Aubergine, broad bean and cherry tomato salad, with burrata

 I hope this will be nice.  I think it will be.

1 aubergine (eggplant), cut into strips

1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes

Frozen or fresh broad beans

1 burrata

2 tbs olive oil

Few drops balsamic vinegar

A bit of balsamic drizzle, if you have some

Put 1/2 the olive oil into a lidded frying pan and add the aubergine strips.  If you're using a spray bottle, spray the tops of the strips a few times, too.  Toss the strips to coat.  Now cook on a medium heat with the lid on, stirring every 5 minutes, for about 15 minutes until they are shrunkien and soft.  

Meanwhile, put the cherry tomatoes in another pan with the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, and cook them on a low heat, shaking the pan from time to time, for about 10 minutes until they are about to burst.

Also meanwhile, cook the broad beans (if they are frozen, which is the easiest, shove them in the microwave for a couple of minutes).  Some recipes say to take off the inner skin, but then you are taking off most of the flavour, so we thought not.

When they are all cooked, mix them together, season to taste and maybe add a bit of balsamic drizzle.  Allow to cool thoroughly.  

To serve, add any more salad vegetables you wish - perhaps an avocado?  Or some cucumber?  Whatever you like. I ended up adding the end of a carton of olives (with peppers and garlic). Or don't bother!  Plate up, then place 1/2 burrato carefully on the top of each salad.  Serve with bread, or some kind of carby salad (we have couscous salad in the fridge, so I'm going with that). Meant to take another photo when I'd plated up, but forgot. But oh, the aubergine was lovely! 

Banana Milkshake

 I didn't have time to take any photos of this, so this is a generic picture of bananas!

We had lunch out, and the Swan Whisperer ordered a banana milkshake, despite having been warned that it was only Nesquik.  I had no sympathy, as he had been told, but then made this for a quick supper pudding!

2 bananas

500 ml oat milk (or, of course, dairy milk, or any other milk of your choice)

1 tbs muscovado sugar

Put everything in the blender and whizz!  Serves 2.  Delicious!

It's vegan unless you use cows' milk, in which case it is vegetarian.  I prefer oat milk, but that's taste, not virtue.

Vegetable noodle soup

 I do love soup for lunch, and this particular one is a meal in itself!  If you don't have a soup maker, cook the vegetables and stock on the stove, and then either use a stick blender or, indeed, leave them unpureed!  

Amounts are totally variable!

Frozen chopped onion (or 1 fresh onion, peeled and chopped)

Frozen vegetable mix

Stock cube

Water

Seasoning to taste

Put all the above in the soup maker and set to pureed soup.* 

When cooked, transfer to a saucepan and add:

Chinese quick-cook noodles (ramen noodles are lovely, but you might not need to flavour sachet!)

Frozen peas

I had some frozen beans that wanted using

Frozen "steam veg" pack from Iceland with quinoa and beans

Or whatever you fancy!  Bring to the boil and simmer until noodles are cooked - 2-3 minutes.

* I very often stop right there and just add a tin of sweetcorn for a bit of mouthfeel.