Hurrah for ex-girlfriends

It's traditional to dislike your man's ex-girlfriends on principle, but I'm actually delighted about one of my partner's exes - because he once lived with a girl who was vegetarian.

Considering that his favourite meals are nachos, pizza and steak with mushrooms, I was really surprised when I served up a vegetarian dish one day and his reaction was "Dhal - yum!" Thanks to that nameless girl in London, he likes vegetarian food.

That's made it really easy to keep up one "green" practice - meat-free meals. We generally have vegetarian about once a week, but even that makes a difference for the environment.

To celebrate, here's my favourite lifesaving 10-minute vegetarian recipe for when you're exhausted, in a hurry, you haven't made it to the shops and there's practically nothing in the house etc:

Tuoni e lampi (Thunder and Lightning)

2 servings small pasta (I use penne)
about 1 cup or 1 can cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained if you're using a can)
1 clove garlic 
a good glug of olive oil
parsley (optional)
parmesan (optional)

Cook the pasta until just done. In the last few minutes, add the cooked chickpeas to the saucepan to reheat. Drain well and mix with a finely chopped clove of garlic and a good glug of olive oil. You can sprinkle with chopped parsley and/or grated parmesan if you have the wherewithal.