gorgeous and the veg gives it a nice bite. It’s perfect as a standalone meal and works great as a filling and nutritious lunch or dinner. It’s the perfect meal to batch cook ahead of the week and store in the fridge until you’re ready to heat it up.

Ingredients: 

• 150g quinoa & bulgur wheat (I use the mixed bag from Tesco). You could also just use all quinoa or all bulgur wheat 

• Tablespoon of olive oil 

• 1 onion 

• 1 shallot 

• 4 garlic cloves (chopped finely) 

• 3 carrots 

• Handful of broccoli florets (cut small) 

• Handful of cauliflower florets (cut small) 

• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 

• 400g can of chopped tomatoes  

• 400g can of chickpeas

• 500ml of veg stock 

• 300ml (approx.) of water  

• 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika 

• 1 tablespoon of mixed herbs 

• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes 

• Juice of half a lime 

• Tablespoon of nutritional yeast 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

Cooking Steps: 

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. 

2. Add the onion, shallot, garlic, carrots, and chilli flakes and stir occasionally until starting to soften. 

3. Once softened, stir in the tomato paste and can of tomatoes. Then add the veg stock, smoked paprika, herbs, and quinoa & bulgur wheat. Also add the 300ml of water. Stir it all well and cover with a lid on a gentle simmer at a low heat for 20 minutes. 

4. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and add the broccoli and cauliflower and chickpeas. Increase the heat slightly and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until the veg has all softened.  

5. Add salt and pepper to your taste, and squeeze in the lime juice. Stir in the nutritional yeast and continue to stir it over a low heat now.  

6. Serve with some chopped fresh basil and enjoy!