Minimum time, maximum flavour

Durban — Healthy Made Simple is the latest book by British food writer Ella Mills.

Her previous book, Deliciously Ella, was a hit with more than 15 million copies sold.

In her latest book Mills says: “Getting a nutritious, delicious meal on the table doesn’t have to be hard ‒ or take hours ‒ with speedy recipes designed to inspire and empower you to take charge of your health.”

If you are short on time then one of the chapters, “Cook Once Eat Twice”, is just for you.

Mills says this chapter is all about small changes and simple habits that can make life easier for your future self; asking yourself what can I do today that will make life easier tomorrow? The recipes give you a delicious dinner and the leftovers can double up as lunch for the next day or you can stock your freezer so that you have a two-minute dinner later in the week. The meals are suitable for vegans and anyone hoping to get more delicious plant-based dishes on the table. Happy cooking.

Simple Veggie and Apricot Tagine

Serves 2

Time: 20 minutes

What you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 red onions, cut into small wedges

4 carrots, cut into small cubes

2 courgettes, halved and finely sliced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2x400g tins of chopped tomatoes

150g dried apricots, roughly chopped

700ml vegetable stock

230g giant couscous

2 tablespoons harissa

Sea salt and black pepper

How to make it:

Put the olive oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat and add onion, carrot and courgette and fry for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are just starting to soften and colour slightly.

Tip in the cumin and cinnamon and fry for 30 seconds until they smell fragrant. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, dried apricots and stock and bring to the boil.

Stir in the couscous, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the couscous is tender.

Stir through the harissa and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Suggestions: Serve with a green salad on the side.

Roasted cauliflower, fennel, tomato and puy lentil tray bake

Serves 4

Time: 30 minutes

What you need

Cauliflower, tough outer leaves discarded, cut into bite-sized florets

Fennel bulb halved lengthwise and cut into 1cm wedges, fronds reserved

500g cherry tomatoes

150ml olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

Bunch of basil (about 25g) leaves torn

500g cooked puy lentils or 2x400g tins of green lentils drained and rinsed

Sea salt and black pepper

How to make it

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
2. In a medium bowl, toss the cauliflower, fennel, cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, a big pinch of salt and some black pepper, then spread everything out on a large baking tray. The vegetables need to be in a single layer, so that they roast rather than steam, so use two baking trays if you don't have one big enough. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or just until tender and charred at the edges.
3. To make the dressing, whisk together the remaining 120ml of olive oil, the garlic, lemon zest and juice, thyme, oregano and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir half the dressing through the lentils and set the rest aside.
4. Once the vegetables are cooked, stir through the lentils, drizzle over the remaining dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Creamy black bean, harissa and almond butter stew

Serves 4

Time: 30 minutes

What you need

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, halved and finely sliced

1 aubergine, finely diced into 1cm cubes

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1x400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons harissa, plus extra to serve

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

1x 400ml hot vegetable stock

2 heaped tablespoons smooth almond butter

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Grated zest and juice of juicy limes

Sea salt and black pepper

How to make it

1. Put the olive oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the shallot and aubergine and a pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, black beans and harissa and fry for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Pour in the coconut milk, stock, almond butter and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then put the lid on the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
3. Stir in the lime zest and juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Swirl an extra tablespoon of harissa through the stew to serve (if you’d like a little extra spice).

Suggestion: It’s great on its own for a light supper or for something a bit more substantial, serve it with jasmine rice, jacket potatoes or crispy cauliflower.

NOTE: To make crispy cauliflower, simply chop into small florets, place them on a baking tray with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and roast in an oven preheated to 200°C fan for about 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Independent on Saturday