Written by Korkor Opai-Tetteh
Dr. Hazel Wallace of the Food Medic recently shared a post on Instagram about how we help save the planet without having to go vegan. I am fully aware of the impact that the meat industry has on the planet but I do not think that I am in the place where I can currently commit to a fully plant-based diet. I may need to have some sort of immersive hypnotic session that breaks my bond with cheese 🙂 That being said I would still really like to lower the impact I may have on the world and I am fully committed to being a more responsible human.
Dr Wallace shares some small changes that make a big difference in how we can be better humans, here’s what she had to say:
- Bring a reusable cup for tea and coffee
- Keep a folded tote or shopper in your bag instead of buying plastic bags and this included all shopping items, not just groceries (I found this quite interesting because I do generally only use reusable bags for my groceries but not all my shopping)
- Use a reusable water bottle or flask
- Pick up a set of cutlery that you can take with you for meals on the go
- Avoid excess plastic in the supermarkets by buying fruit and veg loose and opting to bulk grains and pulses in bulk where possible
- Buy your soaps/shampoos/lotions as bars. Not only are they plastic free, they last much longer
- Invest in a re-usable straw (glass, bamboo, stainless steel)
You can find the full post here.
Right, so where do we start?
Recently, I listened to a podcast that spoke about how everyone has about five-to-seven recipes that they can confidently make and know that it will be delicious and easy to make again and again. Unfortunately, the majority of these recipes have either meat, pasta and comfort foods or are a mix of all three.
In the aim of making progress on my veggie adventures, I have been playing around with some easy and delicious plant-based recipes to add to my repertoire. Even my little brother followed his nose downstairs when he caught a whiff of this spiced pea Red Lentil Pasta.
Here it is, let me know what you think!
Spiced Pea Red Lentil Pasta
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 box of Happy Earth People pasta
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of dried mixed herb
- ¼ teaspoon of chili flakes
- 2 lemons juiced
- 100g of frozen peas
- 2 bunches of mint chopped
- Grated Parmesan to your liking or nutritional yeast
- Baby tomatoes chopped
Method:
- Cook the Happy Earth People Pasta for 4 minutes shorter than the box instructions (8 minutes)
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic when it has heated and cook for about a minute
- Add the chili flakes and the dried mixed herbs and cook until fragrant
- Add the mug full of pasta water into the pan and cook it until it has reduced
- Add the pasta, peas and half the lemon juice and heat until the peas are warmed through and the pasta is al dente
- Stir through the remainder of the olive oil until combined
- Take off the heat and place in the bowl and stir through the cheese, mint, tomatoes and the other half of the lemon.
- Enjoy!
About the author:
Hi! My name is Korkor Opai-Tetteh. I truly believe that a third of my being is dedicated to food – good food – that is made with love! When I’m not busy cooking, I am a medical student at the University of Cape Town. You can find more delicious recipes and updates of my veggie adventures on my blog and Instagram page.