Sometimes the simplest meals are the nicest purely for that reason. A quick, healthy, hot and comforting snack…made all the better with a quick 5 minute turnaround so no slaving over a hot stove. You can sink down into the sofa and relax after a long day when you most need it.

This was actually an accidental dinner that came about as I was prepping a batch of dried chickpeas (I’d soaked them overnight and was just finishing cooking them ready for freezing in small batches) when I realised the time was getting on and I needed to eat…and fast…before I had to head out of the door. I threw some ingredients together and this is what came out!

One of my favourite meals (yet to be featured on the blog) is a peanutty stir fry affair, and this is an even easier speedier version of that principle. Veggies, beans, PB and rice noodles all come together in a nice bowl of winter comfort…well not just winter, any time of the year will do!

To speed everything up I used rice noodles that take just 3-4 minutes to cook, along with some grated carrot, courgette and spinach- which literally took a couple of minutes to heat through, and I also threw in a handful of the chickpeas I’d just finished cooking but you could use any canned beans. Some nice drippy PB and a touch of soy milk if necessary to mix through and you are away. You could also sprinkle some chilli flakes or thai spice seasoning if you fancy…jazz it up any way you like.

Recipe: 5-minute veggie noodles

Serves 1 (easily multiplied)

Ingredients

• 1 portion of dried rice noodles
• 1 smallish carrot
• ½ medium courgette
• Large handful of any beans
• Large handful of spinach
• 1 tbs peanut butter
• 1-2 tbs soy milk (or any non-dairy milk or water) as necessary
• Spicy seasoning to serve if desired

Method

Bring a smallish pan of water to the boil and cook rice noodles for 3-4 minutes (or according to packet instructions). Meanwhile grate carrot and courgette get the beans and spinach ready. Drain the noodles and place back in the pan on low heat, mix through the peanut butter and ‘milk’ if necessary. Once the 'sauce' is warm and drippy add all the veg and mix through for two minutes until just cooked through/wilted.

Serve in a bowl with some extra seasoning sprinkled over as necessary. If your PB has no added salt you may wish to add some soy sauce or a slightly salty seasoning to give a flavour boost.