We’re a few days into lockdown and the initial buzz has died down slightly. Now we need to get on with it and make things as normal as possible. And what’s more normal (and mood-lifting) than cooking your favourite dishes? This collection of lockdown recipes mostly makes use of pantry staples, so you could already have many of the ingredients stocked up, and they’re all vegan, so you there’s no perishable meat or dairy that you need to worry about. There are a few luxurious items, like fresh coriander, but these can be substituted for whatever you have available — the recipes will let you know what you can try.

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All these lockdown recipes are hearty and comforting — exactly what we all need at the moment. Enjoy and show us what you’re cooking by tagging @womenshealthmagsa on Instagram.

1/ Spicy Beans

These beans are Mexican inspired, but if you don’t have the necessary spices, you can use what you have. You can go for an Italian spin and use mixed herbs, origanum or thyme. Or you can keep it super simple by just adding some chilli flakes, so you get a spicy, garlicky tomato sauce – you can even leave out the chopped onion. You could also use curry spices, if you wanted to.

There are some recommended accompaniments, but again, it depends what you have. You could serve the beans on toast or simply eat them out the bowl with a chopped tomato on the side. If you don’t have fresh coriander, maybe you have some Pesto Princess Coriander Pesto hiding in the back of the fridge? Add a few dollops over the beans before serving.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tin beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  

To Serve

• Chopped tomato and onion salad
• Fresh coriander
  
• Santa Anna’s Organic Corn Chips

Method

1. To make the beans, add a good glug of olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and fry for a few minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
3. Once the onion and garlic are cooked, add in all the spices and cook until fragrant.
4. Add the beans and stir to combine, then pour in the chopped tomatoes and stir.
5. After a few minutes, add the tomato paste and a cup of water and stir to combine.
6. Turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened.
7. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

2/ Easy Dhal

This dhal was built for a less-than-full pantry — it’s so versatile you can mix and match ingredients as you have them. If you only have fresh tomatoes and no tinned, chop a few up and let them cook down in the dhal. You could add some tomato paste, if you’re worried about tomato-iness (yup, we just said tomato-iness). Garlic is pretty important to this meal, but if you don’t have fresh ginger, you can add a teaspoon of powered or leave it out completely.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 knob ginger, grated
• 4 tbsp curry spice (use your favourite)
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 3 cups red split lentils
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes, puréed (optional)
• 2 tsp vegetable stock powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh coriander

Method

1. Add a good splash of olive oil to a pan and heat. Add the onions and fry until translucent, then add the garlic and ginger. Fry until cooked, but not browned.
2. Add the curry spice and cumin. Fry until fragrant. Add the lentils and fry for a minute or two.
3. Here’s where you can change things up to your tastes: you can either add just water to cover the lentils by about a centimetre or you can add the puréed tomatoes and water to cover by a centimetre or you can add coconut milk and water to cover by a centimetre OR you can add all three to cover by a centimetre (you’ll obviously use a lot less water if you do this one). All three versions work very well, it just depends on your tastes.
4. Stir in the stock powder and season (I find it needs quite a bit of salt), then cover with a lid and cook on a low heat until the lentils are soft, but not mush (add more water if it disappears too quickly).
5. Taste to check the seasoning, adjust accordingly and add a few leaves of fresh coriander. Serve with a fresh chopped tomato and onion salad and more coriander.

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3/ Chickpea Curry

Yes, we know chickpeas are a bit of a luxury item at the moment (they seemed to be the first thing to disappear off shelves), but if you’re lucky enough to have a tin or two, this curry is the best way to use them. If you don’t have coconut milk, you can easily leave it out, you can just add a bit more water as the curry cooks down. Again, the ginger is lovely, but not essential so if you don’t have any, don’t worry. And if you don’t have any butter-chicken spice, you can use whatever curry powder you have.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• Big knob of ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp butter chicken spice (you can buy a mix from any spice shop or make your own)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• Chilli flakes, to taste (depending on your spice mixture and your heat preference)
• 3 tins chickpeas, drained
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes, puréed
• 1 tin coconut milk
• Salt, pepper and sugar (optional), to taste

Method

1. Pour a big splash of olive oil into a pot and heat on medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and fry for a few minutes until just translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a couple more minutes.
2. Add the spices and chilli (if using) and stir into the onion mixture.
3. Pour in the chickpeas and stir until covered by the onion-spice mixture. Fry for a few more minutes.
4. Pour in the puréed tomatoes and coconut milk and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper – and sugar (if you want to add a touch of sweetness).
5. Cook on medium-low heat until some of the liquid has evaporated and a thick sauce has developed. The longer you let it cook, the richer and more delicious it becomes.
6. Do a final taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve with rice, a chopped tomato, onion and coriander salad and a roti (if you have).

4/ Lentil Bolognaise

This recipe is super simple and can be made with the bare minimum ingredients. You can easily leave out the carrot and celery, wine (with no wine on sale for the lockdown, every bit needs to be saved for drinking!), tomato paste and fresh basil (if you have some basil pesto kicking about, plop it on). Of course, all these ingredients make the bolognaise extra special, but if you don’t have them, you can still make a delicious meal. If you don’t have any spaghetti, any pasta will do or simply dollop the lentils on toast for a quick lunch the next day.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 cups cooked lentils
• 1 tsp origanum
• 1 tsp thyme
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Cooked spaghetti, to serve
• Fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Method

1. Add a good splash of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrot and celery and fry until the onion is almost translucent.
3. Add the garlic and fry for a few more minutes.
4. Add the lentils and mix them into the veggies. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the herbs.
5. Add the wine, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well.
6. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and let the liquid reduce. You want a thick sauce that will coat your pasta well.
   
7. Once you’re happy with the consistency of the sauce, season well. If the sauce is a little bitter from the tomatoes, you can add a sprinkle of sugar.
8. Serve over spaghetti, garnished with a few basil leaves.

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5/ Tomato Pasta

Almost all of the above recipes have a basic version of this tomato sauce as their base. If you don’t have onion, you can leave it out and if you’re not a fan of chilli (we can’t be friends, I’m afraid) leave it out as well. You don’t need to use balsamic vinegar specifically, any vinegar will do — its job is to balance out the bitterness of the tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 200g dried pasta of your choice
• Olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chillies, chopped
• 2 tins whole-peeled tomatoes
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh basil, torn

Method

1. Put a pot of water with a good amount of salt over high heat and heat until boiling. Add the pasta. Cook until al dente or to your liking.
2. Add a good glug of olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat.
3. Once it’s hot, add the chopped onion. Let it cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.
4. Add the garlic and chilli and stir to combine. Let it cook for a few more minutes.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and allow to cook for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down. You can help the process by mashing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. You want a relatively smooth sauce with a few chunks of tomato.
6. Add a good splash of balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Allow to reduce until the sauce is a good thick consistency.
7. Add the pasta to the pan and stir to combine, adding a bit of the pasta water if necessary.
8. Divide among two bowls and serve sprinkled with the torn basil (or dollops of pesto).

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