3 valentines recipes to cook at home

3 valentines recipes to cook at home

We'll all be dining in this Valentine's Day, but you can still make it special with these recipes - made with love, naturally! 

A delicious meal is the perfect way to mark the most romantic day of the year, no matter what your relationship status is. Behind plants (of course!), food is our one true love, so time to whip up a storm with these vegetarian meals from Hello Fresh.

Plant Based Massaman Meatball Curry

We love a good Plant Based Massaman Meatball Curry and this deliciously simple, chef-curated recipe doesn't disappoint. Time to bust out the pots and pans!

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

  • 1 Onion
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 pack Green Beans
  • 1 Spring Onion
  • 1 pot Salted Peanuts
  • 1 pack Vivera Plant Meatballs
  • 1 sachet Tomato Puree
  • 1 sachet Massaman Curry Paste
  • 200ml Coconut Milk
  • 150g Long Grain Rice

Method:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with a quarter tsp of salt for the rice. When boiling, add the rice and simmer until tender. Drain in a sieve.
  2. Meanwhile, halve, peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Trim the green beans then chop into thirds. Trim the spring onions then thinly slice. Roughly chop the peanuts.
  3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium frying pan on a medium high heat. When hot, add the Linda McCartney meatballs. Fry the balls turning frequently until golden and starting to brown all over.
  4. Once the balls are browned, add the chopped onion and green beans. Cook until tender, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the garlic, tomato puree and massaman curry paste, cook stirring frequently for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and stir together. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are tender. Add a splash of water to loosen if you need to. Once cooked, taste and season with salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.
  6. Share the rice between your bowls. Top with the curry. Sprinkle over the spring onion and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!

Refried Bean and Halloumi Tacos

We love Refried Bean & Halloumi Tacos with Mayo and this deliciously simple, chef-curated recipe doesn't disappoint. Time to bust out the pots and pans!

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

  • 1 pack Black Beans
  • 1 Garlic Clove
  • ½ Lime
  • 250g Halloumi
  • 1 sachet Tomato Puree
  • 1 sachet Chipotle Paste
  • 2 sachet Mayonnaise
  • 6 Flour Tortillas
  • 1 Baby Gem Lettuce
  • 100ml Water

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180℃.Drain and rinse the black beans in a colander. Pop a third of the beans in a bowl and mash with a fork until broken up. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Zest and halve the lime. Chop the halloumi into 2cm chunks.
  2. Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato purée, stir and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the water (see ingredients for amount) and add the whole and crushed beans. Mix together and cook for 3-4 mins.
  3. Add half the chipotle paste to the beans. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer until thickened, 2-3 mins.
  4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the halloumi and fry until golden, 6-7 mins. Turn every 2 mins. Meanwhile, mix the remaining chipotle paste and half the mayo in a small bowl.
  5. Pop the tacos (3 per person) directly onto the top shelf of the oven until heated through, 1-2 mins. Mix the remaining mayo with the lime zest Trim the root from the baby gem lettuce then half lengthways. Thinly slice widthways.
  6. Lay the tacos on a board or plate. Spread the chipotle mayo on the base of the tacos. Add a handful of lettuce to the base and squeeze over the lime juice. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the chipotle bean mix to each taco. Top with equal amounts of halloumi cubes, drizzle over the limey mayo. Serve 3 per person with any extra lime wedges for squeezing over. Dig in!

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

  • 1 Red Onion
  • 1 punnet Chestnut Mushrooms
  • 1 punnet Portobello Mushroom
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 bunch Flat Leaf Parsley
  • 1 sachet Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil for the dressing
  • 200g Penne Pasta
  • 1 sachet Vegetable Stock Powder
  • 100g Crème Fraîche
  • 1 bag Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
  • 1 bag Rocket
  • 150ml water for the sauce

Method:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with 0.5 tsp of salt. Halve, peel and thinly slice the red onion. Thinly slice the chestnut mushrooms and portobello mushrooms. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Finely chop the parsley (stalks and all). Pour half the the balsamic vinegar into a bowl, add the olive oil (see ingredient list for amount) and season with salt and pepper. Mix together and leave to the side.
  2. Add the penne to the boiling water, simmer until tender, 12 mins. When the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander, pop back into the pan, drizzle with a little oil and stir through to stop it sticking together. Set aside off the heat.
  3. While the pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, 6-7 mins. Once browned reduce the heat to medium low and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is nice and soft, 5-6 mins, then add the garlic, season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining balsamic vinegar, stir and cook until evaporated, 1 minute.
  4. Pour the water (see ingredient list for amount) into your frying pan and stir in the vegetable stock powder. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced, 5-6 mins, stir occasionally. Stir in the creme fraiche until well combined, bring back to the boil and add a good grind of black pepper. Remove from the heat.
  5. Add the drained pasta to the sauce along with three quarters of the hard Italian cheese and three quarters of the parsley. Stir everything together. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.
  6. Spoon your pasta into bowls and sprinkle the remaining cheese and parsley on top. Add the rocket to the balsamic dressing and toss together. Serve on top of the pasta, finish with a good grind of black pepper and enjoy!

All recipes and imagery are from Hello Fresh